Prioritization and Time Management

Freelancers are regularly tested on their focus and prioritization skills. How you cope and deal with time management challenges will impact your business, your wallet, and your physical and emotional health.

Someone invites you to lunch but you know you have to put your nose down and hit that deadline…  A loved one needs you but you have to juggle and make them and your client happy, too…. One client wants to be put ahead of other clients that are important, too… A client is being a royal pain in the rear and you need to decide what to do about it… Sometimes the juggling act is tricky!  The good news is that it’s your business and you’re in control. Sometimes you need to just remind yourself of that fact. I’ve had to do so recently.

Anyway, here are some tips for prioritizing that I’ve learned in the last few years. If you have any tips you’d like to share, please do!

• Pad your deadlines.  Doing this will give you a bit of wiggle room for emergencies.  And, if you treat that fake deadline as the real one most of the time, clients will be delighted at your consistently delivering early.

• If you’re outsourcing, pad even further! When you have to rely on anyone but yourself, you want some extra EXTRA wiggle room.

• Overquote.  Overquote on money and on time.  Give yourself extra time and don’t bid too low.

• Turn off distractions. Shut the office door, forward the phone to voicemail, etc. When you need to focus, don’t be tempted by email alerts or instant messaging applications. Focus on one thing at a time and the feelings of being overwhelmed will soon be diminished.

• Find a proven tracking system. Whether it’s a note pad, task lists on Gmail, a big desk calendar, or a digital time management application, find something that works for you and use it consistently so you never miss a deadline.

• Have a plan B.  I’ve had some technology problems lately so I started keeping a small stockpile of offline work so that I could work if my ISP went down. I also invested in a Smart Phone so I can keep in touch with clients on the go. The phone also keeps me more relaxed when I’m away from the office for extended amounts of time. Beware you don’t stay plugged in to work 24/7, though. That’s something I’m working on…

• Get up early when you’re swamped. (Something I struggle with but when I do it, I always say I should do it more often!) Often the best time to work on a difficult project is to do so before the rest of your house is up and before your clients are calling, IM’ing, or emailing.Why? Fewer distractions and more time in the day to hit that deadline. It’s often said that ‘morning people’ are more productive than nighthawks. Not sure if that’s true but I’m much more relaxed and productive starting work early in the morning to working until the wee hours when I’m under the gun.

• Get the hardest and most important projects out of the way first. This was a valuable lesson I learned from a writing client who wrote career and life coaching books. It can be awful to feel dread about something that has to be done before you can go to sleep at night and worrying about it will slow you down all day long until the job gets done. Do the hard stuff first thing in the morning. Get it over with so you can move on with your day. If you do the most difficult and most vital things first, you avoid pitfalls of interruptions and being pulled in multiple directions later on in the day and you’ll feel accomplished earlier instead of later!

• Make time for family. I don’t know about you but there are more family flare-ups around here when I’m overworked. As the peacemaker of the house, if I’m somewhat available and plugged in to the family instead of just my office, the house seems to buzz along more happily and that results in less stress for all of us. Have you had a day off lately? Have you spent time reading a story to your toddler or having a leisurely cup of tea on the porch with your spouse? Keep the home fires burning and work will probably be smoother sailing for you.

• Speak your mind.  If a client is being too demanding, push back a little. If a spouse’s help could make a big difference to you, ask for help proactively (if I ask when I’m calm, rather than wait until I’m on the verge of a meltdown, chances are I get better response anyway).

• Say No.  I’ve said “No” more often lately and it has served me well. Be selective about the writing jobs and personal favours you take on. It’s your business and your life so you need to stay in charge of it!

Sometimes you have to take a close look at your priorities and do some shifting around. I’ve had to do that lately and when I do take the time to make decisions and action plans and then stick to them, I work and feel much better.

Please share your words of prioritization wisdom with us!

If you‘re a freelance writer, you write for more than one client ,and …have any control over your rates, there are a lot of things to consider in terms of setting your writing rates. I’ve had jobs that have paid great and jobs that have bled money.  I’ve made mistakes in setting rates and I’ve had scenarios go much better than expected. It’s a learning experience that is ongoing and I’ve made some rules for myself that typically helps my gigs bleed cash a little bit less often.

If you have an opportunity to set your own rates, which I highly recommend striving to do, consider many factors when setting your pricing. Here are a few things you’ll want to consider:

-How much you want to earn per hour and how many hours the job will actually take. It can be tough to estimate so weigh it carefully.  Don’t just think in terms of writing time. Consider research and time for revisions, conference calls, and any other time you’ll spend working on the project. (Tip: give yourself a raise on a regular basis!)

-Consider how they’ll pay you. If you’re doing the job through a bidding site, you could lose a chunk of change in terms of per job fee, membership fee, etc.  If payment will be via PayPal, what sorts of fees will there be? Different countries and different payment methods will impact the fees. There’s also the issue of exchange rates. Maybe you prefer your local currency or perhaps you prefer to bill in your client’s currency. Weigh this carefully as things like fluctuation of exchange rates and fees can add up.

-Is it a one-off or a client that could be ongoing? I don’t advocate dropping your rates drastically but there may be benefits to offering a slight discount for a bulk rate and a client that pays instantly,rather than once a month, for instance. And, if you don’t need a one-off gig because you’re busy enough already, consider plumping up that quote. What have you got to lose?

-Consider ease of doing business as well as the joy of doing the research and the writing when setting your rates. If you don’t love a particular type of writing, you may opt to charge a bit more to make it worth your while. If you find a particular client’s communication style difficult and find it more labour-intense to do business with them, it’s probably a good idea to ensure your rates reflect the extra effort involved.

-Consider what other writers charge for similar services. Talk to writing friends, look online, check out job bidding sites for insight. Maybe your cost of living or your experience level is different than the rates you find but some guidelines could be helpful.

Many writers accept rates offered by content mills, advertised writing jobs, or they bid low in order to win business. But setting your own rates and setting them adequately really does make freelance much more “free”. How do you set your own rates? My #1 tip is to help clients find you, rather than applying for jobs with a set rate. Have your website at the top of the search engines for the keyword phrases that relate to your writing specialty. Use tools, such as social media , to your advantage for self-promotion. And, present yourself well to prospects and chances are that you’ll command the sorts of rates that will make writing a profitable and enjoyable venture.

Have I missed anything that you find helpful in setting your rates? If so, please share!

Do You Juggle too Much?

Usually, I’m a pretty positive person. But yesterday, I had an ‘I suck’ moment. I had a meltdown during a difficult assignment and didn’t feel good about the work I’d done. I got stuck. I questioned my abilities. It was awful. It’s not always easy being a freelancer and having to go it alone. It’s been a while since I’ve taken any time off. Thinking back, if I’d looked at myself yesterday as an outsider I probably would’ve said, “She’s got burnout.”

I’ve had to give myself an awful lot of pep talks, lately. I think that’s a sign that something that needs to change.

My meltdown wasn’t pretty.  But, there’s no crying in baseball… so, finally, I emailed the client and told them I was sending them what they should treat as a draft and asked them to come back to me with feedback to help me deliver what they wanted. Then I got out of the house for a few hours to clear my head.

I’ve been working a lot of hours in the past few weeks. I’ve also had about half a dozen things go wrong around the house so I’ve been feeling stressed. I don’t want to suck. Maybe I didn’t. Maybe I just felt burnt out. Maybe I did suck. I guess I’ll find out when the client replies to yesterday’s message.

I had trouble sleeping last night. Then this morning I looked at a very long to-do list and felt very overwhelmed. I decided to just break it down and do one thing at a time. So far it has helped.

-I wrote mini to-do list on a Post-It with most urgent projects. That way the to-do list is short, rather than long. One thing at a time!n

-Did a quick clean up my work area so I don’t feel so buried.

-Got food in my tummy and took my vitamins.

-Found something for the little one to do so I could work uninterrupted for a bit.

-Decided to try to have a positive attitude.

I did a press release for a new client first. I probably shouldn’t have even taken the job since I had so much on my plate this week but that’s another problem I have — not being able to say “No” to work.  When I got started, I felt so apprehensive thatI toiled over it for about an hour longer than usual. Yesterday had left a lingering feeling of doubt. But…no revisions. They loved it and placed a new standing order. I don’t suck today. So far… :)

When I’m overworked it affects my eating, my sleeping, my family, my confidence, and my writing. Another client wrote today to point out an error I’d made that I probably wouldn’t have made if I weren’t so darned…overwhelmed. I decided that yesterday was a big red flag warning of freelance writer’s burnout for me. I’m going to work hard to get through this to-do list and then take a day off. Then, a 3-day weekend next weekend… away from the house AND away from the computer. I bet it’ll do me wonders. Do you recognize the signs of burnout in yourself? Please make sure you watch for it and act on it. I’m pretty sure that your health, your frame of mind, and your writing will all thank you for it.

P.S: On previewing this post I saw that Sharon Hurley Hall has a post  from about 3 years ago here that’s highly relevant: How to Cope With Writer Burnout. Check it out.

Gotten a great testimonial? Hope you’re taking advantage of all it can do for you!

The other day, Sharon Hurley Hall was elated when she had a rave review from a happy client. Don’t glowing testimonials just make your day? Mine, too. One day this week I had a particularly difficult assignment and when I sent it off, I was waiting for it to come back with red pen all over it. But it didn’t. The client said, “This is great. Thanks so much for all your hard work!” If you’ve had great testimonials, don’t sit on them or smile and then file them away. Share them with the world. Seriously. Toot your own horn. It’ll help you immensely.  Here’s how:

-Add it to a testimonials page on your website. This page will show prospective customers how past customers have felt about your work. More content on your website equals more potential traffic, too. Every time you update your site, search engines could come visit to see what you’ve added and then send you increasingly relevant traffic. If you look at Sharon’s testimonial linked above, you’ll see another reason why clients find her and offer work to her.  Her testimonials help her with her online marketing. marketing. How? That testimonial is on its own page on her writing site with a keyword optimized permalink structure, relevant category,  and tags that relate to the type of writing and to testimonials. This strategy ups the chances that someone looking for those specific services will find Sharon and find out that not only does she offer resume writing services but also that people LOVE her work. I have a testimonials page on my website today but think I’ll take a cue from Sharon and re-create individual pages on my blogs for those reviews as well.

-Send the kudos out to the social sphere. Mention it on Twitter, Plurk, Facebook… wherever you hang out online. A prospective customer may read it and contact you for a quote. (Hint: This works well when you use the Twitter widget on your blog, too. Clients can see those testimonials in your sidebar when they browse your website to see if they’d like to approach you for a quote.)

-Add some short but rave reviews to your bidding template. Do you use a template when you apply to writing gigs? If so, a few blurbs about what existing and past customers have said about your quality of work could help tip the scales in your favour.

Here are some Do’s and Don’ts to consider when posting testimonials:

-Don’t post the client’s name unless they give you permission to do so.

-Do consider linking back to the client’s site or the source of work you’ve done, if the client is agreeable and you aren’t going to be breaching any ghostwriting / confidentiality agreements, of course. Then, you can show prospects what all the buzz is about.

-Don’t be afraid to ask . If a client seems happy, ask them if you can have a testimonial. Offer to link to their site, if they like. Links are coveted online and offering a link could make your client jump at the chance to write a recommendation or… to sign off on a recommendation you’ve written for them about you. (A client of mine didn’t have time to write one but responded when I told him I was offering links on my testimonials page and he gave me the green light to write the testimonial for him and to tell the world how much he valued me. )

-Do consider joining and using LinkedIn. This site is great for creating a professional profile and networking. There’s a feature on the site where you can get and give recommendations and those are updated in your time line so those recommendations are viewable by others (after you approve their going live).  If people recommend you on LinkedIn, you may want to add those recommendations to your own site or blog as well. Don’t be afraid to recommend great clients on LinkedIn  and perhaps they’ll return the favour.

The next time you get a pat on the back, I hope you’ll use it to your advantage!

Do You Have a Summer Writing Schedule?

School is OUT for summer! Does summer slow down for your freelance writing career? For some writers, this is welcome. Some of us have kids at home, some of us like to get out more.  But some of us dread the dip in income and the scrambling.   Summer is here so here are some things you could do if your volume is slipping and you’re not so happy about it:

• Contact your existing customers and say Hello to ones you haven’t heard from in a while. Many of them may be on holidays so not ordering as much automatically but a bit of gentle prodding or a summer sale could get their attention. An approach I tried last year worked out well for me in a post I wrote for my customer blog that suggested that summer time was a great time for them to up their content publishing efforts. (Feel free to give it a read at: Summer Time, a Great Time for You to Make More Money Online)

• Do some marketing.  Raise your writing profile, use social marketing, do some article marketing, and you could get some new queries.

• Content companies. Many writers don’t like dealing with content companies and the pay could be lower than you’re accustomed to but if you’re not against it (or are in a pinch), many of them offer an all-you-can-write buffet, which could be the ticket to filling in some summer schedule gaps. (Options could include: Break Studios, Demand Studios, TextBroker, Internet Brands)

• Start bidding on a job site like Elance. You could grab some one-off gigs or find new long-term customers.

If you’d rather take advantage of  your lighter workload, you could also do the following:

• Finally work on that novel you’ve been meaning to tackle. Or, write and market an e-book for additional residual income that could help you through NEXT summer.

• Start some niche blogs or other content sites to generate passive income and more writing samples.

• Read. Read about writing, read about marketing your business, or read a few great novels that you’ve been meaning to get to.

Care to share any of your summer strategies?

Have a safe and happy summer.

My internet connection is down. I have deadlines, darnit. Today is the last day of school for my boys until September and this was my last solo weekday at home for a good long while so my to-do list was very ambitious. I don’t know why the net been down almost all morning but I do know I have a half a dozen things I could do without the net, if only I had downloaded the stuff to my hard drive yesterday. Sigh.  Dear Internet, I love you. Come back.

Well, at least I can get some blog posts ready for when it’s back up.

The absence of my usual  friendly home page has led me to take stock. Here are a few things on my mind at the moment:

• There was life before the web. Freelance writers did business prior to the 1990’s when the web became commonplace. I could do this without the net. I could do those resumes due today if I had the client fax me the details. (Or messenger them to me prior to the fax). And, I could go to the good ‘ole library for research instead of hopping onto Google. When you can’t get things done the traditional way, it pays to think outside the box.
• I could’ve written about a dozen articles I had prepped titles for in a Google docs spreadsheet (if I’d saved it to an Excel spreadsheet instead), I should keep things like that in mind when I get assignments in from clients. Maybe I should make it a habit to save them right away in case the web goes down for an extended amount of time.
• A Smart Phone is a good investment for your business. I invested in an iPhone 2 months ago and it has changed my work life for the better.  I don’t have to stress about email when I’m out and I even have a nifty little Paypal application on my phone that lets me transfer payments when they arrive. I can do my banking on the go. Even though I can’t do as much as usual without the web, I can at least send and receive emails on my mobile network, which is NOT down. I’m still not very adept at texting. I do type about 85 wpm on the keyboard but text at maybe 2 wpm Knowing what’s going on in my inbox is comforting, even if there’s little I can do at the moment to action those messages. And, if it’s down for more than a little bit longer, I can email clients to tell them I’m running late. It dawned on me that my iPhone can be doubled as a modem. Too bad I can’t look up online how to make it do that. iPhone didn’t come with much of a manual. Note to self: disaster recovery planning does pay!
• Disconnecting every once in a while might not be a bad thing. The web is distracting. If all I have open is a Word document, I have to focus on the task at hand. Maybe pretending the web is down is something I should do once in a while. I bet it would impact my daily earnings and the hours I work. Maybe that’s an experiment I ought to try out.
• A down internet connection  means a cleaner house. Off I go to scrub some more and hope it’s working again soon!

(Photo: Courtesty of me, Dana Prince.  Taken with my iPhone,  during a pledge of my undying devotion, when the web came back up! )

Overwhelmed? There's a Light at the End of That Tunnel!

I gave myself a pep talk this morning. I need it and it seems to have worked. I went to bed last night feeling sorry for myself. I’m in renovation mode at home so things are a mess and we’re suddenly dealing with potentially expensive repairs. I’ve had two sick children this week. I have company coming this weekend. And, my to-do list for work is a MESS. Like…a big one!  I thought I’d earned the right to feel sorry for myself. But what good will that do me?

So, what did I do? I started counting my blessings, made an action plan, and then I did something productive for myself.  A few months ago I was given a review copy of Alphatudes the alphabet of gratitude. This is a book that could change anyone’s outlook. I haven’t written my formal review of the book yet but it is now my desk side companion. I highly recommend counting your blessings when things feel abysmal.

One of the things I get paid to write is resumes.  I see a lot of people who are having a real rough time finding work and earning money. Many of them share their personal stories on their resume questionnaire.  Thinking about joblessness certainly puts things into perspective for me. Sure, some of them are doing a new resume to get a better job but many have been out of work for months or even longer and are facing serious stress because of it.  When I think about that, I don’t feel as bad about my huge list of money-making tasks ahead. Getting through a long to-do list is going to be productive financially and will probably bring some more profitable future jobs my way as well.

“Make Money from Thin Air…”

A writing friend said something once that helps put things into perspective and makes me feel grateful every time I recall it. I can’t remember where she said it but Courtney Ramirez once commented to the effect that freelance writers can create money from thin air. So true! I love that I can sit down and make money by doing something I love. It’s not always an easy life but it could be much worse!

So today I made a decision to get some stuff done so I could breathe easier.

1. I made a list of priorities to accomplish. Knowing what really needs to be done helps me focus instead of feeling overwhelmed.
2. I am going to set timers today to stay on target and I’m going to feel good after each checkmark.
3. I’ve chosen to to let the stress go and enjoy some r&r time this weekend when company arrives.
4. I’ve decided to do something for me today. (I did that just before writing this post.)

I took 30 minutes and made a big checkmark on something that’s been procrastinated on my to-do list for a while. I spent $8.81 on myself and moved my old blog The Writer’s Blog to its own domain at http://thefreelancewritersblog.com. It’s not done yet but it’s moved, at least.  It has been sitting on Blogspot since 2007 when I started it. I’ve been planning to eventually move it for a few years but never took the time. Less than 30 minutes, less than $9, a beautiful WordPress magical ‘import’ button… and it’s done. That feels pretty darn good.  It also puts things even further into perspective and reminds me that things that feel like mountains to climb could, in reality, take you just a few minutes to accomplish.  Off I go to tackle that to-do list with passion and gratefulness.  Have a fantastic day!

photo: http://www.sxc.hu/browse.phtml?f=view&id=234266

Ghostblogging is a great way to get paid to write. As I’ve said before, blogging is how I got my own start in freelance writing and a good portion of my income today comes from blog writing, posting, and the marketing of client’s blogs. People and companies pay writers to write for their blogs and these writing gigs are much more informal than many other types of writing jobs, which is what some ghostbloggers enjoy most about it. You can get paid to blog for others in many different niches, offering you a great opportunity to make money doing something that could be a lot of fun. It’s most fun when you have an endless supply of things to blog about and make it as interactive as possible.

Blogs need to be focused for them to be effective. A lot goes into the successful ones and if you’re blogging for someone who is using their blog as a platform to increase their brand, improve their SEO, sell something specific, and / or improve customer relationships you’ll want to: write about things that are interesting to readers, utilise good blog optimisation practises, and if you’re doing it regularly, you’ll want to find a way to keep great ideas coming. Here are some of the ways you can do all of that so that you’ll get results for your customers, resulting in their wanting to keep paying you to write for them:

1. Industry research. Stay on top of the industry you’re writing about. Subscribe to other blogs in that niche and set a Google Alert for topic-related phrases.  Google will send you links, save you research time, and could supply you with endless blog post ideas. I love checking Google Blogs Search and Google News with keyword phrases when I need help.
2. Find out which keywords your client should rank for. Keyword optimisation isn’t everything but keeping it in mind will definitely help you help your customer rank for words and phrases that will get them the results they want. Pepper the blog posts with these phrases, especially in the title, subheadings, anchor text, and image tags. I also look to see who is currently ranking for those words and work to help my client look better in the search engine results than the existing top spots.
3. Interact. Interact with the blog readers. Try to inspire conversation in the comments with your text and get involved in conversations that get started as a result of your posts. Comments are good for the client’s search engine rankings and conversations attract crowds (which is always a good thing in the blogosphere).
4. Social media. Suggest to your client that social marketing and bookmarking services are part of what you’ll do for the blog. This provides you with additional invoicing opportunities, increases the blog’s exposure, and participating in discussions about the topic as part of your project will provide you with further ideas for future blog posts.
5. Linking. Take opportunities to link internally to other posts. This will keep the reader on the site longer and benefits the site from a search engine optimisation perspective. Don’t hesitate to link to authority sites in that niche as well as interesting news articles and other blogs.  The readers and authors of those blogs may follow track backs back to your customer’s site. Talk to your client about your strategy to ensure they’re on board but when you do link in and out of the blog, it will benefit the reader and the blog itself.

I love blogging. I have about a dozen of my own blogs and regularly blog for other sites as well as ghostblog for clients.

Oh, and…if you want to learn more about getting started in blogging, Sharon Hurley Hall has just released Getting Started in Blogging for the Kindle.

For every action there is a reaction and your reactions will impact your professional life. One of the benefits of working from home is the lack of dealing with a huge amount of office politics. But, (sadly) this doesn’t mean you’ll never have to deal with people acting like idiots in your work life again.

I’ve had to deal with writers working for me that have upset me, clients that have annoyed me, and writing friends/ acquaintances that have done things that have ruffled my feathers. Such is life when you deal with various personality types.  Just as with my former cubicle colony, there is a certain online code of conduct that should be followed in order to preserve professionalism and protect the business you operate online.   An online war is almost NEVER the answer as it can cause some real damage. My advice:

Think carefully before you react….No matter how mad or how right you are.

Here’s what I do when I’m upset at something either in my writing business or related to writing or marketing communities I frequent:

Wait!

Try not to react instantly.  One of the great things about working from home is that you have an opportunity to censor yourself. You don’t have to let people see your knee jerk reactions. If you do, it can be hard (or impossible) to undo because you’ve probably reacted in writing and others have seen and / or saved that reaction. It can make you look unprofessional and haunt you repeatedly. Take the time to carefully think about your response.  Walk away. Take a breather first.

Not so hasty with that reply….

Carefully read your reply before you send it. Consider letting it rest for a bit and then re-read it once you’ve simmered a little.

Tone

Remember that things can come across the wrong way in writing. It can be difficult to communicate and to read tone electronically and most of us can recall at least one scenario where we’ve misunderstood someone in email. Writers tend to pull off tone a bit more accurately than the average person because it’s our job to be able to come across with adequate emotion but there’s always room for interpretation so before you react, stop and ask whether or not you’re reading things the way they’re intended. The web encourages lazy communication and things do get lost in translation. This applies to notes from clients, from people working for you, or other things that are in writing.

What’s Next?

Make an educated guess of what could happen next and decide what you would like to happen. Do you want to clarify your position or defend yourself? Do you want to exact revenge (not usually worth it!)? Or, do you want to simply sever ties, move on, and forget someone exists? Before you respond in anger to someone online, ask yourself if the  response you’re ready to shoot back will help you get the reaction / result you’re hoping for. Is it worth it?

Sanity Check  (Or the benefit of a moan to a friend)

Bounce the scenario off a trusted friend. Nothing wrong with a sanity check! And, getting the story off your chest could be just the thing to help you simmer down and think clearly before acting.

After you’ve had a chance to think carefully about how to respond and you’ve carefully analyzed your response, go ahead and react. If any time has passed you’re either going to be more calm or you’re going to be more determined to make your own point but in either case you’ll have a chance to get your desired reaction because you’ll have the opportunity to articulate yourself for the best outcome possible. How many times have you reacted quickly and then thought, “I wish I’d have said ____________”.

I say, take time to carefully weigh your online reactions, no matter how upset you are or how out of line the other party is, and you won’t likely have to regret how you’ve handled difficult situations.

Do You Analyse Your Marketing Efforts?

We’ve talked in the past about marketing and how important it is to your freelance writing biz. By marketing on an ongoing basis, you might not have to suffer from work shortages and won’t have to pound the pavement constantly looking to schedule in your next gig. The work can come to you.  Once you’ve started marketing, it’s a good idea to track where your new clients come from. That’ll help you capitalize on what’s working for you and ensure you’re not missing out on great opportunities.

Here are some tips on marketing methods as well as important advice about analysing your results:

Twitter

Are you tweeting? A lot of writers use Twitter to talk to writer friends but don’t forget that potential customers could be reading your tweets, too. Make sure your Twitter account has a link to your online portfolio or writing business site and keep a degree of professionalism on the account (or have more than one account. One for business and one for fun). If you look at Sharon’s Twitter account, you’ll see she regularly comments on the type of work she’s doing This is smart because if someone is on Twitter and needs those services, they might see Sharon’s tweets and touch base through DM (direct message) or via visiting her site.  Want to know if it’s working, check your website stats to see if any visitors arrive via Twitter.

Article Directories

Some writers don’t believe in writing for  article marketing directories because they only get a byline but if you do try this out, you can track whether or not people are clicking your links and whether or not they’re re-publishing your article. (For the record, I do advocate this. Sharon Hurley Hall told me about this marketing method in 2006 and it has definitely worked well for me!) Syndication definitely has benefits in terms of getting links to your sites for increased search engine rankings and in terms of getting your article seen by a wider audience. If you have an Ezinearticles account, for instance, do check your article reports in your profile as the info can be valuable in helping you plan for future marketing as well as helping you see where your articles are being posted. Don’t forget to link your Twitter account to your EZA account as well. It’ll auto-tweet new articles for you.

Your Blog

Do you blog for promotional purposes? I do and it works. I probably have over a dozen blogs but one of them is entirely for self-promo purposes. If you do, do check and see where your blog traffic is coming from. If you realise that you’re being found through some keyword searches related to the type of writing you do, you can use that info to help you.

How?

-Write more posts on that topic to further dominate that keyword phrase

-Bookmark articles that are doing well to increase their viral potential

-Analyse your site to see if the query people use to get to a page answers their needs. If people click through link to a page looking for something, does your page deliver?

-Look at your bounce rate to determine whether people get what they want. Where do they click once they’re on that page? If it’s not a “buy now” or “contact me” button, you may want to tweak the content or links on the page.

A big part of marketing comes in analysis. By analyzing how your marketing efforts are working for you, you can increase the payoff!