You’re invited to a marketing cram session with me and Jeanna Pool, author of “Marketing for Solos.”

During the 60-minute webinar, you’ll get at least one marketing to-do that will have an immediate positive impact on your freelancing business. I’ll be asking Jeanna to spill the beans on:

• the language of marketing that makes you irresistible to prospects
• how less can be more in marketing, especially when you’re your own one-man marketing department
• the difference between passive vs. active marketing, and which one you need to get all the clients you want
• the common marketing mistakes freelancers make, and how you can avoid doing them
• little things you can — and should do — to stand out from your competitors
• and more!

The webinar will be on Thursday, May 19, 2011, 12:30 pm Eastern.

Jeanna Pool is both a marketing expert and designer. She works with solo small business owners all over to world to help them build successful businesses — without huge expenses and overwhelm. Jeanna’s book, “Marketing for Solos,” was published early in 2011 and has been getting rave reviews on Amazon.

To learn more from Jeanna, sign up below to join us in the webinar, “Marketing Cram Session for Solos”:
See you there!

Why is it some freelancers struggle to make money, while others make six-figure incomes — or more?

I believe the answer lies in finding and serving a profitable freelancing niche.

I don’t know about you, but I’m out to find such a niche: where clients appreciate the value of my services and are willing to pay top-dollar for them. I like to say, whether you charge high or low, you’re bound to find clients. Some clients want to pay peanuts; others are willing to pay diamonds.

But how can freelancers find these high-profit niches?

To get the answer, I’m going to be interviewing Steve Slaunwhite in our next Savvy Freelancing webinar on Wednesday, February 23, 2011, 11 am Eastern done, but you can get access to the recording by signing up below. If you haven’t signed up for our webinars yet, now’s the perfect time to do so. It’s free:
Steve is one of those six-figure freelancers, the author of several books on copywriting, marketing and freelancing — including one I always recommend: The Wealthy Freelancer. Steve has been a successful freelance copywriter for over 15 years. He’s definitely someone I’d like to learn from.

I’ll be asking Steve:

• What’s a niche? How is it different from a specialization and target market? Or are they all the same?
• What’s the best way to find a profitable niche?
• What are the signs that a particular niche will not pay off and we should abandon it?
• Should we go into a niche where there’s plenty of competition?
• Do you market differently to more affluent prospects than you do to bottom feeders? If so, how?

And many more! If you want to hear the answers to these questions — and ask your own — register below to get your free access to the upcoming webinar with Steve:

Do you have questions for Steve? Join us live at the webinar, or post them in the comments below.

See you there!

photo credit: Bioray

Pam Slim is a business coach and author of the book, “Escape from Cubicle Nation.” She helps frustrated employees go from corporate prisoner to thriving entrepreneur.

Join Pam and me on Tuesday, January 25th, 1 pm Eastern, and you will discover:

• what are the biggest opportunities for freelancers in 2011
• how the growth of social media marketing will affect freelancers
• how freelancers can keep up with the ultra-fast growth and changes in technology — even with our limited time, energy and money
• what existing or emerging hot niches/markets freelancers can tap into to become more profitable
• and more!

Registration to the webinar comes at the ultra-cool prize of “free”. Sign up below and you’ll get access to the live webinar, as well as the recording:

PS: I actually wrote an ebook about this. Check it out, if you’re interested:

Thursday is the author of “Market Your Freelance Writing in 31 Days” and “The Freelance Writer’s Guide to Passive Income.” She is also a regular contributor at FreelanceSwitch.com and blogs about the business of freelance writing at ThursdayBram.com.

The webinar will be on:

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

8:00 pm, EST

If you haven’t signed up yet for access to the free savvy freelancing webinars, you can do so right now by typing in your first name and best email address below:
Ask Thursday your questions about marketing your freelance services by posting them in the comments section below. See you at the webinar!

PS: Even if you can’t make it live to the webinar, do sign up and you’ll get access to the webinar recording. It’s free–forever!

Our next cost-free, pitch-free webinar will be on Wednesday, May 5th 2010, at 8 pm EST.

Blogging for Freelancers

Our topic will be “Blogging for Freelancers,” and we’ll be taking up:

• top reasons why freelancers should blog
• the advantages and disadvantages of blogging
• common mistakes freelancers make with their blog
• the types of blog posts that can help you attract clients
• how to get started blogging, or take your current blog to the next level

There’s no cost to join the webinar, but you need to register to get access to the live webinar, as well as to the webinar handouts, recordings and slides. Type your name and email address below to register:

First Name

Email

Your information is safe with us!

Please post your biggest questions about blogging in the comments below.

My webinar partner, Sharon McMillan, and I will do our best to answer your questions during the webinar.

See you there!

PS: The Savvy Freelancing webinars are pure content. We’re not trying to promote any products or services — even our own. Foolish? Maybe. Sharon and I just want more freelancers to reach their goals and keep having fun along the way. Do join us!

First Name

Email

Your information is safe with us!

Do you experience any of the following symptoms?

• inability to find happiness in employment
• constant dissatisfaction with your job, no matter how much money you’re earning
• susceptibility to various distractions, such as a hobby, passion – or kids and spouse
• weakness for dreams of adventure, like traveling, bungee jumping or living a bohemian lifestyle
• short attention span for structure, or at least those structures that others set up for you

If you suffer any or all of the symptoms described above, I’m afraid the prognosis is not good:

You’ve got a freelancer’s heart.

It’s an illness for which there is only one cure: to engage in what may be the scariest, most challenging journey of your life.

But it’s the only thing that will take away the constant feelings of discontent, longing and soul-lessness you’ve been getting from employment.

How do you know if you really have the heart of a freelancer?

I believe a freelancer at heart has the following qualities, more or less:

A Creative Spirit

Just being able to imagine a life outside the cubicle reveals you have a strong ability to think outside the box. No wonder, you can’t be contained by hierarchies and structures imposed on you by employment. You long to create, to leave a legacy to the world in your own terms.

Adventurous, Risk-Taker

You crave adventure, or at the very least, are willing to take risks for the chance to achieve what’s most important to you: freedom. You’re willing to give up the stability and predictability of a j-o-b if it means being able to live a life by your own design (creative, remember?).

Freedom Lover

You value your personal, creative and financial freedom more than you do security. You don’t mind the occasional (or is it constant?) uncertainty of being “on your own” because the ability to take off to new directions whenever you feel like it is much more fun and fulfilling than knowing you’re receiving X amount of dollars every week.

Independent

You take responsibility for yourself. You don’t blame others when things go wrong. You’re independent. Even though you know you need others to succeed and be happy, you acknowledge that, ultimately, you’re in charge of your personal happiness and success. You take control of your destiny.

Idealistic

You’re an optimist. When everybody else is running around yelling, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” you take a deep breath and seek opportunities where others see none. You believe that you have something to offer the world, something so valuable that you will never go hungry (well, at least not for long). You have a dream and you believe it will come true.

If you see these qualities in yourself, then you know why you’ve been unhappy in your job, even though you may have been making more money than you’ve ever dreamed of.

Now you know why you’ve been feeling like your soul was being sucked out of you as you sat in your cushy office.

Now you know why you were always looking for something else, something more… and it wasn’t the next step in the corporate ladder.

You’re a freelancer at heart. Go and live your dream.

PS: Do you believe there is such as a thing as a freelancing personality? If so, what qualities does a freelancing personality have? Did I miss any? Post your thoughts in the comments box below.

PPS: I’ve been living my dream for nearly 18 months now and the journey has been more awesome than I ever expected. I’d love to help you live your dream, too. Sign up for my monthly cost-free, pitch-free webinars. See you there!

photo credit: Shahram Sharif