How Do You Advertise Your Writing Services? Basic Test Marketing For Writers
My guest post this month at b5 media’s Home Biz Notes is about basic test marketing.
My post here today at Grow Your Writing Business is an overview of test marketing and implications for writers. For the actual “how to”, check out the b5 media post for ways to use test marketing strategies. You’ll find useful tips which can be easily adapted for growing your writing business.
What’s In It For Writers?
In the guest post, I used advertising flyers as an example. While pitched at a home business readership, the basic principles can be used by writers too, and for other advertising mediums, not just flyers. Writers could run an online ad campaign, sell ebooks or affiliate products, and use test marketing in a slightly different way.
Good marketers and business owners use ongoing test marketing to find out more about their clientele and market needs. It’s really just about refining what works and what doesn’t, but in a way where you can measure results, and not just rely on perceptions. It helps you decide where your advertising dollars are best targeted.
What Is Test Marketing?
Test marketing is a simple and cost effective technique writers and home business owners can use to find out how efffective their advertising is. It can also help determine which geographic areas, target groups or products gave the best response, and return on investment (ROI). For the how to, go to the b5 media Home Biz Notes post. Split testing is a more refined version of basic test marketing.
Advertising Your Writing Services
Do you advertise your writing services in your local area? Do you do mail out campaigns locally or further afield to promote your business? If you don’t, would this be something that would work for you to help expand your business either online or offline? If you have a word of mouth writing business, can you see any uses for test marketing? How could writers adapt the basic test marketing principles to help grow their business?
Check out the b5 media post, and let me know how you think writers could apply test marketing, or share your own strategies.
Good points! I think many freelancers don’t think about marketing their services.
Laura - Generally speaking, I think perhaps many writers aren’t comfortable or confident with the marketing side of their writing business. It’s about networking too. Thanks for stopping by the Home Biz Notes post & commenting there too.
First, congratulations for publishing on such a serious, professional network.
And about your entry today, you already know that I couldn’t agree more. You make very good points.
But I feel as if your entry is a bit incomplete. The theory is one thing. What’s with the “how to”?
Mig
Yvonne,
Sorry to go off-topic here, but I wanted to, first, apologize for not making it to the Writers Cafe this weekend! (Things have been crazy, lately!) Looks like you had a great exchange of ideas, there, tho’!
Also, I’m not sure whether you’ve noticed when visiting my site or not, but my post about the Writers Cafe is currently in second place on my popular posts list! Thought you might enjoy knowing that. It moved right up there, shortly after I wrote it. (I’ve just been too busy to mention it before now!) Last time I checked, it was also in fourth place among all posts in the Writing category at Orble. (You can check it yourself, here: http://www.orble.com/writing/.) I guess its popularity isn’t really surprising, though, because, after all, the Writers Cafe IS a great idea!
Well, gotta go get back to work!
Take care!
Jeanne
Jeanne - Wow! Congratulations all round on the success of your post about the Writers Cafe. Thanks for your generosity in promoting it and for your positive feedback and support. You wrote a great write up. Thanks for letting me know. I really appreciate your support and interest.
The Writers Cafe does seem to have struck a chord, and is a fun place to hang out.
Mig - LOL. There’s a method to my madness. This post is meant as a “teaser” to my b5 media post. You have to go to the b5 media post to read the “how to”. Check it out at Home Biz Notes.
Thanks for the tip off though, as I’ve now updated this post to make that a bit clearer.