4 Abundant Marketing Buckets of Opportunity for Freelance Writers
By Pam Foster

There’s a life cycle to marketing that you can support with your freelance writing skills. Every company uses this life cycle in some form or another.

It’s a life cycle involving four stages … and it’s never “done” as long as a company’s in business.

To explain what I mean by this, let’s look at a specific business example.

Let’s say you’re looking for a super simple DIY (do-it-yourself) online bookkeeping system designed specifically for solo businesses such as freelance writers. You’re the ideal prospect for a company offering that kind of system. In other words, they have what you need … but you don’t know it yet.

To see how the marketing life cycle typically works, follow along as I introduce you to a 100% fictitious company called DIY BizBooks (your perfect solution).

• First, DIY BizBooks needs to get your attention in a world where there are LOADS of online bookkeeping choices. There’s fierce competition in that field, so how does DIY BizBooks create awareness in a standout way? If their marketing team is clever, they’re publishing super helpful “how-to” blog posts, problem-solution YouTube videos, perhaps a free guide on making freelance bookkeeping WAY easier, and other ideas. One of these content efforts may grab your attention because its message is highly relevant and uniquely helpful.
• Next, now that DIY BizBooks has your attention … they need to win you over with a reason to stick around, explore further, and decide if their system is right for you. This marketing effort often involves inviting, “problem solved!” content on their website, an appealing and irresistible email campaign, perhaps a live webinar with Q&A, or other methods of explaining why this freelance bookkeeping system is perfect for you.
• What happens next … after you’ve arrived at the DIY BizBooks website? You’ll see an incentive to become a paying customer. It could be through a Free 3-month trial … access to an exclusive freelance bookkeeping tutorial series … or another special perk you can’t resist. So, you whip out your credit card and become a customer, ready to get going!
• Finally — the cycle continues where DIY BizBooks must keep you happy, so you’ll stick around, use the system, renew your account, possibly upgrade to other services on the site, and remain a loyal fan. At this point in the cycle, you may receive an “insider tips” newsletter each month with amazing value, special offers that help you manage your money more effectively, exclusive invitations to monthly guru-level guidance sessions, etc. With these extra perks, you may become a super fan of DIY BizBooks, telling others about its awesomeness and perhaps becoming an affiliate for them.

See how that life cycle works at each stage?

Now … you may have noticed the critical element for driving success through all four stages:

COMMUNICATION.

To attract, win over, convert, and retain each customer, DIY BizBooks needs to communicate its unique value to prospects and customers through a steady stream of appealing, solution-oriented content and copywriting.

Here’s the great news for you.

There are thousands and thousands of companies just like DIY BizBooks that have the same challenges through those four stages.

Each stage represents buckets of opportunity for you as a professional freelance writer.

As you can see in our AWAI Copywriting-Content Continuum below, each stage may involve several different marketing efforts to achieve the marketer’s goals.

• Stage 1: Content that Builds Traffic/Awareness/Leads
  Blog posts, free reports, case studies, videos, and more
• Stage 2: Copy Linking to a Direct Sales Page
  Email funnel series, online ads, landing pages, social posts, and more
• Stage 3: Direct-Sales Copy (Buy/Order Now)
  Sales letters (online and direct mail), product pages, ads, and more
• Stage 4: Retention Copy and Content
  E-newsletters, emails, social media, exclusive webinars, and more

See the common thread here?

Every company must use a combination of these efforts to compete, survive, and thrive on an ongoing basis. And as I mentioned, this cycle never stops.

The big opportunity for you is this:

Many, many companies don’t have an in-house writer or the right kind of freelance writer who understands what works in each stage of this marketing life cycle.

A-ha!

This is where YOU come in.

If you can write the different projects needed at each stage, you can make a great living as a well-paid freelance writer who saves the day for companies.

The coolest thing is, as a freelance writer you have options.

• You can specialize in writing only the Stage 1 (content) materials for several clients and do quite well. For instance, you can specialize in lead-generating blogging, special reports or guides, case studies, video scripts, and other content-focused projects.
• Or, you can write ALL the materials for just a few clients, helping them with the content and copy flow through all four stages. As the client’s go-to writer, you get to manage the full scope from awareness to retention, which can be extremely rewarding and fun.

These are just two options; there are many others. It’s totally up to you!

Just know that thousands of companies are looking for skilled freelance writers like you every day (896 “freelance writer” jobs listed today on LinkedIn alone).

And, now that you understand WHY they need you … you’re in a great position to grab those buckets of opportunity.

Curious about how it all works and how to become a go-to freelance writer now? Check out The AWAI Method™ for Becoming a Skilled, in-Demand Copywriter.

Do you have any questions about the various stages on the copywriting and content continuum? Share with us in the comments.