5 Unexpected Benefits of Full-Time Freelance Writing

by Aubre on October 11, 2011

{Enjoying local wine from a wine garden in Vienna, Austria in June}

I became a full-time freelance writer six months ago. Part of those six months were spent traveling throughout the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria, Germany, and Italy. Then the next couple weeks were spent moving from Columbus, Ohio to Madison, Wisconsin. And then there were a few weeks spent catching up with friends and enjoying the summer weather. I got my first tan since college — there’s a whole world outside of a cube! Who knew?!

But besides the obvious perks of taking time off whenever I please and working from anywhere in the world, I’ve found a few unexpected benefits of becoming a full-time freelance writer.

1. I’ve Saved Money.
I never need to spend my hard-earned cash on ugly “business casual” work clothes that I would never wear outside an office. I also don’t need a car anymore. While my car is already paid off,  I can save about $200 month in parking, insurance, and gas costs if I sell it. I think I’m going to do it. I’ve already used my bike to commute to coffee shops and lunch dates at least a few times a week.

2. I’ve Saved Time.
No traffic-filled commute to work. No unnecessarily long meetings. No annoying interruptions. No need to blow dry my hair. As much as people are wowed by solo professionals’ ability to manage their own time, there’s also a little bit of flexible time-wasting built in to our schedules given the amount of hours we save each week working from home. I can literally work every minute from 8 AM to 5 PM if I want to.

3. I’m Healthier.
I can cook my own lunch. Grilled chicken and vegetables? Yes, please! Granted, I’m still relying on the classic Lean Cuisine when I’m feeling lazy or super busy. Another huge benefit is that I can work out whenever I want to. The summers were great for morning runs along the lake, and the winters will be perfect for a mid-afternoon workout DVD. Unfortunately, I’m not more motivated to work out…I still have to force myself to get excited about getting sweaty sometimes.

4. I’ve Met People.
While some people may think freelance writers are holed up in a dark cave of solitude for months on end, I’ve actually met more people as a self-employed business owner than when I was a salaried corporate employee. From coffee shop meetings with local clients, to phone calls with out-of-state teammates, to networking with other freelancers at a writer’s conference in New York City, I’ve been corresponding with more people in my industry now than ever.

5. People Trust Me.
I run a business and people hire me to work for them. Over and over again. While some may dread the constant “job searching” of a freelance writer, think of the constant job offers! How great does it feel to get hired for a new job? I have the possibility to get that feeling every day if I’m lucky. And if I deliver good work, they’ll throw me another project. It’s like constant reinforcement that I’m doing something right. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

 

 

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We Have No Social Media Presence! Where Do We Begin?

by Aubre on September 28, 2011

{Image: WebRanking Pictures}

As a business, the world of social media can seem overwhelming from the outside. So much time and effort and what’s even the payoff? The truth is that one social media site may be more suited to you than the others. I wrote a three-part social media strategy series for TalentMinded, a CareerBuilder blog. While this series focuses on recruitment, any company can learn more about the benefits, unique aspects, and time commitments for each social media strategy:

Facebook
With over 750 million active users, it’s clear that Facebook is the top-dog of social networks. And, Nielsen’s Social Media Report shows U.S. internet users spend more time on Facebook than any other website overall, at 53.5 billion minutes in May 2011, beating out runner-up Yahoo! by over three times!

Relevant job listings combined with top-notch career advice are just two of the information streams both passive and active job seekers look for on Facebook. And by creating a separate careers page, you’ll have the ability to reach new talent every day. If you’re hesitant about using a social platform for professional networking, remember that there are a few exclusive benefits that make Facebook a great place to recruit. Read more of my Social Recruitment Strategy Series: Facebook at TalentMinded.

Twitter
Twitter is like Facebook’s younger sibling: posts are shorter, it has far less active users and it hasn’t been around quite as long. However, despite its many differences, Twitter is continually gaining popularity as a space for users to get the latest news, share content and connect with people around the world – in 140 characters or less.

Twitter’s simplicity lends a hand to candidates seeking job postings, career advice and professional networking opportunities. And the ‘list’ tool makes it a breeze for job seekers to group their streams into specialized feeds of information like companies hiring, job openings and resume tips. Read more of my Social Recruitment Strategy Series: Twitter at TalentMinded.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn is often grouped with other major social media players, like Facebook and Twitter, but in reality, LinkedIn is a professional network designed specifically for job seekers. While the site now boasts some commonly used social features like a feed with status updates, connection activity and popular blog posts, it originated as a place for professionals to connect and share their experiences.

Company pages on LinkedIn allow users to stop by your official home on the site to view corporate information, available career opportunities and the profiles of current employees – adding a human element to your organization. Read more of my Social Recruitment Strategy Series: LinkedIn at TalentMinded.

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What’s the Difference Between Social Media Marketing and Social Media Recruiting?

by Aubre on September 13, 2011

{Image via Miss 604}

A client recently asked me to explain the difference between social media marketing and social media recruiting. The answer? They’re exactly the same! Social media is social media regardless of whether you’re recruiting, networking, or simply socializing with friends. It inspired me to write this post for TalentMinded, CareerBuilder’s new social media recruitment blog.

Marketing a product or a service is all about identifying an audience and proactively reaching them with the right message to inspire action. Selling your company as a place to work is no different! Despite the similarities, marketing has historically been much better at targeting specific audiences, while HR used broad appeal mediums in hopes that the right talent would find them.

Until now.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a consumer goods brand, a local fashion boutique, or a national restaurant chain – solid social media concepts are universal:

  1. Bring the brand to life with a distinct, likeable voice.
  2. Establish and grow an online community by making that voice relevant.
  3. Foster a sense of trust and engage your audience with valuable content.
Read more about the 3 Concepts HR Must Borrow From the World’s Best Marketers at TalentMinded.

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What Do You Do? Editorial vs. Copywriting

by Aubre on September 8, 2011

{Image via bertop}

I specialize in two different kinds of writing: editorial and copywriting. A friend recently asked me to explain the difference and I realized there are probably a lot of non-writers out there who don’t know an advertorial from an opinion piece or an article from a press release. I already broke down Editor vs. Copyeditor vs. Copywriter so now it’s time for another showdown: Editorial vs. Copywriting.

Editorial
Online and print publications such as magazines, newspapers, websites, and blogs fall under this category. Writing editorial can range from opinion columns to breaking news to how-to articles to restaurant reviews – all types of writing which involve researching and reporting non-fiction content. News articles in papers like the New York Times and on websites like CNN are 100 percent fact with no opinion inserted — unless it’s a column, review, or opinion editorial (op ed) piece.

Often magazines and blogs take researching and reporting one step further by writing in a branded “voice” or adding extra commentary their readers love. For example, Go Fug Yourself reports on fashion but in a snarky, funny way. They want to bring a special angle to the content that makes it extra-interesting to read. Magazines and blogs also develop their own content that you can’t find anywhere else. Think Martha Stewart Living and the zillions of recipes and craft ideas they publish each month or the exclusive exercises in Women’s Health.

Copywriting
Copywriting is simply words that sell. Brochures, websites, advertisements, and store signage all fall under this category. While this copy may be fun and witty, its main goal is to sell a product or service. These words are written by the company itself or by someone who’s getting paid by the company; however, magazines, newspapers, and blogs report on products, services, and news on their own accord and without payment. Companies could develop their own content here as well. For example, Kraft has a food magazine filled with recipes using all Kraft products – obviously the underlying goal is to get you to buy more Kraft products.

Public relations departments are also internal departments that write words that sell. Their specially-crafted press releases and press kits are sent out to publications in the hopes that a reporter will be intrigued by their company’s product or service, and offer them free press in the form of an article or review.

A Mix of the Two
It’s easier to see how the term “advertorial” got its name.  Advertorials are written by companies that are trying to sell a product or service, but they are disguised as an editorial piece like a review or an article. This kind of writing must be labeled “advertisement” at the top so as not to trick readers.

I’m including social media under this combination category because – depending on who’s using it – it could fall under either editorial or copywriting. A company’s official Facebook page is really just one big marketing campaign, but a news organization’s Twitter feed is really just a stream of editorial articles.

You can check out my portfolio in both arenas of these writings for more examples.
Editorial
Copywriting
Social Media

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A Special Project for My Dad’s Birthday

by Aubre on August 30, 2011

I have to think a man turning 50 already has everything he needs. But hearing how much people love you never gets old, right? So for my dad’s big 5-0, I reached out to friends and family through a mass e-mail campaign asking them to submit a “thing they love” about my dad. I edited the submissions and sent off the copy and a few design ideas to an art director friend of mine. Here’s the finished product thanks to Paula Riley (who also designed my website…and business cards…and blog headers for this blog and my travel blog). I may be a little biased, but I LOVE how it turned out! And my dad did, too.

Read all 50 reasons here.

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Does Your Facebook Careers Page Need a Makeover?

by Aubre on August 29, 2011

{Image via JoelnSouthernCA}

After working on a lot of social media campaigns for staffing agencies and HR departments over the past year, I needed to gather my observations into a post: 5 Reasons Your Facebook Careers Pages Stinks. Just because it’s a page focused on recruiting, doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. In fact, it should be fun — and follow all the same social media rules and etiquette as any other company Facebook page.

A thriving social recruiting presence isn’t easy to create. It’s tempting to automate some of the work and prioritize only the tasks related to filling urgent openings. Beware – a shortcut mentality can undermine your efforts and jeopardize the long-term benefits of social recruiting.

Check out the five most common social recruiting mistakes to see if you’re in need of a Facebook intervention.

  1. Posting Too Often.  From recruiting events to new job openings, you have a lot to say. But heed caution – fans are more likely to hide a page in their newsfeed or ‘unlike’ it when posts are made in excess of 3 times per day. Pare back posts or occasionally target posts by location or language to prevent fans from being inundated by irrelevant updates.
  2. Posting All At Once.  Some Facebook careers pages publish a handful of posts all within 5 minutes – a practice that can seem like spam in your fans’ newsfeed. Facebook will truncate multiple posts made within a short timeframe to show up as one update in your fans’ newsfeeds. This means, only one post from your page is seen – not the specific details about recruiting events or individual jobs you intended to share. Prevent this by posting at morning, mid-day and evening intervals throughout the entire week.

Read the rest of my post at CareerBuilder’s new blog TalentMinded. If you’re interested in hiring me to help your Faecbook careers page, check out my social media specialties.

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