Enquiring minds want to know. It’s the old slogan for the salacious supermarket tabloid known as the National Enquirer. And as crazy as it sounds, there’s a freelance marketing lesson you can learn from this (ahem) news source to help you get more clients.
Curious?
It all starts with a question.
Is Elvis still alive? Will Jurrassic-sized spiders take over the world? Can a psychic in California predict what Donald Trump will Tweet next?
And the question you’re probably thinking about: What does this have to do with freelance marketing? Here it is:
When someone has a question about a niche topic or freelance writing, they’re going to search the Internet for the answer.
And it’s an opportunity for you to do some freelance marketing, provide helpful answers, and build authority as the freelance writer in your niche.
Here’s another question: Want to learn how to use this Q&A strategy to get more freelance clients? Check it out:
Answer Quora questions for freelance marketing
If you want to build a career as a writer, using a few freelance marketing strategies is a smart way to get clients, stay fully booked, and even pick and choose projects you want to work on.
Some of those freelance marketing strategies include:
These are just a few freelance marketing strategies that can help you grow your business. And there’s at least one more…using the popular Q&A site Quora.
Here’s how to use Quora for freelance marketing:
Develop a niche profile
What’s your freelance writing niche? Think about what you might include in the bio section of an LOI to turn a prospect into a client. Or if you’ve got a brief bio on your writer website, use that.
Developing a niche profile on Quora allows you to:
- Focus on your target audience
- Address their questions, and
- Build your authority as a niche freelance writer
Remember, the right audience at the right time is a key to successful marketing. And Quora’s crowd-sourced questions provides you with that key.
Here’s what my Quora profile looks like:
Consider using the Quora blog
If you already run a blog on your writer site as a freelance marketing strategy, you might be reluctant to spend time blogging on Quora. But there’s a unique advantage to blogging on Quora that’s worth considering:
Your Quora blog is easily searchable within the Quora search engine, and all of your Quora content is shareable to Facebook or Twitter. So, you could think of it as one more stream of social opportunity to get your name out there.
Answer Quora questions about topics in your niche
Right now Quora has an estimated 200 million monthly users who are asking questions about 400,000 different topics. Chances are pretty good there are some niche questions you can answer.
- What’s your niche?
- What do you write about?
- Learned something interesting from your last assignment?
- Spent time working in your niche before you became a freelance writer?
If you’re hustling to make a living writing, you’re bound to know stuff that other people don’t. Especially if you’ve been at this long enough to specialize in a niche or two. So how do you find questions to answer?
Use search features and settings
You can do a simple search on Quora for questions in your niche. You can also set up alerts to notify you when someone asks a question related to your niche. It’s a great way to find out what your prospects are talking about and what they need help with.
Provide detailed answers
I learned early on to avoid responding to questions on Quora with simple answers. Simple answers will do little to promote your freelance business.
Instead, answer Quora questions with as many ooey-gooey details you can muster, and if you can link to a reputable source, or some of your work, even better. The more in-depth, value-driven content you provide, the more attention you will draw to yourself.
I’ve been using this freelance marketing strategy for a couple years because it:
- Allows you to answer questions and provide solutions to problems your potential clients have
- Provides a public display of your content, making it easier for others to find you and ‘test-drive’ your expertise
- Includes a built-in audience you can help who have questions about topics in your niche
- Doesn’t require an established following of hundreds or thousands of people like other social media channels to generate engagement. There’s a built-in audience that needs your help.
Here’s an example of what a Quora Q&A looks like:
Analyze and optimize your Quora marketing efforts
You should measure every freelance marketing strategy you use, including Quora. For example:
- How many LOIs or query letters do you have to send out before you land an assignment?
- How many people do you need to meet at an in-person networking event to get a solid lead?
- What kind of response are you getting from LinkedIn marketing?
When you can measure results from a freelance marketing strategy, you can use that information to adjust your approach, or maybe even abandon the idea. It’s important to know what works and what doesn’t to help you get leads and land assignments.
After you’ve spent a little time answering questions on Quora, take a look at the metrics to measure your results for:
- Questions
- Answers
- Posts
- Upvotes
- Followers
- Views
- And any inbound leads that come your way
Does it work? Freelance writers and entrepreneurs Dave Chesson (creator of KDP Rocket which Carol uses, recommends, and proudly affiliate sells) and Matt Stone have both used Quora to generate thousands of views, leads, and sales, build authority, provide value, and help more people. I started answering Quora questions a few years ago, and it’s been a good freelance marketing strategy for me, too.
The #1 rule of freelance marketing: Be consistent
The success of almost any freelance marketing effort depends on consistency. Want to try something a little different than the traditional LOI or query letter? Answer Quora questions. It will help build your social reputation and digital footprint as a freelance writer that can help you land more freelance work in your niche.
Need help with freelance marketing to get clients? Let’s discuss on Facebook or LinkedIn.
Beth Casey is a B2B writer living in Maine. She writes about business, digital marketing, health, and technology
The post Freelance Marketing: The Curious Q&A Strategy to Get More Clients appeared first on Make A Living Writing.
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