Freelance Confidential by Amanda Hackwith

Author:Amanda Hackwith
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Publisher: Rockable Press
Published: 2012-01-11T06:15:58+00:00

Use Social Media to Engage

Tell me if this sounds familiar: you hear about a new face on the scene in your industry—a professional, a writer, a blogger. You follow him on Twitter. His feed consists predominantly of generic promos for his company, or retweeted links shared by trend setters—or even worse, retweets he'll claim as his own. It's an echo chamber of tweets—full of activity, but ultimately hollow inside and therefore uninteresting. Sure, he may stay on your following list, but he won't be the first on your mind when you've got a project.

It's not enough to merely have a Twitter, LinkedIn, or Tumblr account. Social media requires being… well, social. That can be a challenge. When I first began freelancing and started taking the whole idea of "brand" and reputation seriously, I was incredibly stiff. I was very concerned about professionalism and proving myself. This translated into stilted, formal blog posts and promotional social media tweets and updates that could have been written by a robot. I might have sounded "professional," but I also sounded uninteresting, corporate, soulless. Not exactly the way to inspire a following.

Eventually, I loosened up and found my voice. I realized I could be authoritative by the knowledge I shared and also by the things that make me unique—what interests me, what makes me curious or excited. I realized that I was much more interesting to my audience as a person. Along the way, I learned a few important lessons.

Pick the Network Right for You

There are lots of options to choose from: Twitter, Dribble, Forrst, LinkedIn, Facebook, Tumblr—the list goes on and on. Large corporations seem determined to cover their bases—there's a new CNN account each week, according to whichever service is in vogue. Just as quickly, old accounts on services are ignored and forgotten, caught up in the race to be active on the Next Big Network.

Don't do this. Please.

Rather than slavishly signing up and littering your site with social icons to show you're connected, take the time to think about which social service is right for you and the most efficient use of your time and your clients' time. Things to consider:

Why do I want to join in? There are many virtues and positives to engaging with your clients, fans, or prospects on a social level, but you have to know your goal going in. Do you want to drum up new business? Associate with other experts in your field? Promote your latest product? Your goals here are going to shape your intended audience, what service to use, and how to deliver that content.

Who do I want to reach? As an experienced freelancer, you probably already have a very good idea of who your typical client is. Are you looking to further engage your typical client, or are you targeting a new, untapped market who might need your skills? Or are you communicating with fellow professionals? Pick a venue that will best target your ideal audience. Which leads us to…

Where are my readers

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