Building and Marketing Your Brand as a Freelance Writer

When you’re a freelance copywriter or author, you’re not just your own boss — you are your own brand, too.

It’s important to think of yourself as a brand and business when you’re on your own so you can market yourself effectively. You could be the most talented writer in the world, but if you aren’t able to build a client base through your marketing efforts, you won’t be as successful as you could be.

With that in mind, let’s look at some actionable ideas you can use to build your brand and market yourself online. There are a few tools and tricks that can help your work stand out, and some marketing techniques that can help you build a brand and get noticed.

Housing Your Portfolio in Multiple Places

As a freelancer, you probably already know the importance of having a solid portfolio where potential clients can see your work. You can also use your portfolio pieces to pitch yourself and your ideas to new people.

Having a website is a great start when it comes to showcasing your work online. It’s even better if you’re familiar with SEO practices and can boost your site ranking on Google. If you’re not sure how to do that, start by taking a look at your content and determining if it’s “thin”. You can beef it up and get your page noticed by:

• Boosting your word count
• Making sure your content is completely original
• Avoiding uninformative filler content
• Avoiding bad grammar

Optimizing your website is important, but if you want to improve your visibility, put your portfolio on different platforms like LinkedIn, Pinterest, or Contently. You never know who could be searching these sites, and marketing yourself and your work across various platforms will get you noticed faster.

Making Marketing a Project

If you’ve never done any marketing before, it can help to break down the process and approach it as you would the five phases of project management:

• Initiation
• Planning
• Execution
• Performance and monitoring
• Closing

All of these steps are crucial, but “closing” might be the most important, as it allows you to ask yourself what went well and what didn’t. What did you learn, and what can you do better? If your strategy didn’t go as well as planned, you might want to try an alternative platform, like relying more on social media or sending out newsletters to your email subscribers.

Nowadays, consumers are hungry for relationships with brands. They appreciate businesses that aren’t afraid to let their “humanistic” sides show. You might just be one person, but it’s still important for you to be yourself when connecting and interacting with clients. Doing so will also give your brand a personality — even if you’re just being yourself. It’s a great way to balance being a writer and being a business.

Start a Blog

Having a portfolio of your professional work is a fantastic way for potential clients to see what they’ll be getting if they work for you. However, as a writer, having your own personal blog can also make a big difference.

It’s another way to let your human side show and to let people connect with you. A blog also showcases your love of writing and allows you to be more creative and casual. Not everyone is looking for technical writing or a professional tone. Sometimes, conversational pieces and colloquial tones are exactly what a client needs.

Having your own blog shows that you’re a full-scope writer capable of taking on different niches. It also showcases your authority as a writer and can boost a client’s confidence in what to expect. Plus, having a blog can help you avoid burnout. When you’re doing so much work for other people, you’re not focused on your own creativity or writing the things that truly inspire you. Having a blog gives your that opportunity. If you’re a freelance writer, it’s time to start building your brand. Keep these tips in mind to market yourself effectively online, and it won’t take long before you see your business starting to grow and succeed.

Amanda Winstead is a writer from the Portland area with a background in communications and a passion for telling stories. Along with writing she enjoys traveling, reading, working out, and going to concerts. If you want to follow her writing journey, or even just say hi you can find her on Twitter.