2009 Habits for Freelance Writers

Every year, I make yet another set of resolutions that somehow get shoved under the rug by the time Valentine’s Day rolls around. In a perfect world, I “should” be able to achieve my resolutions of getting back in shape, finishing a novel and traveling. But for many writers like myself, not achieving a set of goals in my opinion has little to do with intent or discipline. (Mind you, if you’re a writer, you have to have some amount of discipline otherwise you’d never get any projects completed.)

I believe that the reason why it’s difficult to achieve a set of New Year’s resolutions year after year is because we get preoccupied with our craft, often losing sight of the end goal because we get caught up in project cancellations, financial worries or new clients. “Life” happens and when it does, the specificity of our goals gets shoved under the rug because we are dealing with the “now.” In order to achieve our goals, I believe that we need healthy habits that will allow us to thrive.

Five Good Habits Every Writer Needs

You might think that the idea of “writing” habits is fairly inane or loaded with common sense, but it’s not. In our craft, since time truly is money, poor habits that take our attention away from writing only creates more work for us in the end. Here are some habits I feel we can all improve upon, but there may be others to add to this list.

1. COMMUNICATE MORE EFFECTIVELY

We are writers by nature, but that doesn’t mean we are necessarily effective communicators. Smart communication, in my book, is really two-fold. First, it’s about clarity. Every freelancer needs to know a few basic pieces of communication before moving forward, so this might be something you’re already doing. From length of contract to pay, you know what you need to move forward on a project.

However, there are times when your client either doesn’t understand what you’re trying to do or has another “mission” for their product in mind. If there are roadblocks in communication with your clients that cannot be overcome, and you are spending more time on it than it’s financially worth, then you might want to consider backing out of the project. (Read my post about Sample Phrases to Politely Turn Down Projects.)

Second, effective communication is about choosing the right tool for the right message. Social media is great, but it can be more casual than you might think. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is something to keep in mind. Ask yourself not only who you are communicating with, but why and how. Just because you’re leaving a comment on someone else’s blog does not mean you should tone down your communication by writing in slang or LOLspeak to the point where it is unreadable. Remember, your writing (all of your writing, I might add) reflects upon the quality of your work as I had mentioned in How to Ruin your Online Reputation in 10 Easy Steps.

I thought that Frugal Marketing did a great job with this article about How to Communicate Effectively in Business. It is a very structured article that takes the amorphous concept of communicating and structures it into an outline format.

If you still use “snail mail” for some communication, consider going virtual and stick to brief, more direct communication via email. Scan in your contracts and send them as pdfs to save you time and money. A decent scanner/printer/copier costs around $100 at several retail stores.

2. MANAGE YOUR COMMUNICATION

Now that you’ve figured out how to communicate better with other freelancers and your clients, I recommend mastering your “InBox.” I just spent all day Sunday wrangling over 2,000 emails by using manual and auto filters, archiving techniques, labels, etc. It was a painful activity, but it was necessary. Out of those emails, I found “dead” submissions that I can retool and reuse, created a “to do” list, followed up with a ton of new and old contacts, etc.

If this is a habit you already do, then kudos to you. If it isn’t, I have to tell you — it feels great to air out my “InBox.” I used an email labeling system similar to what David Allen had designed in his Getting Things Done program. Basically, I label both by file type (i.e. financial, publisher, etc.) and by action (to print, to follow-up, etc.) and archive what I don’t immediately need to see.

Everyone needs a great filing system for paper communication, but this can be the hardest to manage. This article on MSN shows you how to Purge your Financial Paperwork. It talks about some of the “rules” for tossing things like bank statements, loan paperwork, etc. For another perspective, check out this Consumer Reports article about All that Paperwork: What to Keep and What to Toss.

The hidden benefit to wrangling your emails and your paperwork is that you will open up space in your life for “new” projects. Once you’ve gotten a hold of your communication, set a date with yourself once every couple of months to stay on top of things — you’ll be glad you did.

Other ways to communicate more effectively might include: adopt third-party “tools” and coordinate your social media accounts to simpler interfaces, moderate how people can contact you so you’re paying attention to less accounts and phone numbers, keep messages unread until you’ve acted on them, let people know the best way to get a hold of you and be forthcoming about deadlines.

3. KEEP REFERENCE MATERIAL ORGANIZED

– Do you have a ton of links you’re not managing correctly? Whether you use StumbleUpon, delicious, Digg or other methods of bookmarking your links, take control over what you have saved and tagged so you can be more productive. When you find a link, ask yourself how you are going to use that website. Is it a writer’s resource? Entertainment? Promo opportunity?

A better link hierarchy can help you in any number of ways, but it requires you to ask yourself what kinds of habits you’re keeping. How do you visit your favorite websites? How do you reference important links? Why are these links important to you?

Not to be ignored, I can’t think of a better time to purge through your personal dead tree libraries, too. With the advent of pdfs and ebooks, this might help you not only save space but could turn into a hidden source of cash. Sell those unwanted books through eBay, Amazon or your local used books store to get some extra cash.

If you’re a bibliophile, you can get recommendations for new books through sites like GoodReads, or swap books with people you know to ensure your library is useful and up-to-date. Bookswap.com is a college textbook-swapping site, Paperback Swamp is a huge book swapping site that includes audio, hardcovers, etc. and Swaptree also allows you to exchange DVDs, games, etc.

4. CUT DOWN ON TIME-WASTERS

In a previous blog post I talked about how the internet is my biggest time-waster. Well? The internet may be a place to get distracted, but it’s also vital to a freelancer. How can we make the most out of this tool?

How about aggregating all of the websites you read into a simple, manageable easy-to-read format? Subscribe to their RSS feeds, then split them up by category in your reader to get more information in a flash. I really enjoy my Netvibes.com account, and have updated it to include new authors I follow. Netvibes offers a personal and public page, once I’ve updated my public page I’ll share it with all of you. Web surfing is a time killer, and will eat into your productivity.

Other ideas include: stop checking your email incessantly, schedule blocks of time for communication, and turn off your IM clients.

5. THINK HOLISTICALLY

I haven’t talked about this too much before, but the idea of living a holistic lifestyle is definitely something that’s been on my mind for the past, few months. Put all thoughts of money aside for a moment and consider how much time you spend shopping, running errands, managing your life. A holistic lifestyle is ideally one that integrates all of those spheres of your life: health, wealth, career, friends, etc.

If you work a full-time job like I do, your weekends are precious to you. Imagine what you can do if you cut down the time it takes for you to run errands or make out your shopping list. I’m finding that I’m getting more done because I’m more motivated to achieve my goals. While every person is different, if you are truly serious about writing, sometimes the best way to move forward with your goals is to look “around” them. Look at everything “but” that shiny goal at the end of the rainbow to see how you can make room in your life for success.

Here are some of the ways I’m tackling “life” organization to minimize the clutter and make more out of my day:

  • Set up Errands as Tasks, Appointments – I mentioned in my post about the Cost of Writing Fiction versus Non-Fiction that tracking was important. You already schedule your writing-related assignments, why not block out time for shopping and running errands, too?
  • Shop Online – Part of household management is to get the product that you need in a timely fashion at the price you’re willing to pay. I can’t say enough good things about shopping online, because it keeps me out of the stores and I don’t have to worry about buying incidentals. Some people are even getting groceries delivered right to their door. While I’m definitely not there yet, I do all my shopping online with the exception of clothes and toiletries.
  • Budget and Schedule Long-Term – By thinking longer-term, you not only plan better use of your time, but you also plan for vacations and “time off,” too. Thinking longer-term is an art form that requires patience and practice, because long-term planning requires big picture (and realistic) thinking, flexibility, and the means to enact the plan.
  • Promote after Project Completion – This past year, I had an issue with my Violetwar site because I split my time between promoting it and writing it. Promotion is its own job and really needs to be treated as such, but you have to have something to promote otherwise you’ll lose people’s interest.
  • Adopt Healthy Habits and Put “You” First – Being healthy is not a task, it’s not a “to-do,” it’s a lifestyle. A lifestyle that affects every sphere including what you eat (and how much), how much energy you have, etc. Only you know what’s healthy for you, but why not make 2009 “your” year? Why not tackle those non-writing areas to help you lay an excellent foundation so you can write?
  • Remember to Be Social – For this point, I’m not talking about social media. I’m talking about turning off your computer and your game system and getting out there to talk to people. There are ways to be social while getting things done. It’s called “networking.” There are also a lot of low-cost ways to be social and enjoy yourself by reconnecting with friends, going to concerts, etc. Even sitting in a coffee shop can help put you out there. As writers, we may need to actively seek social contact moreso than the other butterflies out there, but it’s an area we should remember to foster.

Of course, there are other areas to add to this list depending upon your lifestyle. The key to thinking more holistically about your life is really to look at the “big picture.” 2009 will have a lot of great things in store for many of us, but it does require smart planning. After you think about what you want to accomplish, ask yourself “how” and “why” you want to accomplish them. I’m confident you can achieve your dreams this year. Let’s establish some great habits and move mountains!

January 6, 2009
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Social Media Uses and Usefulness

2008 has been the year of social media for me. Embracing Facebook, Twitter, LiveJournal, LinkedIn and other networks, I’ve finally gotten my personal social media usage down to less than a half an hour a day. I spend more time trying to haul my sleepy head out of bed in the morning than I do on social media, yet all my accounts remain updated and my followers know where I am and what I’m working on.

How I Use Social Media Tools

How do I use social media tools? Simple! I use the tools to integrate my online content and help keep my friends, readers and network up-to-date. My Twitter account feeds into my Facebook and LiveJournal accounts. I’m also currently looking into a plug-in that will update my Twitter account when I post here, on my blog. For Facebook and LiveJournal, I have email notifications set up for things that are important to me, so I know when someone is trying to get a hold of me. From all outside appearances it looks like I am extremely active in the “social media” space, spending hours upon hours on these networks.

I use social media to stay on top of trends, knowledge and people for my professional position during the day, and for promoting my writing at night. I do not use it for creating content or for wasting time. Yes, my tweets can get a bit random, but that’s also because it’s a great way to keep links you find in one place and share them instantly with other people.

What is Social Media?

While my story about how I use social media is not a very glamorous one — other people may have a different take on what social media is and how the tools apply to their lives. The key word here is “tool.” Although social media is about being social, it’s also about how different people interact with the tools. Make a social media tool that allows for better interaction with other people, and you’ll get more people using it. Which is one of the reasons why Facebook continues to do better than MySpace.

On Facebook, a user can more easily get involved with a niche community by helping others on a particular topic, and making e-friends organically – instead of simply spamming the entire Facebook universe. “Fan” pages have created a great way for businesses or products to setup a way for users to keep up-to-date on related events. All-in-all, Facebook is a much more usable TOOL, which has caused people to migrate.– Quote by Elliott Kosmicki, GoodPlum.com

As Elliott had pointed out, Facebook is more usable than MySpace, which is why people are flocking to the tool. I haven’t logged in to Facebook in weeks, yet because it acts as a content aggregator for me (i.e. Allowing me to add all my RSS feeds and other social media tools) it appears as if I’m on Facebook hours each day.

Just like author’s intent matters, whatever your intent is for using a tool matters because it’s your preferred method to connect with the world at large. It’s what “personalization” is all about.

Social Media Opinions Run Rampant

The drawback of this personalization, is that there are thousands of opinions out there about social media and what it may or may not be. Like this prediction Twitter will die in 2009. Put the idea of monetizing social media aside for a second, because that’s a whole ‘nother conversation. This writer has a few beliefs that I’d like to share with you, and my counter-points.

# Content – “If ‘content is king,’ as even entry-level marketers know, then Twitter’s limit of 140 characters doesn’t even get you started. It’s not possible to present an emotionally compelling story in just one or two sentences,” Garber notes.

    MLV: I have a hard time understanding how anyone would think Twitter would be used to create meaningful content, though writers have embraced Twitter as a new form of writing. Read How to Start a Twitter Novel to learn more.

    Remember that you can, however, push out that great content you are writing to your network and the world at large. With one Tweet, you can update all of your friends and readers on MySpace, LiveJournal and Facebook at the same time!

# Rapport – Twitter doesn’t facilitate the bonding that’s needed to stand out among all the buying options in today’s marketplace. “Rapport comes from getting to know someone on a more intimate level than ‘Who likes chicken?’ or ‘I am the Lord of cats,’ and all the other inane comments that make up the lion’s share of communication on Twitter,” Garber argues.

    MLV: Not sure I agree with this one, either. I’ve made several networking connections, made one-on-one connections with our customers via Twitter and have found that “rapport” has more to do with “intent.” I’ve heard this criticism before, usually spoken by someone who doesn’t use the tool and has just heard about it anecdotally.

# Trust – Effective marketing happens when rapport develops into relationships. “With skepticism at an all-time high, it’s critical to focus on credibility and believability,” says Garber. “This requires sharing meaningful information and having dialogue over time. The trivialities shared on Twitter do not build into anything else.”

    MLV: Twitter has been used to promote acts of giving like Tweetsgiving, contests from companies that have included Starbucks, ThinkGeek and HARO guru Peter Shankman, deal-of-the-day announcements from places like Amazon.com and in my case, exclusive coupons.

    I absolutely agree that trust is important for branding, but in my opinion trust is a luxury that many companies may not have right now because of the economy. Why is it Walmart and Amazon.com had their best retail holiday ever while dozens of other stores are feeling the pinch? (Hint: Perhaps it’s because Amazon.com offers both new and used products and Walmart is “known” for low, low prices?)

Is social media a tool to build trust in a company or a brand? Potentially, but it again depends upon what the tool is used for and when it is being used. Social media can be a very effective, timely tool but — like attracting visitors to your blog or website — it takes time to build a network and it doesn’t happen overnight. In our case, social media is one aspect that we are building for our overall marketing approach online. Creating great content is just as important as reaching out to people for us; social media allows us to share our content and interact with others.

In the end, social media is really all about you. What do you want to get out of it? How do you need to use it? It can be very powerful but — like attracting visitors to your blog or website — it takes time to build and it doesn’t happen overnight.

When it comes to social media, it is hard to get a clear and direct view regarding its future because (as I mentioned earlier) some of these tools are “free.” One of the reasons why MySpace ended up extremely ad-heavy is because MySpace needed to pay for what it was offering. As any developer will tell you, hosting, maintaining, developing, and promoting a social media platform isn’t cheap.

My prediction for 2009 is this: social media tools that are able to monetize their efforts wisely and can keep on top of web development trends without alienating users will be the social media tools that will come out on top.

Agree? Disagree? Love to hear your comments and ideas.

December 29, 2008
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Web Analytics Stats: Fact or Fiction?

2008 has been the year of web analytics. In the world of “Web 2.0,” we’ve read a literal flood of stats, analytics and reports. Articles written about everything from statistics in social media to website traffic and usage projections for 2009 and beyond. Stats, numbers and more stats everywhere. What do they mean? Should we believe them? I’d like to put it out there that you really need to take any analytics stat with a grain of salt. Here’s why…

Web Analytics Tracking Differ Greatly from One Program to Another

Google Analytics, Hitwise, Omniture, Woopra, Urchin, the list of proprietary tracking programs goes on and on and on. Every program tracks differently from one another, which is why a lot of professional web analysts will tell you that they use two or three different programs when they cite a problem. While some platforms have more inherent trust for writers to cite stats, there is little to no standardization across the board. Additionally, many tracking platforms require customization so that all of the data they track is “good” data. (Typically, customized so they ignore your interaction with your own website, block spam visits, etc.) In some cases, two tracking programs that are utilized on the same service could report a twenty to thirty percent difference in numbers.
Read More…

December 24, 2008
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My Predictions for the Economy and Freelancing in 2009

Every day we read more and more headlines. Layoffs. Record numbers of foreclosures. Bailout. Inflation. While many of these headlines come as no surprise to us, when the word “recession” turns into something that affects our shopping habits, we tend to feel the pinch on a more personal level. Economic recovery is not a “switch” that can be flipped, however. It could take months, maybe even a few years before we see true, steady growth. The idea that the economy takes a long time to develop is something we all know, but sometimes forget — especially since the way we communicate is so rapid and instantaneous.

Regardless of your opinions about how long the economic recovery might take are, we can all agree that it will affect us in different ways. (Like my April post where I described ways freelancers can navigate a recession.) Already we’re seeing activities that directly affect freelancers, so without further ado here are my predictions how the economy will affect freelancers in 2009.

Top 15 Ways the Economy will Affect Freelancers in 2009

1. When Jobs Get Cut, Outsourcing Goes Up – The biggest expense any employer has is payroll, which is one of the reasons why there have been so many layoffs as of late. Unfortunately, when workers are cut the business may experience a different kind of cost — the cost of smart, intelligent, capable people that know their business and can get the job done. Watch for more businesses hiring and outsourcing contractors in 2009 as a way to cut costs and prolong hiring full-time employees.

2. More People will try to Break Into Freelancing – The flip side to layoffs, is that there are a lot of unemployed people out there. Qualified, skilled workers who may (or may not) have freelanced before will ply their hand at it. Already you can see this might be the case based on natural search trends for the term “freelancing jobs.” (I used Google Trends and tailored my results to the US.) Additionally, more people will be attracted to freelancing as a way to cut down on their cost-of-living (i.e. car, clothing, etc.).

3. Freelancing Rates Will Drop – Content networks are offering pennies on the dollar now for posts that either require research, as a result of a bidding service or a large social network to be able to monetize your writing. Associated Content, eLance, Demand Studios and oDesk are just a few of those places. With more competition, expect a lack of clarity as to what clients will expect to pay. This is especially true for writing; I can’t speak for the other fields.

4. Clients Will Want More “Value-Add” Service Than What They’re Paying You For – A flood of available contract positions in the market, coupled with more competition and a larger disparity in pricing will push clients in the direction of asking more for their money. Whether this be an additional layer of edits or consulting time, freelancers will not only have to prove why they charger higher rates, but negotiate more.

5. Clients Will Look for “Proof” of Delivery and Work – Based on how freelance writers charge, clients will be watching more closely what is delivered (and when). I predict that this will be especially true of any project where the budget is based on how many hours that are billed. Clients will want to know a) how long does a project take and b) what did you do during that hour.

6. Clients Will Learn about Quality – The flip side to hiring a writer on the “cheap” side is that the quality can suffer. I feel that eventually clients will come to understand this after going through the painful cycle of hire-and-fire a few times before understanding that hiring the right writer for the right job may mean looking for an experienced freelancer.

7. More Freelance Writers Will Become Web 2.0 Savvy – In order to become more competitive, existing freelancers will research ways to enhance their writing skills and learn more about search engine optimization, social media and other “value-adds” to integrate into their work and find better positions.

8. New Freelance Writers Will Work More for Less – The natural tendency when freelance writers just start out, is to undercut their profit by charging less to get more work. If new freelance writers are in dire financial straits, they will take whatever they can get.

9. Good Freelance Jobs Will be Harder to Find – Because there will be a flood of new freelance jobs on the market, coupled with the assumption that companies will ask their existing employees to do more than they have in the past, good freelance jobs will be harder to find. The time that it will take to find a freelance job does have an impact on the overall profit margin of a project, and seasoned freelancers may find they have to look longer than they have in the past for work.

10. Clients Will Initially Hire Based on Specialization – If a financial business lays off two dozen people in their business publications divison, they will probably look for someone with a background in writing for financial publications. To that business, they want someone who understands the industry and its language — even if it’s not expressly written in the communication a freelancer is delivering — because they want to save time “educating” someone new. To them, a financial background might also ensure “quality.” This may change, however, when companies realize that their demands are too specific. A writer who only writes about junk bonds, for example, may not exist.

11. Expect a High Turnover Rate for Freelancers – Burn out, job placement, life… Even though there will be a flood of freelancers in 2009, don’t expect every one of them to stick around. Much of this activity is directly related to economic conditions, and will continue to be in flux until the full-time job market improves.

12. Seasoned Freelance Writers Will Work Smarter, Not Harder – From asking for referrals to making smarter decisions about what they’ll work on, seasoned freelance writers will use their experience to their advantage. In other words, the economy will have less of an impact on seasoned freelance writers than on those who are new to the fold.

13. Freelancing Projects Will Be Shorter – Depending upon how challenging things get for some clients, you may see shorter freelance assignments. Word conservation will be increasingly important this year, depending upon whether or not the project is for online work (i.e. related to natural search) or offline. To a client, a shorter project equates to less money they have to pay a freelancer.

14. Freelancers Will Be More Competitive Amongst Ourselves – Unfortunately, I think that if things get really desperate, there will be more competition between freelancers than teamwork. Healthy competition is a part of freelancing, but it can also turn ugly when inexperienced writers come into the fray, undercutting prices and services. I would like to think that there won’t be more competition among freelancers, but when quality jobs are harder to find I do think you’ll see more, not less.

15. More Freelancers Will Pursue Start-up Websites and eBooks to Make $$$ – On the flip side, I think that experienced freelance writers will move beyond “just” freelance writing this year, offering more additional services including niche websites, non-fiction eBooks and How-Tos. You’ll probably see even more eBooks from savvy professionals geared toward “how-to-break-into-freelancing” as a result.

Agree? Disagree? How do you think the economy will affect the freelancing business in 2009?

December 17, 2008
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Free, Freemies and the Undervaluation of Goods and Services

Free services, free products and free samples have been the cornerstone of marketing ever since the first snake oil salesmen peddled their magical tonics, promising to cure all of your ailments by drinking the contents of their bottles (which was usually alcohol).

In the early days, you might say that “free” was also considered a “gift” by the customer. The balance of power seemed to be set squarely in the hands of the retailer whose generosity encouraged customers to “try before they buy” early on, in part because there weren’t as many retailers as there are now. In this retail history timeline, you can get a general idea of when different retailers formed their business. Arguably, there seems to have always been a push-pull relationship between the retailer and the consumer which, in many ways, has been affected by marketing techniques that rely on simple, human psychology.

The Internet’s Impact on Valuing Goods and Services

I feel that that “traditional” push-pull relationship has been severely impacted by the internet in ways that we are only just beginning to understand. Instead of walking into a store, the customer now visits what stores they want to, when they want to. You can’t force a “clickpath” through your site like you can with a retail store, because if a customer doesn’t want to shop or buy your services all they have to do is close their browser. Indeed, many disreputable sites grab onto your browser tightly, trying to pull out all the stops before they let you say “No.”

In my opinion, the internet has played a much, larger role in the valuation of goods and services than we might think. Part of the challenge, is that the internet is too accessible and too fast, which allows savvy users (a.k.a content creators) to take advantage of the tool. Over time, tiny, niche markets of illegal products and services pop up to fill a void when traditional businesses don’t (or can’t) move fast enough to meet demand. Other businesses support the “free and cheap” model, however, by undercutting realistic prices. For example, wholesalers sell goods without any sort of mark-up, setting a lower bar for products that are normally priced higher elsewhere to cover a store’s costs. Bartering systems and online auctions also deflate prices, but also inflate them in some cases when the product is rare and unavailable elsewhere.

When used appropriately (and legally) the internet is a powerful marketing tool that offers a different model than traditional, brick-and-mortar strategies. The challenge with the internet, however, is that accessibility has a hidden cost. If not diligent and managed correctly, easy access and constant “clearance” prices can breed familiarity, raise typical expectations and blur the production value for the consumer. As a result, everyday people who do not make their living as an artist or a writer or a professional blogger don’t understand the cost involved when copyright is violated. People who once saved for that Rolex watch or pair of Manolo Blahniks either find them for next-to-nothing, or use credit (another form of accessibility) to fulfill their immediate need.

Used to getting what they want (when they want it), a new breed of consumers has cropped up that is negatively impacting businesses that make money on intellectual property (i.e. content or artist creation) in this economy. I dub them the “freemies.”

What is a Freemie?

A “freemie” is a consumer who believes that because they want a product they should have it for free because the business or individual is making enough money without them. They are the rebels of the consumer generation, the ones who will knowingly (or unknowingly) pirate intellectual property because they believe that they can’t be caught.

YouTube!, for example, expressly states in its rules an official policy about copyright. Yet, there are movies offered on YouTube! in twelve minute chunks that can only be removed by “the official copyright holder.” Besides YouTube!, there are file-sharing sites, image search engines, blogs, etc. that offer the “free” product of the day which (from what I’ve found) not only violate the original copyright — but cite Creative Commons.org as the copyright on holder for the person offering the freebie. Using CC in such a way is, in my opinion, incredibly heinous because not only is the person in question offering the product of someone else’s work — they are taking credit for creating it, too.

Couple this underground market with the sense of entitlement that “freemies” have, and it ends up killing a creative professional’s chance of profiting on their work. We’ve seen “freemies” either set out to create a better mousetrap for next to nothing, undercutting the full-time professional’s cost of doing business in unreasonable (and unrealistic ways) — or they take that same mousetrap and post its designs for free believing that they are providing a favor for those that want those designs.

How to Avoid the “Freemie” Impact on Your Business

Although the battle to protect copyright is far from over, I believe that there are ways to resolve the “freemie” experience peacefully. Since I am more familiar with writing, in my mind the answer to turning a freemium into a premium, is to avoid what conventional wisdom might tell you.

    DON’T Try to Correct or Get Angry with a Freemie — As someone recently put it, “Would you walk into a McDonald’s and steal a hamburger? No? Then why would you steal (insert item) from me?” While that is tongue-in-cheek, it’s a bit less threatening than “I’m going to sue you.” There is a risk with attacking a freemie, and that risk can be your online reputation. A negative online reputation may steer paying customers away from your store even if the freemie was “in the wrong.” Although, if you have a legitimate copyright challenge with what someone is doing, by all means act accordingly but proceed with caution. You don’t want a legitimate complaint to turn into a “he-said, she-said” scenario.

    DON’T Ignore the Freemies Completely — Instead, build “free” as part of your business model to offer free samples to new customers and allow for easy distribution. Accessibility should be a consideration in any online business — personal or otherwise — because it is a function of the internet.

    DON’T Try to Compete with a Freemie — You have to eat, pay your housing costs and get something nice for yourself every once in a while. Just because freemies exist, doesn’t mean that you should try to compete with them by undercutting your prices or waste time trying to create something that’s better than what they’ve done. Consider the time you have as precious, and dump that into energizing your business rather than competing with “free.”

    DO be Realistic about Your Prices — Do yourself a favor, and price yourself out competitively. Find out what other people are charging for the same services and know who your real competitors are. The more competitive your prices are, the less chance you’ll have of sticking out like a sore thumb.

    DO be Honest about Your Production Value — A professional resume writer may charge in upwards of four hundred dollars for a resume. If you’ve never written one for another person before, can you be honest with yourself about the quality of the product you provide to charge the same rate? Again, this comes down to knowing not only what you are selling, but how realistic your expectations are of selling it at the quality level you provide.

    DO Flaunt Your Specialty or Talent — By having a specialty, you are proclaiming that this is the area you either are an expert in, or one that you are proficient at. Avoid the over-used “expert” tag, and opt for speaking to your vast body of experiences that support your rate, your product quality and your reputation.

    DO Remember that the Freemie Customer is Not Every Customer — You know your customer best, and if you do you should know that not every customer is a freemie customer. Here’s where your web analytics and other business metrics can really help you define and cater to your existing market.

    DO Learn from a Freemie — What are your freemies telling you? Did your product get delayed in shipping? Did you miss hitting a trend at the right time and place? Take a lesson from your experiences with a freemie and try to anticipate the next time something like that might happen.

What about you? What are your thoughts on how “free” has changed the way we look at the value of a product? Creativity?

December 9, 2008
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