30-Day Branding Challenge: Brands you already understand

Most writers will tell you they don't know anything about brands: That brands are the Warhol soup cans--devoid of any real substance, all style. Brands, in other words, have nothing to do with what you do.

Think again.

It's not that writers are lying. It's just that we can't think of anything we respect that's part of a brand.

Here's something that I hope will change that thinking: If you've been a newspaper reporter or worked at a magazine or trade publication, you know all about a brand. You've lived it. It was your publication.

Think about it: The New York Times has a very different brand than the New York Post than The National Enquirer than The New Yorker than Body + Soul than Ladies Home Journal than Slate than Gothamist.

We get that intuitively. But what's the difference, really? They're all publications. They're all words printed on paper or splashed across a Web site.

It sounds like a dumb question: What do you mean what's the difference between the National Enquirer and The New York Times? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

But why? Because the New York Times is "all the news that's fit to print" and The National Enquirer supplies information for "inquiring minds." But they both purport to tell stories about people that are true. They both make corrections. They've both been sued for libel. (And, of course, some would argue that there's not enough of a difference between the Old Grey Lady these days and gossip magazines, but that's another conversation.)

The difference is that they both purport to do something different and they approach what they do with a different style: The New York Times spends a lot of money on very good editors who spend lots of hours shaping stories that are up to their standards. They fact-check. The National Enquirer--well, I don't know much about the National Enquirer, but I'd be willing to bet that they don't spend their money the same way and they don't want deep, thorough stories. Their Web sites look really different from one another: The New York Times looks closest to a newspaper of almost any newspaper Web site. The National Enquirer has huge photos and splashy headlines like "The Grace Kelly Curse Strikes Again."

Those are not mistakes. They do these things on purpose. The New York Times isn't competing directly with The National Enquirer, though I'm sure they share readers.
What this means for you

Likewise, you are not competing against every writer out there. Obviously, you aren't competing with business writers if you're a parenting writer. But you also aren't necessarily competing with every other parenting writer. If you focus on tween issues, you aren't competing with pregnancy and newborn writers.

But your editors only know that if you don't have a brand:

• If you spend money that backs up what you like to write about--learning more, attending conferences--and you pitch stories based on the topic areas you want to cover.
• You write in a fun, lighthearted style if your vibe is intimate and informal. You write a web site with moving copy if you write narrative nonfiction.

The examples go on. The point is that The New Yorker's brand is not a coincidence, and it's also authentic to what it excels at. I'd hate to see The New York Times do any more gossip than it's already done. Doing so would confuse the heck out of its readers. And I shudder to think what the National Inquirer would do to thoughtful healthcare reform coverage.

So what are you? How do you show it?

Photo by Terje S. Skjerdal.

30-Day Branding Challege Web Sites I like: Anne Ford

I spend a lot of time with my coaching clients talking about the need for a Web site. But when it comes to branding, it's not enough just to have a home page, bio, recommendations and clips. You need to have a site that presents you as a the kind of writer you want editors to know you are. And the best way to illustrate this is with examples. Today's is the first of what I hope will be a series of great examples of freelancers' brands. And if you have a recommendation of a Web site you love for writers, email it to me at heather at heatherboerner.com.

[Full disclosure: Not only is Anne a fabulous freelancing colleague of mine, but she's a dear friend who's known me since my acid-washed jeans days in middle school. So I have great love for her as well as for her talent.]

Anne Ford is a freelance writer who excels at quirky, upbeat stories in the vein of This American Life. So when you land on her Web site, you want something that shows you that. What I love about her site is that she tells you that with so many words, but she also shows you that in the way her Web site is designed.

Land on her home page and you see a sunny picture of Anne, an bright and sunny orange-and-red color scheme with stylized flowers jutting up all around.

Visit her About page and you get a taste of her wit in the first line of her bio:

Writer or Nun: Those were the most memorable results of my high-school career aptitude test.

Her quips about being a decent square dancer and able to talk about highly-virulent strains of hospital-acquired infections--just not during dinner--give you the flavor of her writing and her personality.

And it goes on: The profiles she features meld well with her stated style, and even her health clips for a trade magazine--a genre not known for its adventurous voice--are even witty. And then she's got the recommendations that call her "an editor's dream" and say she "really knows what magazine writing is all about."

I don't have any money for her, but I'd hire her after reading her Web site.

This gets to a point about Web sites: You can't just say that you're a great writer--you have to show it on your site. I tell this to clients all the time. You want your Web site to read like your best article. It should:

• Show off your writing style.
• Illustrate your "voice" with the images and even colors you choose. Anne does this by choosing, bright, sunny colors to go along with her warm, sunny copy.
• Back up your stated skills with clips that show it (and if you don't have any yet, clips that at least hint at your ability to follow through on your claims).
• Provide testimonials that do the same--because editors will believe other editors before they believe you.
• Be specific about what you excel at. Anne doesn't say she's great at investigative series, though I'm sure she could do one. That's not her chosen genre. She's specific and clear about what she likes to do and what she does with aplomb.
  

Thus, Anne leaves editors with a kernel of a vision of her before they call her or email her. She's planted herself in editors' brains without even talking to them. She now lives in them as a complete person and a professional. And her brand leads editors to believe that she's the right person for a specific type of story that Anne loves to write and at which she's an ace.

That's your goal. What can you do to bring it to life?

Photo © Charlie Simokaitis

30-Day Branding Challenge: It's not as hard as you think

I'll confess: I thought branding was for cattle when I started freelancing.

As a newspaper reporter, I cheered and high-fived colleagues when a story I wrote on consumer protection led to an advertiser pulling an ad. Advertising--and by extension, I thought--branding, was the problem, not part of the solution.

But then I found out the truth: I already had a brand, and it was based on these things:

• What my clients/employers thought of me.
• My writing voice.
• My track record.
  
• How I interacted with my clients.
• My strengths, real and perceived.
• My passions.

It sounds obvious, right? How we're perceived, our reputations and what we actually do. That's not a brand, you'll argue. That's just your reputation.

But reputation is a component of your brand. And it's really important to understand it, because without your reputation, all a brand is is something you're trying to convince people of.

This is why I tell my coaching clients that every freelancer needs a Web site, and every freelancer's Web site should include testimonials from editors. After all, you can say whatever you want about your brand. But until a client hears it from another editor or experiences it for him or herself, they won't quite believe you.

So if you're building a brand, go out and get some testimonials. Ask editors to share honestly what your strengths are, how they'd recommend you to a fellow editor who's looking for a kick-a$$ freelancer. And then feature them prominently.

Photo by benketaro.

30-Day Marketing Challenge: Web Site Essentials

The one thing I tell everyone is that having a Web site is mandatory these days. But how do you go about getting one that presents you professionally but doesn't break the bank? To find out, I asked a few questions of my very own Web diva, Tracey Kazimir-Cree, owner of eeep! productions. While she has done sites for industry associations, retailers, ad agencies, artists and manufacturers, Tracey specializes in web design and Internet consulting for small to medium sized businesses. Have questions for Tracey? Follow her on Twitter at @TrayPup or email her at websmith @ eeep.com. (And don't forget to read to the end. There's a special offer there just for Serenity readers.)

Why is a web site so crucial for small business owners?

Imagine place where a prospective customer can get to know you and can be encouraged to do business with you while you're sleeping, or playing with your kids, or tending to the business of running your business.

More consumers are researching products and vendors online now that the web is so accessible. With the proliferation of iPhones and other Smartphones, the web is also becoming portable. A prospective customer can find out what she needs from the comfort of her own home, without you having to stop to answer the phone to repeat driving directions or store hours. Coming from a retail background, I know that alone is worth its weight in gold.

A website levels the playing field between the big guys and the little guys. It allows you to reach a larger audience than your local newspaper/tv/radio ads can. You can go global, if you so choose. A website is becoming a sign that your business has its act together and helps to establish trust.

It's a market full of opportunity! This is a great time to make an investment in your business that can pay off in big ways. If they can't find you on the web, it's very possible that they're never going to know you exist.

What are your biggest pet peeves about owner-designed sites? What bells and whistles should people avoid?

My biggest pet peeve involves poorly written copy that doesn't flow well, with lots of misspellings and typos. [Ed. note: Hopefully not a problem for writers' Web sites!] A website that's an eyesore or that doesn't do justice to the business is a close second. Let's put it this way: I don't do my own tax returns because my accountant stays on top of the tax law for me. That's what I pay him for. Same with my auto mechanic, my handyman, my house painter, my dentist. These people have their specialties and I know that they know their jobs inside and out and they save me time and trouble by performing services for me.

As a business owner you have a lot of things you need to pay attention to. Learning how to design a powerful, effective and helpful website is not one of them. Work with a trusted professional so you can focus on what you do best.

Other things that drive me crazy:

• Blinking text, music that starts playing as soon as the user lands on your site (give the user the option to turn it on and off), black backgrounds and cryptic, cutesy navigation. "Contact us" is far more clear and user friendly than "Here there be dragons".
• "It's my blog/website, I should be able to write/do whatever I want" is something I hear a lot. Yes, you can do what you want, but if you want people to stay, read and, most of all, come back to your site, you need to be smart about your content and design.
• The "if you build it, they will come" mentality. You must establish a plan that involves a combination of traditional and new media marketing to help grow your business. And don't be afraid to be creative and/or to employ really basic, grass roots ideas in your marketing plan.
• A website that's thrown together on the fly and isn't fully thought out and researched. I have a questionnaire I give to every prospective client that covers everything I need to know in order to create a plan and a good solid proposal/estimate. A lot of people don't want to take the time to think about these things. Some do, and their businesses are flourishing.

What are the three most important elements any professional's web site should include?

That's easy:

• A very clear call to action. What do you want your site visitor to do as a result of visiting your website? Make an easy path for them to do it and encourage them to follow it!
• Easy-to-find contact information. No matter how easy your site is, some people just want to talk to you. Make it easy for them. Don't hide behind your website. Give them the options of using a phone number, email address, contact form, live chat, etc.
• Strong, clean design and simple navigation. If a visitor is waiting for big graphics to load or sees broken images or the design isn't appealing, they are out of there faster than you can say "Google"--and most likely on to another writer's site.

I talk about this in more detail in my article Seven Basics of Good Web Design.

What should people look for when seeking a web designer? Any questions they should ask?

Talk to the designer and think about these questions:
Can she speak to you on your level? Do she communicate well? Is her site appealing to you? How about her portfolio? Do you feel a connection with her?

There's a great article on my site called Ten Key Things to Look for in a Good Web Designer and it may be useful for you as you get started.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Just one final note: Social Marketing. Start using it.
For Serenity readers: Tracey is offering readers of this blog a free evaluation of your Web site--normally a $150 service. You must contact her by March 1, 2009. Contact her on her site and fill out the contact form with the word SERENITY in the comments box. She’ll send you an evaluation within 10 days.

What are your favorite writer Web sites?

30-Day Marketing Challenge: Saturday Bloglink Edition, Now With Extra Twittering

To follow up on yesterday's Q&A with Jenny Cromie, I decided to take the plung. I'm Twittering (or is it tweeting? I don't know the lingo yet) at HeatherBoerner. Follow me!

Now for some helpful links.

Speaking of Twitter, I'm loving Robert Middleton's more frequent blogging efforts, and his most recent post breaking down some rules for tweeting. The gist: Focus your tweets on a narrow specialty area, make sure they're of value and link, link, link. He says more, though and you should check it out.

And one more great post from Robert: Time to reevaluate your professional Web site or create one? (Remember, Jenny mentioned yesterday that having a professional Web site is one part of a marketing plan.) Robert gives you some clues about how to rate your Web site and ways to make it more marketable. It's given me some great ideas for improving my site as well.

If you're guilty of avoiding marketing--and who isn't?--consider reading Janine Adams' great post on what to do instead when you want to check your email, Twitter, Facebook or organize your sock drawer instead of marketing.

Finally, I'll end this bloglink edition with Elizabeth Stark's literate and inspiring post about why we market in the first place. Using the analogy of throwing the ball around (an activity she says is more fun when you "push the ball away" instead of holding it close), she says the joy of marketing is sharing your creativity with the world:

You throw the ball when you take an idea and toss it onto the page. You throw the ball when you edit this work and renew it, and again when you show it to someone else, and again when it bounces out and back to various publications, agents, editors. You throw the ball when you blog, too, or comment on a blog. It’s a handy little game of catch, not the World Series, but a friendly back and forth while you chat about what is going on in your life.

Finally, let's be honest: Being a freelancer right now is scary. But you can't let the fear stop you from marketing. Consider Linda Formichelli's great post on the Renegade Writer blog that details six ways to eliminate the fear, or at least manage it. Some may look familiar to readers of this blog.

Now take a few minutes to relax, and let the marketing ideas come to you. Happy Saturday!