Who You Know: Making Connections

I am sure you've all heard, "It's not what you know, it is who you know." This is very true in business, and remains so in SEO copywriting.

Does this mean that you need a jammed-up rolodex? Not necessarily (but it helps, of course). Every business card collection has to start somewhere.

What it really means, is that you have to make a strong impression when you do get a shot because this will almost always lead to another. It can take some time to build a reputation and collect the experience that leads into another job, but it can be done.

For me, it was about diligence. I was good at doing cold calls and good at presenting myself. I had very little experience, but every job that was relevant was painstakingly documented. Once I had a few of these, I presented them in a uniform manner as a portfolio leave-behind. When I had enough stuff, I built a website, and used it like an online resume.

I initially had free business cards printed, then I made some at a copy center where I also made some cheap flyers and one-sheets about using a copywriter. I went out and stuck these in mailboxes and doors, posted them wherever business people flocked. I used them until I could afford to buy some stuff that looked better.

Hate to admit it, but I ran out of printed stuff as leave-behinds a long time ago. I will qualify this with the fact that almost all of my work comes through the web. I do have a print sample portfolio in case it is requested, but I don't have copies of it. I do have pdfs of lots of work at the ready though--and this has proved to be an indispensible way to communicate with potential clients about copywriting gigs. Portfolios and samples are 100% electronic as often as not in this field, and getting more common every year.

But at first, I found printed materials to be wonderful at helping make a client feel more cared for, and well attended. Why? First of all, I was willing to come into the office to make the right impression. Once there, it was obvious I was careful in how I presented my work. I clearly had pride in what I had accomplished, and when possible, I offered some kind of case study or report on how my writing made more money for someone in my past.

So for me, it was not a question of who I knew, because I didn't know anybody. It was more of a question of what did I want these new folks to think of me when I did get a chance to meet them? I wanted them to think of me as detailed, precise and organized. Creative, accessible, and quick. And busy. I always wanted them to think I was too busy to waste time.

Be the Ball, Danny...Make Your Future
It seems funny to me now, but I used to make it seem like I was much busier than I actually was. If I was in a meeting and a follow-up was called for, I didn't have to check my day planner...I knew I was almost always free. But this never stopped me from pulling out the planner and suggesting one or two other times. Why? Because I wanted them to feel like I was in demand. I didn't lie, I was just cryptically evasive. They wanted to believe I was really busy and talented, because it answered their needs. I simply complied, and many times it helped to get me the job.

But it is important to note, once I got hired, my work was able to stand on its own merit. I didn't miss deadlines. I was available for calls and direction. I offered suggestions, but only if asked. I could match the tone of virtually any company in any medium, and switch gears mid-stride without breaking a sweat. In a nutshell, I tried to make sure I was a dream to work with so the people who hired me would remember me.

For me, this simple strategy worked well. One guy talks to another guy, and soon different reps from the same companies I was doing projects with started calling. They talked to friends, and soon other businesses were calling. My need for continued cold calls started to dwindle, my calendar started to fill up. I actually had to start using a day planner and moving some meetings around for real. I had to turn down some work, pass some on to other writers I knew.

So what did I learn? That who you know always matters. Every meeting, every single interaction is important. That careers in specific corporations might last for a very short time, but a well established relationship will transcend these changes. I have had many clients leave one position and enter a new company only to call me again, and start me down a whole new path of projects. I earn a new company for the resume, and they know that they can depend on me--a win-win, as I like to call it.

One thing I have learned is that the players within the creative industry are shifting and changing all the time, but the work is always there. And as the players move on to new games, they are trundling their rolodexes, their Outlook contacts and their business cards to the new desk. I have benefited many times from these career shifts--I work hard to try to never view any business relationship as unimportant, which again, feels really easy to do most of the time.

Eventually, work usually tapers off from any one specific client. They might be finishing projects and moving on to other directives, or whatever. They often bring someone in-house because you have shown them the benefit of having good writing available. Hate when work starts to taper from a good client, but by this time, I tend to have other folks to take their place, and it rolls on.

I have been really lucky. Work has not been too hard to find for the last couple years, though it was a little leaner for sure when I was starting out. I don't think this is because there was any less work--just that I couldn't personally get considered for it. I didn't know anybody.

That is not the case any more--I can pitch most anything and have no inhibitions. I have no fear of the boardroom--I get energized talking to suits. Selling myself, and selling them on their personal gains to be had from the craft of SEO copywriting. I am getting better at talking in languages once alien to me--using numbers where only letters used to be.

But best of all, I have made some great connections through it all. I have worked with creative directors, webmasters, business owners and Marketing Execs who all come back to me when they get a new project that needs some copywriting or SEO attention. Sometimes, it is just for an opinion. Sometimes it is for a small project, and sometimes for a big one. I try to handle them all the same, and continually increase the circle of who I know.

Can't speak for everybody, but this has certainly worked well for me.