FreelanceSwitch

Linkswitch #95, Agile Method, Guest Post Tactics, Charge More

FreelanceSwitch.com — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 14:00:17 +0000

Every other week we roundup some of the highest quality articles and resources that benefit freelancers from across the web. We present these articles here on various helpful topics. This week we have articles on powerful guest post tactics, agile methods, and how to charge more.

Tackling Freelance Projects Like a Software Developer

The trend is fueled by an approach to software development called “Agile”, which calls for compressing development projects into short pieces. It also includes daily stand-up meetings where everyone can update everyone else with what they are currently working on and any obstacles that stand in their way. I think it’s brilliant! I immediately started wondering how I could incorporate this way of thinking into my freelance life. I took a look at the Agile Manifesto and sought to translate it into something freelancers could use.

6 Powerful Guest Post Tactics that No One’s Talking About

Guest posting is a hot topic amongst startup bloggers. It is one of the most widely-adopted blog promotion strategies in existence, and has been made perhaps even more popular by the success of “serial” guest posters such as Danny Iny of Firepole Marketing.
His “blitzkrieg” strategy may come across to some as a triumph of quantity over strategy, but nothing could be further from the truth. He understands the key concepts that we will be exploring in this post, and executes them in a highly effective manner

6 Reasons You Need to Charge More

I’m a reluctant Capitalist. I didn’t grow up with a lot of money (my dad was a country preacher, and my mom was a schoolteacher), and the transition from academia to building a start-up and then running my own consulting firm has been rocky at times. The one thing I still hear almost every week is “You need to charge more,” and I preach the same message to new SEOs even as I try to remember it. This post is a reminder to myself (and to you) of why what you charge matters, and why it’s not just about greed.

Ditching Basecamp for Project Management With Google Docs

In this Freelance Jam video learn about personal project management workflows as they relate to client projects and our own projects. Brian has decided to move most of his project management process over to Google Docs, while Dave is holding strong on the super simple Basecamp app. Find out how and why we are each using the systems that we are

Eight Simple Tips for Editing Your Own Work

One key factor that separates mediocre writers from good ones (and even good from great) is the quality of their editing. If you’re working for a big magazine or publishing house, you’ll have an editor who goes through your work, checks for any clumsy or ambiguous phrasing, and fixes any typos – but if you’re working on your first novel, or publishing posts to a blog, you’re almost certainly going to be on your own. It’s hard to edit your own work. You might end up skipping editing altogether because you hate it – or you might spend hours trying to get a piece right. These eight tips will help you develop your editing skills

Is It Time to Fire That Client?

There’s a natural lifecycle for any freelancer’s business. When you’re just starting out, you indiscriminately look to attract as many clients as you can to build your business. But inevitably, some clients won’t be the right fit.

Upcoming Web Design And Development Conferences For 2012

We’re well into 2012, and many designers and developers around the world are planning their travels for the year, which may include attending one of the many Web design and development conferences that will be held in the upcoming months.

How To Jumpstart Your Creative Career in a Bad Economy

Times are tough all over. Maybe you were laid off by a company you devoted years of your life to. Maybe your best clients are canceling projects because you no longer fit in their budget. Maybe you graduated with a pile of student loans and no one willing to pay you to do the work you want to do. Here is a short list of helpful resources to help you start making connections and drive your career forward.

How to Deal With Really Tough Criticism: Five Steps

We rarely discuss dealing with criticism as a necessary part of leadership. Yet the reality is that every leader, whether chief executive, politician, sports coach, or first-time supervisor, will experience criticism. We must understand that it is inevitable, and we have to learn to deal with it productively rather than let it be harmful.

How to Get 283 Free Business Leads Every Month, Rank #1 in Google, and Get 91% More Traffic to Your Website

How’d you like to learn about one quick action you can take that will bring hundreds (or even thousands) of customers straight to your website for free? I bet that sounds good — possibly even too good to be true — but I’m going to show you exactly how I do it every single month. Now, this takes a little bit of technology, but don’t let that intimidate you. Just one year ago, I knew absolutely nothing about this process and now I get thousands of visitors for free every month. After this post, you’ll know everything you need to know.

Ditching Basecamp for Project Management With Google Docs – Video

FreelanceSwitch.com — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:00:46 +0000

View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.

This week we look at Ditching Basecamp for Project Management With Google Doc by Freelance Jam. In this video the Freelance Jam duo cover project management workflows as they relate to client projects and thier own projects. Brian has decided to move most of his project management process over to Google Docs, while Dave is holding strong on the super simple Basecamp app. Find out how and why we each are using the systems that they are.

Tailor Your Sales Style to Fit Your Clients’ Needs

FreelanceSwitch.com — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:00:01 +0000

Like many other freelancers, I have a hard time selling myself. It’s something I know I have to work on this year. But as a freelancer, we don’t have someone else out there selling our services for us. It’s up to us to land our own jobs.

I recently read an interesting article on tailoring your sales technique based on who you are selling your services to.

…Tailor your sales technique based on the primary reason your customer wants to buy. “We have our preferred selling style and it’s one we have built up with layers over time,” says Jeff Tanner, professor of sales and marketing at the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University. “I don’t always see entrepreneurs trying to understand the need from the buyer’s perspective.” —Entrepreneur.com

I don’t shop for a new car the same way I shop for a new sweater, so this advice hit home for me. Here are some tips from the article that I thought were very helpful.

For a detail-oriented client, showcase what you feature

These buyers have already done their research. They’ve priced out other freelancers and may be well aware of what you (and your competitors) have to offer. They aren’t overly interested in the relationship you will be building, they are more interested in the quantifiable data: how much do you charge? What sorts of results have your clients gotten from your work? How long will it take for you to finish the job?

When I have to shop for big ticket purchases, I arm myself with all the data I need before heading out to a store to spend the money. I know what I want, and I’m just looking for the best deal on the best product. These detail-oriented clients work the same way.

For a client who isn’t sure what they want, act as an adviser

Your client knows they want a new website or that they need help with a social media marketing plan—but they are not sure of the specifics. These clients need guidance before signing the dotted line.

Show these clients what you can do for them, and allow them to ask questions that will lead them to their decision to hire you. If you work in a tech-related field, like website design, be sure you use layman’s terms when discussing concepts and software that they don’t know about or understand. They are coming to you because you are the expert—they don’t necessarily want to know how to do these things themselves.

This sell might take you a few days to a few months. Have patience! You could be starting a relationship with a client that could last for years.

For a client who is looking to build a lasting relationship, make a personal connection early on

Some clients are looking to work with someone for the long haul, which is great for your bottom line. To land this client, you will have to make a personal connection and showcase your interpersonal communication skills. Have face-to-face meetings with this client if possible, even if it means you are conversing via Skype.

Ask them questions beyond the business relationship to find things you have in common—children, pets, or favorite vacation spots. You don’t have to try to make a new best friend, but you do have to show that you are a pleasure to work with.

If the client is looking for guarantees, emphasize your service

In this economy, money is tight and expectations are high. Showcase that you meet or exceed your deadlines, and that you can work under pressure. Be sure to point out that you are easy to reach and your response time if you miss an email or phone call is prompt.

These clients want fast, quality service. You could offer up references from past clients who were wowed by your professionalism. Maybe you finished a project under a tight deadline. Or maybe you helped increase their SEO with their new website.

If you get testimonials from your happy clients, you will already have something to send to new clients who may need a little persuasion. Having testimonials on hand will save you lots of time, and show your new clients that you are serious about customer service.

Above all, listening to your clients’ needs and verbal cues when discussing their needs is key. See if you can find out what kind of client they are and how they are looking to be sold. With a little deduction on your part, you really can be everything to all people.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by xilius.

Do You Have a Thriving Business? Prioritize to Improve Productivity

FreelanceSwitch.com — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:00:26 +0000

We talk a lot about marketing and securing clients here on FreelanceSwitch, but there’s another aspect to freelance life that comes as your business starts to flourish–being overwhelmed!

It’s hard to deal with, actually, because you spend so much time learning how to launch your business and probably less on learning how to cope with it when it’s running like a fine-tuned engine. Just because a business is successful doesn’t mean it can’t be stressful!

Here are a few tips on how to deal with business when the phones literally won’t stop ringing–and you need to buckle down and get to work!

Prioritize tasks. The other day I was overwhelmed with a bunch of tasks that needed to get done. There were interruptions–emails coming in, distractions in the office–and then there were other interruptions that needed to be taken care of, such as phone appointments. Unfortunately we often have different tasks and happenings going on throughout the day for multiple projects. The key is to separate what’s imperative from what’s not.

If I sit down to work on Project A and emails come in about Projects B, C and D, I have to think if it’s a priority to even have my email open, or to respond to those emails right away. At the same time, if I have a call for Project E, I need to switch gears and focus on that, then return to Project A (assuming I can handle B, C and D later).

Block your time. By focusing on one task at a time, you tend to get less scattered. That may mean letting calls go to voicemail or logging out of your email account. I often find that when I get interrupted, I not only become less productive on the task I work on but I get frazzled and start thinking about all the other things I have to do.

Unplug. I know you’ve heard this one before, but it really does work when you need to bite the bullet and get things done. Turn off whatever you can, feasibly. Sometimes that means not just letting calls go to voicemail or not responding to emails right away; it can mean limiting distractions on your computer screen.

I tend to have multiple windows open, going back and forth a lot, but when I really need to get down to work, I like to only keep relevant windows open on the computer. My biggest offenders are email, TweetDeck and Facebook.

Take breaks to reconnect. Taking a break from work is essential to regroup and refuel both mentally and physically, but I find that when I haven’t checked email for an hour, I am excited to see what’s come in. When you have certain things turned off like your phone or are logged out of email, make time periodically to go in and check for messages.

It’ll help you stay connected yet you can simply close out of email when you need to get back to work. You can choose to respond to messages during this time, but make time devoted to checking accounts and such, because if you do that intermittently while you work, it’s a surefire way to get side-tracked.

Take a real break. Whether you go for a jog at the end of the day or make a lunch date during the middle of the day (always harder for me because I want to get things done, then take a solid break), you may find that a real break helps. Not only in the morning or at the end of the day, but in the middle. If your break is to do some chores and that helps you refocus, great.

For some people, it’s hard to pick up a book and read or unwind with your favorite television show when you have work brewing. But it can be an effective way to remind yourself that, really, the world doesn’t end if you take an hour in the middle of the day for yourself.

Warning: This can be hard at first because you may feel like a slacker, but really, you’re not if you’re working hard the other 90% of the time.

By simply focusing on baby steps, you can make it through a day when you have steady appointments and deadlines that need to be met. Being conscious about what you need to do is a huge accomplishment that will help you prioritize and overcome. And when the work day is over, be sure to make time to do something special just for you.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by silent47.

Tackling Freelance Projects Like a Software Developer

FreelanceSwitch.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:00:49 +0000

Have you heard about the trend of standing room only meetings? Instead of having a team sit around a conference table, they’re made to stand up for short meetings instead.

The trend is becoming prevalent in tech companies, and is meant to eliminate long, boring meetings where no one pays attention. Some companies have even instituted a penalty for being late to a meeting—either through sheer humiliation or a small fee.

If someone is rambling on for too long, an employee may hold up a rubber rat indicating it is time to move on. Companies make exceptions to their no-sitting rules if a worker is sick, injured or pregnant—but usually not for workers outside the office telecommuting on Skype. —wsj.com

The trend is fueled by an approach to software development called “Agile”, which calls for compressing development projects into short pieces. It also includes daily stand-up meetings where everyone can update everyone else with what they are currently working on and any obstacles that stand in their way.

I think it’s brilliant! I immediately started wondering how I could incorporate this way of thinking into my freelance life. I took a look at the Agile Manifesto and sought to translate it into something freelancers could use. Here’s my attempt:

Agile: Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
Freelance: Our highest priority is to satisfy our clients through timely delivery of high quality work.

Agile: Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
Freelance: Welcome challenging requirements, even on deadline.

Agile: Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
Freelance: Communicate frequently with your client throughout the lifespan of the project.

Agile: Working software is the primary measure of progress.
Freelance: Satisfied clients are the primary measure of progress.

Agile: At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
Freelance: After each project, deduce what worked and what didn’t, and figure out how you can improve upon it for the next assignment.

What I like about Agile is that these software developers compress their large development projects into short pieces, which is how I like to work on large projects.

Having a gigantic project in front of you can be overwhelming. Where do you start? How do you manage everything you have to do? Depending on your area of expertise, the answers can be very different. For a writer, however, here’s how I break it down.

Assignment: Write a 2,500 word piece on xyz.

Step 1: Do some research on xyz on my computer. Find out who the major players are and who I should interview.

Step 2: Make contact with the people I would like to interview and schedule a time to talk, either over the phone or in person.

Step 3: Develop a list of questions to ask in my interview based on prior research. Depending on who the person is, I will email them some questions ahead of time. If I am looking for specific statistics, I always ask for them ahead of time.

Step 4: Conduct interviews.

Step 5: Start constructing the story.

Step 6: If I am in charge of getting photographs (which I sometimes am) I choose a photographer and send them the first draft of the story to read over. Send them ideas for photos and send them the contact information for who they need to work with to get the photos.

Step 7: Finalize story and send it to the editor.

Step 8: Create invoice and send it to the appropriate person.

Throughout the process, I shoot my editor an email or give them a quick phone call to let them know how it’s going. I also let them know if I am having a problem contacting anyone, as sometimes the editor of the publication can open doors for me that I can’t.

I try not to move on to the next step until I have completed the previous step. Sometimes this doesn’t happen, especially if I am working with a photographer. But I try to control my work flow so that it follows a logical order. I never start writing a story until I have all the information I need. When I have done this in the past, it has just created more work for me because, essentially, I wrote the same piece twice. I like to be as efficient as possible.

Of course, if you are a photographer or graphic designer, your work flow will look different. But if you can break it down into stages, tackling a big project won’t be so daunting, and you can mark your progress along the way.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by tomgowanlock.

A 10-Step Process to a Successful Freelance Career

FreelanceSwitch.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:00:10 +0000

As many freelancers eventually realize, going into business for yourself means you actually take on two separate (very different) full time businesses. How’s that for a surprise when you originally thought that you could blissfully code away and somehow the money would start rolling in?

This is actually what happens on your path to freelance success:

You dream. It starts with the fantasy of going freelance. First, you dream of the time that you can shed your cubicle life and work from home in your fuzzy slippers, and think that somehow, eventually, the money will start coming in.

You dive in. You actually shed your old job, set yourself up as a freelancer, and code like no one has ever coded before—both in duration and depth—sure that your new app will somehow equal the success of Angry Birds and you will be lauded in social media circles while visions of IPOs dance in your head.

Your work piles up. The money isn’t rolling in as expected—or at all—and you have to drag yourself to the keyboard each morning because your initial surge of enthusiasm for the freelance life has suddenly come face to face with reality. Bummer.

You have a light-bulb moment. Hopefully, this happens sooner rather than later. You realize that as a freelancer you have actually taken on two businesses—the business of doing what you want to do (blogging, coding, writing, photographing, etc) and the business of running a business. Two separate and completely different things. Yikes.

You scramble. You try to recall every obscure fact you learned in Business 101 in college. You realize that the one intro to business class you took a decade ago is absolutely no help in your current situation. You try not to panic.

You regroup. You put your blogging/writing/coding work on hold for a bit and realize you need to quickly get grasp some solid business skills. Terms like marketing, financials, cash flow, P & L statements, corporate structures, social media campaigns, and the like suddenly become a part of your vocabulary.

You seek help. Fortunately the internet is awash in business advice and resources. Planning a marketing campaign is as simple as hitting up Google. Your local SBA offers free evening classes in your community where you can learn some business skills and network with like-minded individuals. All is not lost.

You get organized. Now that you know you have two separate and equally important businesses to run, you find yourself much more organized. Mornings are dedicated to the business of running your emerging empire. Afternoons are dedicated to coding, writing, and the like. You learn to focus, prioritize, and become productive.

You transform into a business person. No longer are you an obscure freelance blogger. You are now CEO of You, Inc. and you treat your business appropriately, namely by making sure that you are as active in marketing your services as you are at productively working. You learn how to set your rates competitively, as well as find clients and make sales. You learn how to work with clients of all types and position your freelance business in the marketplace.

You triumph! You integrate the two parts of your business successfully. Now the world will be graced by your unique freelance services and your bank account will be graced with cold, hard cash. Congratulations!

It’s an exhausting and emotional journey, but well worth the effort. What challenges are you facing now on your path to freelance success?

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by solarseven.

How To Deal With Criticism

FreelanceSwitch.com — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:00:05 +0000

Working in the creative field means you are an open target for criticism. Someone doesn’t like your photography work, they think you’re a bad writer, or your prices are unfair. And as freelancers, it can be hard not to take criticism—no matter how well meaning—personally.

I read this blog post on Forbes.com on how to deal with really tough criticism, written for people who are business leaders. While I’m not necessarily the target audience for this article, I did take away some good lessons that I’d like to share for the freelance set.

The first thing we need to consider is that criticism in inevitable. But if we keep our defenses up and get overly emotional about what our critics say, we aren’t doing ourselves any favors.

Here’s a recent example from my own life. I am the editor of a yearly wedding magazine. We took a big risk this year and changed the paper stock for our cover. Instead of a glossy cover, we went with matte. Some of us in the office loved it and some of us didn’t—so we took the opportunity to ask our advertisers, featured photographers, and other industry leaders what they thought.

It turns out, many other people didn’t like the matte cover, either, and they let us know on many different levels—from plugging their noses to smiling and offering heart felt advise. And while we were totally bummed that we took a risk that didn’t garner the results we wanted, we learned a lesson. We want to give people what they want—so next year, we’re going back to our glossy cover. Had we not asked, we may have decided otherwise.

Here are some tips from the article that I thought were useful.

Feel The Emotions, And Then Get Over Them

Have you ever worked really hard on a project for a client, only to get a lackluster response with lots of edits? Yeah, me too. And I admit, I was mad. But being mad doesn’t fix the problem.

I usually give myself a window of time to sulk before I set it aside and get down to business. That way, I make sure I get all my anger and sadness out before starting in on fixing the project.

Santa Cruz Mayor Don Lane told a local newspaper that his 2012 New Year’s resolution was: “I want to continue working on avoiding overreaction to criticism—and I have to keep reminding myself to remain calm and listen.” —Forbes.com

It’s easy to overreact when you feel that you have been wronged. But if you let your emotions get in the way, you might miss out on some really good feedback.

Build A Support Network

When you are feeling down and out about a project or a client, it’s nice to have someone pick you up. Maybe it’s your mom, your spouse, a sibling, or a group of really good friends. Maybe it’s other freelancers who work in your industry.

I once got a rash of nasty emails and phone calls about a contest my company was running. These people were attacking my personality, my values, and my very existence—and they had never met me. At first I shrugged it off, but it started getting to me. I confided in a friend who owned his own PR firm in town. He responded by sending me some of the nasty emails he has gotten from angry people, who didn’t know him at all either. Knowing that I wasn’t the only one going through a tough situation made me feel a lot better. Plus, his emails were way more mean than the ones I was getting.

Sometimes it feels good to complain to people who can empathize. I don’t make a habit of complaining and moaning to my industry friends—because no one likes a Debbie Downer—but sometimes it’s nice to get a second opinion on some harsh criticism to put it into perspective for yourself.

Be Self-Aware

Just because someone doesn’t like the article you have written, doesn’t mean they don’t like you. You know that you are not good at everything you do, and if people are criticizing you on something you know you need improvement on, be mature enough to do something about it.

While it is necessary and important to develop a thicker skin, you should not become so resistant that you ignore valid lessons or fail to recognize a need for change. —Forbes.com

We used to work with a freelance photographer who had no idea on how to keep his books in order. He forgot to invoice us some months, and invoiced us for other months when we had no publication. He could never keep account of his receipts and always thought we owed him money. We consistently told him that he needed to find a method of bookkeeping; that since he was a freelancer, he couldn’t rely on us to find his receipts and remind him to invoice us each time his invoice was due.

If similar themes keep emerging, there is more likely truth in the complaints. —Forbes.com

He couldn’t get his act together. Needless to day, we no longer work with him.

You need to have a tough skin and lots of courage to be a freelancer. And learning to deal with harsh criticism isn’t something that will happen overnight. Just learning to be open to considering someone else’s opinions is the first step. Knowing that there is always room for improvement is the second.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by lightzone.

5 Ways to Spread the Freelance Love

FreelanceSwitch.com — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:21 +0000

Valentine’s Day is probably not a holiday that brings your fellow freelancers to mind.

You may have made a point to recognize your clients during the December holiday season, so why not make February the time to applaud your fellow independents?

Spreading good karma always pays off in some manner, whether it be a new contact, lead, or networking opportunity. Here are some ways to get started.

Hire someone. You might not think of yourself as a potential client to other freelancers, but face it, you can’t be good at everything. You could tap into fellow freelancers for several aspects of running a business: revamping your resume or website, straightening out your books, or getting a professional headshot.

Look over your goals outlined for the new year, and for areas outside of your expertise, remind yourself “there’s a freelancer for that”.

Run a special. Get creative and think of how your line of work might transfer to a valentine gift, then broadcast your services amid your network. If you’re a writer, offer to pen words of romance; a photographer could take whimsical shots to frame and give as gifts. Or, skip the creativity and simply discount your usual rate for friends and family, and broadcast the deal on your website and in your networking circle.

Initiate a gathering. People may frown at one more social event in December, but you probably won’t generate too much grumbling if you organize a networking lunch or dinner in February. In fact, many may welcome a break from the gloom of winter.

Celebrate your success. Think of ways you can be a resource to those new to your field. It may be as simple as getting on a forum and patiently answering some newcomer questions, or as elaborate as running an intro class at your local community center.

Give recognition. Give a shout out for a colleague’s accomplishments. Social media makes it easy to send a quick message. Whether you do it publicly or privately, it’s always nice to let someone know you recognized their work.

Particularly in winter, freelancing can seem like an isolated profession, and after Valentine’s day there’s a dry spell in terms of reasons to celebrate on the calendar.

What can you do to spread some joy among the freelance community during this coming holiday?

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by herreid.

Build a Better Tweet

FreelanceSwitch.com — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:00:19 +0000

A new study from Carnegie Mellon’s School of Computer Science called “Who Gives a Tweet: Evaluating Microblogging Content Value” has unveiled what we like to read, and what we don’t like to read, on Twitter. I have to say, the results aren’t all that surprising.

A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon, MIT, and Georgia Tech launched a site asking for anonymous feedback from people like you and me in exchange for rating their tweets. Users had to sign in to their website and rate 10 tweets before getting any feedback on their own tweets.

Luckily for these researchers, their project went viral. Sites like Mashable, TechCrunch, and CNN wrote about their study. The analysis of the study was taken from data received between December 30, 2010 and January 17, 2011. They had over 43,000 responses to work with. Here’s what they found:

What People Liked

Questions to Followers

35% of respondents thought tweets that fall in this category were worth reading, either because they thought it was a good use of Twitter or that the topic gave them pause to think about the question posed.

Information Sharing

A little over 30% of respondents liked these kinds of tweets. How many tweets did you see this past week about the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Planned Parenthood debacle? Information surrounding that situation went viral on social media sites.

Self-Promotion

A little more than 35% of respondents liked these tweets—which include links the tweeter created, rather than banter about how awesome they are.

Random Thoughts

The same amount of people who liked self-promotion tweets also favored this category, which just goes to show that people don’t just use twitter to spread the news or find information. Adding humor to a random thought post got even better results.

What People Didn’t Like

Presence Maintenance

Tweets like “Hello Tweeps!” and one-word tweets are the most disliked tweets of all. Only 20% of respondents liked these tweets, and 55% thought they weren’t worth reading at all. One person even said “I have one word for one word tweets: BORING.”

Conversation

These tweets are on my personal pet peeve list. I mean, who wants to read a twitter conversation between two or more people? Take it offline. I was glad to see others agreed. About 35% of respondents thought these tweets were worthless with 25% of respondents thinking they were worth a read. Yawn.

Me Now

25% of respondents thought these tweets were worth reading, and the same percentage indicated that these tweets were not worth reading. I guess people really don’t care what you are eating for lunch after all. Too much personal information—especially boring personal information—is just not valued.

Here are some tips on how to create tweets that are valued.

What NOT to do

Don’t Be Boring

The study found that being boring was more of a problem than the researchers expected. It was the standout reason of why tweets were labeled “not worth reading.”

Don’t Share Old News

Twitter is too timely for this type of sharing.

Don’t be Banal or Prosaic

Don’t leave your followers thinking, “so what?” We’re not all philosophers.

Include Enough Context

Ditch the one-word tweets no one can understand. Also, don’t just tweet a link. With no explanation, these tweets were trashed.

Nix The Negativity and Arrogance

No one likes a whiner. They also don’t like arrogance. You know, just like in real life.

Cut Down On Clutter

Too many Hashtags and @mentions are a turn off. If it’s hard to find the real content, people will be turned off.

What you SHOULD do

Be Informative

People like to be in the know. 48% of respondents liked reading tweets that shared useful information or an interesting perspective.

Be Funny

People like to smile and laugh. Humor was proven to be a successful way to share random thoughts or opinion.

Be Concise

They don’t call it “short and sweet” for nothing.

Technology is always changing, which means, Twitter, too will morph and grow. But the data speaks for itself. Take it into consideration the next time you decide to share the kind of sandwich you’re eating with the world. You might save yourself a lot of grief.

5 Ways to Earn More from Current Clients

FreelanceSwitch.com — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:00:08 +0000

It takes a lot of work to get a new client. Unless you have a regular stream of referrals coming your way, you may need to do all the legwork yourself by approaching potential clients, contacting them, and testing if they’d be interested in your services. This often requires a lot of research and preparation.

Still, you’re not sure any of these prospects will convert into paying clients – even if you know you did everything right. This is why, during a work famine, it may be easier to get hired again by people who already paid you before: your former and existing clients. Let’s take a look at ways to get started with earning more from current clients.

#1 – Do higher level work.

Most freelancers do single-level work, providing only one kind of output. This means performing a service such as writing content, designing graphics, or finishing an app.

What if you give yourself a freelancer’s equivalent of a “promotion”? You can find tasks which take on more responsibility and have a more managerial role. As long as no one is currently assigned to that role, you can step up and offer these higher level services to your clients. For example:

A freelance blogger can become a company’s full-service content manager, who can now plan the editorial calendar, promote blog posts, and maybe even find ways to use the blog as part of a company’s sales funnel.

A website designer can also act more like an online creative director and help a client customize the designs of their social media profiles, as well as their print materials, or create visual posts (such as infographics or slideshows) for the client’s blog.

An app developer, after finishing the main product, can act as a product manager and propose to do other versions of the product for multiple devices, or even gather and interpret usage statistics so the client can make informed choices about making changes or updates to the main product.

Once you take on greater responsibility, you become more of a manager and decision-maker, rather than a single-output skilled worker. You’re also more likely to work with a single client on longer, recurring projects.

#2 – Arrange for profit or performance based bonuses.

Sometimes, clients will assign you projects which are directly related to profit. This may include marketing their paid information product, writing sales copy, or creating a product for sale.

Apart from your base rates, negotiate for profit-based bonuses where you get paid a small fraction of their profits from your work. This approach would be relatively easier to do when clients already see you as a partner or consultant, rather than a hand-for-hire.

Performance-based agreements are possible, too – especially if you can establish how your clients acquired more leads or customers as a result of the work you did. For example, with one of my current clients, I get performance bonuses for visitors above their average visitor count as a result of any content I make which “goes viral”.

Here are some additional resources you may want to look at when considering profit-based or performance-based bonuses:

Profit-sharing for SEO: A Price for the New Economy from SEOBoy/

Are Performance-Based Pay Scales Fair? from Freelance Writing Jobs.

Be wary of accepting arrangements which are 100% profit or performance based – these arrangements work better as bonuses added to your base pay in most cases.

#3 – Affiliate programs.

When clients ask you to do work online, such as build a website or conduct online marketing campaigns, odds are they’ll need some tools, software, or services like domain names and hosting. Apply for affiliate programs relevant to the services you provide, and receive a small commission when your client decides to purchase the products or services you recommend.

Remember: when sending affiliate links to your clients, let them know that you’ll get a commission. It’s best to be upfront about it. Often, they won’t mind this. One of my clients once said, “Well, if the money’s going to go to somebody anyway, I’d rather some of it go to you.”

This is one of the easiest ways to earn more revenue per client, so if you want something simple, you can start with this.

#4 – Do monthly follow-ups post-project.

After working on a project with a client, you may think you have reached the end of your business relationship. But, if you follow-up and ask them how they are doing, they might tell you about other needs or problems that you can help with. The key is to be very specific with your follow-up questions. A vague “How are things?” may not result in useful replies. Here’s a sample email you can send:

Hello [Client Name],

It’s been several weeks since we finished [The Project]. When we were first discussing the project, you mentioned that your goals were [List Goals Here]. I was just wondering, how is [The Finished Product] so far in helping you reach [Goal #1]? How about [Goal #2]?

Thanks in advance,

Jane Freelancer

Now, an email like this is useful for two reasons. First, if your work helps them reach their goals, you can get a good testimonial out of their response. Second, you can address any hidden concerns or questions about your finished product. By doing this, you establish yourself as a freelancer who cares about your client’s goals, rather than just taking their money and ending the relationship once the check clears.

#5 – Take the initiative to pitch them something new.

Working with a client over months or years can put you in a position where you’ll get to know their business as if it were your own. When you pick up new skills or learn some important industry news, or simply find yourself thinking “They should be doing this…”, this is an opportunity to pitch a new service to them. You don’t need to send a full blown proposal, you can simply ask if they’re interested in hearing your new ideas for their business.

Take this previous post by Sue Fleckenstein as an example. She wrote about how freelance writers can capitalize on a Google Update, about how “freshness” of the content affects 35% of searches. I followed Fleckenstein’s advice and secured more recurring work from one of my clients. We’re likely to think of some new way to help clients with their business if we keep them in back of our minds when looking up industry news or getting new training.

Freelancers don’t need to use all the approaches above, but there might be room for at least one adjustment that can help you make your current projects more profitable. Still, it isn’t all about the money – these things can help you serve your clients better as well.

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