Promoting your freelance technical writing business

These workshop notes are taken from Mike Unwalla's presentation to technical writers on 24 April 2004 at Sheffield Hallam University. They were updated on 22 March 2006.

The workshop examined how freelancers in the writing business can promote their technical writing services.

Why promote your business?

If nobody knows, they won't buy = failed business.

"The strategy for survival is visibility… What have I done today to make myself more visible?" Will Kintish, www.kintish.co.uk.

Reality check on participants' situation:

• Thinking of starting a freelance technical writing business?
• Work in a company that uses freelancers?
• Already freelance? Agency v. direct contact; Limited company v. sole trader.

Advertising and publicity methods

Don't throw money at the problem! Generally, go for low-cost promotion.

Professional image: Logo, business cards, letterheads. Vital for professional image.

Web site. Not strictly necessary, but it's available all the time. Can be a useful point of access to your business. All you need is one contract, and it's paid for the time and effort you put in. Use meta tags and register with search engines and directories. (Editor's note 2006/03/22. I've changed my mind. These days, I believe every serious business should have a web site. If you don't need a web site, you probably don't need any other form of promotion either.)

Brochures, flyers. Very useful. Send mailshots to potential clients. Leave brochures in business centres. What makes good promotional material?

• Focus on key business benefits.
• You/your not I/me/my (expand this with practical examples).
• Testimonials.

Documentation samples. Very useful to say, "Here's one I did earlier". Confidentiality can be a problem with samples. Some clients are more than happy for you to distribute work that you did for them, but until you've got a few clients like that, you won't have much that you can freely distribute.

Thompson Local, Yellow pages, Talking pages. Go for all the free advertising that's available. It may be appropriate to pay for advertising, but think carefully. For example, how many professionals will phone Talking Pages to find a technical writer? On the other hand, an advert in your local Chamber of Commerce magazine might be beneficial (you probably won't know until you try it).

Press releases. Where? Business section of local papers. Trade journals specific to your subject matter expertise (much harder to get in to, but probably far more beneficial).

Project-based CV. Might be useful in some cases, but in general, CVs are not necessary.

Indirect advertising. For example, reviews, articles, material for professional organisations, workshops and presentations at business network events.

Networking organisations. For example, Chamber of Commerce, business clubs, trade organisations.

Professional memberships. Become known as an expert.

Quality Independent Authors web site (www.qualityauthors.co.uk).

Qualifications. For example, MA Tech Authoring, MOUS, City & Guilds. Not necessary, but could give added credibility. And good for your ego.

Newsletter (email or paper). Useful to remind potential clients and past clients of your services.

Other company's marketing flyers and mails. Respond if their services are in some way related to what you do. Maybe their clients are your potential clients.

Email marketing. Be careful! Ideally, get permission first. Also, beware that although currently in EU law (as far as I know), you are allowed to send unsolicited commercial email (UCE) to businesses, you still are breaking the terms of your agreement with your ISP! I got nailed by Spamcop a while back, even though the marketing email conformed strictly to EU law.

Contacting potential clients

You can use agencies or you can contact potential clients directly. Agencies typically want jobbing tech authors who will travel the country for the next contract. Generally, I contact potential clients directly.

Segment the market place. When I started cold calling, I never made a distinction between a sole trader and a multinational? Doh! Generally, the tiny companies won't be able to afford you (but one of my best clients was a sole trader—not a large contract, but 50% up front without asking, final payment within three days of submitting the invoice, and no 'can you just?').

Send mailshots to potential clients. Should you follow up with a phone call? Two viewpoints:

1. Don't bother with follow-up phone calls because there are three classes of recipient:
   • They have immediate need, you were in the right place at the right time, and they'll respond.
   • No immediate need, but they can see the value you provide. They'll file your details.
   • Not interested. So don't waste your time.
2. Target potential clients carefully. Then follow up with a phone call.

I used to use the first method, but that was wasteful (on average, one contract from 800 flyers). Now, spend time investigating a potential client company. Find out if they have a tech writing team. Get names. Sometimes talk first, then send follow-up letter or email. Other times, send letter, then follow up with phone call.

Public sector and large corporates. Difficult to find the right person to contact.

Always keep a record of whom you contacted, when, outcome and so on. Build your database. Contact again after a 'suitable period' (18 months?).

Who to contact?

Do some research and find out who to contact. You can contact people with different roles. Here are a few that I've used:

• Managing Director. Particularly relevant in small companies.
• Development Manager. If the technical people write the documentation, offer your technical writing services. Free the development staff from writing docs (they hate doing that) and allow them to focus on development.
• Sales / Marketing Manager. Good documentation improves sales and presents the company in a favourable light.
• Customer Services Manager. Help desks and other support environments are at the front end of customer complaints. Show how you can reduce their workload.
• Documentation Manager. You won't need to sell the concept of good documentation! So, a useful contact for when the company has a short-term need for extra writers.

TechScribe's marketing results

(Editor's note, 2006/03/22. I've updated these figures to show the current state.)

Small advertisements in leading weekly trade magazines. In 2002, a series of six adverts led to a few vague enquiries, but no business. In 2005 a series of six small ads for our author training course for software developers did not bring any business.

Full page advertorial in a trade brochure. No observable result.

Small ads in local papers/magazines. No observable result.

Web site. TechScribe's first big project came about because someone was looking for a technical writer and found the TechScribe web site. New clients who find us by using Internet search engines account for over 50% of business by value.

Paid web site promotion. Increased visitors to site, but didn't improve sales.

Cold calling/flyers. In the early days of trading, this brought TechScribe about 40% of all new clients. Nowadays, we don't do much cold calling, although we do still send out marketing leaflets. This generates a little interest, but we don't get much business from it.

Business networking and word-of-mouth referrals. This accounts for about 25% of our business.

Regional press. TechScribe often has a mention in the local press. (That's nice, but the target market is the UK.) Not sure if this brings work, but it's good for local clients to see TechScribe in the press.

Local digital media. Occasionally TechScribe is mentioned in local digital information newsletters. No observable result.

TechScribe newsletter. An email about ISO 18019 resulted in a contract.

Summary

• Be focused. Segment the marketplace. Contact the right people.
• Show how you benefit the potential client.
• Be persistent. Follow up. Contact again after a few months (people move on).
• Use a mix of promotional methods. Measure the results. Put time/effort/money into the ones that bring business benefits.
• Always promote yourself and your business.

© TechScribe, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. Page updated 2006/03/22