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Departments
- Welcome!
- [Not] Just for Newbies
- On the Radar
- Dollars & Sense
- TAMW Calendar
- The Savvy Marketer
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On the Cutting Edge and Crossing the Line
It's been a long time since we decided to launch our own freelance medical writing businesses. Brian just celebrated his company's 25th anniversary last month, and Cyndy has been in business for 22 years. Yes, we had electricity and indoor plumbing back then. But communicating with clients was face-to-face, on the phone, and via FedEx or fax machines that smelled funny and took forever to send or receive a page. We had computers, but there was no internet yet. And working from home was something you just didn't talk about. My, how things have changed!
Today, freelances are on the cutting edge of the changing workforce, and you can read all about it in [Not] Just for Newbies. Social media are now among the top methods of staying in touch and marketing your services. We've written a lot about social media in the past. But in The Savvy Marketer this month, we wrestle with a big question we know is on many freelances' minds--should clients be friends? Find out what we have to say about crossing the line.
Regardless of how long you've been in business, successful freelances are always seeking new opportunities and new ways to expand their horizons and bank accounts. In Dollars and Sense we introduce you to popular and unique writing opportunity, the business white paper.
In On the Radar, we're especially excited to tell you about a fantastic book compiled and edited by our dear friend and colleague (yes, she's a friend and a "friend"), Donna Miceli. Great reading and very entertaining!
We're very excited about the upcoming AMWA Annual Conference next month in Memphis. We'll be there to learn, network, present, reconnect with good friends, and make new friends. Please join us for our open sessions, which are all listed in Where in the World are Brian and Cyndy? We hope to see you there!
Until next month,
Cyndy and Brian
The Accidental Medical WriterPS. We're excited to be Amazon Associates. Every time you visit Amazon through our website or click on a product link we provide and make a purchase, we earn a few pennies that allow us to continue to give you free content through this newsletter. We would really appreciate it if you did so. |
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 [NOT] JUST FOR NEWBIES
Information and Inspiration for New and Experienced Writers
| | Freelances: On the Leading Edge of the Changing Workforce
Decades ago we took the plunge from full-time, with-benefits positions to start our own freelance businesses. We did so to have more control over the work we did, the income we produced, and the hours we worked. Some of our friends and colleagues viewed our decisions as reckless, but we like to believe that secretly they envied us for taking the risks we took.
Freelancing has been good for us from a personal and economic standpoint. And a survey commissioned by the Freelancers Union and Elance-oDesk confirms that we aren't alone. More and more Americans are turning away from traditional employment and becoming freelances. If you've considered leaving traditional employment to become a freelance but hesitate to do so, the survey results may give you just the motivation you need.
Freelancing in America: A National Survey of the New Workforce found that 53 million Americans--that's 34% of the US workforce--were working as freelances of some kind. That includes independent contractors, moonlighters, temporary workers, freelance business owners, and people with multiple income sources from a mix of traditional and freelance jobs.
Let's highlight some key takeaways from the report:- Freelances add $715 billion annually to the economy.
- One-third of freelances report an increase in demand for their services compared with 15% who report a decrease.
- 43% of freelances say they expect their income to increase in the coming year compared with 11% who expect their income to decrease.
- 42% of freelances report earning more now than they did in their traditional jobs.
- 77% of freelances believe that the freelance job market will only improve in the years ahead.
- 65% of freelances say that freelancing is more respected than it was 3 years ago.
Of course, for fair balance, we must report some of the barriers to freelancing that were reported (no surprises here!): - 50% reported the lack of a stable income.
- 47% reported difficulty finding work.
- 31% reported not getting paid on time.
- 21% reported the lack of affordable benefits.
Certainly we agree that these can be barriers to freelancing, and anyone considering this path should be aware of them. Nevertheless, in our opinion the benefits of freelancing far outweigh the risks.
The times, they are a-changing, that's for sure. And we're glad we're part of the new American workforce.
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ON THE RADAR
Resources for Medical Writers | | |
More Than 101 Ways to Know You're a Medical Writer
Have you ever been to a cocktail party and someone asks you what you do for a living? Watch their eyes glaze over when you say you're a medical writer. We find that few people outside of the industry have any idea of what we do. We admit we can be a strange bunch. That's why we love this little gem of a book, More Than 101 Ways to Know You're a Medical Writer, compiled and edited by our friend and colleague, Donna Miceli. We find it a fun and entertaining read that offers a glimpse into the exciting lives we medical writers lead. The section of pseudo-medical terms coined by attendees of AMWA workshop always gives us a hearty laugh. |
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DOLLARS & SENSE
Advice on the Business of Freelancing
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Best Practices for Writing Business White Papers
Businesses use white papers as tools to advertise their company's abilities and to give proof to potential customers that their companies can solve customers' problems. If you are looking for ways to expand your freelance business, attract new and different clients, and increase your bottom line, consider writing business white papers.
White papers are a bit of a hybrid; they often combine technical information about a product or service with marketing communication to inform potential customers, improve sales, and garner attention in the marketplace. Keep in mind that the marketing aspect of a white paper is a very soft sell. Overt marketing messages are usually left for other documents.
White papers are designed to inform or influence; however, white papers are clearly persuasive documents first and informative pieces second. Effective white papers position the author (and by extension the company) as a thought leader and make a strong case for why a particular approach to solving a problem is preferred.
Although white papers often propose a solution to a problem, they can also introduce a new concept or describe how to perform a certain task. The length of white papers will vary, based on the topic and the target audience; however, more is not necessarily better. Nowadays, readers have short attention spans; they will expect white papers to offer a top-line review of the issue and a succinct solution.
To craft compelling content that meets your client's expectations, you need to be clear on several things from the start:- Clarify the topic. Ask for client input so that you can focus the lens and know whether to write about a broad subject or a narrow one.
- Determine the objective. Figure out the endgame at the beginning of the process. Does your client want to educate (inform), sell (influence), or differentiate (inform and influence) its services from those of another company's? Is this paper designed to generate leads? Will it be technical or focused on business benefits? Be sure to stay on topic through the entire white paper.
- Identify the ideal reader. Know the key words that can help the target audience view the client's services and products as a good decision.
- Determine the problems faced by the target audience and identify how this white paper will inform and/or influence them. The white paper should include the problem encountered by readers and illustrate how the client can effectively help them to solve it.
- Keep the white paper simple and short; aim for about 4 pages of content (this doesn't include the title page, table of contents, and references). Some topics may require more discussion and might be longer, but generally less is more.
- Avoid the jargon. A well-organized and effective white paper should be simple and free of technical jargon. Try to simplify the information and the language so that nearly anyone can pick it up and generally understand what they are reading.
- Use headings and subheadings to organize the information for the readers and break it into manageable and readable chunks. Include call-outs to highlight important concepts.
- Illustrate with diagrams, charts, or illustrations whenever possible.
- Use reputable sources and cite them within the body of the document. Include a full reference list at the end of the white paper.
- If appropriate, include hyperlinks where readers can get additional information from other sources, as an added benefit.
- Discuss the benefits of reading the white paper. Any persuasive document includes a discussion of benefits. The benefits address the "why" value proposition. Readers want to know "what's in it for them." In other words, explain how reading this white paper will benefit them. Make sure readers feel and see how they will benefit from working with your client.
- Craft a relevant and compelling title that will invite readers to explore further. Keep it simple and focus on the benefits the paper will bring to your ideal reader.
- Include a list of the client's other white papers with hyperlinks as the final page of the document.
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| WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE BRIAN AND CYNDY?
The Accidental Medical Writer Calendar
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The 2014 AMWA Annual Conference is just around the corner. We hope to see you at one of our sessions:
- OS-09 Thursday 10/9 2:00 to 3:30: Use a SWOT Analysis to Rejuvenate Your Career and Better Market Your Business.
- OS-33 Friday 10/10 3:30 to 5:00: What Should I Charge?
- S-15 Saturday 10/11 12:15 to 1:30: Illuminating the Impact of the Sunshine Act on Freelances
- S-23 Saturday 10/11 12:15 to 1:30: Novel--and Low Cost--Ways to Market Your Business.
We would love to present at your next upcoming meeting or event, so invite us!
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| THE SAVVY MARKETER
Marketing Tips to Build Your Business
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Should Clients Be Friends?
Social media are powerful marketing tools. We've written extensively in past issues of Pencil Points about how to optimize your presence and make social media work hard for your freelance business. But here's a sticky question for you: should clients be friends?
We have long made it a point to keep our professional contacts on LinkedIn and our personal contacts on Facebook separate. In fact, without being rude, when clients reach out to "friend" us on Facebook we typically respond that we love to connect with other professionals via LinkedIn. Then we open our LinkedIn account, search for that individual, and invite them to connect with us.
Do we ever cross the line and "friend" clients and colleagues? You bet. But only after those individuals have already become friends in real life. Friends know your goofy side, your serious side, and all the sides of you in between. As the saying goes, friends know all about you and love you anyway. With contacts who are strictly professional, the less they know about your idiosyncrasies, the better.
Regardless of how we intellectualize and compartmentalize relationships on a professional level, knowing too much about a client's or colleague's personal side can affect what we think about them, or what they think about us. Would you be able to continue working with someone who does something in their spare time that, while harmless, is something to which you are philosophically opposed? What if they saw that video of you on the dance floor at your friend's wedding and were horrified to know you have so little rhythm?
We believe professional relationships should be kept on a professional level, friends and family on a personal level, and those rare, special relationships that cross the divide can be kept on both.
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