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Freelance Writers: What to Look for in a Chamber of Commerce Before You Join

October 18, 2006

Original Title: Freelancers & Small Business Owners: What to Look for in a Chamber of Commerce

In yesterday’s post, I advised that every freelancer should join a Chamber of Commerce. However, not all chambers are effective.

Here I will outline what every freelancer and/ or small business owner should look for before joining.

1. Dedicated Leads Meetings: What are these? Simply put, a time set aside just for passing/getting leads – no hobnobbing, no meet and greet, no speakers – a time just for getting and passing leads.

In yesterday’s post, I outlined how this works, but a quick recap is as follows:

Members are given a specified time (usually 30-45 seconds) to give a short commercial about their product/service. Mine usually goes something like:

My name is Yuwanda Black and I am a freelance copywriter. I write/produce web copy, newsletters, sales letters, brochures and other marketing materials for small business owners. I work quickly and cost-consciously.

Recently, I provided a newly licensed realtor with all the copy for her website in just two days. A good lead for me today is a web designer, printer and/or communications manager.

NOTE: The reason I highlight the word today is that sometimes, as a business owner, you may be targeting a different market. For example, I do a lot of work with realtors and mortgage brokers.

However, I also write resumes. So, the next week, I may target recruiters at staffing agencies. Why? They often need resumes written, rewritten, edited and/or copy edited before they send them to clients.

As this example illustrates, it’s important to think carefully about what you want to say during your presentation – because, as I stated in my last article, people listen peripherally UNTIL they hear something that strikes a chord for them.

After all members have completed their commercial, leads/referrals are then passed (hence, the need to be highly specific in your message).

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2. Dedicated Leads Meetings – ON A REGULAR BASIS: One chamber I belong to offers networking events on an irregular basis. In my opinion, this is not effective, for the following reasons:

a) People do business with people they know, like and trust: If you don’t see prospects on a regular basis, there is no chance to build a rapport. So, you never get to build any of these sentiments.

b) No chance to imprint your brand: If you can’t get in front of prospects on a regular basis, there is no chance to imprint what you do on a prospect’s brain. Most people have to meet you 3-4 times before they will remember your name, never mind what you do.

c) No chance to get a pulse of the community: Chambers of Commerce are the local business community – eg, realtors, bankers, web design companies, staffing agencies, physicians, etc.

Via this network, a wealth of information is often gleaned about the local economy – eg, how new zoning laws affect x, which companies are closing, which are expanding, types of industries projected to do well in the next 5, 10 years. It is a readily available research vehicle to learn a ton about what you can do to increase your business’s bottom line.

For all of the above reasons, it is critical to know HOW OFTEN your chamber meets. In my opinion, it should be at least weekly. One of the chambers I belong to has dedicated leads meetings twice a week – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. This allows everyone – no matter their schedule – to attend at least one.

3. Responsive Chamber Representative: As a new member, you are likely to be intimidated meeting other members. Even if this is not the case, you may not know anyone.

A good chamber will have a representative who literally takes you by the hand and introduces you to other members. S/he probably won’t introduce you to everyone – but will at least make 2-3 introductions to get you started. It will usually go something like:

Mary, this is Yuwanda Black. She owns Inkwell Editorial, an editorial services firm in the area. Yuwanda, Mary here has been a chamber member for the last three years. She owns the local print shop. I thought it would be good for you two to get to know each other.

Usually “Mary” willd converse with “Yuwanda” about what she does and will introduce her to a couple of more people. Any savvy business owner can take it from there.

NOTE: It can be intimidating to walk into a room full of people you don’t know and tell them what you do. But, and you will just have to trust me on this – chamber members are some of the nicest people you will ever meet.

They are usually hardworking small business owners just like you – and most will go out of their way to make you feel comfortable and at ease. AND, once you get a foothold in the organization, most members really do work to give you qualified referrals.

4. Lunch & Learns: Most chambers have enhancement seminars on a variety of topics of interest to small business owners – how to hire the right sales person, how to live a balanced life, the ethics of business, etc.

These are offered free or for a reduced fee to chamber members. Many times, the seminar presenters are chamber members themselves. Why is this important? It’s an excellent chance for you to get your product/service in front of a group of interested prospects.

This also builds your presentation skills – and could ostensibly add another revenue stream to your business. Many times after a seminar I’ve had attendees approach me about doing some type of work for their firm – ie, an in-house seminar, produce a sales letter, an employee manual, etc.

5. Advertising: The final tip I have is that any chamber you join should have some way for you to get the word out about your business via more than just the networking. Eg, via an e-blasted press release, a job posting board, an online member directory, etc.

One of the chambers I belong to offers all of this. It’s usually in some type of limited capacity, eg, no more than one press release per quarter, but is highly effective.

In summary, I was in business for years before I joined a chamber. My thinking was that they were just another organization that wanted a fee and would serve no real benefit. Boy was I wrong!

Building relationships via your local chamber will take some time (remember, prospects have to get to know, like and trust you), but the long-term benefits are beyond immeasurable.

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Copyright © 2006; Republished 2010. All material on this site is copyright protected and cannot be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without my written consent (linking to is fine).

Freelance Writing Advice: Why Every Freelance Writer Should Join a Chamber of Commerce

October 17, 2006

1. No Competition: I currently belong to two chambers of commerce, and have visited countless others as a speaker, seminar and/or networking attendee. You know what? I am usually the only freelance writer in the room. Yep, the only one!

It baffles me that more freelance writers (and editors, copy editors, proofreaders, copywriters, etc.) don’t join their local chamber. This is exactly where most of the “real money” (ie, commercial writing) is in freelance writing. What do I mean?

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InkwellEditorial.com E-Course: Launch a Profitable Freelance Writing Career in 30 Days or Less !

What do they all have in common? Written material – lots of it – that they are usually passing around. This is a perfect chance to show them how you can make it better by redesigning/rewriting it.

Or, add a sales letter to it.

Or, create an e-book as a free giveaway for their clients.

Or, add timely content to their website.

Or create an e-newsletter to stay in contact with customers. … the list is endless.

2. Prestige: Joining the local chamber says mounds about you as a professional. Not only do you get to meet and get to know the heart and soul of your local business community, you can use it in all of your promotional material.

By being a part of the chamber, you move beyond being “just” a freelance writer to being a certified business owner. In my experience, people do business with those they: a) know, b) like, and c) trust. The chamber builds all of these sentiments. How?

By being in front of the same group of people on a regular basis, you get to know them. Over time, this builds into a friendly (ie, likeable) relationship. Once people know and like you, getting them to trust you is the next logical step.

This leads to our final – and the most important – reason you should join your local chamber: referrals.
 
3. Constant Source of Business: With the above three sentiments in place, you can really maximize your chamber membership by getting members to do business with – and refer business to – you.

A First-hand Peek at How You Can Grow Your Business by Joining Your Local Chamber

I joined my local chamber solely for the networking opportunities. And I don’t mean just “regular” networking. My chamber has two dedicated lead sessions a week. This is the way it works:

a. Weekly Meetings: Two lead sessions a week – one early morning (Tuesdays, 7:30 – 8:45 a.m.) and one late afternoon (Thursdays, 3:15 – 4:30 p.m.). This works well because if you can’t do an early morning meeting, then you can catch a late afternoon one without fear that you’ve missed your chance to network for the week.

FYI, I quizzed my chamber representative about which meeting was more heavily attended. He said the Thursday afternoon one, by far. Eg, they have anywhere from 10-20 at the early morning meeting and anywhere from 30-70 at the Thursday afternoon meeting (I can personally attest to this because this is the one I attend every week).

b. Format: The meetings are very structured and productive. After a 15-minute “free-for-all” mingling session, the meeting is officially called to order. Each attendee gets 30 seconds to give a mini commercial about what they do (this alone has paid for my membership many times over).

Usually the attendees tell their name, company name, what they do and what a good lead for them would be. Networking slips are put on the table and if anyone hears something from one of the presenters that may be a good lead for them or someone they know, then they fill out the lead form and it is passed to that person so they can follow up.

While the meeting is taking place, one of the Chamber employees copies the business cards of the attendees, which is dropped into a bucket when you first sign in. Before the end of the meeting, a copy of the business cards of all the attendees is then passed around to everyone.

This way, you have a permanent record of all attendees and their contact info. So, even if you have no need or leads for them now, if you happen to at a later date, you have the contact info. I can’t tell you how much business this has brought me over the years.

Types of Projects I’ve Garnered Via My Local Chamber Membership

News and sales letters are the most common. However, I’ve also redesigned and wrote copy for websites, designed and wrote copy for brochures and postcards; designed business cards (business owners will ask for the most minute things sometimes); wrote e-books and pamphlets as free giveaways; press releases; business profiles; and more!

Most business owners belong to their chamber for years and years – because this type of networking really works. And just think how advantageous it is for a newbie starting out.

Learn what to look for in a chamber before joining and how to get more than referrals from chamber members.

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Freelance Writers: 3 Ways to Start Making Money Within One Week – Guaranteed!

October 11, 2006

If you’re a freelance writer, or thinking about becoming one, then you know that writing is the easy part. Finding places to pitch your writing, ie, marketing it, takes up the bulk of your time.

Well, there are a few ways on the internet where you can start making money right away – as in, within one week. Following are three.

1. Write for Pay Sites (2 Reviewed)

A. AssociatedContent.com: My favorite write-for-pay site. The beauty of writing for this site is that you write what you want and get paid for it – anywhere from $3 to $40 for a minimum 400-word article. They also accept photos and videos for payment.

The reason I like this site is: 1) as mentioned above, you write what you want. No editor guidelines to follow, no writing about subjects you have no interest in and/or tons of research to do. 2) No minimum pay out to reach (many sites have a minimum you have to reach before you get paid); and 3) fairly quick turnaround time. They usually take 5-7 business days to read your submission and make you an offer.

If you have a hobby, a subject you are passionate about, or a subject you want to take the time to write about – for whatever reason – simply set up an Author’s account with them and submit (it’s FREE).

NOTE: On rare occasions, your article will be rejected. However, the editors usually leave a note explaining why and you then have the chance to make changes and resubmit the content. As I said, to be rejected is rare, but on the few occasions I have been, I always rewrote and usually got a higher than normal offer by acting on the editor’s suggestions.

Since I’ve been a freelance writer for over a decade and have a large library of content, I made a couple of hundred dollars in a few week’s time by submitting previously published material.

Didn’t I mention that the material you submit doesn’t have to be original? You will be paid less for it, but as it’s already written and has probably been used for other purposes, it’s like free cash. They pay more for original material and material they specifically request (new topics are emailed from the administrator each Friday).

B. WriteForCash.com: With WriteForCash.com, it takes them up to two weeks to review your article and more often than not, you will have to make some revisions before your article will be accepted.

There are tons of ways to sell your writing online; these three sites are just to get you going and/or supplement what you may already be doing.

2. Start an Article Directory: This takes a bit more work, but is very simple to start. What do people look for on the Internet – information – lots of it! To start an article directory, all you have to do is put up a simple website and start soliciting writers to submit their articles to you – free of charge.

Most article writers are promoters of something – e-books, seminars, software, workshops, etc. They are constantly looking for free and/or low-cost exposure. Soon, you can have hundreds of pages of content.

How will you make money? Add Google ads (details below). Every time someone clicks on one of the ads, you make money. Many article directories take articles on many subjects; some specialize. Only you can decide which is right for you.

I personally prefer niche directories because as the web expands, I think users will revisit a directory that carries quality information on a specific topic more often than one that carries a lot of articles on everything. Even if you separate them out by category, I find the “all-inclusive directories” too overwhelming. Again, it’s up to you.

The real key to making money with an article directory is promoting it and getting good, quality articles for your site. To get excellent articles, surf the web using key words on your subject. Once you find an article you like, contact the author (most will have their contact info in the resource box at the end of the article) and ask them to regularly submit articles to your directory. They will almost always say yes.

Once your directory has been indexed by search engines, many will start sending you articles automatically. This is when your site should really take off. Once you have a few hundred articles in your directory (and this can literally take as little as a few weeks if you put in the time), slap those Google ads on each page, and voila – you have hundreds of pages of content carrying ads that, each time they’re clicked, is money in your pocket.

NOTE: There are many article directories online where you can automatically pull articles from to get started. Do a Google search for “article directory” and about 3.5 million (yes, million!) results pop up.

Article Directory Software: If you want to put out a little money, you can purchase software that will completely automate this process for you. Do a Google search for “article directory software” and close to half a million results come up. With most of the software, you can choose to buy and install yourself or have the publisher install it for you. Note: You have to be a real techie if you choose to go the self-install route.

Before starting an article directory, I recommend taking several hours and doing some reading on the subject. While it’s a relatively simple concept, it can be a lot of work up front – but can pay huge dividends over the months and years to come.

3. Start a Blog: This is becoming old hat, but is still new and fresh enough that if you have a passion for something and can target a highly defined niche, you can start a blog on it, add some Google Adsense ads, and turn it into a few hundred bucks a month without too much effort.

Want to make more? Like anything in life, the more time you commit to it, the more your income will rise. There’s even a new website, Scoopt.com, that acts as a blog literary agent. What do I mean by this? Specifically, they “help you license your blog for both commercial and non-commercial use.” In essence, they help you sell your blog’s content. See full details at their site.

Blogs are no longer just for ranting about your last bad relationship or the bad dye job your colorist did on your hair. They are professional outlets for making money now. Read this blog case study at ProBlogger.net for an example of how a personal interest can be turned into a popular, moneymaking blog:

If this link takes you to another page, go to ProBlogger.net and do a search of their site for “”Back in Skinny Jeans.” The article should pop up. It’s very, very interesting reading.

FYI, to start a blog, go to blogger.com, create an account and start blogging away. It’s FREE!

SUMMARY: These are not get-rich-quick schemes. My mission at Inkwell Editorial is to help creative and editorial freelancers earn a decent living. I will never promise you that you will “make thousands a month by just doing x”, as many will. Don’t believe the hype.

I have been in publishing since 1987 and have been a freelancer since 1993. Believe me, I’ve heard about and tried so many different programs. The only way to make money is to consistently plug away at something. It takes time and effort, effort and time.

The good news is that if you are determined to make a living as a creative professional, the Internet makes it easier than ever. And, it can be done “relatively” easy if you choose effective methods and consistently implement them.

To learn more about getting those Google ads you see on many websites, go to Google.com. Click on “Advertising Programs” (a plain text button right under the search box). Then click on “For Web Publishers: Google Adsense”. Finally, click on “What is AdSense? Quick Tour”. The program will be explained in detail and you can have it up and running in about 5 minutes.

Also, it takes them up to three months to get your article on the web. Another drawback of this site is that they own the copyright to the work (eg, you can’t resell the content) and you have to choose from topics they list on which to write.

To their credit, the list of topics can be wide-ranging and they pay from $10 to $15 per article. But, if you have a hankering to write about, for example, the World Cup, and it’s not on their list, you won’t get paid for it.

C. Constant-Content.com: With this site, you basically put your articles up for bid, setting your own price. However, a lot of writers there offer their articles for free, which diminishes your chance of selling one – especially if it’s in the same genre. Further, you have to keep your price pretty low to sell articles – anywhere from $1 to $5. Although, this can increase if you write for high-paying genres, eg, finance, technical, medical, etc.

On the upside, you can resell content here. So, if you are going to write an article anyway and sell it elsewhere, you might as well post it here. However, another drawback is that you won’t be paid until your account hits the $50 mark. Realistically, this can take months, especially if you are only posting one or two articles a week and selling them for $2 or $3 each.