7 Online Goldmines for Entrepreneurs Looking to Start on a Pauper’s Budget

Introducing Guest Poster Jelly Shah from Designhill.com

There are many rewards of starting your own freelance writing business or content marketing career; you get to work your own hours, at your own pace and be your own boss! But most freelance writing job seekers still do not wish to risk their 9 to 5 jobs over their dream business venture. Now, why is that? It’s because they believe that the marketplace for start-ups is too fragmented and highly confusing. In addition, a huge segment of people strongly believe that it demands a lot of effort, time, resources and money to give wings to their dream ventures.

Exciting New Additions to the Freelance Writing for Profit Blog and Some Emotional Stuff, Too

I am super stoked right now. I'm tired, greasy and a bit zombie-fied, but I am soaring through the clouds on a natural high of excitement that I haven't felt since the day's of GI Joe, Micro Machines and Skeletor. I feel giddy, like a kid on Christmas.

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if the handful of announcements I have for you all warrant this feeling. It's not evident why I am so uplifted especially considering how many years that have went by since I last experienced such unbridled joy. I'll tell you this much though, I am definitely going to enjoy it while it lasts. Maybe I can pass a little bit on to you, too. Perhaps in relating these feelings to you, I will be able to put my finger on the nature of this wonderful mood I am in.

Don't Get Beat by Low Pricing, Earn What You Deserve as a Freelance Writer

Countless marketing studies have shown that buyers build their initial opinion
about a service or product based on cost. When asked which item is better between two that are identical, consumers almost always prefer the higher-priced item. Even when they are exactly the same. 

In one case study I saw recently, regular people from the street were asked to try a free sample from two cakes. Although the tasters were unaware, the cakes were absolutely identical except for price. One cake was $15 and the other was $55. Every single taster said that the $15 cake was too dry and the frosting was bland and tasteless. However, when they tried the $55 cake, they expounded about its superiority over the $15 variety. The icing was delicious and creamy, the cake had the perfect texture and was anything but dry. Even once they were told that the cakes were made in exactly the same way using exactly the same ingredients, they chose the $55 cake over it's lower-priced variety. 

This goes to show you the power of pricing. Make sure to price yourself right, and your services will get the respect they deserve. This freelance writing rate calculator will help you determine what you should be charging for the work that you produce.

Freelance Tip of the Day: Know your SEO

Understanding and keeping up with the latest SEO tactics is important for several reasons. Most clients want their articles optimized for search engines. As a freelance writer of web-based content, part of your job is to be able to provide this type of content. Knowing the proper way to create search engine-friendly content will land you more clients and raise the value of your writing.

Most freelance writing ads I see on BloggingPro and Freelancer all require a skilled writer as well as someone who knows SEO. The two pretty much go hand-in-hand. It's not hard to learn the basics of keyword densities and search engine aggregation.

There's tons of free material online about it. It's important to begin studying these freelance writing necessities as soon as you begin your career. Billing yourself as a talented writer and an internet marketing whiz will score you plenty work and help you make that bank from a freelance writing career.

Don't slack on the SEO when you write content for your own sites either. Try to write each post with the search engines in mind, creating them to be easily "crawled". Doing this from the start will ensure your site gets placed high in search results later down the road.

Freelance Tip of the Day: Study, Study, Study!

Recently, an editor for a freelance writing site critiqued some articles I submitted. He explained that I'm confused about proper comma usage. This didn't surprise me considering I don't exactly have a college degree. But it did get me thinking. No matter how skillful of a writer you are, there's always more to learn.

After his comments, I began Googling proper comma usage. I even asked for help on Facebook. I realized that besides commas, I'm confused about many things grammatical. However, this is easily fixed with an old-school study hall.

Now, I work in an hour of studying into my daily routine. I usually do this in the morning while I check emails. Finding help on grammar is as easy as a Google search.

Even if it's just a refresher, studying and understanding proper grammar is invaluable as a freelance writer. Committing time to this endeavor will help open doors to more lucrative and demanding clients.

Freelance Tip of the Day: Present your writing talents with a blog

A website can take time to establish, so it's best to start early in your freelance writing career. Using a blogging site like Blogger, Wordpress or BlogJob can make it easier to begin. Be sure to write about topics that
interest you or in which your educational background lies. However, also use the site to present yourself and your freelance writing work to potential clients.

Include About Me, Portfolio and Hire Me pages. While you're writing on whatever topic you choose,
be sure to advertise your services. Create pages that inform potential clients where your interests and education lie. Show examples of your work on a Portfolio page, and make it easy for employers to contact you on a Hire Me page.

Remember, the blog is a way for you to display your talents as a freelance writer while writing on subjects you're passionate about. Feel free to make work samples and information available to potential clients in a simple to use format.

Freelance Tip of the Day: Keep your social networks social

Social networking is a great way to promote your content. With each new post or article be sure to share across all your networks. But Facebook, Twitter, etc. aren't a one-way street. Set some time aside from your routine to cultivate your connections. Read posts and like, comment. Follow people with like minded ideas. Be genuinely interested in what they have to say and more often than not they'll return the favor.

Also, always look out for new networks or old ones that you're not a part of yet. Connecting with people doesn't have to be about getting them to read your content. It can be a great way to get new ideas and meet other freelance writers. Keep that in mind the next time your cruising the social networking scene.

Freelance Tip of the Day: Work-it like a job

If you're serious about writing for a living, then you must dedicate you're time to the endeavor. This means at least an 8 hour workday, 5 days a week. If not more. Think of freelance writing as a small business with one employee, yourself.

Plan a routine and follow it everyday. The great thing about freelance writing is that this can be done at any time, any where. If you're an early riser, start you're morning with a cup of coffee and a glance at the daily to-do. Then move on to social networking, emails, knowledge and new income growth. Finally, end the day concentrating on paying projects, blogging and content creation. The point is, whether day or night, at home or in an office, what you get out of freelance writing is what you put in.

Freelance Tip of the Day: Remember your affiliates

Freelance writing for the web is all about diversification. One personally proven method that I use as much as possible is to include links that route through affiliates in content I produce. For example, I write for Examiner about all types of PC games. Whenever it's natural I'll link the name of the game through an affiliate site using my unique id. Then if any interested reader decides to click through and buy the game, I get credit for the sale at whatever percentage that particular affiliate pays out and also paid by Examiner for the pageview. If your associated with pay-per-click or pay-per-form providers, I'm quite sure this could be used as well. Easy, efficient and quickly implemented in all your past, present and future works.