I mentioned a while back that I joined Entrecard, and I thought it might be time to tell everyone how much I like it.

Entrecard Pros

One of the best things about Entrecard is that I’ve met a lot of other bloggers. I’ve made some new online friends, I’ve found some really great blogs, and I’ve even made some money.

With the influx of traffic comes clicks on my sidebar items, so I’ve made a few sales and some Adsense money. I’ve also written several guest posts, which has brought me even more traffic. Recently, a cool site started a contest that featured my blog. (Thanks Leisa!)

I’ve also decided on an Entrecard philosophy for dropping cards. I don’t drop cards on blogs that I don’t want to support for whatever personal reasons. I like the idea that Entrecard popularity could wind up being a democratic process, so I do my part by not “voting” for some.

Entrecard Cons

Entrecard can take a bit of time, because you have to visit a lot of sites to drop your card (which earns you Entrecredits). And if you’re like me, you can’t help but read some of the posts as you go along.

Besides the amount of time it takes to maintain a high position or to grow your site, I have one more complaint. Though Entrecarders do visit often and even leave comments, my subscribership hasn’t budged.

I also gave up offering my writing service for Entrecredits. For now. I wound up taking on too many projects, and I wasn’t sure that the amount I was “charging” was really worth my time and effort. I wound up refunding (plus interest) several buyers’ credits. My time is probably better spent trying to get new clients that pay real money. Now that Entrecard is starting a service for buying and selling credits for real money, I might start again, but I’ll only do one project at a time.

Have you tried Entrecard? If not, why not? If so, have you noticed any particularly good or bad things so far?

If you’ve been reading Crayon Writer for a while, you know that my primary method of getting new clients is via cold emailing instead of cold calling.

I’ve never gone into much detail about how I do cold emailing, and I also wanted to discuss the anti-spam legislation as it relates to cold emailing.

Thanks to my Entrecard travels, I met a great blogger who asked me to be to his first guest blogger. I was honored, and the article I wrote is up and running. Of course, the guest post I wrote is about getting new clients using cold email.

A big thanks to Marcus Hochstadt from the Internet Business Guide for this wonderful opportunity. His blog has some very helpful information about building an Internet business, so definitely hang out there for a while. And enjoy my guest post too.

If you get a chance to check it out, please leave a comment here or on Marcus’ site (or both). We’d love to hear your thoughts! 

Marketing your business includes spending time on your current and past clients, not just trying to acquire new ones.

Holidays are a great time to let clients know how much you appreciate them, and they’re another way to remind them you’re available for projects.

I’ve heard that Valentine’s Day isn’t used by marketers that much, so this is an excellent holiday to make sure your message stands out.

So this Valentine’s Day, why not send your best clients a personalized card (with your business card tucked inside), a few roses, or maybe a short and sweet email Valentine?

If flowers are too romantic for your client/vendor relationship, you can always send a potted plant, gift basket, or even chocolates.

Even better, as a home-based business you don’t have to worry about leaving your home to send your items of choice (unless, or course, you just want to get out of the house). You can order online or with a quick phone call.

What marketing techniques have you used for the holidays? Have you had success with Valentine’s Day marketing?

Small business owners have to be savvy with marketing, and everyone can benefit from low-cost, high-quality marketing materials.

Recently I realized it’s time for me to get new business cards that include my website and blog, so a friend suggested VistaPrint. I’d always heard about the company’s free business cards, but I wasn’t thrilled about having their logo on the back.

But I did some investigating anyway, and I was quite pleasantly surprised. VistaPrint actually has business cards that don’t include their logo, and they come in a variety of types.

Even more interesting is that VistaPrint offers more than just business cards. Just some of their products include brochures, postcards, pens, hats, rubber stamps, announcements, invitations, checks, and even design services.

The process to order items and personalize them for your business is very simple, and I suggest giving it a try to see if you like it. Just click on the ad in my sidebar under “Essential Writer’s Tools” to go directly to their site.

I ordered their free sampler pack just to check out their products even more. It didn’t disappoint. I got to see their paper marketing materials in the flesh, and the quality was amazing for the price. I signed up to receive their special offers, so I’ll have coupon codes from time to time. Also, VistaPrint runs a lot of specials, so you can often get products for free or really cheap.

One of the recent coupon codes is for their save the date announcements. Freelancers can use the announcements to let clients know about upcoming specials, or even as simple follow-up notes. If you’re interested, try the coupon code BlogAnnounce10 to get 10 free announcements when you checkout.

Marketing is the meat and potatoes of owning a successful business. What products have you found useful for your marketing campaigns?

Years ago I realized I was a good writer. I would say it started in elementary school when my teachers always told me how creative I was. In college, I helped friends edit their papers, and even though my degree was in biology, my first job after college was as an assistant editor.

So it makes sense that I’m pursuing a writing career.

More recently, I’ve figured out that I prefer writing for businesses. I write website content, newsletters, press releases, sales letters, correspondence, brochures, and more. Basically, I’m a freelance commercial writer.

A new freelance writer asked me to recommend some books that helped me get started. There are two that I found particularly useful for commercial writing, and they’re both by the same author.

Peter Bowerman’s books include The Well-Fed Writer and Back for Seconds. The best thing about his books is that they give explicit instructions for building your commercial writing business. It’s not a bunch of, “Look how great I am!”

Peter’s first book, The Well-Fed Writer, is very specific but primarily based on the way Peter built his business. It’s great for learning about an effective business model. When I followed his directions, I definitely made progress.

His second book, Back for Seconds, includes lots of examples from other writers’ experiences. You’ll learn from people from all walks of life who are running their own commercial writing businesses.I also appreciate that Peter responds to his email messages even though he’s clearly very busy. He has a new book coming out soon, and I’ll be sure to let you know what I think of it.

In the meantime, if you’re serious about a freelance writing career, grab these books and get to work. I pick them up whenever I need a boost.

November was my month for marketing my freelance writing business. 

I did a bit of cold emailing (as time permitted, considering I have a very busy toddler), and I have a few warm leads as a result.

I also started a new blog, Marana Unwrapped, both because it’s an interesting topic and it’s a more specific niche. (I consider Crayon Writer to be a more personal blog that also has some universal appeal.) Hopefully the exposure in my community will help me gain more clients, and the niche should attract advertisers also.

So December is my month of looking for freelance gigs, while I also continue looking for another day job.

What’s a freelance gig? Projects I find not by marketing myself, but by perusing freelance sites. Right now I only use Craigslist. With access to cities across the country (and the world, if I choose), I should be able to find some nice side work.

If you’re a single parent or sole breadwinner, how did you get started with your freelance business, and how do you keep on keepin’ on?

Is your blog a business? Would you like it to be?

If you answered “Yes” to either question, then you’ve probably heard about Yaro Starak’s Blog Mastermind program.

I haven’t joined it yet, but I did read his free Blog Profits Blueprint (chock full of lots of useful, practical information–a must read).

What is Blog Mastermind, and how does it work?

See for yourself. The Blog Mastermind program is focused on marketing. What I like most about Yaro’s style is that he’s not just writing to fill up space. He isn’t just saying, “Marketing is great. It’s important. You’ve really got to do it. Yep. Marketing. I love marketing.”

Yaro’s program actually gives an action plan, and includes specific steps to take (homework), gives real life examples, and even tells you what he doesn’t have much experience with.

I’ve bought an ebook or two that filled up pages with useless, obvious information that was clearly hypothetical. The free Blog Profits Blueprint is more than just theory and ideas.

If you’re serious about making good money from your blog, read the Blog Profits Blueprint. If it resonates with you, then the Blog Mastermind program may be just what you’re looking for too.

If this isn’t your first time visiting Crayon Writer, I would like to extend an invitation for you to subscribe.

Most of you are bloggers, so you’re familiar with subscribing to blogs.

But in case you aren’t, take a look at the pretty orange square thingee under my picture to the right. Either click on it to subscribe in a “reader,” or put your email address in the box below it. It’s completely free.

(To learn more about readers, check out Yaro Starak’s post about rss feeds.)

Either way, you’ll get updates from my site on a regular basis, saving you the trouble of traipsing over here to see if I’ve written anything new.

I didn’t know I had it in me (or I forgot), but I recently increased my MyBlogLog community by over 100 in just a few days (in response to a contest).

So now I’m going to challenge myself to increase my blog’s subscribership by at least 50 before Christmas.

I’ll start with repeat visitors, like you. Subscribe for a month, and if you don’t find my blog useful, feel free to unsubscribe (hopefully you’ll let me know what went wrong).

For those of you who are already subscribers, thank you so much! Please let me know how I’m doing, and wish me luck on my challenge.

I mentioned recently that I’ve been meeting lots of new people on MyBlogLog. While I haven’t noticed an increase in subscribers, I have noticed some new networking opportunities.

One member, Vince, just launched a site called Bloggers Showroom, where blogs can be reviewed by readers. I think it’s a great chance to get exposure for your site, and also get much-needed feedback.

Submitting your blog is free, so why not take advantage of it? While you’re there, review my blog so I can find out how I’m doing.

Vince’s site also has a journal, so you can follow his progress through his own words. Though I haven’t been blogging for long, I have a feeling this site will do very well.

Is it just me, or is marketing and sales terrifying? I know I talk about it a lot, and I’m not so bad at it when I put my mind to it. But there’s something scary about actually getting out there.

The Golden Pencil, once again, wrote a very interesting post about the fear of success and/or money. I’m pretty sure this is my problem with marketing.

One way I’m working to overcome this is by using online networking. MyBlogLog, which is having a contest, is a great way to meet new people.

I’m also starting a new blog, both to serve a need in my town, and to market my business.

Are you afraid of success or money? What steps are you taking to push past the fear?