Choosing and measuring the marketing channels
Choosing marketing channels involves their financial and time costs, their returns and the combination of tactics a freelance practice maintains.
Channels and their costs
Visibility can come from teaching workshops at association meetings, conferences or clients' premises, presenting research posters and publishing the resulting manuscripts, issuing press kits for newsworthy activities, volunteering on committees, blogging and podcasting. One writer gained unexpected newspaper publicity after a workshop participant followed up and wrote about her experience of stroke. Speaking at seminars, webinars, workshops, schools or colleges may earn a fee or create leads indirectly when unpaid. Articles, blogs and newsletters in publications related to a writer's business and background can build credibility and display writing ability and style.
Paid advertising options include local newspapers in print or online, radio, television, cable, website banners, exhibits at medical conferences and freelance directories; spending should reach potential clients. Other channels include networking, referrals, targeted direct mail, cold sales calls, professional discussion lists and hiring a public relations firm to develop a formal marketing strategy.
In 2019 podcasting offered freelancers a way to connect with prospective clients, provide useful content and increase visibility in an area of expertise. It required consistency, a relationship with listeners and useful content, rather than promising immediate results. At that time few podcasts targeted medical writers, leaving a possible opportunity.
Article syndication
In 2009 article syndication sites accepted free submissions of roughly 500 to 2,000 words for distribution to newsletter publishers, bloggers and others seeking free content. Publishers needed a steady supply of well-written material, while regularly updated high-quality content could improve a website's search ranking. A writer could submit new material or reuse content from a personal blog or website. Turning knowledge from a scientific project about multidrug-resistant bacteria into a consumer article, for example, could demonstrate patient-writing skills or disease-area knowledge.
Submission involved opening an account and pasting or typing the article into a form for review against editorial guidelines. Noncompliant submissions required revision and resubmission; approval took about a week, after which publishers could find articles through keyword or author searches, with selected topical articles featured on the site's homepage. Some sites also provided an expert-author page linking to the contributor's articles.
Writers received no payment and agreed to free distribution, but their byline and website address could appear on hundreds of sites alongside a short biography. Although contracts differed, publishers had to reproduce the whole article, including the biography, and give full credit. Topics ranged from diabetes risk factors and the pharmaceutical industry in the 2009 recession to proposals, slow-paying clients and freelance health-writing jobs.
Return on investment
A simple return measure divides the value of a new client by the money invested in reaching that client; a ratio above 1.0 indicates a positive return. Because many tactics require little money, a review at a chosen point, such as six months, should assess both time and money invested.
A campaign can coincide with a fall in demand: one freelance pursuing international advisory-board meetings in 2007 told clients, advertised in the AMWA directory, met colleagues doing that work and renewed her passport, but obtained no international meetings as the banking crisis prompted companies to cut meetings. Her domestic advisory-board work also dried up. In 2012 an old client eventually offered a meeting in Lima, but she could not tell whether the earlier campaign had contributed to it.
A continuing set of tactics
Marketing should remain a continuous, evolving process rather than end when business cards are printed. Its budget should be factored into current or desired annual income, with 5% of target income offered as an example. Expenses can include society dues and travel, printing, postage, meals and entertainment, client gifts, website and email maintenance and online marketing services.
Marketing Bingo arranges 25 tactics in a five-by-five grid, from the most passive in the first column to the most active in the fifth. The grid can show the current marketing plan, the number of tactics in use and which work best, supporting a decision about whether income goals are being met or tactics should change. The ideal is five tactics across, down or diagonally, with at least five tactics running at any time.
Examples from the five columns include branded promotional giveaways such as pens, sticky-note pads, letter openers, bendable rulers or first-aid kits; signage, press releases and advertisements; cold calls; sponsorship of industry events; and submitting work for awards. Cold calls can produce work years later, and gradual desensitisation may help an introverted freelance become more comfortable making them. Sponsorship should secure acknowledgement in meeting notes, advertisements, banners or publications. Awards should be publicised through the business website, press releases, newsletters and other business or professional-society websites. Marketing can be treated as an experiment: try tactics, keep those that work for the time being, drop those that do not and introduce others for evaluation.
Reported results
A survey of nine successful freelances reported networking at AMWA chapter meetings and the annual conference as the most effective tactic, followed by referrals, repeat business and direct mail. In a 2015 survey of 77 medical writers and editors, word of mouth was the leading source of new clients, with LinkedIn and the AMWA Freelance Directory close behind.
Individual experiences differed in 2015: one writer obtained nearly all clients through direct mail and networking, with three flyers in the first 18 months generating as much work as wanted and two resulting clients still retained 18 years later. Direct mail could target prospects before a network existed or explore particular markets, but required careful prospect research, a developed mailing list, creative copy and good design. A second writer ranked her website first beyond referrals, reporting more than 30 inquiries annually and conversion of at least a third into business; a webinar for continuing medical education professionals also brought several clients and two paid speaking engagements. A third ranked LinkedIn first and networking second, while finding a mailed postcard ineffective.
In 2019 one writer who had built a six-figure business in 18 months through networking and direct mail received most new business through referrals, LinkedIn and the AMWA directory. Direct email took the most effort but allowed her to select prospects and attract new clients when changing work types or replacing lost large clients. Another freelance editor used volunteering, directory listings, LinkedIn and word of mouth, and had needed no website since starting in 1997 because referrals sustained long-term relationships; she planned a website in 2019 to display her portfolio. Presentations on editing and Microsoft Word also brought potential clients to that editor.
EMWA's 2023 freelance business survey reported less use of every advertising channel comparable with 2018. Respondents could select multiple channels, so the following percentages are not shares of a single total.
| Advertising channel | 2023 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|
| Social media, such as LinkedIn | 45.3% | 77.6% |
| Website | 30.5% | 57.3% |
| Professional directories | 19.3% | 44.8% |
| Contact with prospective clients | 19.3% | 35.7% |
| Medical associations or societies | 5.4% | Not offered |
| Print media | 0.9% | 2.1% |
| Other | 1.3% | 7.7% |
| No advertising | 22.0% | 4.9% |
| No response | 29.2% | 0.0% |
The published 2018 questionnaire did not explicitly offer “I don't advertise my business”, although the comparison table reported that response for 2018. Other responses in 2023 named networking and sending marketing materials; in 2018 they included conferences, recruitment agencies, longstanding relationships, word of mouth and writing articles on relevant topics. Asked to choose the greatest influence on new business in 2023, 41.3% selected word of mouth from current or past clients and 17.0% social media or LinkedIn; the figure placed professional platforms at 3%, the EMWA directory and personal websites at 2% each, other influences at 3% and nonresponse at 31%. One possible explanation for less active marketing was that long-term clients and a growing market supplied enough work without active searching.
AMWA's 2019 compensation survey found that 27% of full-time freelances reported marketing as a recurring expense in 2018, including 36% of those under 35 and 25% of those aged 55 or older. These descriptive findings from a convenience sample may reflect the importance of free social-media channels and established writers' personal networks and referrals, rather than paid advertising.