Being in business for yourself means a whole lot more than doing the work, keeping the books, and insuring that the money keeps coming in.  These are tough economic times, and I think everyone is struggling to keep things going.  Perhaps, like me, some of your clients have made drastic cuts in the amount of content they need provided.  These are belt-tightening times, and the little people are always the first to go, so why should I be any different than anyone else?  In an email from an editor the other day, I was told that a client I provide content is cutting way back, and will be attempting to get more bang for their buck for what they already have.  Well and good, I told him, but have you looked at Google Analytics lately?  The answer was not what he wanted to hear, I think.

Some of my clients give me access to GA so that I can get an idea of what people are looking for, and to see what is hot, so that I can make suggestions on what would be pertinent to write on.  I make good use of a lot of things like this on the web.  Google Hot Trends come to mind, as does eBay Pulse.  I am a big fan of stats, and try to optimize my personal sites around those figures.  I digress.  The site in question has lost over 1,000 page views a day.  Time on page, which I feel is a very important factor, has dropped down to around 30 seconds.  This tells me a lot of things. The site, which is big on how to articles and tutorials, is sinking into a sea of ho hum.  No one cares so much about them any longer.  The reason why?  Someone in marketing felt that the amount they paid for content was too large a figure.  Consequently, guidelines were cut back to a point where any article submitted to them was mostly filler and fluff, and links to pages that gave the real content that the readership was looking for.   If you are a writer, and try to tell a marketing type this information, they of course always know better.  It remains their problem.

Am I, like so many others, hurt by the economic downturn?  Of course I am!  Anyone that is in my line of work is surely feeling the pain, and if they are not admitting it, they aren’t being very truthful about how they do business.  I admittedly have lost several thousand dollars worth of business a month.  Although that puts a bit of a crimp in my lifestyle, it hasn’t driven me to ground.  If anything, I feel it has been a blessing.  When one door closes, another opens.

I have established new contacts and colleagues that I never had before.  They have opened my eyes to other streams of income that are helpful, indeed.  I have revisited Twitter, which has led me to other income streams, and introduced me to not only my peers but other interesting people as well.   I have started re-investing in my education, which has put more money into the coffers.  A simple package I bought for 17 bucks is making a real presence known in my income stream. The tactic is a simple one that any person with little or no marketing experience can utilize.  No website needed, and the actions are quick and simple.  I never would have given it a passing thought if I hadn’t had the need to diversify.

I blog more, and I make more social contacts.  It helps in the branding, in the visibility, and has led to more work.  All from spending a few free moments to look a little further into the many things you can do online.  I have preached about Twitter before, but let me say that if you are not utilizing this potent social network, you are losing out.  Don’t go into Twitter with high expectations.  I think a lot of people do just that.  They think because they see people like Chris Brogan and Willie Crawford on there, that they can instantly become buds with them.  That is not why I pursue Twitter. I do so for one thing - information.  The leads, pertinent articles and contacts I have made are priceless.   I think that you can overdo it on Twitter.  I see all these people that are supposedly making a ton of money popping tweet every 3 minutes.  I have to ask myself if they have so much time to tweet, how are they making any money?

The other thing that has made this good for me is more personal. I have time for my mini doxie now, and my wife enjoys my company more.  I am not under the gun to constantly produce. I still make a decent income, and know that it will improve over time.  And the improvements will be such that it will give me more time for my own life.  Today is a good example of that.  I sat here in the office working on a current assignment, and saw that it was such a warm beautiful day that I should go for a walk.  That is what I did. I came home full of fresh air and sunshine, said hello to my business colleagues up and down the street, and had a wonderful time.  I sat on a bench in front of our brick & mortar, and did not feel guilty about taking a few minutes off.  It was then that I came to the realization that life is not about how many dollars I can stack up, but about social networks, family and friends.  I felt so good I spent an hour talking to my most favorite daughter in law, who is giving birth in a few short weeks. I am blessed…

Peace,

Charlie~

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