How to Inexpensively Advertise Your Freelance Writing Business

As a freelance writer, your goal is to spend most of your work time writing and reaping the profits of your talent. Freelance writing is a rewarding career for many reasons, but like any small business, it needs to be managed and marketed. Because of your creative skills, it's easy to come up with copy and ideas-but how about inexpensive and free ways to market yourself?

These methods work differently in online and offline communities. Here are some tips to start marketing yourself inexpensively without compromising quality.

Online

Web Site

There are many easy-to-use free or low cost web site hosts that will allow businesses to use their services. A recommended host is UK-based Moonfruit, which offers its own simple site development program. Even free site users can select from a variety of professional templates. Ads on Moonfruit are unobtrusive and in AdSense format.

When you design your site, be sure to include some key information clearly on your page, such as:

• Contact information
• Rates
• Description of services offered
• Testimonials
• Experience
• Example of your work

Free E-mail and Signatures

Unless you are set on having your own dot com, there is no reason to pay for e-mail services. Google's GMail is generally considered professionally acceptable as an e-mail provider, and many technologically savvy individuals tend to use it. Aside from being simple to use, GMail has a great deal of storage space, allowing you to easily categorize messages instead of saving or deleting them.

Regardless of your e-mail service, be sure to include an e-mail signature. Your signature should list your name, professional phone number, business name, and web site address. Aside from being professional and legitimate, every recipient of your email receives your 'advertisement' in the form of the signature.

Online Forums and Signatures