www.inkthinkerblog.com — From the comments over at “Q&A Time: Breaking into the biz as an editor or proofreader?“:
I was wondering if you ever cold call companies or other businesses in order to drum up work. If so, how do you approach a business when you do not have a specific contact person? If you don’t cold call, what other ways do you market your business besides ads on Craig’s list. Thanks, as always, for your great blog!
– Julie, who blogs at A Mingling of Tastes
Great question, Julie. Peter Bowerman may call me a fool (and he may be right), but I don’t do a lot of cold calling. What I do a lot of is networking and general self-promotion. Typically I ask folks I know who have some association with a company to give me an entree, even if it’s just being able to use their name when I call. I have one editor friend in particular who constantly sends me great leads and encourages me to let them know that she “sent me.” It’s awesome!
However, when I have done cold calling I’ve researched the company online as much as possible, figured out through their website which department will likely be my most successful target, and then call whoever is listed as the main contact. Sometimes I can narrow it down even more by title (eg, from info on the Contact Us page) and get the managing editor or production manager on the phone. For publications, even if this info isn’t on their website specifically, I can often get a look at the masthead from Amazon.com or something to figure out the best person to reach.
When I get the person on the phone, I generally say something like this:
Hi there. My name is Kristen King, and I’m a freelance writer-editor. I noticed from your website/publication that you do XXXXX, which is a specialty of mine. May I send you a copy of my resume and a list of selected credits? If you think you may be able to use me at some point, I’d love to help you out.
It’s not exactly Shakespeare, but it gets the job done. If I get voicemail, I leave the same message, but change it to “I wanted to let you know that I’ll be mailing you a copy of my resume and credit list for your files” and then just leave my phone number (said s-l-o-w-l-y) at the end.
As you know, I do love Craigslist. I also rely on my website and this very blog to promote my services. For instance, I just checked the site meter for ::inkthinker::, and I’m currently averaging 125 visits to the site every day. If you scroll down the sidebar, you’ll see that I have close to 1,200 certified backlinks. (I’m not exactly sure how they “certify” them, but that’s a big number.) When I check a site like //:URLFAN or Who Links to Me, I can get even more information about who’s linking to my site. For instance, WL2M lists 4,506 links to ::inkthinker:: according to MSN Search. That’s a lot of opportunities for people to find me! My actual business site, www.kristenkingfreelancing.com, has fewer links, but every ::inkthinker:: post contains a link to KKF, so the 4,506 links to ::inkthinker:: are still driving people toward me.
For more self-promotion ideas, check out my post “No-Frills Freelance Marketing.” I do all of these things, and they’re all working out great.
Hope that helps!
Folks, keep those questions coming! E-mail your question to me at kristen@kristenkingfreelancing.com, and look for your answer soon.
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www.kristenkingfreelancing.com
Finalist in 2006 Writer’s Digest Best Writer’s Website Contest
Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King
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I have one of Bowerman’s books, and he definitely inspired that question. I guessed that networking would play a big role in your business. Thanks for explaining how you cold call. I agree that the blog is great for promotion. Maybe once I establish my business, I can turn my food blog into a food-freelancing blog…could I have tapped into an as yet unsatisfied need in the blogosphere??:)
Well, I’m a freelancer and I love food… ;]
kk
Oh gawd, I hate cold calling! But on the rare occasion, it works. I’m thinking Bowerman stretched that point a bit, but cold calling, when done correctly (and there’s the catch!), does work. It’s how the real estate agents I know survive.
I just personally hate it. :)