Networking

I've been marketing myself all around lately, what with the economic cataclysm and all. One tactic I've been using is going through records from my past commercial and industrial and photo shoots and targeting the marketing and ad agencies who did them to introduce this other side of my life (the business side). It's hit and miss, but I had a really good meeting this week.

The CEO of this small/boutique agency said he gets a couple of hundred emails A DAY (could that be right?) from people looking for freelance work, but mine stood out. Partly, I think, because I sent an actual letter in the actual US mail. But also because I took the time to look over their website, found that their approach/philosophy was really close to my own and discussed that in my letter. I also enclosed this really awesome marketing piece I did for another client.

So I met with him and then with the creative director. It turns out they may not have a lot of freelance writing work, but he's got a couple of other things cooking -- a potential client prospect for me and some help editing a book he's writing. I had noticed that a number of my old colleagues had published books lately (business books), and these guys said it's almost like an expected thing now, for credibility. Every agency that has a point of view or philosophy is writing a book about it and getting it published to demonstrate their bona fides.

I've had a little experience with this. A client of mine has been working on a memoir for some time. He has no intention of getting it published -- he just wants to get some of his (very fascinating) life experiences down on paper. I helped him out by commenting on a couple of chapters, and he said he found the input really useful, but the process kind of stalled. He's got so much going on.

But this one could be interesting. The other felt more like a favor for a friend -- because he's an awesome client, and the book was just a personal project. This could turn into something. And lead to some other good things.

AND, just as I'm writing this post I got an email from a guy I met with last week -- a corporate communications VP for a big Chicago-based company. He's putting me in touch with this colleague of his at an agency that needs a speechwriter for a client.

It's time consuming, and sometimes disappointing, but networking really can work sometimes. And lead to unexpected things.