Tag / blogging

by caitlyncallahan14

finding and welcoming new clients

Over the past couple of months, my clients have kept me on my toes with quite a bit of end-of-summer work coming my way. I’ve spent dozens of hours between June and now cranking out content on a variety of topics including personal finance, healthcare, Medicare, job search and career information, travel and more.

While I’ve been busier than ever, it’s been the most exciting and fun time of my freelancing career so far. Plus, not only have I been writing, but I’ve been forced to perfect an even better organization and time management system for myself.

That said, the time has come once again to expand my business. I’m ready to bring more work to Callahan Communication.

If you or someone you know owns a business or works for a company who is in need of content production, freelancers, or contractors for marketing purposes, my Contact Me form is a great place to start! Or, they can send me a private message on Facebook or Instagram @callahancommunication.

I’ve also been working diligently on putting together a services & pricing guide and client welcome packet for prospective and new clients to help ensure we have the best working relationship possible and they get all deliverables they’re expecting.

Read on to learn what you’ll get if you contact me and if you hire me!

what I include in my services & pricing guide

When you contact me to learn more about how we can best work together and what I can bring to your business, I will email or review in person a services & pricing guide. This guide is meant to be a high-level overview of my business and what I offer so that you can make the most informed and best decision for your brand.

my story

I love what I do, and I’ve been doing it for a long time. Here, learn more about me as I introduce myself and my business, including what I value, why I do what I do, and what I hope to do for you. It’s essential that prospective clients know they are working with a person, so I’ll also give you a peek at who I am and what I’m all about.

service packages overview

If you have a general idea of the types of services you’ll need, great! I’ll send you package overviews specific to your needs. If you aren’t sure yet, that’s ok too! You’ll receive summaries of my most encompassing service packages and we can narrow down your options from there.

deliverables

I want to make sure it’s clear what you’ll receive, gain and achieve after working together, so here I’ll outline specific deliverables to each service package. However, I recognize flexibility is key, so once hired, we can work together to clearly outline deliverables tailored to your needs.

portfolio

I want you to feel confident that I’ll bring exceptional work to the table, so here you’ll find information about past clients, as well as links to previous work so you can see for yourself.

client testimonials

And, you don’t have to take just my word for it. Read some testimonials from previous happy and satisfied clients.

processes

When you hire a freelancer or agency, you need to know what to expect. Here, find a general outline of my processes so you know what to expect and when, and to better understand if we’re a good fit to work together.

FAQs

This list of frequently asked questions from clients, and my answers, can help ensure a positive, successful working relationship.

call to action

Ready to learn more? This section outlines all of the ways you can contact me to take the next steps, including scheduling a free consultation, contract and SOW process, and more.

what I include in a client welcome packet

Once you’ve let me know you’re interested in working together, I want to make sure you feel confident and comfortable with your choice. You’ll receive either in the mail, through email, or in person, a client welcome packet guiding your through the most important pieces of working together.

welcome message

You made the right choice by hiring me for your content or digital marketing needs. I’ve spent almost my entire life immersed in the world of content and communication, and want to help business owners be successful through the power of the written word.

services overview

This page summarizes the services/package you’ve hired me for, so it’s clear what is (and isn’t) included. Our formal contract and statement of work will be built off of this information so we are always on the same page and expectations are clear.

communication

I take pride in being available for my clients. I’ll hare with you the best ways to contact me, and how and when I’ll plan to communicate with you.

processes

Here, I’ll be very clear about my process so you’ll know what to expect, including what I need from you, what I’ll deliver, deadlines, and more. This includes the contract, SOW, deliverables, editing processes and more.

I’ll also take time to briefly explain my process for investigating and understanding your brand and business, how I create content that works for you, and what the editing and finalization process entails so you can rest assured you’re receiving exceptional work every time.

guidelines

I want to make sure we both are maximizing our time working together, so I’ll share some guidelines and best practices that may be helpful.

tools & resources

If applicable, I’ll share tools you need to be familiar with, plus links to information, ebooks or other educational or informational tools that may be helpful during our time working together.

FAQs

This list of frequently asked questions from clients, and my answers, can help ensure a positive, successful working relationship.

next steps

I’ll clearly state for you what next steps are, either from you or myself, as well as timelines. I want to make sure you feel confident in moving forward together.

If you’re a freelancer and looking to grow your business, feel free to use my services & pricing guide and client welcome packet outlined here for inspiration for your own brand!

by caitlyncallahan14

one year ago

One year ago today, I was sitting at home, scared, anxious, depressed, and unemployed.

At the beginning of April 2020 I, along with hundreds at my organization and thousands across America, was furloughed.

A year ago, I was probably sitting on my patio on a lawn chair (because I hadn’t bought patio furniture yet), wondering how I was going to pay my bills, still in shock about the furlough situation and unsure about the state of the world. They had told us it could be three months before we got called back. I had just bought a house – how were we going to make ends meet?

I spent the first month crying and worrying, busying myself with unpacking and getting the new house together, and obsessively searching for freelance contracts to help tide us over in the meantime.

I accepted a couple of small contracts in April, and then landed a large contract that made me cry tears of joy. Things started looking up.

By the time May came around, I was getting used to being home. I started to embrace the time I’d been given (for the first time ever) to just enjoy life. I spent hours reading and writing, sitting on my patio and bird watching, and giving myself time to breathe.

By June, I’d thrown myself into the freelance-at-home lifestyle. I’d gotten a true taste of the life I’ve always dreamed about, creating my own schedule each day on my own time, completing work for clients, writing… I had a lifestyle I designed. I could so easily picture how my life would be if I was a full-time freelancer because I’d been living it for two months. I wasn’t balancing a full-time job or other responsibilities (since everything was shut down and we couldn’t leave the house). I was just doing my thing. It was magical.

Honestly, it was hard to go back.

Obviously I was so thankful to return to work, and knew and appreciated how lucky I was considering the thousands that didn’t get to. But I’d had a real taste of my dreams becoming a reality. And I wanted more.

It’s crazy to think about what life was like last year at this time. Businesses shut down, exponential unemployment, the inability to see friends and family, people sick and dying.

But for me, it was also a blessing in disguise. And it gave me the inspiration and motivation to keep building my business. To work hard, crack down, build my book, and write like there was no tomorrow. Because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, and now that I had that taste, I wanted it more than ever.

Last week I wrote about balancing building a business and life, and asked if it was possible to keep living and also build a successful business. I still don’t know the answer. But today, as I sit on my patio, watching the birds, reminiscing on and writing about the past year, I’ve found a newly renewed motivation to keep going.

And I encourage everyone else reading this, whether you’re in the same place as me or you’re miles down the road, to keep going. This year has been hard, but I hope you’ve had time to find yourself, find a new love or passion, grow personally or professionally, read, learn, and do something you enjoy.

Keep doing it. Keep going. Build your lifestyle. Find your passion. And once that happens, don’t let it go.

by caitlyncallahan14

2021 content marketing trends to watch

Empathy. Human. Connection. Transparency. Trust. Authenticity. These are all buzzwords you’ve likely come across when developing your content marketing strategy in the past, but due to the global pandemic and everything else 2020 brought, they will be more important than ever in 2021.

Your content marketing strategy should feed your digital and traditional advertising, social media channels, emails, website and blog. It should showcase who you are as a brand, connect with your audience on a deeper level, and provide value, entertainment and education to your customers and prospects.

Content strategies should be the backbone of marketing plans. Here are a few trends I’ve found to keep an eye on for 2021.

  1. Keep creating

Without content, your business will struggle. It’s an honest fact.

However, many of us are facing challenges we didn’t in past years, like significantly smaller budgets or less manpower. Don’t let those challenges stop you from creating.

If you have the time and money to invest in content, do it. You won’t regret building that into your budget and plan. However, if you don’t, creativity, consistency and authenticity can still go a long way.

  1. Include content in your customer journey

What do you know about your audience? What is their customer journey? Everything you know is likely translated into your marketing plans, and that information is used to create ideal marketing and nurturing campaigns for customers and prospects.

Consumers need you to be where they are when they need you, and each micro-moment is an opportunity for you to use content to move customers through the conversion funnel and customer journey.

Create mobile-first content, lead generation forms and opportunities. Make your content easier to find and navigate. Optimize for local searches and important industry keywords. Try creating content specific to your buyer personas and directed more toward the bottom of the funnel.

And as you do all of that, showcase engaging, entertaining or educational content instead of sales CTAs.

  1. Remarket

We’ve all been to a website, or looked at a product on Amazon, and then seen an ad for the same or a similar product in our Facebook newsfeed. This is a form of remarking, and it should be part of your marketing strategy.

However, consumers are savvy, and they are being more selective about the brands they engage with and purchase from. Your traditional remarking ad may not be enough anymore. Instead, use content to increase brand awareness and keep your product top of mind.

Make your content personalized. Allow the consumer to pick up where they left off. Tie other channel’s such as email, Google ads, social media ads and others together with the personalized content. Make the remarking ads seamless across channels.

  1. Diversify and include

If you have a blog, and that’s been the focus of your content marketing efforts, that’s a great start. However, it may no longer be enough. Diversify your content marketing efforts to be more inclusive of other tactics and channels.

This can include videos, infographics, memes, and gifs. In fact, video streaming has become even more popular than ever before, and with the introduction of Tik Tok and Instagram Reels (in addition to Stories and Snapchat), people are consuming video at record-breaking amounts.

Then, once you diversify your content, include it in everything. Tie together your website and blog, social channels, email and other marketing efforts. Make sure the tone, information and strategy carry over.

If you repurpose content, be sure to alter it (even if slightly) to fit the format and expectations of the channel you’re repurposing on. For example, you shouldn’t promote a blog post in an email the same way you would on your Facebook page.

  1. Improve the experience

How your audience interacts with your content is just as important as what content they are interacting with. In order to drive ROI with content, you need to focus on improving the content experience.

Analyze metrics like bounce rate and time on site, scroll depth, and clicks. It’s not enough that visitors come to your site, they have to engage and spend time with what’s on the page.

Try different content layouts, images, videos and types of content. Offer videos, webinars, white pages, podcasts, and images. Test which topics are the most engaging and informative. Be more tactful about placing CTAs and asking for email addresses. Be more strategic about how you more the consumer from that piece of content to the next step in the funnel.

  1. High-quality SEO

SEO (search engine optimization) has been a content marketing buzzword for years. However, as competition increases, attention spans decrease, and customers are being more selective about brands they interact with and where/how they spend their money, SEO will be a critical piece of your content’s success.

Figure out how you can differ yourself and your content from the big competitors. Focus on more niche, targeted and long-tail keywords. Be sure your content is engaging, including having a low bounce rate, and high time on site and scroll depth.

Take time to create an actual SEO strategy. Include members of your team, like your web analytics team and search engine marketers, to find the opportunities that will be key for you and your brand.