I made some crazy mistakes as a self-employed creative in the past. Mistakes I didn’t think I would make after so many years. I thought I knew all about marketing. I had been a marketing and communications expert for fifteen years. Nothing was alien to me in terms of promoting a business, or helping others to make more sales. Still, when years later, I moved to Spain, and launched my new copywriting business, I made some stupid mistakes as a startup.
When I moved to Spain, some years ago now, I set myself up as a freelance copywriter, and I was desperate for clients. Writing was something I was good at, and since finding work in my new country wasn’t that easy, I decided to set up a business online as a copywriter.
Mistakes I made as a startup
Back in the UK, I had been a marketing manager and consultant for creatives and organisations. I knew exactly how to help them. But when it came down to marketing my own new business…I felt wobbly and insecure. Isn’t that weird? Perhaps it was also being a newbie in a new country, but reinventing myself, and making myself visible online as this new service…was pretty scary, even for me.
Of course, I knew the tools and the tricks. I built a website, set up social media profiles, and started shouting online about my services. Joined Facebook groups and jumped at any opportunity that popped up.
“I am a copywriter! Need website copy? I’ll write it for you! I write blogs! I write product descriptions! Anything! Brochures, sales pages, online stores! In Dutch AND in English”
What did I attract? Hagglers. Cheapskates. Tyre kickers.
People looking for a quick fix for a few pennies. But I accepted.
I needed income. I had nothing else.
The two mistakes I made:
1. I was a Jack-of-all-trades, helping everybody with anything.
2. I wasn’t charging enough, thinking I would get more work if I was ‘affordable’.
I basically was so desperate for clients, that I said YES to any job that came my way.
In the end I was writing product descriptions for a luxury bathroom company, with a client who offered me 0.06 cent per word, and kept demanding edits as it was never good enough. 😮
How I turned things around for my business
I was crying in my tea.
This client made me feel used, and completely undervalued. I hated the work, and didn’t know what else to do.
Moving countries meant leaving a comfortable career back home, but I suddenly felt like a total beginner, even with fifteen years of experience.
Something had to change.
First things first: I fired my bathroom client.
Secondly, I got clear on my ideal client, making sure this was reflected in my messaging.
Thirdly, I upped my prices. No more negotiating, haggling or discounting.
Guess what? A whole different league of clients came my way, one of whom hired me for two years on retainer, accepting price increases along the way.
The moral of the story?Â
1. Know your ideal client – don’t be ‘for everyone’
2. Know your value – don’t be the cheapest
3. Have a very clear message that attracts the right people who are willing to pay your prices
I know, it is very tempting to try and offer ‘something for everyone’, but at the end of the day, nobody knows what you stand for, and you get all kinds of jobs – or none. Niching down can be scary, but it is a good way to get your message out to the right clients. Be known for something (and don’t let this be low prices)! Be the expert in a topic, in a method, in a way of doing things or solving something specific. That way all of your marketing becomes so much easier, because your content will be much more on point.
I no longer write copy for clients, but I still often remind myself of the lessons I learnt back then and the mistakes I made as a startup. It remains important to regularly check in with my core values and stay on track. No matter how long you have been doing something for, sometimes things slide, and you lose the focus.
If anything, don’t be a cheap Jack-of-all-trades, you are worth so much more than that.