Friday, August 30, 2013

8 Things To Do When Your Writer Quits

Before we begin, let’s set the record straight. If you are a webmaster or ecommerce website owner who cannot write… you need a good content writer. There are some very talented people out there that write wonderful content.

And to keep the balance of the force, there are also some unscrupulous writers that will take your money (usually upfront) through less than dignified means then disappear into the vastness of the World Wide Web. With that said, once you find a talented freelance content writer, hold onto him or her as if they were the last one on the planet.

The good ones are either booked solid for months or have moved on to more gainful endeavors. Even talented content writers you can keep do not remain content writers forever. Just like everything else in life, if someone is good at something, other opportunities will open for them to expand and broaden their horizons.

Woes Of The Site Owner

Unfortunately, you as a site owner have little to no control over when your writer needs to take leave, and it’s almost always in some of the worst scenarios possible. You may be in the middle of a huge marketing or branding campaign that just took off, or you might have a large boost in readership in your blog and require a steady in-flow of content, next few week’s worth.

"I’m leaving for greener pastures" is the last and worst possible thing you could hear at this precise moment. So what do you do?

8 Things To Do Instead Of Panicking

1. Take Affirmative Action

As the Master and Commander your ship, it’s time to take charge. Whatever you do, let it not be panic. Panic, at this point, would not only be counterproductive, it makes things that much worse. It is not the end of the world until the deadline, which means there is still time before the iceberg hits the ship.

If you are in panic mode, get a hold of yourself, then:

2. Hot off the Press

New content writers are pouring onto the Internet each day and the demand is still higher than the supply. The US Labor Statistics department tells us that at least 14 million Americans were self employed in 2012. If even a small percentage of that is in content writing, (And it is) there is one out there for you.

Just stop worrying about getting one and go get one. Just be careful how you go about it. Weeding out the bad from the good is a delicate process.

3. You May Already have A Replacement

Don’t have time to engage someone you can’t risk trusting? Have you spoken to your team or family lately then? Perhaps a friend in the writing business? You will be surprised at how many people you know that write or know someone who writes, dreams of writing, or are pursuing it already.

And you can get an inside look into the personality of new writer, if he or she is someone you can bank on for steady content, right from the horse’s mouth.

4. Go Social

Or you can go social with it. LinkedIn.com is the premier website for getting the word out when it comes to Business to Customer or Business to Business marketing as well as a wonderful brand recognition opportunity. One good content writer and six social media websites can create more buzz about your website than two dozen magazine ads. On LinkedIn, content writers abound.

5. Be my Guest

Guest posting is something that comes in handy from time to time. Put out a call for guest posts. Usually, all the guest blogger wants in return is a link in the content, and another link or two in their bio. Some guest bloggers earn for their submissions but for what it’s worth, you get good content at half the time it takes to find a long term replacement for your writer.

6. Editors are worth their Weight in Gold

If you own an ecommerce website and blog, hiring an editor is a fantastic way to increase your ROI. They will not only ensure your readers see what they need to see, when they need to see it, they also edit the work of your content writers, and can even replace them temporarily. Just make sure not to take advantage of the editor’s writing skills too often.

7. Draw Ideas From The Web

The Internet is a wondrous place. It is filled with all kinds of information on just about every subject you could possibly imagine... including you and your ecommerce endeavors. If your content writer disappears, there is plenty of material on the Internet to pursue and from which to draw ideas.

Don’t however fall into the trap of copying content at liberty. Original content is still gold even in desperate times.

8. Unleash the Writer in You

Have you tried to write your own content? If anyone knows what kind if content you want, it is you. You may not write the best content in the world, but I can guarantee it will not be the worst either. In fact, you may write better than some freelance content writers out there, because no one knows what your readers want better than you.

The End Result

The point of all this is really much simpler than 8 reasons not to panic and how to help yourself. If you panic; nothing gets done. If you need a content writer, do not rush into anything. Take your time and find the one that is right for you. In the meanwhile, follow these simple tips to get through the rough patch and always keep your chin up.

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