Editorial self-promotion – banish the worry

While I was writing the December and January articles for my column on An American Editor, I kept thinking about the worry that plagues some editorial business owners when promoting their businesses:

• Worry that her efforts will be perceived as inappropriate (e.g. she wants to send chocolate to an independent author, but what if her client is allergic to it?)
  
• Worry that her efforts will be perceived as offensive (e.g. she wants to send a Christmas card to one of her project managers, but what if it turns out that he’s a Hindu?)
  
• Worry that her efforts will be perceived as unnecessary (e.g. she wants to send a printed promotional postcard to an institution, but what if its social responsibility policy means it runs a paperless office?)
  
• Worry that her efforts will be perceived as tacky (she wants to send a branded mug to a writer client, but what if he doesn’t like taking hot drinks in anything other than fine china?)
  
• Worry that her efforts will be perceived as unwelcome (she wants to send a letter and CV to the editorial manager of a project management agency, but what if the manager is really busy and her correspondence annoys him?)
• Worry that her efforts will make her look desperate (she wants to call up a particular publisher and ask to take their proofreading test, but what if the PM thinks that direct contact is indicative of a desperate and inexperienced newbie with no secure client base?)

This kind of worry can paralyse the freelancer to the point where she’s wary of doing any marketing at all in case her efforts are perceived negatively.

It’s good to self-promote
If you’re a self-conscious self-promoter, consider these basic facts:

• All businesses should have a marketing strategy
  
• All successful businesses do have a marketing strategy
  
• Clients expect skilled service providers to contact them
  
• If you don’t make yourself interesting and discoverable to potential clients, they won’t know that you can solve their problems
  
• People enjoy receiving well-planned, interesting materials and goods from relevant others

Perception versus reality
Let’s take a look at the six scenarios presented at the top of the article and consider the worrier’s worst fears against the reality of what will probably happen. The easiest way to do this is to ask yourself how you’d react if you were the recipient.

• The inappropriate gift: Imagine receiving chocolate from one of your clients. They send it to you as a thank-you for doing a tremendous job of editing their novel. You don’t like chocolate. Or you’re allergic to chocolate. Or you’re not eating chocolate at the moment because you’re trying to reduce your weight. What’s your response? Do you think: “Ugh. Thanks for nothing. That’s useless to me.” Or how about: “Oh, how utterly charming. That’s made my day! My work must really have made a difference, and there’s a good chance this client will want to work with me again. I’m going to give this chocolate to my partner – he loves chocolate!” Most recipients of gifts will appreciate the sentiment. If, after putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, you are still worried that your gift might offend, choose another gift. Common sense should prevail – T-shirts are unlikely to upset anyone, particularly if they are sourced locally, whereas underwear is a no-no. Most people like chocolate (or know someone who does), whereas other foodstuffs, such as meat, can be problematic. Alcohol is best avoided unless you know your client’s preferences. (See also Rich Adin’s “The Business of Editing: Thinking Holidays” for some good-sense guidance on gifting.)

• The offensive card: My 20+ years of working in publishing lead me to believe that this industry is populated by people who are open minded and ready to not just tolerate but actually celebrate difference. I suspect that most of our clients would accept with good grace a card with a message that didn’t match their own belief system. I certainly would. If I was in my customer’s shoes, I’d appreciate the fact that someone had taken the time to think about me. Common sense should prevail here, again, though. Why risk offending even one person when there are simple ways of getting around the problem? Keep your messages neutral when sending cards, unless you know your clients well. I think that most people will accept holiday cards in the spirit in which they were given, but no one will be offended by being offered sentiments such as “Season’s greetings”, “Peace and good health”, and “Happy holidays”.
  
• The unnecessary product: If you try your best to run a paperless office because you want to reduce the amount of trees that are felled to make paper products, what’s your response when you receive something made of paper? I do think that sustainable forestry is important, and most of my clients print their books and journals on paper that is certified by the UK’s Forest Stewardship Council, or recycled, or both. We can do the same with our marketing materials. If you’re worried about causing offence, take a little extra time to source your printed products from companies that are committed to sustainability.
  
• The tacky promotion piece: What would you do if you like your tea in Royal Doulton’s finest bone china cups, and a client sent you a branded mug? Would you say to yourself: “Yuck, how tacky. I won’t be putting my chai in that!”? Or would you once more be delighted that your client had thought about you, and taken the time and invested the money to send you this mug? Me, I’m happy to drink tea in a mug, but even if I wasn’t I’d be chuffed to bits with the gift and use it as a pen holder!
  
• The unwelcome communication: Imagine that a project management agency sends you an email asking you whether you're available to take on an indexing project for them. You’ve never worked for them before. Do you wonder at the cheek of this person for contacting you when you’re really busy? Or do you consider this an exciting opportunity and potential new work stream? The point here is that you’re being contacted by someone who can offer you something relevant – you need indexing work; they have indexing work. It’s the same the other way around – the agency needs indexers; you have indexing skills. If the communication is relevant to both parties, it’s not going to be unwelcome. If your potential client is busy, they might not respond quickly, but they won’t damn you for getting in touch in the first place.
• The desperate phone call: Imagine a publisher calls you and asks you whether you'd like to complete their proofreading test. Would you assume that they must be really desperate to acquire new freelancers, otherwise why on earth would they be interested in you? That certainly wouldn't be my perception. I'd assume that the PM had seen my website, or I'd been referred to them by a fellow publishing professional, or they'd found my details in an editorial directory, and that they were impressed by what they saw and wanted to add me to their bank of editorial suppliers. Organizations that hire editorial freelancers on a regular basis are always looking to expand their bank of suppliers. Their production schedules can be punishing and they don't want to incur delays simply because they can't easily source the skills they need. During your conversation with them, you can pitch the fact that you have the experience necessary to solve their problems. You'll look like someone who knows what your skills are and why these are relevant to the client, and is able to make business-centred decisions about who you want to work for. That's not desperation; that's professionalism.
  

In all of the above scenarios, the worry is unfounded because either (1) the worrier’s view on how their promotional efforts will be perceived is unlikely to match the reality of how the recipient will respond, or (2) there is a way of tweaking the approach that will resolve the problem.  

A final reminder ...
If you’re a self-conscious self-promoter, put yourself in your customer’s shoes and ask yourself whether your worries are founded on myth or reason. Remind yourself that:

• All businesses should have a marketing strategy
  
• All successful businesses do have a marketing strategy
  
• Clients expect skilled service providers to contact them
  
• If you don’t make yourself interesting and discoverable to potential clients, they won’t know that you can solve their problems
  
• People enjoy receiving well-planned, interesting materials and goods from relevant others

Even if you still feel worried, promote your business anyway. None of the targets of your marketing will know that you’re fretting. They won’t see your hand shake as you place your leaflet and CV in the mailbox; they won’t know that your nerves nearly made you drop that branded mug; they won’t see your red face when they open your sustainably printed, neutrally messaged holiday card. They’ll be too busy with doing their jobs, reading your letter, evaluating your CV, marking your test, pinning up your flyer, or fighting with their colleagues over the chocolate you sent! 

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About Louise Harnby
Louise Harnby is a professional proofreader, the curator of The Proofreader's Parlour, and the author of Business Planning for Editorial Freelancers and Marketing Your Editing & Proofreading Business. Visit her business website at Louise Harnby | Proofreader, follow her on Twitter at @LouiseHarnby, or find her on LinkedIn.

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