As content writers, our days are filled with hours spent writing articles for our clients. Administration tasks are crucial for moving our business to the next level, but we never seem to make time for them. Setting aside a day for building our resumes, polishing our social media profiles and even studying blogs in our niche can build a base for stepping up to better clients and more efficient work habits. If you’re a freelance copywriter for hire and you’re tired of working the writing treadmill, bite the bullet and take one day off. With a little planning you’ll build a platform that will benefit your business and increase profits.
Prospective clients want to see samples of your work, and the best way to show these is a writer’s website. This digital portfolio offers potential clients a snapshot of your history and talents by showing the great work you can do. Build a simple site on WordPress or one of the other simple website designs, and opt for the personalized domain name. If it’s available, a simple www.johnsmith.com or johnsmithwriter.com is the best option. Fill the site with your resume, a page with links to samples of your best work, a description of the type of work you offer and a page with your contact information. The next time you come across a job lead that asks for your information, simply send them a link to your site. You’ll save time and look uber-professional at the same time.
If the last time you updated your resume you were working a cash register, you need to move to a writer’s resume. Unlike the regular version with a list of past employers, a writer’s resume concentrates on the jobs you’ve done, the genres you work in and the experience you bring to each type of writing.This is especially useful if you’ve done a lot of writing for mills or ghostwriting for clients who don’t want their name mentioned on your portfolio.
Some people are just naturally more gifted with words than others, but no one is born with a perfect knowledge of grammar and structure. Every writer needs to improve her craft, and everyone has something they need to learn. Do you want to know basic grammar and word usage? Investigate MOOCs, free massive university classes with students from around the globe. Does your business plan include moving into doing white papers or technical writing? Do some preliminary research and set yourself up a course of study. Whatever you want to learn won’t be accomplished in one day, but spending an hour or two organizing your learning time for the future will enable you to achieve that new skill.
Write a schedule at the beginning of your “free” day just as you would any other work day. You’ll keep on track and make sure you take care of all the important tasks you want to hit, in order to simplify your business and improve your bottom line.
Victoria B is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
