Did you know it's possible to grow your links TOO fast?

While we all know that link building is one of the key methods of improving search engine rank, acquiring natural looking links isn’t that easy. Google and other search engines are always on the lookout for unnatural links and they can easily penalize your website for unnatural links. Here are a few tips on how to keep your links looking natural.

Vary Anchor Text & Text Surrounding Links

Do you often use the same anchor text and the same description when you are submitting to different directories? If so, you are not fooling anyone. One way to create natural looking links is to vary the keywords used in the links as well as the words surrounding the link. SEO experts have known for years that the words surrounding the link can affect search engine rank.

Also, in addition to using keywords as the anchor text, consider using more generic anchor text such as “this site”, “click here” or “visit this site.” While using generic anchor text may seem unreasonable to SEO experts, it is the most natural way to link to a site.

Distribute Inbound Links

While the majority of inbound links should point to your home page, it isn’t reasonable to have all inbound links pointing to one page. Some of the links should at least point to secondary or inner pages so as to create a more natural link profile. If you are not sure how to distribute the inbound links, follow the 50-50 rule; 50% of the links should go to the home page and the other 50% should be spread all over the site.

Focus on Relevant Links

No link is more natural than a link from a topically related website. For instance, if you operate a medical website, you are better off getting links from medical blogs and medical forums as opposed to a printing company’s website.

Also, whenever possible, try to get a link from the site’s homepage; such links look less suspicious to search engines.

“No Follow” Tags Are Not All Bad

While it is important to get links which do not have the “No Follow” tag, it is also important to have both “No Follow” links and “Do Follow” links. When you have a reasonable mix of both kinds of links, your site is less likely to raise a red flag with Google.

Avoid Sudden Link Growth

One of the most common mistakes in link building is sudden link growth. Let’s face it: It’s not normal for sites to get thousands of back links overnight. Therefore, if you are starting a link building campaign, increase the number of back links to your site gradually by about 50 to 100 links a week. Keep the links coming regularly and avoid unusually long breaks between links; this gives the semblance of a gradual and natural link building process.

Following the above tips can keep your website from being penalized by Google on account of an unnatural link profile. Nonetheless, the rule of thumb in link building is to focus on quality rather than quantity and to steer clear of paid links.

Sam Mauzy is a blogger and contributing writer for Invesp, an agency that helps improve ecommerce conversion rates.

Stick it! Heh, heh.

So, are you using Pinterest yet?

For your freelance writing business, I mean?

I’ll admit I’m not, but that’s only because I didn’t think Pinterest offered any benefits to writers.

Frankly, I thought Pinterest was a cutesy form of social media that I would so totally get into and waste a million hours using…

…just as soon as I found a free minute to sign up.

Boy, was I wrong.

• Pinterest Secrets For Writers: About.com’s Allena Tapia shares 10 (quite different) ways writers can use Pinterest.
• Pinterest Tips For Writers: Similarly, GalleyCat’s Jason Boog lists five ways writers can use Pinterest – only he focuses more on novelists than freelance writers.
• Pinterest For Writers: Writer Sara Toole Miller shares the pinboards she’s created related to writing and editing.
• The Writer’s Guide To Pinterest: Susan Johnson over at the Ebyline Blog lists several ways writers can use Pinterest, from crowdsourcing ideas to building a platform – complete with current user experiences.
• 3 Ways Authors Can Use Pinterest Guilt Free: Author Media’s Caitlin Muir explains three ways authors can use Pinterest for inspiration, traffic, and character development, but I feel some of her information applies to freelance writers, too.
• Visualizing With Pinterest: Pubmission’s Wolf Hoelscher offers a Wednesday Writing Exercise for authors to revisit scenes they’ve already written and apply Pinerest to add depth and clarity to those scenes. Could copywriters use Pinterest in the same way? I think so.
• Pinterest And Your Website Content: Erika Napoletano explains how Pinterest can drive more traffic than YouTube, Google+, and LinkedIn combined – and why this is important to your business.
• 5 Ways Brands Can Leverage Pinterest Now: TechCrunch oulines five ways businesses can use Pinterest to boost brand visibility and connect with customers and potential customers.
• 56 Ways To Market Your Business On Pinterest: WHOOOOAAAAAA Copyblogger. You always go above and beyond, and I love you.
• Pinterest For Business? Only If You Love Pinning: Finally, Sarah Prout reminds us that, in the end, Pinterest is only useful for business purposes – including freelance business purposes – if we align it with our brands.

So, how about you, writers? Are you using or considering using Pinterest in your freelance writing business? If so, how? If not, why?

Look at Owen, being all distressed and sad. Get over it!

QUESTION:

Dear Alicia,

I’ve never told any of my “online friends” (or any of my clients), but I work part time at a bar-and-grill restaurant in addition to working as a freelance writer.

I manage to keep up my “professional” facade online (I even keep my personal and writing social media sites separate), but I feel like a phoney.

How can I feel more like a “real” writer while I still have a part-time job waiting tables? Also, should I keep my day job a secret from writing clients?

Owen

ANSWER:

Are you serious?

Owen, Owen, Owen.

First of all, you ARE a phoney. For as long as you keep living two lives, keeping secrets, and using freaking quotation marks around words like professional and real (seriously, what’s up with that?), you will be a phoney.

Second of all, your realness – your authenticity as a professional writer – isn’t determined by whether you do it full-time. Not all freelance writers write full-time.

Sometimes a freelancer will:

• Have a “day job,” or a job she keeps to have health insurance, to pay the bills until they’re financially comfortable freelancing full-time,
• Work a part-time job because it gets him out of the house or satisfies some other passion, like working with animals.
• Work varied hours because he or she has small children at home.

The reasons are plentiful.

You didn’t mention why you have a part-time job and work as a freelance writer, but that’s not the issue here. The issue is helping you determine what sets apart professional and unprofessional/amateur/hobbyist freelance writers.

Abilities Professional Writers Must Have

There’s pretty much no wiggle room on this one. You must have certain abilities to be a professional writer. They include, but aren’t limited to, being able to:

• Know the language. Don’t apply for an English-Spanish translation gig if your only credit is one high school semester of Spanish.
• Produce the kind of writing you’re hired to produce. Example: Writing Web copy isn’t the same as writing magazine articles.
• Use proper grammar and spell correctly. Spell check will carry you only so far.
• Research. How are you supposed to write about an unfamiliar topic if you don’t know how to effectively research it?
• Communicate clearly with clients, editors, and leads.

Don’t worry. Having the ability to do something doesn’t necessarily mean you were born with it or were surrounded by it all your life. You can learn these things.

Skills Successful Freelancers Should Have

Like abilities, you can learn and master skills.

• Manage your taxes.
• Market your services.
• Handle administrative work. Examples include following up with leads, tracking queries, and paperwork like freelance writing resumes, contracts, and invoices.
• Make productive use of downtime.
• Understand basic technology and programs, like computers and Microsoft Word.

Personality Traits Many Freelance Writers Do Have

Personality traits are a bit trickier…

There are certain traits successful professional freelancers have; some are necessary, others you can work around.

• Passion. Love what you do, even during those times when you hate it.
• Organization. Know how to prioritize, set and stick to a schedule, and .
• Independence. Be comfortable working alone and taking initiative.
• Persistence. Don’t get easily discouraged.
• Assuredness. Treat – and present – yourself as a professional.

These are not an exhaustive lists, by any means. Some readers might add their own bits of advice, and you’ll undoubtedly discover a few things as you continue freelancing.

Oh, and to answer your second question: You don’t have to tell your clients anything about your life that’s unrelated to the services you provide them.

So, what say YOU, readers? What abilities, skills, and personality traits have you found freelance writers need?

This post is part of the Ask Alicia series at WritingSpark.com. Learn more, check out some other columns, or shoot me an e-mail directly at alicia [at] writingspark [dot] com (or click here) with “Ask Alicia” in the subject line to ask your own question.

I wouldn’t say writing book reviews is a lucrative business, by any means (well, unless you’re employed by a major magazine or newspaper and book reviews are like, your job – which could totally happen).

However, they are great ways to get published, a chance to do two of your favorite things (reading and writing!), and fun!

1. Get a Platform

So, you’re writing a book review. Where will it go once you’ve written it? How will people read it?

Consider:

• Your blog. You can publish anything you want on your blog. Why not publish a well-written book review to drive traffic, gain experience, and build up some clips?
• Others’ blogs. Maybe you write a blog for another company and ran across a book that fits the niche. Or, maybe you know of a blogger who’d be open to a guest post of your book review.
• Newspapers. Does your local newspaper have an entertainment section for book reviews? Are you feeling frisky and want to give querying a bigger, national newspaper a shot?
• Magazines. Consider local, state-, and nationwide magazines. Just keep in mind most magazines create their editorial calendars waaaaaaay in advance, so don’t query a magazine in October expecting to get published in November.
• Journals. Literary journals are a bit lower key, so no one’s going to laugh if you’re not familiar with any – I promise. Try googling “literary journal book review” and see what strikes your fancy.

2. Get a Book

Writers get books to review in a variety of ways:

• Buy the book. Starting out, some of you may have to go this route, especially if you’re trying to shop the review to a newspaper, magazine, or journal.
• Get offered the book. Once you gain some visibility as a writer (especially if you own or manage a blog in the niche), publishing and media companies will begin contacting you about review the book. You might even get interview offers. This is how I land most of my books for reviews and interviews, including my review of Vanity Fair contributing editor Ned Zeman’s memoir, The Rules of the Tunnel: My Brief Period of Madness, and my interview with former White House physician, Dr. Connie Mariano regarding her memoir The White House Doctor: My Patients Were Presidents.
• Ask for the book. There’s no shame in it. When a book catches your eye, shoot an e-mail to the publishing or media company and ask for an advance copy for review. (Introduce yourself, of course, and let the recipient know when and where the review will be published.) This is how I got my copy of Karen Gravano’s memoir, Mob Daughter: The Mafia, Sammy “The Bull” Gravano, and Me!, for an upcoming Celebrity Psychings review.

3. Write the Review

Check out some of these helpful sites for writing a book review:

• How To Write a Book Review (from e-notes.com).
• Writing A Book Review (from Purdue Online Writing Lab).
• Writing Book Reviews (from Indiana University’s Writing Tutorial Services)
• Tips For Successful Book Reviewing (from journalist, teacher, and author Rebecca Skloot).
• How To Write A Book Review (from writing-world.com…wait, didn’t we already have this title? ).

Before you begin writing the review, remember to:

• Give yourself plenty of time. It’s simple: Don’t start on your book review the night before you tell your readers or editor you’ll have it finished.
• Be honest. You might think you feel one way about the book, but discover you feel quite another way after you start writing the review. GO WITH IT. If you fight against that feeling in an attempt to stick to your original plan all neat-and-tidy like, you risk presenting an artificial- and forced-sounding review.
• Study book reviewers you admire. Read any book reviews that caught your eye lately? Perhaps one in the New York Times or Washington Post? Maybe one in a smaller literary journal or even favorite magazine’s monthly book review feature. Don’t be a copycat, by any means, but do figure out what it is about those reviews you like and make sure your review includes – or even makes better – those elements.
• Consider alternative formats. You don’t have to actually write a book review. You could record one. Consider a video book review, or even a podcast.
• Check out what others have to say about the book. Not only will it keep you from repeating the same ol’ same ol’, but reading (or listening to) what others have written (or said) about the book can give you a jumping off point, something you can challenge, or a point or two with which you can agree or disagree.

How about you, readers? Are any of you experienced with writing book reviews? Any tips or tricks you can offer?

See? She forgot to include the deadline. We'll just claim she took too long. MUAHAHAHA!

QUESTION:

Hi Alicia!

I love your Ask Alicia posts. So I have one for you I have my first face-to-face prospective meeting coming up. Should I have a contract for them to sign? Or are verbal agreements the way to go. If I should have them sign a contract, what should it indicate?

Thanks so much for your time!

Tania

ANSWER:

Hey Tania!

First, I advise always using a written contract and never relying on a verbal contract with any client – even if you’re friends with the potential client.

(The two times I’ve gone the verbal route were the only two times I got burned – the first time, I didn’t get paid for four months, and the second time I was only paid 20% of what the client owed me. I lost $1,200. NEVER AGAIN.)

Second, don’t sweat having a contract to give them during the meeting. Unless you’ve already hammered out the details with the prospective clients (and I’m guessing you haven’t – what else would you be discussing during this first meeting, after all?), you won’t have anything to put on a contract just yet.

During your meeting, you and the clients will discuss the project. Some of these things can be plugged into a master contract (such as the deadline, your hourly rate or the project’s flat fee, and by what date the client must pay you), but some of them aren’t so easily plugged in (such as project details and information about revisions).

So, go to the meeting with a pen and paper in hand (or laptop – whatever you prefer) and a readiness to discuss all these issues with the clients. Once you all discuss and agree on each aspect of the project (and you’ve taken ample notes), you can mail, e-mail, fax, or hand deliver the contract to them at a later date.

As for the particulars of the contract, I highly recommend bookmarking and referring back to the following pages as you begin navigating the world of contract preparations.

• Do You Need a Contract for Freelance Work?
• Freelance Contracts: Do’s & Don’ts
• Freelance Writing: How to Write a Contract
• 7 Tips for Negotiating a Freelance Contract
• Sample Freelance Writing Contract (I don’t know Lee, but I’ve loved this sample since I first found and bookmarked it.)
• Tips for Freelance Contracts (I do know Kristen, have consulted with her on other freelance writing projects before, and will vouch for her overall awesome know-how.)

Good luck with your meeting Tania, and thanks!

This post is part of the Ask Alicia series at WritingSpark.com. Learn more, check out some other columns, or shoot me an e-mail directly at alicia [at] writingspark [dot] com (or click here) with “Ask Alicia” in the subject line to ask your own question.

It's that time of year again, so sharpen up your ol' pencils, writers! (Make sure you have erasers, too.)

Hiya Sparklings!

This is the last time you’ll hear from me in 2011, and by now you should know I’m just cliche practical enough to do a post about New Year’s resolutions.

Only, I’m not going to TELL you what your resolutions should be or give you examples of New Year’s resolutions for writers. There are plenty of awesome sites and writers out there who’ve already done that. (Check out LaToya Irby’s Making Plans For Next Year, Ginny Wiehardt’s Top 10 Resolutions For Writers, and Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen’s Writing Goals: 7 Ways To Be A Better Freelance Writer.)

Instead of helping you decide on goals, I’m going to help you STICK TO them.

1. Determine your writing goals.

Who are YOU as a writer? Do you want to write and sell your own e-book? Do you want to establish yourself as an expert in Web writing? Do you want to make money blogging? Determine the direction you want to take your freelance writing career before you begin writing your resolutions.

2. Write resolutions related to those goals.

Sometimes, writers get a few months into the year (or, a few months after they’ve set some goals for themselves) before they realize, “Um…these goals are NOT helping me get where I want to be.” (That’s why it’s so important to determine who you are – or who you want to be – as a writer before you write your New Year’s resolutions.)

Be sure to write goals that line up with your freelance writing career (or the writing career you want).

For example, if you do want to write and sell an e-book, you might create writing goals that involve learning how to format e-books, coming up with and sticking to a writing schedule, and developing a list of subscribers; if you want to make money blogging, some of your resolutions might involve planning and sticking to a blogging schedule and learning about and signing up for affiliate marketing.

3. Make sure you can outline specific steps for your goals.

Let’s say one of your writing goals is to build a list. It’s one thing to say, “This year, I’m going to build a list.” I mean, that’s specific, right? Right. It’s also most likely the answer you’ll give your friends.

However, YOU need an even more specific resolution – perhaps, more specific steps – in order to reach your goal.

So, instead of saying, “This year, I’m going to build a list,” try, “By the end of January, I will have a free opt-in product created and by the beginning of February, I will have an opt-in sign-up form on my front page and will start promoting the two on my social media networks.” By doing that, you can spend the rest of the year building your list.

4. Be realistic as you write your resolutions.

One of the biggest mistakes people make when setting New Year’s resolutions – or coming up with any goals, really – is to assume they’re going to make the changes or meet the goals immediately.

“This year I’m going to [quit smoking/lose weight/get organized]!”

Well, that’s great, but the cold hard reality is that a lot of people fail at those resolutions because they assume that once January 1 rolls around – THAT’S IT. One cigarette, one skipped day working out – only one pound lost in three weeks – and they throw in the towel.

What they forget to do is outline specific steps (sound familiar)? The smoker doesn’t spend any time preparing to quit; he assumed he’d just stop smoking. The dieter didn’t spend any time learning healthy recipes or reminding herself that she didn’t gain 30 pounds in one week, so she damn sure wasn’t going to lose that kind of weight in one week; she just assumed she’d cut back and voila! Become skinny.

Look, here’s the deal: $&@! takes time, okay? Time and planning. You’re not going to slap a few affiliate ads on your blog tonight and start making hundreds a day by tomorrow, nor are you going to churn out a quality e-book in three days.

(Hell, Copyblogger published How To Write A High-Quality eBook In 30 Days, and totally acknowledges the fact that 1) it takes steps, and 2) it takes bust-your-ass work.)

When you set a goal, consider factors like what you’ll need to learn, changes you’ll need to make, and the time it will actually take – the journey you’ll take – as you get from where you are now (not meeting your goal) to where you want to be (meeting your goal).

Plus, you need to consider your personal life. Do you have a day job? Kids? A body and mind that requires sleep?

Don’t set yourself up for failure: Keep all these factors in mind as you come up with your writing goals for the year.

5. Ask for help.

Whether you turn to your favorite blogger, a personal or writing coach, or your friends at the writing forum you frequent, don’t be too ashamed/shy/embarrassed/stubborn to ask others for help. If you don’t know something, ask. If you need help, ask. If you’re working on something you’re not entirely sure about or only have minimal experience with, getting assistance from someone who knows what’s going on can prevent you from giving up.

6. Reward yourself.

Sure, sure, the biggest reward will be when it all pays off. Until then, though, give yourself little rewards – little pats on the back – to keep yourself motivated and from burning out.

Have YOU set any New Year’s resolutions for your freelance writing career? What works for you when you’re trying to stick to your writing goals?

These look worthy of a second go round!

Oh, come on! You HAD to know you were getting a “Top Posts of 2011″ post!

10. Free Tools For Freelance Writers: Creating An Online Presence: Tips on creating a blog, building a website, and even getting your work out there with neither of those things.

9. When Fiction Meets Nonfiction: Wise Words From Albus Dumbledore: My response to Day 2 of the NAIWE Words Matter Week Blog Challenge. It features Albus Dumbledore, so, you can’t not read it.

8. Elevator Speeches: 3 Tips For Freelancers Writing Elevator Speeches: This ain’t your grandma’s elevator speech; don’t go into it thinking about a sell. All you have to do is learn to identify yourself and what you do, some typical clients, and a few things that point out you’re human.

7. Writers On Twitter: 7 Taboos You MUST Avoid: So, it’s all you, all the time, huh? I do not give a $&*#.

6. Free Tools For Freelance Writers: Article, Website, and Blog Images: EVERYBODY needs free article, website, and blog images.

5. Setting, Increasing, And Sticking To Your Freelance Writing Rates: I can’t tell you WHAT to charge, but I can give a solid outline for determining HOW to charge.

4. Writers Beware: Don’t Put All Your Eggs In One Basket: One of the biggest mistakes any freelancer can make.

3. 9 Non-Writing Things Every Freelance Writer Should Do Daily: After all these years, numbers four and seven are still really hard for me.

2. Free Tools For Freelance Writers: Learning Tools: From finding writing classes online to learning more about keyword research and writing website content, I really wish I’d timed how long it took me to compile this list of learning tools for writers.

…aaaaaaaaaaan *drum roll*

1. Creating A Freelance Writer’s Resume: I have a feeling this might ALWAYS be the most popular post at WritingSpark.com.

Honorable Mention: 10 Websites For Finding Writing Contests

How about you, readers? Want to share one of your blog’s most popular posts from 2011? Feel free in the comments!

Unless you're on vacation, I can't fathom why your to-do list is blank.

QUESTION:

Alicia,

Theresa

ANSWER:

Hey Theresa,

My answer is sort of two-fold: First, yes, it is somewhat normal for freelance writers to experience a drop in business during the holiday season. (This is actually the first Christmas season since 2005 that I’ve been up to my eyeballs in work; in years past, I’ve had a certain level of “free time” during this time of year.)

Don’t get me wrong – there are still plenty of clients and work out there – but some businesses slow down during this time of year (to put final touches on projects you’re not affiliated with, set goals for the upcoming year, etc. – things they need in-house employees or other types of professionals for), which means they don’t always need as many – or any – contractors.

Second, there are plenty of things you can do during this “slow” time – productive things that will actually benefit your freelancing career.

List time!

1. Spruce up your resume.

2. Keep applying for jobs.

3. Keep your blog updated. You can also get that editorial calendar moving into the new year, as well as go ahead and write and pre-post a few blog posts.

4. Stay active on social media. Keep schmoozin’ it up on Facebook and Twitter (and Google+ if you’ve made that leap yet). First of all, you have friends on there who deserve it, and second of all, you never know when your networking is going to introduce you to a new client.

5. Send “touching base” e-mails to former clients. 2010 was one of the most lucrative years for me as a freelance writer, and it’s because of one – ONE – e-mail I sent out wishing a former client a Happy New Year and inquiring about upcoming projects. If I remember correctly, I wrote something along the lines of, “I have some availability coming up and was wondering if [The Company] has any projects in the works?” Seriously, that simple.

6. Scope out a few blogs you’d like to write guest posts for, and query the owners.

7. Write articles for your Ezine, Hub, or other article distribution sites.

8. Draft letters to local businesses you’d like to provide services for in the new year. I don’t recommend actually sending them until January’s had a little time to get underway and everyone’s on track again.

9. Come up with a column for your local newspaper. Contact the editor with the idea, and maybe even a few samples.

10. Catch up on your reading. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: You need to keep studying your craft. (That “To Read” folder in your e-mail inbox counts, too.)

11. Work on your online presence. Tweak your website or blog to finally get it just the way you want it, or look for Web and graphic designers to create a logo for your freelance writing business. You might even find designers offering holiday specials or end-of-the-year discounts.

12. Think of a magazine article or two you’d like to write, or finally query that editor with that idea that’s been bouncing around in your head since last spring.

13. Re-evaluate your rates. Maybe now’s the time for a rate increase, or to create those product/service packages you’ve been thinking about.

14. Clean up and get organized. Your desk, your internal and external hard drives, your filing system – all of it.

15. Have some fun! Spend some time with your family and friends, playing with your new gifts, and just taking a break from it all. A fresh, rejuvenated brain is better than a tired, burnt out one any day.

FINANCIAL TIP:

If you already know the holiday months will be slow, set aside some money each month leading up to the season. Anne Wayman of About Freelance Writing provides five solid ideas for solving freelance writing’s uncertain income.

How about you, readers? What ideas can you add? What do you do when “business” is slow, but there’s still plenty of work to be done?

This post is part of the Ask Alicia series at WritingSpark.com. Learn more, check out some other columns, or shoot me an e-mail directly at alicia [at] writingspark [dot] com (or click here) with “Ask Alicia” in the subject line to ask your own question.

Did you know if your power goes out, YOU CAN WRITE WITH A PEN? Crazy, I know.

Last Monday, my electric company called to let me know that depending on my exact location, I may or may not be without power the next day (Tuesday) and if I am, it will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

May or may not?! Right in the middle of the work day?!

Like, TOMORROW?!

Naturally, I freaked out for about 10 seconds. Then my Damage Control setting kicked itself into high gear and I started preparing for this possible black out of both light and work.

As I made my way through the day, I also started taking a few notes on how YOU can prevent a potentially epic productivity disaster. Most of these tips will apply to people who lose power (and trust me, this is a HUGE ISSUE for many of us living on the east coast during the winter months), but some of them can be applied to any potential productivity suck.

Except for Twitter, Facebook, and this. I can’t help you with any of that.

1. Notify your clients.

E-mail, Skype, phone – whatever. Let your clients know you are or will be experiencing “an issue” and won’t be available for a certain amount of time.

If your near-disaster strikes without warning, try to at least call your clients. (This is just one reason why it’s important to have your clients’ phone numbers on file.)

2. Keep your laptop charged.

You don’t need electricity to run a battery-powered laptop, and if you have some work you can do without the Internet, do it. For example, I ended up getting 4,000 words written on a no-research-required ghostwriting project.

3. Scout a new “office.”

If you MUST have access to the Internet, figure out where you can go to work until your access returns. Try your local library, coffee shop, bookstore – even McDonald’s has free WiFi these days. (BONUS! You might even find somewhere you’d like to visit and work two or three days out of the week – you know, just to shake things up.)

4. Write.

I mean, with an actual writing utensil.

5. Play catch up.

Whether you use your laptop or a pen and paper, you can work on:

• New blog posts.
• A free info product to get readers to subscribe to your newsletter.
• The outline of your next chapter.
• That short story you’re entering in next month’s writing contest.
• A query letter about the article idea that’s been bouncing around in your noggin since last summer.

Depending on how long your “disaster” lasts, you could actually get A LOT accomplished!

6. Study

Lots of freelance writers and editors have a book or seven on hand about their craft. (If you don’t, what are you waiting for? As a freelance writer, you MUST be a lifelong learner!)

Use this time to catch up on reading some of those.

7. Play clean up.

Messy desk? Files all over the place? Enough crumbs in your keyboard to build a whole ‘nother sandwich?

Clean it up, pig!

Studies show many people work more efficiently and calmly in a clean and organized environment. And by “studies” I mean me, though I did Google this article for those of you who require more reliable information.

8. Take a break.

Hey, maybe this unexpected roadblock is exactly what you need. When was the last time you took a break? Walked down the street? Visited your grandma? Read a book unrelated to work?

Remember, taking a break is GOOD for you.

Now, readers, tell me about a time when YOU faced – and defeated – a potentially epic productivity disaster. What tips would you offer that I’ve left out?

This is where you learn about marketing. Haha, just kidding.

As a freelance writer, content marketing is something you can use for yourself and your clients.

Actually, having a good handle on certain content marketing ideas can help you broaden your range of services and attract more clients (or, offer additional services to current clients).

So, what exactly is content marketing?

In short, content marketing (also known by names like branded content and custom publishing) is a marketing strategy that uses free content as a way to market a business or service.

Some of the most common content marketing examples include:

• Articles (such as those distributed on popular article marketing sites like Ezine Articles and Hub Pages)
• Blogs
• Newsletters
• Videos
• White papers
• Webinars or teleseminars
• Podcasts

Some marketers even go the extra mile and create larger pieces of content, such as free e-books.

If all this sounds pretty simple, it’s because it is – well, in theory.

In practice, you have to actually create consistent, quality content – the kind that helps your or your client’s branding and fosters customer loyalty.

Want more on content marketing? Check out:

• Content Marketing 101: How to Build Your Business With Content: This Copyblogger includes an easy-to-understand content marketing definition as well as five links to articles that’ll teach you things like the difference between content marketing and copywriting and how content can help you find customers.
• Content Marketing Institute: Yes, an actual institute dedicated to content marketing. These folks provide content marketing education and consulting resources and even host events, so if you’re serious about – or want to get serious about – content marketing, this might be the train to hitch a ride on.
• Content Marketing Today: Similar to the Content Marketing Institute, Content Marketing Today provides a smorgasbord of information about content marketing, and even explains how it all relates to mobile media and social media.
• B2B Content Marketing Trends: This 18-page report (in slide form, so don’t freak out) presents the survey results that highlight ideas related motivation to use content marketing, actually producing content for marketing, the most popular content marketing ideas.
• How 3 Companies Took Content Marketing To The Next Level: This Mashable article outlines how three well-known companies (Mint.com, HubSpot, and American Express) have successfully used content marketing.

How about you, readers? How have you used content marketing, for yourself or for clients? What have you learned works, or doesn’t work, for you?