How to Create a Multi-Functional Newsletter to Promote Your Freelance Business and Secure More Work

A marketing strategy is worthless if all it does is promote your freelance business and plea to prospects to hire you. Such is the case with many print and e-mail business newsletters. Few freelancers understand how to use a business newsletter to secure clients in the long term. Instead they use their newsletters to pitch their freelance services and advertise their qualifications. This method does not work effectively. It's why freelancers don't bother publishing a second issue - because prospects tossed out or deleted their first issue. Harness the following techniques and you won't be a freelancer who calls it quits. Your business newsletter will be different and powerful. It'll serve as a business-builder, lead-generator, and repetitive project-producing money-making marketing tool. GUIDELINES TO CREATE A BUSINESS-BUILDING NEWSLETTER Your business newsletter should serve multiple functions, not just one. Here's how to do it. Function #1: USE YOUR NEWSLETTER TO SELL YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERTISE-BUT DO IT QUIETLY AND CLEVERLY. Your newsletter should provide worthy, timely, helpful, problem-solving information - anything else, such as blatant promotion or bragging about the benefits of your skills and services, will trigger the prospect or client to toss out or delete your newsletter, including future issues. Learn to sell yourself cleverly and subtly. You can do so by showcasing specific examples, samples, and results you've achieved for other clients. Your newsletter should contain 80% information and 20% (or less) promotion. You also can mention any awards you've received, if you did charity work for a non-profit association to help raise funds, spoke at a workshop or led a seminar, or had an article or book published. Both prospects and clients will enjoy reading these newsworthy achievements as they are reflections of your skills and abilities. Function #2: USE YOUR NEWSLETTER AS A REPETITIVE MARKETING TOOL. Securing a client is multi-step - and marketing repeatedly to the same prospect or client is vital to secure work. Publishing your newsletter frequently satisfies this need and increases the chance of the prospect or client outsourcing work to you. According to marketing experts, it takes five consecutive times to make an impact. Publish your newsletter no less than bi-monthly. Monthly is standard. Weekly or bi-weekly is recommended, especially if you publish your newsletter online. Function #3: USE YOUR NEWSLETTER TO INTEREST PROSPECTS AND CLIENTS IN WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY. Your newsletter should contain interesting, problem-solving copy - not fluff or generalizations. You can craft interesting copy by writing copy that: a) solves a problem or problems; b) solves a potential or future problem; c) helps the prospect or client achieve better results; d) lends valuable advice; e) helps define his or her problem; f) provides case studies of mistakes that other businesses have made and how he or she can avoid them. Favor brief copy over long-winded sentences and endless paragraphs. Use periods over commas. Use a software program like StyleWriter, found at http://www.bookcatcher.com), a free website to help authors promote their books.