katarzynaradzka

I suppose it’s possible to get ourselves into a jam by getting involved with some bad marketing. Not everything works, and it’s important to find a marketing strategy that will be suitable for our business.

Inexperienced business owners make mistakes, I’m sure I’ve made plenty and will make many more as I learn and hopefully improve my marketing strategy. Your marketing should bring out the positive in you and your business, anything else is a waste of time and money. You also need to ask yourself a few questions as to what you really need to promote yourself as a writer.

Where is the time and money you spend going to be most effective? Is it from handing out business cards or making contacts by responding on other people’s blogs and getting your name out there? How do you tell what is working and what isn’t?

The best thing to do is to learn from others instead of making the same mistakes yourself. Check out other writers blogs, read marketing magazines and newspapers, and ask others how they successfully market their business, writing or other. Ask them not only what you should do, but also what you shouldn’t do.

I always thought that having business cards, an office and fancy letterheads was important to the success of the business. Not having these things was preventing me from starting my venture. Silly really, isn’t it. The fact is that none of these things are that important if you want to start a writing business and start getting published.

I work from my couch, the kitchen table, my living room floor or from my bed. Sometimes I steal time at my favourite café over a good cup of green tea and a Byron Bay cookie which I find delicious. I don’t have an office. I don’t have business cards. I don’t have a fancy letterhead. The first time I sent an invoice to a magazine I scouted the Internet for ideas on how one should be set out. I panicked but soon realised that it’s nothing complex and doesn’t have to be anything fancy or rich looking.

The type of marketing that I’ve come to realise is important is the head on stuff. Sending out good queries, setting up a blog, responding to other writers blogs and pretty much getting my writing out there. Spending hundreds on business cards or a personal website when you can set one up for free at the beginning is a waste of hard earned money. That can come later when you really need it and besides business cards you can print on your own and have just a few in your wallet if you really feel it’s necessary.

Marketing comes in all shapes and sizes. Make sure you choose the right shape and size that will work for you.