If you are using a Facebook Page to market your freelance writing business (and you should be!) you need to make the most of it.  Getting people to like your page can be difficult but having a friendly welcome page that says a little bit about who you are and encourages people to like your page can help.

There are a lot of ways you can create a nice Welcome Page for your Facebook Page but most of them are pretty hard if you don’t have any skills in graphic design.  Or, you can hire someone to make one for you but that can cost a lot of money.  Me?  I like to find ways to do things myself that are not typically how they are done.  I use the skills that I already have to think outside the box.

One thing I am good at is making nice PowerPoint slides.  And I can make a picture of them using the Snipping Tool that comes with my computer.  Once you  have that, it is just a matter of storing it somewhere and knowing the code.

If you’d  like to try it yourself, check out this video:

Create a Friendly Welcome Page for Your Facebook Page is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

Why not subscribe to the newsletter and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?

So, since I’m kind of in the middle of stuff right now and working on a better blog post, I thought I’d bring you some awesome videos from YouTube.  I personally love YouTube but I don’t get over there nearly as often as I should.  There’s a lot of good stuff over there!

So check out some of these videos:

Search Algorithms Blow Chunks

(Elise is a pretty funny gal – follow her on Twitter or check out her blog Elise’s Review – “Out of the Box” Ideas & Colorful Opinions on Smart eMarketing and Trendy Technology)

Make Money Blogging? In Your Dreams…

(Ana Hoffman is hot these days and you see her all over the blogosphere producing great content. Find out what she’s up to by following her on Twitter or visit her blog at Traffic Generation Cafe)

LinkedIn Profile Tips

(You would have missed the webinar that went with this but still relevant info. I always expect good info from Michelle Scism. You can follow her on Twitter or visit her blog, Decisive Minds)

And I can’t leave out my own videos. This is one that you might find helpful…

Finding Images on Google

What are you watching these days?

What I’m Watching On YouTube is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

Why not subscribe to the newsletter and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?

If you are a freelance writer you’ve likely debated whether or not it is worth your time to get involved with social media like Facebook and Twitter.  And I understand.

It is soooo easy to get carried away and waste time from your day.  It is so easy to become unproductive.  But I have to tell you that it does take time.  You can’t just blast away going on Twitter for an hour or two hours a day for a week at a time and then lay off and expect to get results.  But there is a secret to making it work for you.  Want to know what it is?

Then watch this video:

The Social Media Secret for Freelance Writers is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

Why not subscribe to the newsletter and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?

Do you like presents?  Like FREE stuff?  I have to admit that I am a sucker for free stuff and when they come from some of the talented ladies that are associated with this I jump at it.

Small Biz Christmas is something you don’t want to miss out on.  Well, since the gift giving doesn’t start to till the 19th I’m not totally sure but the ladies that are supplying the gifts are some of the most professional and talented women on the net.  Everything I’ve gotten from them in the past has been immensely helpful so I have no doubt that this will be, too.

If you want to give your business a boost in 2011 then check this out:

Check This Out if You Like Presents! is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

Why not subscribe to the newsletter and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?

Every day that I check in at Social Media Examiner (and this is one site that I do check every day) I find something worth reading.  I’m especially a fan of Mari Smith and bought the book Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day
just because she is a co-author and I knew it would  be good (it was!).

I’ve been wanting to use more video in my blog and on my Facebook Page and for YouTube but I wasn’t happy with the screencasting software that I was using so I avoided it.  Now, thanks to Mari Smith and Social Media Examiner, I have the perfect software.

I chose to go with Jing Pro because of the formats that it allowed and because you can implement your webcam while doing a screencast video.  It’s pretty cool.  I’m going to do one for here very soon – just trying to decide on a topic.  If you have any suggestions feel free to leave them in the comments.

Meanwhile, check out the video that got me thinking:

Want to Use Video in Your Social Marketing – Mari Smith Tells You How is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

Why not subscribe to the newsletter and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?

Adrienne Smith gives some great advice on finding ideas for writing content and finding ideas. One of her suggestions is to brows through EzineArticles and I’ve used that trick myself several times. There are lots of other places where you can find ideas online, too.

I use YouTube (the second biggest search engine!) often to find ideas for blog posts, for articles, and for other content that I need to write.

Pat Flynn from the Smart Passive Income blog suggested using Amazon for ideas of things to write about. I can’t remember if it was in a video, a blog post, or in his newsletter, but he suggested using the books that offer a preview to the table of content.

Where do you get ideas for writing content?

Find Ideas for Writing Content is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

Why not subscribe to the newsletter and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?

We all get it once in awhile don’t we.  Writer’s block – the thing all writer’s fear most.  And it always seems to come when we want to write something that most.  We need to get a blog post out or our newsletter is late or something – but that’s when writer’s block peeks out at us.

Take a look at this video though.  The guy makes sense.  Joel Comm – I’d never hear of him until now but he seems to be pretty popular and I like his energy.  He has a blog, too of course.  Find him here.

So, some of the things we can do to get rid of writer’s block:

• Take a walk.
• Change your environment.  Instead of writing in your office, go write outside or in a cafe.
• Go somewhere where there are people.  Go to the mall and people watch – but don’t forget your notepad and pen because I’ll bet anything you’ll get ten ideas for things to blog about.
• Do some housework.  Doing dishes never fails for me – I always get my best ideas when I’m up to my elbows in soap suds.
• Play with your kids.
• Pet your cat or dog.

What do you do to get rid of writer's block? Discuss...

Give Writer’s Block the Boot! is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

Why not subscribe to the newsletter and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?

My office - the desk isn't always this clean but the cat is often there!

One of the things I love about my new house most is the fact that I have an office!  I’ve wanted an office for ages and I’ve tried lots of different ways to create office space in our apartment.

At one time I had a corner desk that I placed in a position that separated me from the living room.  That worked until the desk bit the dust (or felt the heel of my foot as I kicked it to death – it was falling apart anyway!).  I created office space in corners and at the dining table.  Just not the same as having an office though.

Now, we have an office but it is small and my husband and I have to share it so I’ve been looking for creative ways to utilize the space.   Neither of us like those little desks that are so in style now so we have two large desks and not a hell of a lot else right now.

Some things we plan on implementing:

• Closet storage – shelves and places to put things
• Wall shelving
• Storage boxes that look nice
• Desk storage containers

And that’s the most I’ve been able to come up with.  Any ideas you’d like to share with me?  How do you utilize your small office space?

I did come across this video of freelance design writer Allysa Walker (http://www.gelatobaby.com/) and her small space.  She has a Hollywood bungalow with one bedroom and she’s done a great job of the place.  If I was young and single I’d want to live there!

Office Space? Get Creative! is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

Why not subscribe to the newsletter and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?

If you’ve had anything to do with marketing, online or offline, you likely already know that the best way to get the word out about your business is through word of mouth.  And how do you get people to talk about you?  It’s usually through people who have used your services.

The hard part of putting word of mouth into action is that people do not always think to say something good about a business that they have had good service with.  Why?  Because they expect good service.  That’s why bad word of mouth news tends to travel faster.

But you can encourage clients to talk about you!  Ask them for five things after you have done good work for them (which should be always!).

This video from Working Writing Happy Writer (be sure to check out the newsletter) has 5 questions (or favors) that you can ask of your clients:

I’d say that #3 and #5 are my favorites.  #3 is to ask for testimonials.  Ever wonder how other freelancers have all those great testimonials on their sites?  They asked for them!  Clients do not usually think to give them out on their own, but if you’ve done good work for them they are often more than happy to give you a couple sentences.  Make sure you ask if you can use their name and a link to their website to give the testimonial more validity. #5 is to ask them to pass your name along to others that might need your writing services.  Until you ask them they might not even think of that but once they are asked the might remember someone that could use your services.

It can be hard to ask thinks of clients other than your fee but if you’ve done a good job, clients are often more than happy to help you out.  Don’t be afraid to ask – the worst they can say is no!

5 Ways to Make Your Freelance Writing Business Grow is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

Why not subscribe to the newsletter and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?

Are you trying to break into the freelance writing market?  Perhaps trying to get some writing done that is NOT online?  If you are, you may be finding that it can be difficult to get into when you have no credits to your name.  Unlike the online world, having credits and clips can make all the difference between whether you get an assignment or not.

Start by checking out this short video from Anny Wayman of About Freelance Writing. I’ve mentioned Anne Wayman before and if you haven’t checked out her site you should now.  She’s got loads of great advice about writing (both online and offline) and she’s got some great e-books, too.

In this video she talks about getting your first credits by writing for your local/community paper.

Newspapers are not the only place that you can get credits for freelance writing. You can also try newsletters. If you have a lot of experience in a particular industry and have knowledge of something new and interesting, pitch the idea to the editors of an industry newsletter. There are many places that need written content and local businesses are a great place to start.

Have you had success with this? Share in the comments!

Getting Your First Writing Credits is a post from: The Social Freelance Writer.

Why not subscribe to the newsletter and get your free copy of Fire Your Boss! today?