The Chronicles Of A Freelance Email Marketer [Chapter 1]

Welcome to the first chapter of my series on how to become a successful freelance email marketer! I started just like you (or maybe a little bit worse, considering that you are at least reading this beginner’s guide). 

I had a vague idea of what the job entailed and was overwhelmed by all the conflicting advice out there. But through trial and error, I found my footing, and now I want to give back. So here goes!

This guide will cover some fundamentals that’ll get you started on the right foot: setting rates based on your experience, finding clients who are willing to pay for your services, and figuring out how to make sure those clients will be repeat customers.

8 Benefits of Email Marketing | Email Marketing Course (1/63)
Takeaways
– Gain insights into the experiences and challenges of a freelance email marketer.
– Learn about the journey and strategies of a freelance email marketer, providing valuable context for your own endeavors.
– Explore the intricacies of email marketing as a freelancer and discover how it can impact your business growth.
– Understand the potential benefits and pitfalls associated with freelancing in the realm of email marketing.
– Get inspired to navigate the world of freelance email marketing more effectively and make informed decisions for success.

Warning!!! This Article Is Not For Those Who Are Not Willing To Do The Work To Succeed

This article is not for those who are not willing to do the work to succeed. Freelancing requires time, effort, and a lot of hard work. You need to be ready to put in a lot of work and effort to succeed as a freelancer. Freelancers do not get rich overnight. 

They become successful through consistent hard work over the years. Do not expect to get paid right away when starting as a freelancer. It takes time and effort before you start earning money from your freelance work.

Crafting compelling email marketing campaigns is an art that can yield impressive results. Learn valuable insights and techniques in our guide on writing successful freelance email marketing campaigns to engage your audience effectively.

I Hate The Word Freelance But It’s What People Search For

I hate the word freelance. Most of the time people who are using the term are not freelancers. They’re just doing a job that doesn’t have many benefits, they don’t get paid very well, and they’re working for a couple of companies at once. 

The word “freelance” is often used in a negative context. Generally speaking, it means someone who does work but isn’t very good at it and doesn’t have many skills to offer their clients.

You Cannot Find A Crystal Ball To Make Your Decisions, Use Your Brain

You cannot find a crystal ball to make your decisions. If you’ve come to this chapter, then it’s probably because you feel like your career is in the shitter. Maybe that’s not true, maybe you’re doing fine, but gosh darn it I can’t help feeling like my career has been up and down for the past three years. 

In that time, I’ve made some very bad decisions on my own, as well as had some decisions made for me (usually by dropping clients or companies dropping me). As much as we want to believe otherwise, we can’t predict the future. We can’t know what’s going to happen. And when it comes to managing our careers and our lives, that can be a real pain in the ass!

It’s tough being an adult with responsibilities and all of this stuff to do! But we have to make decisions based on what we think is best and if we end up feeling regretful about those decisions later on…well then hopefully next time we’ll be better equipped at making them. You have no control over other people’s decisions, so all you can do is make the best decision you know how to make at the time.

As a freelance writer, incorporating email marketing into your toolkit can significantly enhance your reach and impact. Explore our list of 11 essential email marketing tips for freelance writers to elevate your communication strategies.

Don’t Call Yourself A Freelancer If That’s Just A Plan B, You Won’t Last Long

Be ready to work hard and make sacrifices. If you need a backup plan, there’s nothing wrong with having one but if the idea of freelancing is something that you see as never happening, it’s unlikely that you’ll be successful.

Be careful about what you say to others about your intentions. If someone asks, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and your response is “a freelance email marketer,” they may laugh or roll their eyes at the pointlessness of your dream. 

If this happens (or if someone constantly reminds you that that job doesn’t exist), don’t let them crush your spirit! Remind yourself why this is important to you, and keep going towards your goal no matter what anyone else thinks.

Consider how long it will take for your freelancing career to get off the ground. It may seem like a good idea at first when people are telling you how great it would be to work for yourself, but if it takes years before things start taking off, can you afford that kind of time?

Make sure there’s a steady stream of income coming in while building up your new freelance business on the side. You might think that working from home means wearing sweatpants all day and binge-watching Netflix on the couch but in reality, it might mean working longer hours than ever before (and saving up for eventual downtime). 

Hopefully someday soon we’ll have robots who can do our jobs for us so we don’t have to spend more time working than we’d like until then though I recommend getting into some good books or podcasts to keep yourself entertained during those long hours!

Have A Business Plan And Some Backup Plans

A business plan is paramount if you want to be a freelance email marketer. In no particular order, here are some things your plan should include:

  • A description of your ideal clients and how you will target them
  • Specific goals (e.g., write one new sales letter per month)
  • A list of any specific resources (e.g., software or services) you need to get started
  • Backup plans for each part of your business model, in case anything goes wrong

In addition to business planning, it’s also important to have backup plans for life in general. Being an independent contractor means it’s harder to find someone to cover when you’re sick or injured, which is why it’s a good idea to keep some extra cash stashed away in case of emergencies. 

It’s also important to make sure your kids know who they should call if something happens while they’re at home alone after school; this will help them stay calm and feel safe until help arrives.

Building a successful freelance email marketing business requires a blend of strategic planning and creativity. Discover actionable steps and insights in our comprehensive guide on how to build a freelance email marketing business and establish a thriving venture.

There Are Different Ways To Start, Pick And Execute Wisely

As an email marketing freelancer, there are a few different ways to start. You can be on your own and build your own business. You can also work as a freelancer for other agencies or companies. Another option is to work for an agency as an employee or contractor.

Let’s go through each of these possibilities in more detail: You’re starting from scratch and building your own business. Probably the most difficult path but potentially the most rewarding!

Pick A Niche If You Haven’t Already

It is crucial to find a niche that works for you. I can’t stress this enough, so please don’t skip over it as you are reading this. It will save you precious time and make your life easier throughout the entire process of learning email marketing. Let me run through what an ideal niche looks like (at least from my experience):

  • You are passionate about it
  • You are knowledgeable about it
  • It is profitable
  • You can make a long-term commitment to it
  • You can grow with it
  • You can easily explain it to other people

Do Your Research Before Launching Your Business (And Kids)

Research is one of the most important things you can do before starting your business. It will give you a good idea of what to expect and allow you to learn from others’ mistakes! You may be surprised at how helpful people are when asking for advice or help. Here are some things that helped me get started:

I checked out my competition and saw what they were doing/offering, then tried to figure out ways I could offer something better or different than them. I learned as much as possible about the industry by talking with people who are already in it, reading books, and watching videos online. This took time but was well worth it because now I know how to compete in this space!

Research the legal requirements for your business, especially if you’re going freelance like me there may be taxes due on any income earned through your company (depending on where you live).

Unlock the power of email marketing in boosting referrals and sales for your freelance business. Delve into our exploration of how freelance email marketing can drive referrals and sales to harness its potential effectively.

Invoicing Is One Of The Most Important Parts Of Being In Business

You have to invoice to get paid. It’s as simple as that, and you don’t want this to come across as too much of a process for your clients. There are a few ways you can go about this, but the most important thing is just making sure you’re invoicing your clients and they understand what they’re being charged for.

The easiest way I’ve found is to use an app like FreshBooks or Harvest. They offer free versions so if you’re just starting and aren’t quite ready to make any investments yet, then this is a great option for you. If your client has never used these services before themselves, then there might be a little confusion when the first invoice rolls around so let them know ahead of time what service you’ll be using and how it works! 

You can even send them an example invoice with all the information filled out except their account details so that when it comes time for payment they’re not confused at all by what happened. This is also one of those things where if something doesn’t work well enough change it. This isn’t set in stone because no one knows better than yourself how often need reminders about unpaid work or billing cycles etc.

Track Everything (Even Nose Pickers) And Count Daily, Monthly, And Yearly Numbers

You will need a good spreadsheet to keep track of the results you get from your marketing. This sheet will list all the companies you send emails to and those that respond by opening the email, clicking on a link in the email, or requesting more information (leads). 

The sheet will also show how many emails were sent, opened, clicked and responses received. You can see at a glance if your campaign is working or not. A good spreadsheet template is available for free online that does most of the work for you. Simply download it from Google Sheets and create actions for sending emails; recording responses; setting tasks and reminders; creating reports; checking performance, etc.

Remember to track everything! For example How many email leads are generated related to every subject? How much time did you take per lead? What was your hourly rate? How much money did you make per hour vs how much money did you spend on advertising?

There Are So Many Great Email Marketing Platforms Out There – Check Them All Out

As you can see, these email marketing platforms offer great features and functions that can help your business succeed. It is important to evaluate all of these platforms before making a choice. You first need to consider your marketing needs, the size of your business, and the style of platform you prefer. For example, some platforms have more tools than others. Evaluate each one based on its pros and cons so that you make an informed decision.

In addition to this research, make sure to demo each platform and talk with their sales team about any questions or concerns you may have! If a company offers a free trial period for their software, do not hesitate to take advantage of it. Another thing to consider is if a platform has an integration option with your website or other digital assets (a CRM system). And lastly, just make sure that the platform is easy for you to use so that the transition from one platform to another goes smoothly.

Email marketing has the potential to attract lucrative opportunities, even landing eight-figure clients. Dive into our account of how email marketing led to landing an eight-figure client and learn the strategies that can transform your freelance ventures.

Final Thoughts 

If you’ve made it this far into the article, there’s no doubt you’re now well-versed in the ins and outs of email marketing as a freelance service. You know that for anyone to see success, it’s important to think strategically about your audience and how to best target them; come up with compelling copywriting and design based on careful research; plan out a distribution schedule that makes sense for your business; and always be testing, learning, and improving. Good luck!

Further Reading

If you’re interested in diving deeper into the world of freelance email marketing, here are some additional resources you might find valuable:

Leveraging Email Marketing for Freelancers: Discover how to harness the potential of email marketing to elevate your freelance endeavors. Learn strategies to engage your audience and drive results.

Fiverr Selling Blueprint for Newbie Freelancers: Explore a comprehensive guide on utilizing Fiverr to generate an additional income stream as a freelancer. Uncover tips and tricks to make an extra $500 per month.

Getting Started in Email Marketing as a Freelancer: Are you a freelancer interested in starting your journey in email marketing? This resource offers insights and advice to kickstart your email marketing initiatives effectively.

People Also Ask 

What Is The Difference Between Email Marketing And Marketing Automation?

Email marketing is reaching out to existing customers to try and get them to buy from you again. Marketing automation is creating processes that help you reach out automatically (for example, send a discount code if someone abandoned their cart)

How Do You Write An Email Marketing Plan?

Write down who your audience is, how many emails they receive each week, what they want in an email, where they click on the most, and anything else relevant. Set goals like: “send 4 emails per month” or “get 200 clicks on links inside our emails.” Decide how you will measure success (open rate?), and decide when/how often you’ll send out surveys to your audience to see what they think. Finally, write everything down in a document or spreadsheet so everyone can see it.

What Is A Freelance Marketer?

A freelance marketer is someone who markets companies and brands in a variety of ways on a contract basis, instead of working full-time for just one company. They’re part of the “gig economy,” which means their schedule shifts according to the projects they take on and the time needed to complete them.

Can You Make Money Freelancing?

Most freelance marketers can make enough money to support themselves from their work. That said, it’s important not to expect too much of yourself at first there will be dry spells between jobs, and you’ll likely need to hustle more than usual at the beginning as you build up your portfolio and get used to the project management.

How Do I Get Started As A Freelance Marketer?

One great way is to begin by taking on small projects that aren’t related directly to marketing but can help solidify your skills and experience. (For example, if you’re interested in web design or content writing, try doing some pro bono work for friends or community organizations who could benefit from it.) 

This will give you a chance not only to grow your portfolio but also to gain confidence in managing big tasks on your own time, which makes freelancing much less stressful than many people think it is when they first start.

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