Do you know what it means to be deflated? If you’re talking about a balloon, it’s what happens when a person lets the air out of a balloon. I really like thinking about what happens to a balloon because I often feels that is what happens to me.
Like a balloon, I am filled with color, ready to make people happy, and airy enough to float above and not be affected by the strong pulls of the earth. On occasion, life goes on in such a way as to allow that beautiful, happy balloon to become deflated, where all the air gets siphoned out and the poor, pitiful thing lays there on the ground, looking ugly and defeated and lacking life or joy.
It takes an incredibly strong person and personality to have their balloon deflated and then to hurry up and fill it back up, patch it, and keep being a source of color and joy to all. I like to think I’m one of those peppy, high-spirited people who doesn’t let life drain her, but who keeps marching forward no matter what.
I work hard to remain positive and let little inconveniences slide by. I’m often tempted to write about negative things because it’s what I’m feeling in the moment. Sometimes, always pushing forward and not taking a second to address emotions is hard, but I persevere.
A simple question posed to me on Alignable.com sort of deflated my balloon of happiness. I took a moment to address a business question in a very human, ugly-reality sort of way, but I ended it off with signs of hope that, despite the human aspects of what I go through in my writing profession, I will prevail. I will succeed. I will move forward.
Here is the question:
“What challenges have you faced marketing or selling your services online? What would you most like to learn about? Many businesses had to focus their efforts on their online presence this year. What questions do you have about improving your digital marketing or online sales?”
Here is my answer:
This has been a difficult one for me. I think perhaps the biggest struggle for me, whether offline or online, is in getting people to accept what I do as a “freelance writer” which plainly and clearly explains what I do. So many, many other people add a bunch of unnecessary words like “content,” “strategist,” “digital marketing,” “communications specialist,” or something similar that, in my very humble opinion, makes the job seem incredibly fancy and lucrative.
I’m what you call the Rachael Ray of writing. Rachael Ray has famously called herself a “cook” and never a “chef” because that is what she does: COOK. I am the same way. I call myself a “freelance writer” because I WRITE. I happen to be a free agent who works for myself, hence the word “freelance.”
My biggest challenge is in marketing myself for who I really am. Yet, I feel brave enough to stand by myself and boldly declare what I do in a sea where so many of my competitors adds a bunch of unnecessary words and ultimately get all the writing jobs whereas my plain-Jane approach falls upon deaf ears.
Several people have asked me to update my bio and services to reflect the modern buzzwords and competition, perhaps sensing my frustration in losing writing jobs all the time. If I followed their suggestions and got wrapped up in herd mentality, that would erode my integrity for how I feel about my profession and ultimately, jeopardize the artistic vision I see for myself as a writer.
As a small business owner and solo entrepreneur with no staff, I work my fingers to the bone trying to get my name out there. I’m constantly hustling. I’m on social media all the time working feverishly to market what I do and set myself apart as a nonfiction writer available for hire. It is hard, often excruciating!
I’m always modifying my elevator speech, finding new and artistic ways to explain what I do in a way that is attractive and persuasive. Constantly trying to get clients to purchase my writing services. Working tirelessly to convince people I know a thing or two about writing and trying to explain that the quality of my work is by far superior to that of many others.
Thankfully, I believe in myself and I will persevere even though I often feel forgotten or ignored in this difficult market. I always love to say that the one thing that sets me apart from my competition is the high degree of creativity and heart I add to every single thing I write. I have always said I come up with 1,000 ideas on any given topic and thankfully, I’ve been able to put my money where my mouth is. The proof is in my 100+ bylines of editorials published under my name!
At the same time, I am a human being and am exhausted by my efforts of having to try so hard when other people with lesser degree of skills but more popularity catch all the breaks (and the jobs). This happens to me frequently and I find myself incredibly discouraged, but I keep moving forward. I’m stubborn that way. My creativity never ends. It only gets stronger.
I never stop writing. In fact, I have three separate book writing projects in the works while I patiently wait for paying clients to purchase my writing services. For those of you reading my message and if you got this far, please do me a favor and read my bio here on Alignable. Compare my writing services with that which other competitors offer. No one will give you the level of intense creativity, imagination, and heart in writing as I will give you.
Amanda M. Socci is available to offer writing services to any private individual or business on a remote basis. Blog posts, business profiles, ad and marketing copy, historical backgrounds, person-to-person interviews, descriptions of local events, leaders, and places to visit, and more. When in doubt if I can write something, just ask. I’m very responsive and can’t wait to work with you.
