I often have the opportunity to meet new medical writers, and their most frequent concern is that they don't like to/want to/have the money to [insert your choice here] market themselves to prospective clients. In one breath, they admit they hate to market; in the next they lament their lack of projects and, as a result, their limited income.
In our first book I made a statement that if you have the skill to sell yourself and you can string words together to make sentences, you can probably get hired in this industry. I've encountered a lot of mediocre writers in the business who make an adequate living despite their mediocrity. Why? Because they're experts at selling the sizzle since they don't have the steak.
That doesn't mean that every medical writer--or
any writer, for that matter--has to be an expert marketer. Few people I know
enjoy pounding the pavement and soliciting work from strangers. But in today's
environment, marketing is no longer limited to selling yourself via cold calls
and face-to-face networking. Nor does marketing have to be a high-budget item.
Here are some no-cost or low-cost options you can use to establish and later
grow your writing business.
- Websites: In my opinion, all writers need websites to showcase their skills and backgrounds. At the very least, establish a site that has samples of your work prospective clients can view. Be careful, though, not to put anything on your site that is protected by confidentiality agreements. Some Internet service providers offer websites for free. You can also buy domains for as low as $1.99, with monthly hosting fees as low as $4.99 per month. To achieve a fairly high Google page ranking, however, the content on your site must change on a regular basis. If you want to drive people to your site, but can't commit to updating it frequently, consider blogging.
- Blogs: Blogging is a great way to
establish yourself as an expert in a particular niche and also offers an
opportunity to polish your writing skills. WordPress, Blogspot, and Blogger (a
Google tool) are popular platforms where you can set up blogs for free. To
attract and keep readers, though, you need to blog on a regular basis, about
three times a week, at a minimum. Along with frequent blogging, adding pictures
and graphics to your blog is another way to increase your Google page
ranking.
- Twitter: At this moment, Twitter is the
social networking darling. If you're not Twittering, you could be missing out
on potential future customers. The challenge of Twitter is to give your
followers value in short snippets of no more than 140 characters. I've found
the best use of Twitter is to become a filter, updating my followers on topics
of interest in the field. To get followers, you have to follow people. Use the
"advanced search" function to find Twitterers in your area of interest, follow
them, and comment on their posts. You can find me at
http://twitter.com/cyndyandbrian.
- LinkedIn: What MySpace is to preteens and teens, LinkedIn is to the business world. And like MySpace, it's free. Complete your profile, upload a real picture, and start inviting people to become a connection. But don't stop there. LinkedIn has hundreds of groups. Search out and join those in your areas of interest. I belong to several, including Medical Marketing and Communications, Technical Writers, Content Wrangler, Continuing Medical Education, and several more. After becoming a group member, start a discussion or respond to discussions posted by other members. I've made some great connections this way.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cyndy Kryder is a freelance medical writer with more than 16 years of experience. She is the coauthor of The Accidental Medical Writer and the author of NUDE MICE and Other Medical Writing Terms You Need to Know. You can reach her at http://www.theaccidentalmedicalwriter.com
