05-14-2015, 03:33 PM
Well, it's about time I got this offline marketing datasheet up...
And sorry for the delay guys. I had my hands full with 3 back-to-back conferences and a laptop meltdown...
Anyhow, before I get into the nitty gritty of offline marketing, there's something I ought to cover first.
Positioning. If you're a newbie freelancer, how you position yourself from the getgo is crucial. Before you think about getting a website up or prospecting, you really need to take some time to brainstorm about this.
Pick a niche based on your experience and/or interests. Become a specialist. That's how you make big bucks in this game. I first started off as a generalist copywriter and I was living hand-to-mouth for the best part of a year.
It wasn't until I positioned myself as tourism-industry copywriter that things really took off. It's counterintuitive, but focusing on a narrow area will actually get you a lot more work.
With that crucial bit out of the way...
So first off, what is it? I know some of you guys are getting quaint ideas of passing out flyers door-to-door or something.
In reality, it's increasingly difficult to separate offline and online marketing. They're merging together.
You'll use the internet to find clients listings...to then send direct-mail promotions. And you'll hand out business cards with your website on them, etc.
For the purposes of this discussion, I'm drawing a line between prospecting on the freelances sites and job boards (with mainly faceless internet marketers as your clients) and prospecting in the real word with successful companies that have a physical presence.
So I'm not saying go low tech. On the contrary, use every marketing tool at your disposal. But I think your time is better served going after brick n' mortar companies for a number of reasons.
Brick n' mortar businesses have money. They have much higher startup and running costs than IMers. They can afford to pay you the rates you deserve.
Less competition. On the freelance sites, you're competing against the ENTIRE world. You needn't worry about Indians of course, but you're still competing with a lot of writing talent from all over the Anglosphere. In the offline markets, they much prefer to work with somebody local. This local advantage is huge. As much as I like to brag about my marketing prowess, I'd say just being a local guy has been responsible for landing me more work than anything else.
It makes you stand out. Most freelancers hide behind their keyboards. If you use some of the “old-school” marketing methods I suggest, you'll stick out big time.
People actually appreciate cold calls these days. It might have been considered hassling in the 90s, but it's rare now. I've never had one angry response. The fact is...it's one of the more personable ways to communicate with somebody aside from meeting in-person.
Email. Not really offline per say, but we're using it to go after companies with a physical presence. I've used emails to great effect. It's a numbers game though. Bear in mind that a lot of people simply don't read their emails or will take a quick glance and delete. Write a good script, and have some kid on Elance send it out to a 1,000+ companies that meet your specs.
Cold calling. I dreaded talking on the phone most of my life. Apparently, most people have that phobia. Use it to your advantage. With practice, anybody can get good at cold-calling. I've charmed secretaries into transferring me to the Creative Directors of Fortune 500s. Do it.
Write a letter. If you're a copywriter, then this is one of the best ways to demonstrate your skillset. Write a long-form sales letter about your service. Include a reply card, where they can ask to see some of your prior projects/case studies. I only do this with companies that I'm super-interested in. But I think I've landed something like 75% clients I've done this with.
Shake a hand. Nothing beats meeting in-person. Go to meetings at your local chamber of commerce. Attend trade shows and events in your industry. Bring a stack of business cards, but don't hand them out like a used-car salesman. When people inevitably ask you what you do, tell them and and as an afterthought say, “Oh, here's my business card..”. This is the number one way to meet high-paying clients. Period. Despite all the advances in technology, we're social animals. We want to look each other in the eye, and get to know the man...particularly when it comes to matters of money.
Right, I could easily write a 100 pages on this stuff, but I don't want to dominate the thread.
So that's a brief sketch of my methods. And if you guys have any questions on the particulars, I'd be glad to answer them.
And sorry for the delay guys. I had my hands full with 3 back-to-back conferences and a laptop meltdown...
Anyhow, before I get into the nitty gritty of offline marketing, there's something I ought to cover first.
Positioning. If you're a newbie freelancer, how you position yourself from the getgo is crucial. Before you think about getting a website up or prospecting, you really need to take some time to brainstorm about this.
Pick a niche based on your experience and/or interests. Become a specialist. That's how you make big bucks in this game. I first started off as a generalist copywriter and I was living hand-to-mouth for the best part of a year.
It wasn't until I positioned myself as tourism-industry copywriter that things really took off. It's counterintuitive, but focusing on a narrow area will actually get you a lot more work.
With that crucial bit out of the way...
Offline Marketing
So first off, what is it? I know some of you guys are getting quaint ideas of passing out flyers door-to-door or something.
In reality, it's increasingly difficult to separate offline and online marketing. They're merging together.
You'll use the internet to find clients listings...to then send direct-mail promotions. And you'll hand out business cards with your website on them, etc.
For the purposes of this discussion, I'm drawing a line between prospecting on the freelances sites and job boards (with mainly faceless internet marketers as your clients) and prospecting in the real word with successful companies that have a physical presence.
So I'm not saying go low tech. On the contrary, use every marketing tool at your disposal. But I think your time is better served going after brick n' mortar companies for a number of reasons.
Why Offline?
Brick n' mortar businesses have money. They have much higher startup and running costs than IMers. They can afford to pay you the rates you deserve.
Less competition. On the freelance sites, you're competing against the ENTIRE world. You needn't worry about Indians of course, but you're still competing with a lot of writing talent from all over the Anglosphere. In the offline markets, they much prefer to work with somebody local. This local advantage is huge. As much as I like to brag about my marketing prowess, I'd say just being a local guy has been responsible for landing me more work than anything else.
It makes you stand out. Most freelancers hide behind their keyboards. If you use some of the “old-school” marketing methods I suggest, you'll stick out big time.
People actually appreciate cold calls these days. It might have been considered hassling in the 90s, but it's rare now. I've never had one angry response. The fact is...it's one of the more personable ways to communicate with somebody aside from meeting in-person.
Which Offline Marketing Methods Are The Most Effective?
Email. Not really offline per say, but we're using it to go after companies with a physical presence. I've used emails to great effect. It's a numbers game though. Bear in mind that a lot of people simply don't read their emails or will take a quick glance and delete. Write a good script, and have some kid on Elance send it out to a 1,000+ companies that meet your specs.
Cold calling. I dreaded talking on the phone most of my life. Apparently, most people have that phobia. Use it to your advantage. With practice, anybody can get good at cold-calling. I've charmed secretaries into transferring me to the Creative Directors of Fortune 500s. Do it.
Write a letter. If you're a copywriter, then this is one of the best ways to demonstrate your skillset. Write a long-form sales letter about your service. Include a reply card, where they can ask to see some of your prior projects/case studies. I only do this with companies that I'm super-interested in. But I think I've landed something like 75% clients I've done this with.
Shake a hand. Nothing beats meeting in-person. Go to meetings at your local chamber of commerce. Attend trade shows and events in your industry. Bring a stack of business cards, but don't hand them out like a used-car salesman. When people inevitably ask you what you do, tell them and and as an afterthought say, “Oh, here's my business card..”. This is the number one way to meet high-paying clients. Period. Despite all the advances in technology, we're social animals. We want to look each other in the eye, and get to know the man...particularly when it comes to matters of money.
Right, I could easily write a 100 pages on this stuff, but I don't want to dominate the thread.
So that's a brief sketch of my methods. And if you guys have any questions on the particulars, I'd be glad to answer them.