You’ve heard of it. You may have even experienced it. Maybe you’re feeling it right now.
The dreaded imposter syndrome.
That place where many of us fall apart.
Especially when you’re just starting out, the uncertainty of what comes next and how to get there can be relentless.
It shouldn’t be that way… You know you can do this.
You’ve taken the classes. You’ve mastered the knowledge and the skills. Heck, you’ve even got the certificates to prove you know what you’re doing.
But there’s that nagging little voice tearing your confidence apart.
The conventional way to combat this is — you guessed it — through samples.
And sure, you’ve got your coursework samples. But you might still feel crippled that you don’t have a track record with actual clients.
Which leads to the proverbial question…
How do you get real-world samples without clients?
And how do you get clients without those samples?
Even if you do have experience writing for businesses, what’s one of your biggest concerns? That’s right…
Getting more clients.
And getting better clients.
Without the uncomfortable marketing tactics.
Here’s an idea…
Why Not Consider Starting a Blog?
What better way to show your ideal prospects exactly who you are, what you know, and what you can do for them… all in a very un-marketing-yourself kind of way.
Here are some key benefits…
You Get to Write About Your Own Interests
As Mark Twain said… “Write what you know.”
Of course, your posts will be from a professional perspective. And they’ll be written on the topics that are important to your industry.
But within that, you call the shots.
Words come more easily when you write content you enjoy. And how better to demonstrate your qualifications than right from your own comfort zone?
With your own blog, you write about the things you want to write about. You choose the subject, the voice, and the conclusion. You are in complete control.
You Build Those Elusive Real-World Samples
As you publish each blog post, you will also create a real-world writing sample.
You will cover your niche, from within your niche. Which is the exact place your prospects and their customers are gathered.
Now, you can easily show them you’ve got the skills to be conversational, educational, and persuasive… and on the very topics they will need you to be conversational, educational, and persuasive.
And doesn’t that hit right at the core of the ‘pick yourself’ initiative? If you haven’t heard of it, pick yourself is all about the concept of creating your own opportunities.
Keep this in mind: Ben Affleck and Matt Damon didn’t write Good Will Hunting to win an Academy Award for writing. They created the script to provide themselves with acting jobs.
When you start a blog within your niche, that’s precisely what you’ll do. You will create a platform to showcase you.
You Will Establish Authority
Old-school journalists don’t like this, but blogs have authority these days. They’ve become the newspapers and magazines of our time. With your own blog, you’re now the editor-in-chief of your niche’s up-to-date source of information.
Demonstrate that you not only know how to write but that you have the knowledge in your industry to educate and entertain others. The exact qualities your prospects are looking for.
You Will Prove Your Marketing Skills
Pick a product in your niche. Perhaps even a product sold by your ideal client. Write an in-depth review of that product on your blog. Rinse and repeat.
You’ll prove to your prospects that you can write persuasively about their brands.
You Can Make Some Affiliate Sales Too
As long as you’re writing reviews, and discussing products in your niche, see if you can find some related merchandise that offers affiliate relationships.
For example: Let’s say you write for the foodservice industry. And one of your prospects manufactures commercial ice makers.
A related post might be a review of inline water filter kits. Sign up for an affiliate program with Amazon, waterfilters(dot)net, or Sears. Then anytime someone makes a purchase through your review, you’ll earn a commission.
Not only will you create persuasive writing samples, but you might even make some affiliate sales too. After all, that’s the point of your writing business… to put money in your pocket!
And Best of All… Confidence
Last… and above all else in importance… the best reason to have your own blog is to bring about the cruel death of imposter syndrome. When you have your own blog, you no longer doubt your value.
You have writing samples in your niche.
You have authority in your niche.
You have product sales in your niche.
You have a track record.
You are a premier writer for the B2B market in your industry.
And you have the website to prove it.
Now when you reach out to prospects, you’ll do it with strength and composure instead of fear or insecurity. You may even have clients coming to you.
And at the end of the day, isn’t that your goal? To be positioned as a skilled, knowledgeable expert in your field.
To have a thriving business through proof and confidence.
And to have clients coming to you because they already know you’re the solution to what they need.
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