Your freelancing website is all about you and the freelance writing services you provide. Most people visiting the site will probably looking for one of those services, but every once and a while there comes a visitor that isn’t generally interested in what you can write for them. They may have stumbled onto your page from a rogue link or misspelled keyword on the big “G”. While there isn’t much you can do to gain them as a client if they don’t need any writing completed, you can always find other ways to monetize off of them.
So my question is, should you put in other sources of monetization on your freelance writing website or blog? I say, “It’s never good to put all your eggs in one basket.”
Contextually speaking…
The general solution that most all blogs and websites put up is some type of contextual advertising. You can see (for now) that I have Google’s Adsense network advertising on my sidebar and header. These are great for those people that won’t turn out to be your clients. You make a little cash for each click you send to advertisers, and if you can build up heavy traffic, it can be very profitable. However, what you are doing is sending people to your competitors. These are contextual ads, meaning they are picking up keywords in your website’s body, and using them to place proper ads. If your website is about freelance writing, and how you want possible new clients to see your work, it might not be the best idea to send them to your competitors. I keep the ads up (for now) as I am fairly confident that my client base isn’t visiting my website, the ads are mostly advertising working opportunities for freelance writers, and it provides a little benefit to SEO work.
Becoming your audience
A much better option, I find, is to get in a marketer’s set of mind. It’s great being a marketing student because we have an edge on knowing how and what to sell (it is also one of the most sought after freelance writer attributes). Instead of pushing random ads, pick one or two and get people to buy into them. On a freelance writing website, you’d want to push materials excellent for freelance writers (and there are hundreds of ideas – desks, chairs, website services, web hosting, computer accessories, notebook PCs, wireless routers, ebooks, and the list can go on forever. You can see my attempt at this type of marketing in the upper right hand where I have a banner ad for the “Freelance like a Rockstar” eBook. I make a commission on each sale, which makes considerably more than a click on the Google Adsense plans. (BTW, the book is an excellent resource for any freelancer, new or well-worn into our game. It was worth the 30 dollars).
Selling your <body>
Another option a freelance writer can choose to employ is to sell ad space. For a freelance writer, this might be a little trickier because I guarantee you would get a ton of buyers wanting to push their own writing services. I would say no to them, but say a freelance designer contacted you. That might be something you are willing to put on your freelance writing blog or website, as it won’t intrude on possible clients being distracted by looking into other writers. It might be just what they need as the word freelance is a very broad term, and there is virtually a freelancer for every type of job.
I do think it is smart to put several sources of monetization on your freelance writing blog or website, but you need to think smart in order to make it work. Your job is to market your own services as a writer, not let other writers budge into your own work and arrangements with clients. Your freelance writing clients will almost always pay better than advertising so think about what it is that you really need. More better paying clients or a couple hundred dollars a month from that other writer advertising on your website?
Subscribe to the blog, bitches... plz? k thx!
