We’ve all had to adjust to the twists and turns of the continually fluctuating “new normal” we find ourselves in during the COVID-19 pandemic. And even though many of us more seasoned editorial professionals are already old hands when it comes to providing our services and promoting ourselves online, certain public health guidelines are now encouraging many luddites to change their ways and adopt some of the promotional tools that the Information Age provides.

Tip #5: It’s Time to Do Your Best

In an April 2020 article for the Delaware Business Times, John Spence, who successfully advised a number of companies during the 2008 recession, says that during these difficult economic times it is more important than ever to “deliver the best work your company has ever produced.” He emphasizes that “the most powerful marketing you can do is to create extremely happy customers who tell lots of people to support your business.”

Spence also suggests that economic downturns such as we find ourselves in provide excellent opportunities to learn everything one can about one’s clients, which brings us to the next tip on the countdown…

Tip #4: Keep Your Clients Close

Sending periodic emails are a great way to stay in touch with your clients. Even if it has been a while since you last reached out, a well-worded email landing in a prospective client’s inbox at just the right time is hard to miss. Emails provide opportunities for you to let interested parties know what you’re up to and that you are available. Email marketing software gets better every day, offering new ways to help you target your editorial services to your clients.

Tip #3: Keep Your Best Work Up Front and Centre

Delivering “the best work your company has ever produced” is good advice, but once you've gotten started, it’s important to keep your best work up front and centre. Writers and editors with websites can do this by updating their website’s content daily so that it includes completed projects, positive feedback from clients, a recent blog post that has received great views, recent courses completed, and other indicators of just how great you are! Online viewership tends to come fast and furious if it comes at all, so don’t let your latest blog post’s high view count go to your head or you’re likely to miss your next opportunity to attract clients.

Tip #2: Stay Visible

If you’ve got an old blog post collecting virtual dust or you’re interested in promoting a new one you’ve just written, consider posting it on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, which are helpful tools in reaching clients. Remember that each social media platform attracts different audiences and each works better at a different time of day. Twitter and LinkedIn tend to be the social media platforms of choice for editorial professionals simply because of the audiences they tend to attract. That said, Facebook also offers great opportunities to advertise to specific audiences. Check out “Writers & LinkedIn: 5 Tips on How to Build Your Presence” for information on the best times to share your editorial content using all of the above social media platforms, which brings us to the #1 tip on this list.

Tip #1: Stay on Top of Your Marketing Schedule!

Managing your social media effectively is no small logistical feat, and without any in-person networking events happening in the near future, your social media presence may be all your clients see of you. So, it is important to keep your social media presence current and maintain your marketing schedule. This means logging into each platform and interacting with your online audience every day, as well as periodically updating your social media profiles. Out-of-date profile information, including one’s photo, can make an otherwise active social media account seem stagnant. And, depending on your privacy settings, changing up that old profile photo could get you noticed by that key prospective client.

With an ever-increasing number of social media platforms to engage with, I suggest setting a detailed schedule with dedicated reminders for each social media platform you’re using. Whether with your phone, your computer, or your tried-and-true desk calendar, create a schedule for sharing your work and stick to it. Prospective clients will notice if you stop tweeting for two days straight so don’t let yourself fall behind. Market your services every day to keep ahead of the competition.

Bonus Tip: Stay Positive

It’s hard to stay positive during so much uncertainty but, like all crises, this crisis offers great opportunities for hardworking entrepreneurs to define or redefine themselves. Marketing your services during a pandemic is difficult to manage but it’s worth the effort.

Michael Bedford is a freelance editor, copywriter, and performer living in Mount Hope, Ontario. Visit him online at https://mgb-editor.com/ 

Additional TEC Resources

TEC’s Social Media Guide for Writers will walk you through navigating the world of social media for authors, including getting to know all the outlet options, how to use the outlets you choose to focus on, and helpful tips on generating content.

If you are looking for more tips on how to develop a stronger marketing machine online, read Beth’s review of See You on the Internet: Building Your Small Business with Digitial Marketing by Avery Swartz.