The Top 20 Reasons Freelance Writers Should Use Social Media

By dmcgaw | May 5, 2011 | 0 Comments | Rating: 0

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There is no doubt that social media has become one of the best ways for freelance writers to get their name out there and increase their business possibilities.  All businesses can benefit from integrating social media tactics into their marketing campaign but for writers who often make their living online, social media can be the tool that makes the difference between struggling to find jobs and having more than enough work.

Here are the top 20 reasons why freelance writers should use social media:

1. Find a support group.  We all need support no matter what industry or field we are working in.  We need people to vent with and people to share our successes with and we need to have people who truly understand what we are going through.  Social media can become your virtual water cooler.  But just like with a traditional job, you need to make sure you don’t spend too much time at the virtual water cooler!
2. Learn about industry events.  Industry events can give you the opportunity to meet people who work in your field and find new clients.  If there is an event in your area and you are active in social media, you will quickly find out about it.
3. Discover online webinars.  Online webinars are often free (although some do have a cost associated with them) and can give you invaluable information.  I like to save the audio file to listen to when I am walking or doing housework – then I get two things done at once!
4. Get answers to your questions.  Have you ever had a question about something related to your work and not known who to ask?  When you are involved in social media you have hundreds (or sometimes thousands) of people who you can ask and usually someone knows the answer!
5. Find batches of information on specific topics.  Most forms of social media have a list function that allows you to access targeted pieces of information.  It could be a list of places where you can get free tools or it might be a list of people who are experts in a certain area.
6. Develop your SEO skills.  If you are a writer you need to know something about SEO and people often share information about SEO in social media.  Actually, you might find more SEO information on social media sites than anywhere else.
7. Find a niche to become an expert in.  Writers who have expertise often make more money and get more work.  Find a niche/genre that interests you and follow the experts.  In turn, as you learn more and share more you, too, can become an expert.
8. Get past writer’s block.  What is worse than needing to write something and finding yourself blocked?  Social media sites are filled with ideas, conversations, and thoughts that can help you get past your writer’s block and help you fill those pages.
9. Find tools to help you be more efficient.  Using social media can take up a lot of time so finding tools to help you become more efficient will make the time you do spend using social media much more valuable.  One of my favourite tools is Hootsuite and I found out about it while I was on Twitter.
10.  Learn about real life promotional opportunities.  If you are only working for online companies and employers you are leaving out some great opportunities.  You might offer to interview someone local and give them some online exposure or someone might interview you and give you some local exposure. 
11. Discover new ways to write about topics you have already covered.  You may have written an article from one point of view and be exposed to another way of thinking.  Since you’ve already done some of the research, you might be able to give an old article a new slant and use it in a totally different way. 
12. Gather ideas for a swipe file.  A swipe file is a document that you can use when you are fresh out of ideas for things to write about.  As you use social media, ideas will come to you faster than you can imagine so don’t let them get away.  Put them into a swipe file to use later. 
13. Meet people who you can interview for your articles.  When you write, you will often need to back up the information you provide with quotes from industry professionals.  Social media can expose you to people who are experts and are willing to share what they know.
14. Develop your skills.  The more skills you have the more valuable you will be as a writer.  People share information, tools, and knowledge on social media sites that can help you improve your skills.  As your skills grow, you will be able to charge more. 
15. Become a better writer.  When you choose your words on social media sites you need to be short and concise.  Learning to communicate meaning in as little words as possible will make you a better writer.
16. Take your network with you.  Where ever you have access to social media, you can have access to the people who you do business with and the people who can help you when you need information.
17. Share the recommendations that people make about you.  The good things that people say about you are more valuable than what you say about yourself.  People who have used your services will often talk about you on social media sites and that gets the word out faster than anything you can do or say.
18.  Monitor your reputation.  When you are applying for a job, new clients will often do a web search to find out what others might be saying about you.  Hopefully, it is all good but you need to know what others are saying about you before you are surprised by a client with something you did not know about.
19. Find motivation.  We are all motivated by different things but at some point we all need a little kick in the pants to get focused.  It might be in the form of a contest, someone who admires you, or someone who feels that you are the best person to answer their questions.
20. Find information.  No matter what kind of information you are looking for, the answers are often found on social media sites.  If you can’t find it, you can ask about it.

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