Cecily Kellogg

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Some Juice is not worth the Squeeze

Being a freelancer -- or, if we're feeling a bit grandiose, running your own business -- has plenty of challenges. Yesterday I spent three hours putting together a six-month profit and loss statement and it gave me a migraine. Lately I've spent so much time on the phone doing pitches during the day, I've found myself working at 11:00 at night. I had to spend five hours of non-earning energy reworking this site recently. All of this is part of the package of freelancing. Everyone sees the flexibility, the freedom to spend all day hanging out on twitter, and the working from home in your pajamas. But no one sees the hours spent doing the administrative stuff that pays not a dime (of course you spread that cost over all of your projects, but without an hourly wage, it can feel like non-earning time).

Another frustrating element of freelancing is the feast-or-famine pace. Sometimes I'm so overwhelmed with work that I feel like I can't take a breath. Other times? Not so much. Those days I'm spending most of my time crafting pitches and sending out emails to clients trying to drum up work.

One of things that has become very clear to me recently during those down times is that I need to set aside my "I NEED WORK!" panic and learn to be more selective in choosing my clients. Most of my clients are ridiculously awesome and I have loved working with them. But there have been a few that bothered me for various reasons; I thought the work they were doing was mildly unethical, or it was clear that we would have a personality clash, or they had requirements that didn't work for me. But I usually take all the work that is offered to me, as long as the pay, deadlines, and general reach of the project is good for me.

But I need to stop doing that.

Recently a client hired me to do some keyword insertion into already written content. I was happy to do this, but making keywords work in already existing copy in a way that doesn't seem awkward or obvious (in my humble opinion as a writer) requires some editing for flow and balance. After all, first and foremost I am a writer. So while I was working on the copy I tweeked it a bit here and there, including correcting a misspelled word throughout the copy.

When I turned the first half of the work in, the client called me in a panic. I was NOT to edit the copy. I was to simply put in the keywords. "Stop immediately!" they said. So I did. Then I did what I should have done when the job was first offered:

I said, "I'm sorry, but I am the wrong person for this job."

See, when I first got called by the company, they were looking for someone that does SEM/SEO research as well as copy writing (I do not). We had a lovely chat, thought, so they went ahead and added me to their roster. When this job came up, during my initial instructional conversation a handful of red flags came up and a little voice in my head said, "Hmmmmm... I don't think you are a good fit for this project."

But I ignored that voice.

Why did I ignore my instincts? Two reasons. First, it was a major agency that could have become a great client. Secondly, I just came through a very bad patch where I didn't have enough work. Even though my dance card is now very close to maxed out, I still find myself with a famine mentality that says TAKE ALL THE WORK OFFERED NO MATTER WHAT.

But the end result of not trusting my instincts and listening to that little voice? I did the work for nothing, and the client was disappointed. Instead of still being on their dance card for future projects that might have been a better fit, I'm now off the list (I suspect). 

Like all things, it comes back to balance. I need to get better at balancing my work so there are fewer down times, and I need to get better at telling prospective clients "no" in a positive way. But I also need to remember to not be too hard on myself -- after all, I've only been doing this dance for three years (and the first year was with a single client on a long-term contract) so I'm still learning.

I also need to remember that I'm lucky -- right now my business is very successful, and all signs point to it continuing to be so for the time being. So I'm going to enjoy it while I can. And once this post is published, I'm going to celebrate some of that flexibility and take the dog to the park. Because I can. Heh.

The title of this post came from my friend Bill Lublin last night at our month Philly Social Media Club meeting. See Bill? I gave you credit.

This is Mom Blogger Marketing 101, People

This weekend I went to Washington, DC to attend the Silicon Valley Moms & BitMoms symposium. This event was geared to provide a group of marketing professionals from brands the opportunity to speak directly with the mom bloggers that write for the Silicon Valley Moms groups (I write for the Philly Moms Blog branch).

Brands are realizing that social media -- the mom blogging community in particular -- is one of the most effective, inexpensive, and available places to market their products. Mom bloggers are also realizing quickly that they hold the reins of some pretty powerful influence, and they want to use it. So how do these two groups work together?

Here's what the bloggers say: first and foremost, stop the form pitches that start "Dear Mom Blogger."

This can be hard for marketers to hear. After all, there are literally thousands upon thousands of bloggers out there, and they want to reach out to as many as possible. To them it makes sense to send out a blanket pitch and then winnow down the list based on the responses they receive (and, truthfully, there are many bloggers that are happy to receive any kind of pitch, regardless of how impersonal, so you can bet they DO receive responses).

But marketers do need to take the time to do some screening. If they want to reach the major influencers -- the bloggers that have thousands of readers a day -- they need to make the pitch personal. They need to take the time to read that blogger's about page, read a few blog entries to make sure they are a good fit, and then craft a careful personal pitch. These bloggers know who they are, understand their power and influence, and they will not take a bad pitch lying down. You can, of course, also hire an expert on the community and have them find the best matches for you (ahem).

I'm going to make a bold statement here: if you cannot take the time to pitch carefully, you might want to stay out of the mom blogging community. Because you wouldn't want something like this to happen to your brand.

TEST CASE

I'm a mom blogger. I'm not an "A" list blogger, but I have about 3,000 unique page views a day, with an additional 2,300 full-feed subscribers. I have 2,000 Facebook friends, and 19,000 followers on Twitter. I'm not such a big blogger that I'm unapproachable, but I'm well enough known that care should be taken before any pitch is sent to me. Why? 

• I'm a bit controversial. I swear, I discuss topics that most brands would probably prefer to stay away from, and I am very, very, very honest.

• I'm political.

• I don't do reviews.

This information is stated clearly in my about page.

Luckily, most Marketing and Public Relations professionals are great at their jobs, and I receive very few pitches anymore. The ones I do are, generally, exceptional and often lead to great partnerships. But now and again, I get a form pitch. I used to ignore them, but because I get so few now, I usually take a moment to let the person pitching me know why I am not interested.

Today I received the following pitch (I will not be naming the company):

Hi Cecily,

My name is blank & I am the Studio Manager at blank, a leading online retailer of blank.  We have been in business for over 9 years & specialize in blank.

We love your website/blog & think your site visitors/subscribers would be interested in our custom blank!  I’d love to discuss the possibility of you hosting a Product Review and/or Giveaway Contest for our products on your site.  We would also be happy to Exchange Links with you, if you’d prefer.  Take a look at our links page & one of our recent giveaways & product reviews.

Please contact me if you are interested in discussing further.  Thank you for your time & consideration.  I look forward to hearing from you soon!

 

Here's what I can tell from this pitch.

• It's a form letter (although they did take the time to find out my name, at least)

• They did not read my About Page

• They have never actually read my blog

This letter, I'll admit, annoyed me. It annoyed me because they told me that they "love my website/blog" when they obviously don't read it. So I sent this note in reply:

No offense, but if you loved my blog you'd see that I very rarely do reviews.

Cecily

I assumed that would be the end of it and we'd both go on our merry ways. Not so. The owner (who is NOT the person that originally emailed me) wrote back this:

Cecily,

We offer you a compliment & your response is sarcasm? 

Your lack of professionalism is noted.

You can imagine my surprise at this response. I was cold-pitched by a company that was very obviously a bad fit for my site, they insulted me by sending me a form pitch when I state quite plainly that I do not want pitches sent to me, and when I point out the hypocrisy in a short emailed response, they in turn call ME unprofessional. I responded again.

Wow. Seriously?

I state plainly on my about page that I do NOT DO REVIEWS. So why, exactly, am I the unprofessional one here?

The company's response:

Clearly that detail was missed and we shouldn’t have sent you the email.  Please accept my apology for us contacting you.

However, we have maintained our professionalism throughout our email exchanges, while you have not.  Don’t you know that using “All Caps” is an ‘Email No-No’ because it is incredibly offensive? 

What a helpful link there, right? Along with that lovely condescending "no-no" note? At this point? I've found them on Twitter, and I'm talking there about this pitch. I do not understand, at this point, how this person can believe that they are being professional when they have called me sarcastic and unprofessional, and criticized my writing style (once more, if they actually READ MY BLOG they'd see that slipping into all caps is a common style trick of mine to indicated sarcasm, excitement, joy, or anger -- a technique I happily stole from was influenced by that most famous of bloggers, Heather Armstrong). But even if they do NOT know this, they can safely assume I might have raised my "voice" a bit because they were actually beginning to piss me off.

I responded:

You really want to keep doing this?

I used all caps to be very clear. It's a style choice, and yes, I was yelling because I stated a truth: I do not do reviews, and it says so clearly in my about page, and you then--- very unprofessionally -- called me sarcastic and unprofessional. I was neither. I was stating an obvious point, hoping in the future you'd be more careful viewing about pages of bloggers.

So far, you've called a well known mom blogger with a large readership and nearly 19,000 twitter followers

• Rude
• Sarcastic
• Unprofessional

So I'd really like to know how you think you have maintained anything remotely like professional conduct while PITCHING ME YOUR PRODUCT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

I haven't sworn at you -- which, if you saw my blog, is part of my brand -- so I feel like I've stayed extremely professional while you have done nothing but insult me.

It may seem like I got a bit arrogant in my last email here, but there is nothing at all wrong with stating facts about the extent of my influence while having this kind of argument (feel free to disagree, and just call me braggy). I realize that women in general and mom bloggers in particular are supposed to remain a bit demure, but that would be the antithesis of my personal brand (heh). I felt this person needed to know a bit more about me, as it was clear that they hadn't read my about page and perhaps didn't know.

They disagreed.

Are you kidding me?  Your email doesn’t deserve any more of a response than this.

I, obviously, could have let the matter drop at any point. But after spending Sunday afternoon with a group of smart, kind, generously spirited PR and Marketing professionals (you'll find a list here at the bottom of this post) that really GET how to approach bloggers like me, I was so genuinely shocked by this whole exchange that I chose to use it as a perfect test case of "pitch gone bad." The most ironic thing is that on Sunday when some of my colleagues discussed bad pitches like this, I actually DEFENDED the marketing professionals.

To sum up, here's the thing: we bloggers have worked hard on our blogs. We're proud of them. We defend them as vigorously as we defend our children from bullies. APPROACH WITH CAUTION.

Because when it's done right? Beautiful things happen, buzz is created, and your brand gets the attention it deserves. But when pitches go bad? Something else happens entirely.

For another perfect example of bad pitching, visit Plumage here.

Changes in the Momosphere

I started blogging in 2004. In blog years, I am roughly a 100,000 years old. That means that Heather Armstrong is around a million (you're welcome, Heather!). In the six-plus years I've been blogging, I've watched things change completely, particularly when it comes to the corner of the internet in which I reside: the "Momosphere." Of course, when I started blogging, I was not yet a mother, but after my daughter was born, I was clearly and firmly a mommy blogger whether I liked it or not.

This was in June of 2006. 

In four years, the mom blogging community has changed drastically. In 2006, barely a handful of women were writing reviews or doing other publicity oriented things with their blogs. Many were anonymous for various reasons, which presented us with little or no ability to capitalize on the success of our blogs. There was no Twitter, and no Facebook.

Yes. When I started blogging, there was no Twitter, and only college kids were on Facebook.

Really.

Today, most mom bloggers are no longer completely anonymous. Many are taking advantage of the influence they have to create opportunities to work with brands, non-profits, or other organizations that interest them as a way to either obtain free products, earn an income, or even make a living from their blogs. A few have taken their knowledge of the current frenzy of social media marketing and become consultants (ahem).

More than ever before, brands are relying on bloggers to create buzz, review their products, and help create or expand brand awareness. But even that aspect of the momosphere is beginning to change; last year the FTC released new guidelines that spell out disclosure rules for companies and bloggers alike. The Blog With Integrity Project was launched to combat what was viewed as a massive dumping of marketing material into the blogosphere without disclosure. Bloggers began to move away from "working for cupcakes" and demand that they be more fairly compensated by companies that want to work with them.

Today, whether you are a company (or a blogger!) there is a great deal of information -- and nearly as much misinformation -- about what to do. Do you pitch blogger en masse? Do you offer product only? Do you provide the bloggers with copy for their reviews? Do you pay? Do you buy ads?

Here's one freebie: No. Do not pitch en masse. As a blogger, I've gotten bad generic pitches from companies that ranged from Christian singles sites (not that those sites bothered me, but I'm a foul-mouthed married woman, so clearly not the best site for their product) to companies offering free products to my twin sons (who, sadly, passed away when I was six months pregnant). More than any other thing you do when you work with bloggers is this: you need to actually know who they are BEFORE you pitch. Trust me, you do not want to become the company that is dished about at the blogging conferences. Or worse, having a blogger do something like this to your pitch.

I can't say too much more for free, obviously, being a social media consultant that makes a living sharing my expertise (feel free to email me if you'd like to know more). But know that the very best investment you can make before launching a social media campaign is hiring a smart social media expert that actually gets it. How do you know if they get social media? Here's another hint: if you follow a so-called "social media expert" on Twitter and they send you an automatic direct message? Run away, and quickly.

You're welcome.

The Challenges of SEO Copy

***SITE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION! PLEASE FORGIVE APPEARANCE!***

I've been writing SEO (search engine optimization) copy for a long time now, and one of the complaints I often hear is that SEO = bad writing. It can be easy to overload copy with keywords and keyword strings, rendering the copy nearly useless (and easy for search engines to "get" and therefore not help your site goals at all). It takes a deft hand, and dare I say it, a good writer to actually make the copy sing a bit and really jump off the page.

I wanted to include some samples of a recent project I've been working on for this great site (if you wear contacts, that is). I've been writing descriptions of lenses, and it would be amazingly easy to just cut and paste and make each blurb sound nearly identical; most of the other sites I've seen do that. Sure, it's difficult to have a great deal of variety in very short descriptions of the same product, but it is possible. Here are three descriptions of three lenses, each made by the same manufacturer, and each including the same name brand. Note the substantial differences in each write up:

Extreme H2O 54%

If you want your lenses to feel just as comfortable at the end of the day as they do at the start, the Extreme H2O lenses by Hydrogel Vision Corp are perfect for you! Made with a unique material that contains 54% water, these lenses offer all-day visual clarity and will not dry out while in your eye. These lenses can last from two weeks to a month depending on the recommendation of your eye care professional. Slightly tinted for ease of handling, these lenses come packaged six to a box in buffered saline.

Extreme H2O 59%

Do you suffer from dry eyes, or work outside in hot and dry conditions? Perhaps you just want the most comfortable lens out there for all day wear; if so, then the Extreme H20 59% lens – containing nearly 60% water – are ideal for you. These lenses will not shrink, tighten, or change shape on the eye during the day, meaning they are just as well-fit at the end of the day as they were at the start. Visibly tinted for ease of handling, these lenses will not change your eye color. Each box contains six lenses in buffered saline.

Extreme H2O 59% Extra

This lens has it all; made of a unique material called hioxifilicon D and balanced with 59% water, this lens is also slightly thicker for extra durability. The innovative design allows for amazing long-lasting comfort, and will feel just as great in your eye at the end of the day as it does at the start. If you suffer from dry eyes, these lenses are perfect for you. These lenses will not change your eye color, but are visibly tinted for easier handling. Each box contains six lenses in a buffered saline solution.

See? It can be done. I'm not going to claim these are examples of great literature or anything, but each blurb manages to convey the salient brand details and information in a fun, engaging manner that doesn't get too repetitive. Yes, I know I'm totally patting myself on the back here, but this is a challenging project and I'm proud of the work I've done on it.

SEO does NOT equal bad writing, unless whoever writing the copy is a bad writer. If you work with a real writer, you get real copy. End of story.

Personal Branding

Some folks in the Social Media universe have been discussing the idea of personal branding (this is a great article with tips to improve your personal brand). When I first started working in marketing and public relations, I didn't have a brand--I worked hard to become a personal representation of the company instead. But now that the marketing I'm focusing on is all Web 2.0 stuff, my personal brand has become my best marketing tool.

My personal blog, with its large readership and foul language, is who I am. My connections with other bloggers are what make my blogger pitches work. I've learned--thanks to years and years of receiving bad pitches myself--the best way to approach other bloggers. My personal obsession with Twitter has led me to meet plenty of other social media folks. I use Facebook, MySpace, and Flickr on a daily basis. I even Plurk.

For the first time in my professional career, my work is my life and my life is my work. It's an awesome feeling, integrating my various aspects and now having one, solid focus. It's what makes me an expert in my field--with the adding bonus of intense personal satisfaction. What an awesome thing.

Trolling For New Clients & Growing My Blog

I have not been great about this.

I have several freelance clients, and one solid client that provides about 80% of my work, but that won't last past this year. So, it's off to the races to find more work, and also: growing the blog!

One of the ways I want to grow and develop my blog is to become a bigger part of the blogging community. There is a large conference this July in San Francisco (a place I've always wanted to see) that is being hosted by BlogHer, a collection of women bloggers, and I really think that this year (I believe it will be their third), I must go. I must! It will be a great way to learn how to take my blog to the next level, and maybe make some professional contacts as well (after all, writers are bloggers).

But this means several things; digging up the cash to go, first and foremost, and secondly--leaving my daughter for the first time. Yikes.

I'm going to try to make it happen. Meanwhile, I'm working the phone and scanning the Internet searching for freelance jobs that pay more than $7 an article, which, alas, the Internet is full of. Just for the record--if you are a writer just starting out in the field, DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING FOR $7. It's not worth it.

Working With New Clients

One of the challenges of being a freelance writer is working with new clients. The "feeling each other out" process can be difficult; the client never knows how I will take the criticism, and I never know how the client will like my work. One client recently had four or five different people offer editorial comments on a piece I wrote; while I was cringing a bit when I saw those strike-thrus and all that red type, I know that my job is to make the client happy and to promote their product they way they want it promoted.

I do wonder, however, if sometimes a writer is brought in too early. Perhaps the product needs to be further along in development before the writer is involved. I find that many corrections to my work are merely addressing missing or incomplete information I was given when assigned the project. This can be frustrating for me, but it is critical that I remember several key points; first of all, I never take any of the critiques personally (after all, it isn't about me, it's about their product), and secondly, I am a professional and here to do a job--not discuss how a client runs their business.

Yet another situation where it might be best to just grin and bear it.

But I'm also clear with clients that I only do one round of edits for free; after that, I begin tacking on the hours again. This is also critically important, and I often find that after the first time a client does five or six revisions on a piece and then sees the invoice, they are cured: they don't bring the next project to me until it is really ready to go. This works out best for everyone.

Just like any relationship, the one between the freelancer and the client requires a bit of "training." The best relationships run very smoothly--but they take a bit to get there.

Client Meetings In The Digital Age

So yesterday I had my first face-to-face meeting with a new prospective client since I've been a full time freelancer. That might seem shocking, but it's really not. Between email, instant messaging, and websites, most of my clients find that they have no need to meet with me in person to seal the deal and start working with me.

But this client wanted an actual meeting so I went to my basement and found my briefcase (dusting off the cobwebs--I haven't even had an in-person job interview in over five years), found my print samples (all from 2002 or earlier, since almost everything else since then is online), and then realized--uh oh; I need a package to give the client.

It's funny, but since I built this site I haven't needed to even create business cards. I just send emails, folks come check out the clips and my resume, and off we go. But clearly if I'm meeting with someone in person I need an actual physical something to hand over or I'll look like a fool, right?

So I cranked up the rickety ink jet printer (note to self: idea for office Christmas present; laser printer), printed out my (freshly updated and re-proofed, of course--I always take additional opportunities to re-proofread) resume, and created a Rate Card just to have something to hand him.

Creating the Rate Card was an ideal exercise because it allowed me to put down in paper what has been floating around in my head. It helped me lay out exactly what I do, how much I charge for it, and provided me with the perfect launching point in the meeting to discuss why I charge what I do. For instance, why do I charge a higher rate for keyword string insertion than just individual keyword insertion? Well, if you've ever tried to insert awkward but critical phrases repeatedly into already written material, you know how much more challenging full phrases are to add instead of single words--hence the higher charge. I firmly believe in writing excellent copy, no matter what, and that takes time and effort.

So while creating the rate card was a fun exercise and made good business sense, I guess I still need to consider business cards. After all, they make sense too.

_______________________________________________

Much of what I write professionally is web content. One of the best ways that I can get my name out there more (therefore getting more work!) is by promoting articles I've written or contributed to through cool sites such as Digg or Reddit or similar others. So I'll probably post links to articles like this one and ask you to please vote for it if you would be so inclined now and again. Thank you ever so much!

Interview!

Good news; my networking is finally paying off with a face to face interview early next week. I'm excited and looking forward to a new challenge, but feeling like I could use a crash course on interviewing again. It's been over six years since I've interviewed for an in-house job, and my freelancing gigs have all come through well established contacts and friends. I'm looking forward to it, however, and feel sure that I'll manage to keep at least one foot firmly on the floor and away from my mouth (but possibly only due to the decreased flexibility that comes with age).

In other good news, a second article of mine is appearing in tomorrow's USA Today (got advance notice this time), so feel free to review the Education section and look for an article discussing How Podcasts are Changing Online Learning. The best part of writing that article was explaining Podcasts to my husband. My husband that listens to a tube radio from 1952.

He seems to mostly get it now, and trying to explain Podcasts to him gave me a great foundation to build from when I wrote the article--after all, I figure that if I can make someone as non tech savvy as he is understand podcasts, I can make anyone understand them.

Next week, I'll let you know how the interview went, and maybe we'll discuss the many challenges of a 5% or higher keyword density in SEO articles. Now, won't that be fun?