I recently participated in a 21-Day Challenge offered by American Writers and Artists Inc. (AWAI). It was led by Ilise Benum, a business expert for creative professionals and one of four marketing mavens I will mention in this article. In this 21-Day Challenge, Ilise showed a good number of eager-to-learn copywriters how to use LinkedIn to maximize our success in landing new clients.
I admire many things about Ilise, one of which is her candor. She speaks her truth even if it may have a shock and awe effect on those she coaches. Here’s a good example of what I mean: “Your business is more important than your clients. View your business as a personal and professional growth tool. Don’t get attached to clients because they come and go.” – Ilise Benum
I’m sure I had that deer in a headlights look on my face when I first heard, “Your business is more important than your clients.” My first thoughts were, ‘Wait… what? Did I hear that correctly? Your clients are your bread and butter that keep your business going. That sounds like a surefire way to go out of business in a New York minute.’
But after I thought about it some more, what Ilise said made perfect sense. It follows the same logic and instruction that flight attendants tell passengers on a plane — “put your oxygen mask on first before assisting others.” It’s the same thing in business — you won’t be able to help others if you don’t ensure the well-being of your own business first. Key Takeaway #1.
You’ve probably heard the popular quote, “Look out for Number One. If you don’t, no one else will.” Even better is the one by Rodney Dangerfield, “Look out for number one and try not to step in number two.”
When you’re a freelance copywriter like I am, not only are you a copywriter, you’re also a marketer — for your clients and for your own business. Like it or not, it comes with the territory… and marketing is arguably a big piece of the pie for any business.
Marketing Maven #2: Danielle Zeitlen Hughes is a brand marketing specialist with wit, charm and personality. Her niche is a great example of how a keen awareness of what's going on around you can guide you to “find a need and fill it,” which is part of Key Takeaway #2.
The other part has to do with this insidious thing called “resistance.” Being the overachiever that Danielle is, not only did she resist all things marketing early on in her career, she also steered clear of choosing a niche. Oh, how I can relate to both… let me count the ways.
Thing is, you can try all you want to avoid it, bury your head in the sand or wish it would vaporize, but the reality is that having great marketing skills and choosing a niche are both necessary evils if you want to be a successful copywriter. Once Danielle changed the way she thought about marketing and embraced it like it was her best friend, things started to flow and grow in her career. Funny how that is.
When I first started my copywriting training through AWAI, I was in for a rude awakening. I had no idea how many marketing principles, strategies and techniques I would have to learn in addition to all things copywriting. Back then, I just wanted to be a successful copywriter. I didn’t sign up to be a marketer too. Having one full-time job as a copywriter was good enough for me and I certainly didn’t want to work even more hours doing marketing stuff, or so I thought.
It took some time, but eventually I realized that resisting the marketing piece of the puzzle — whether it’s for your clients or for yourself — doesn’t work. In fact, what you resist persists until you learn the lesson… and I did.
Marketing maven #3 is digital marketing pioneer, Ann Hadley, who offered this excellent piece of advice… “Learn to love the labor.” While I don’t recall what, if anything, she was referring to, this open-ended sentence could become a workweek mantra. Learn to love the labor of…
Connecting with prospects on LinkedIn
Marketing yourself and building your brand
Keeping your client/customer pipeline full
Dealing with prospects that want top-notch services for a Fiverr-level fee
Nothing lasts forever — in business or in life
Every entrepreneur will tell you that there will be good times and bad. Peaks and valleys. Hits and misses. Key Takeaway #3 is “learn to love the labor of it all” because the journey is just as important as the destination.
Melanie Deardorff aka “Melanie the Marketer” is the fourth and final marketing maven. She said that “LinkedIn was her lifeline” when she relocated to a new city and wanted to meet people in her community. She encouraged us to regularly interact with people on Linked by liking, commenting and sharing content.
To say that “LinkedIn was her lifeline” speaks to how powerful and effective this social media platform is. Key Takeaway #4.
When you consider these current LinkedIn statistics according to healthcare marketing agency Omnicore…
706 million LinkedIn users 310 million monthly active LinkedIn users 171+ million LinkedIn users from the U.S.
… It becomes crystal clear that every success-seeking professional should make the most of the world’s largest professional networking site by using smart marketing strategies, targeted searches and messages that show your genuine willingness to help others. After all, the sky’s the limit in terms of the positive impact it could have on you and your business as well as every LinkedIn user you connect with.
I would like to thank all four marketing mavens for their invaluable insights, words of wisdom and inspiration. I wish you all continued success. I look forward to connecting with other LinkedIn professionals and seeing what may come of it. If I can be of service to you as a copywriter | content writer, let's talk. I'm here to help you however I can. #copywriter #contentwriter #onlinemarketing #digitalamarketing #businessconnections #businessboost #clients #linkedinconnection