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CREATIVE SMALL BIZ

Turn your talent into a flourishing business.

For freelance writers and other creative professionals.

Published monthly, on the 15th of each month.

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Issue 99: November 15, 2004

Read this issue online at:

http://www.digital-e.biz/newsletter.html


Published and edited by Angela Booth


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*** OUR BLOGS ***

NEW, DAILY WRITING NEWS, VIEWS AND TIPS:

Angela Booth's Writing Blog:

http://copywriter.typepad.com/copywriter/


Digital-e News (small business):

http://www.digital-e.biz/blogger/index.html


Pro Write Blog (news about the Pro Write site):

http://www.livejournal.com/users/prowrite/

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(For instructions to join or leave the ezine's mailing list,
scroll to the end.)
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=> In this issue:

1. News! :-) (EDITORIAL)

2. Cold, hard fact: market regularly, or close your business
(ARTICLE)

3. Holiday Season Gift: our Digital-e ebook special


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1. Editorial: News!

The holiday season is almost upon us. This means sending cards
and gifts to your favourite clients, starting now. :-)

We're all busy at this time of the year. In Australia, the
December/ January period is the summer holiday season, so
magazines shove their deadlines forward so that issues can get to
the printers before the printers close for the break.

When everything's running on fast-forward, it's hard to remember
marketing. However, you MUST remember marketing every day. I
hope that our article this month helps to explain why this is
important.

=> Our new blog

If you haven't visited our latest blog, it's at:

Angela Booth's Writing Blog:

http://copywriter.typepad.com/copywriter/


Drop by and leave a comment on one of the posts. :-)

Enjoy this issue. Please let me know if you have a topic you'd
like addressed in CSB in 2005.

All best wishes

Angela

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2. Article: Cold, hard fact: Market regularly, or close your
business

By Angela Booth


Copyright C 2004 by Angela Booth. All rights reserved.



Marketing is the lifeblood of your business. This can be hard to
remember when you're working steadily. When you've got a stream
of incoming work, doing the work seems to be of utmost
importance. Why bother to tout for more business, when you've
already got more than you can handle?

You have to keep in mind however, that everything changes, all
the time. No matter how busy you are, you must make time each day
for marketing.

How much time?

If you're moonlighting in your own business, make sure that you
spend a couple of hours each week marketing. If you're working in
your own business full-time, spend an hour a day marketing. Every
day.

Almost everything you do counts towards marketing, so this is
easy. Here's what I call marketing:

* Research on the Web: create a GOAL for work first, don't browse
aimlessly, and stay out of chat rooms;

* Mini-proposals: these are ideas I sent to current clients, and
to clients I'd like to attract;

* blogging;

* phone calls: catch-up calls to clients I haven't heard from in
three months, and cold calls.


I like to vary my marketing efforts, because I get bored easily
:-)

Remember that all marketing takes around 90 days to start to pay
off, so if you're sending out 500 mailers today, you won't see
the results for a while.

Remember to follow up on activities like mailing out news
releases and brochures. Here's an article that will help ---

http://www.digital-e.biz/articles/art_marketing10.html


=> Keep a positive mental attitude --- enthusiasm is vital

Even more important than doing at least one marketing task each
day is your attitude. I know it's hard to stay positive when
you're just starting your creative business. Please remember that
it takes at least three months for your consistent marketing
efforts to start paying off.

Realise: your efforts will pay off. And the more effort you put
into marketing, the more they will pay off. You just need to stay
excited and positive while it seems as if nothing is happening.

Remember that marketing is a numbers game. If you've ever done
anything like door to door sales, or telemarketing, you know that
this is a simple fact. The more people you contact, no matter
what your offer is, the more business you will get.

So please, at those times when you think that all your phone
calls, faxes and letters and are dropping into a deep dark hole,
don't despair. You will get a response. Then you'll be worried
that you don't have the time to do all the work.

Make a note in your diary or Personal Information Manager: MARKET
DAILY.

Do it. :-)
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Please note, we're having problems with sp#mmers spoofing our
digital-e email addresses. The easiest way to make contact with
us is to use the online feedback forms on Digital-e and Pro Write
until the situation resolves itself.

Please contact us at:

http://www.digital-e.biz/feedback.html

http://www.prowrite.biz/contact.htm

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3. Our Gift to you this holiday season :-)

The holiday season starts early at Digital-e and Pro Write. :-)

Seasons Greetings from Birgitt and Angela. Let us help you to
kick your writing career into overdrive in 2005 with our
fantastic holiday season ebook special:

http://www.digital-e.biz/specials.html

Until January 6, 2005 all four of our ebooks are reduced as our
holiday gift to you.

Buy one, or buy them all. Make 2005 your best writing year EVER.
Remember, each ebook is a complete writing manual, with
information you can use, right now, to help your writing career.

You'll find information about the books on Digital-e Specials'
page. Click "more info" to get complete details on each book.

However, YOU MUST ORDER FROM THE SPECIALS PAGE to get the books
at the Holiday Season price, so please make sure that you click
back to the Specials page to order.. :-)

http://www.digital-e.biz/specials.html

Happy Holidays! Seasons Greetings to you and yours, and all best
wishes from

Birgitt and Angela


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Creative Small Biz: Copyright C 2004 by Angela Booth. All rights
reserved.



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Creative Small Biz

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