One of the most challenging tasks for a freelance web copywriter is to find a good balance
between charging enough to make a living and not so much that clients start to question your value.
It’s a tightrope and a delicate one at that, but with the right approach, you can walk confidently
along the lines.
The Value of Your Skillset
What makes you so special that you can charge more than someone who has been performing
copywriting for years and has vast experience? The short answer is that you have skillset that
only a few people possess.
Being a skilled copywriter is only the beginning. You need to understand what makes your
copy different and special. Think of the last time you tried to sell someone a car, or a house
or a business opportunity. Chances are you were presented with a variety of marketing materials
to choose from. Some of them were more compelling than others. The same goes for your clients when
you’re pitching your services as a copywriter.
How to Ask for More Than You’re Worth
An experienced copywriter could conceivably charge thousands of dollars for a single piece
of writing. But if you’re just starting out, it’s better to aim low and ask for what you’re
worth. If you ask for too much, you may scare off potential clients who think you’re overcharging
for mediocre work. One way to find your value is to look at other industry experts in your
field and see what they charge. The more you charge, the less you’ll seem like a bargain. Your
best shot at getting top dollar is to under-promise and over-deliver. People appreciate
genuine value and quality much more than they appreciate a bargain. Besides, being a bargain
hunter can also be dangerous. You never know when a client could take your pricing as a sign
that you’re not worth what they think you are.
The Changing Landscape Of Digital Marketing
The digital marketing landscape is constantly shifting and changing. What worked
yesterday may not work today, and vice versa. This makes it extremely difficult to follow
traditional marketing guidelines that helped establish you as a valued commodity in the first
place.
As a freelance writer, you’ll have to remain familiar with the latest trends in digital
marketing. Not only will this keep you relevant and up-to-date with your industry, but you’ll
also get the opportunity to take on projects that you might not have had the opportunity to
take on earlier in your career. The perfect scenario for a freelancer is to take on a project
that they’re confident will meet or exceed their expectations, but which they themselves have
never handled before. On the same token, you’ll have the chance to hone your skills and
build a portfolio of work that you can take back to your freelance clients.
Your Unique Selling Proposition
Your unique selling proposition (USP) is the combination of factors that make your product
or service special. In other words, your USP answers the question: What makes your product or
service different from everything else out there?
Your USP can be both tangible and intangible. You can use
your unique expertise to advise a specific customer on how to best take advantage of a
particular product or service. Or, it could be that you develop an exclusive strategy for
a specific company and then persuade them to adopt your approach.
A good USP is essentially a differentiator. It provides potential customers with a reason to
pick your product or service over another’s, even when the products or services are
equivalent. When you can transform an uninspired buyer into a customer who becomes obsessed
with your product or service, you’ve successfully positioned yourself as a thought leader in
your industry. The more you can do to influence a buyer’s decisions, the better. One advantage
of a product or service that is highly differentiated is that it can be easier for the buyer to
comprehend and remember. This makes them more receptive to your message and less apt to
passively accept what you’re offering without thinking. To put it another way, highly
differentiated products or services require less effort from the buyer in order to understand
and appreciate what you’re trying to sell them. This makes them more valuable and easier to
attract.
The Role Of Research
As a freelance copywriter, you’ll be responsible for coming up with ideas
and concepts for websites and other media. One of the most important things that you can do to
make sure that these projects are as excellent as possible is to do your research. When you do
your research, you’ll not only get to dive into the details of what you’re writing about, but
you’ll also discover a wealth of additional information about your topic.
Diving into research is not something that is easily done by
computers. Humans are much better at comprehending and relating to numbers and figures.
Therefore, if you are trying to do some research online, make sure that you’re looking at
resources that are specifically designed for adults. If you’re doing your research using
search engines, you’ll want to make sure that you are searching for actual sites that are
relevant to what you’re looking for. For example, if you’re writing about nutrition,
fitness, or health, make sure that you are searching for reputable sites that are committed to
health and fitness. The same goes for finance, economics,
and business research. When you’re doing your research, make sure to never copy and paste
anything into a document. Instead, highlight key facts that you discover while performing your
research and use these facts to back up your arguments. This will increase the odds of your
research being both accurate and convincing.
The Perfectionism Versus Results Approach
The key to being a successful freelance writer is to develop a
successful approach to pitching your services. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, you can’t always
be careful, but you must be careful often. When you’re starting out as a freelance writer, you
may be overzealous about wanting to secure every project that you take on. This is natural
but, as you get more experienced, you need to temper your approach to result in higher quality
work. Remember, nothing in life is ever perfectly done. The same goes for your written
work. In order to have something to show for your efforts, you need to be willing to put in
the necessary work. This means that you’ll need to consistently put in the hours and
practice to get better. In the process, you’ll start to see the results of your perfect
attendance to detail and quality rather than quantity. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need
to be mediocre, as there is always room for improvement. It just means that you need to be
selective about the projects that you take on. Make sure that you’re only working on projects
that you feel confident that you can complete to the highest quality. The exercise of carefully
choosing the projects that you take on will help you develop the perfect pitch for
successfully securing top dollar for your web copywriting services.