The Freelance Fix

It takes time and experience to develop great skills in content writing, but in this episode I'm going to share my best tips for crafting great quality blog posts for your business that are engaging AND SEO-friendly too.

From creating intriguing headlines, to formatting and creating content upgrades, this episode is packed with actionable tips that you can use to write better blog posts TODAY!

Setting up your blog for your small business is actually the easy part - coming up with a regular stream of unique, useful blog topics and content ideas to post on a regular schedule, is the challenge!

In this episode I explain how I plan my content in advance and my best tips for coming up with ideas for your business' blog.

Mentioned in this episode:

https://trello.com/

https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/blog/trello-editorial-calendar

I see so many people starting blogs without realising that there are actually some legal rules they need to adhere to just by owning website, let alone when it comes to creating content!

In this episode, I cover the pages & policies you need to have in place when you own a website, as well as some basic information about Copyright law when curating content for your posts, and how to make sure you are declaring any affiliate links or sponsored/guest articles correctly.

I have also covered a lot of this information in the following blog posts:

https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/blog/legal-guidelines-for-bloggers

https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/blog/is-your-website-legal

(*Please note: I am not a lawyer & cannot be responsible for the advice given in this episode. This is based on my own research & experience but for a comprehensive understanding you should speak to a legal professional.)

Welcome to Part 1 of my 'Blogging Mini-Series'! This episode is all about why and how to start a blog for your small business, including advice on whether it's actually the right step for your business, and my tips on how to get set up to start blogging.

Throughout this 4-part mini-series I'll also be sharing:

- The legal considerations & rules of blogging

- What to post and how to come up with content ideas

- A blog post publishing & promoting checklist!

... so keep an eye out for the future episodes!

I'm also sharing this post alongside launching my brand new Facebook Group - The Freelance Fix Community! I've been wanting to create a community for creative freelancers for a while, and I'm excited for it to be a space for discussions and knowledge sharing. There's also going to be plenty of giveaways and exclusive content, so if you're interested in joining, head over to the new Facebook Group and answer a few quick questions...

This episode is ideal for people who are planning or about to launch a new business or project! It's all about 'Business Plans'; why you might need one, whether it's right for you, what should be included in it for freelance businesses, and two examples of very different styles of plans depending on what kind of business you run and what you need your plan to achieve.

Resources mentioned in the episode:
Business Plan template:
https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/blog/freelance-business-plan-template

Onliness Statement:
https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/blog/brand-exercise-whats-your-onliness-statement

Marketing Plan template:
https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/free-marketing-plan-template

Kanban Boards:
https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/blog/project-management-with-kanban-boards

Trello:
https://trello.com/

Lean Business Plan in Trello:
https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/blog/lean-business-plan-freelancers-hate-planning

Fashion photographer and educator, Olivia Bossert (who also happens to be my closest friend and business buddy), joins me on the first FAQ Session on The Freelance Fix.

In this episode we are talking about ALL things 'niche', including why it's important to 'niche down' in your business, how to choose a niche, how to know if your niche is right, and what to do if someone else is already in your niche or if you change your mind.

Both Olivia and I have had great success from honing in on some pretty tight niches for our businesses, after several years of adjustment and exploration of what we should do, so we wanted to share our combined knowledge and experience with you!

In this episode I am talking about my true passion - branding! What even IS branding and what is a brand? It's not just a logo and a colour palette, it's so much more.

I talk in depth about what it takes to create a real 'brand' and why your brand voice, brand design, and brand actions are so important for creating the business you want. As well as this, we go through what your brand touchpoints might be and how to make them consistent.

There’s a reason why ‘understanding your target customer’ is the first step in pretty much any business or marketing related activity. They are the key person in your business - the hero in the story your business is telling.

Did you know that in some countries, businesses are required to submit a customer profile in order to register as a legal company? Yeah, that's how important it is.

WHY IS CUSTOMER PROFILING SO IMPORTANT?

Without understanding who your customer is, it’s nearly impossible to communicate your business and market your products and services. Having a clear idea of your target customer, including their demographics, preferences, personality, background etc., means you can know:

-What publications they read so you can advertise to them
-Which social media platforms and website they spend most time on
-What types of design feels familiar and attractive to them
-How they like to be spoken to that makes them respond best
-Which events to attend to show up and sell to them
-How to tweak your products & pricing to fit them and solve their problems

In this episode I've included tips on what your Target Customer Profile should look like, plus how to get that information and data to create one.

You can download the free Target Customer CV template (with video tutorial) here:

https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/blog/target-customer-cv

Whether you're building your business on the side of your main 'job', or you've already made the leap and are hopefully waiting for the momentum to pick up, finding your first clients can be a stressful time.

In this episode I've included my 5 tactics that have helped me get my first clients when I was starting out, and that I've used since then when I've hit quiet periods and needed to get work in fast. I've also talked about 3 important things you must have in place in your business before you even start!

Join the '30 Days to Get New Clients' challenge! As I mentioned in this episode I have a 30 day challenge that includes 30 days of activities to help you get your first clients in your business. You can sign up at the link below and receive the 30 days of email prompts:

https://www.byrosanna.co.uk/blog/30days

Hello and welcome to The Freelance Fix! In this episode I am taking the opportunity to properly introduce myself and explain a little about my background and 'freelance story'.

I’ve always been interested in creating my own business. Even age 10 in Primary School I was trying to start a ‘playground’ biz selling my keyring making services to my friends. When I quit my uni course in Hospitality, I thought I wanted to work in Marketing, but I soon realised I was truly passionate about working for myself.

I left my job doing marketing for a software company back in 2016, and since then have been steadily growing my website and brand design business to a place where I have a really well-balanced lifestyle that I love. This is what I talk about in more detail in this podcast episode.

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to my first ever experience of podcasting. It's a little daunting but I'm really excited to be publishing regular episodes over the next few months. Stick around for more on the topics of marketing, branding, design, productivity and freelancing!