This week I am proud to introduce a new friend and guest poster, Miz Bonnie from BBR Marketing. I really think you’ll enjoy this post, and it’s truly great advice.
by Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk, BBR Marketing
I’m pretty new to this entrepreneurial stuff. Last August I left my position as the marketing director of an accounting firm and went out of my own to create BBR Marketing, where I provide marketing strategy and services to professional services firms.
However, since my company is new, I often find myself perusing freelance writing gigs with the goal of keeping my writing skills sharp and supplementing the income from my fledgling enterprise.
Keep in mind, many of these project descriptions are pretty vague, but when one looks interesting, I throw my hat in the ring. Because these jobs are so competitive – and so many writers are looking for work these days – I rarely hear back from these posts.
With this in mind, I was excited last week when I got a return email from someone who wanted to hire me. Then I read the email and laughed so hard I spit coffee out of my nose. The email came from an innocuous sounding group like “the writing guild.” The exciting project they had in mind for me was to write reviews for…wait for it…porn sites. Yes, you read that right, reviews of porn sites.
After I cleaned up the coffee, I read further. It seems there is a lot of work to be done in this category. She wanted me to review 12 sites a week, for which she’d pay me $350. After six months of work, there would be a raise too.
Okay, first of all, who knew there was a demand for porn site reviews written by 40-year-old married women. I’m not a connoisseur, but I just figured this was an area where you Googled what you were looking for until you found the right site. But what do you know, many people out there are reading reviews on the sites before they go check them out. You learn something new every day.
Secondly, that’s a LOT of porn. At 50+ sites a month, you would quickly move from the standard “hot, naked women who want to talk to you” to “men and women who like to spice up their sex life with farm animals.” Over time, that could seriously mess with your head. I laughingly told my husband that if he ever came home to find a live chicken in our living room, he should slowly back out the door and get my therapist on the phone…stat.
But ultimately, even if the money had been good, this would have taken my focus from growing my company. I frequently tell my clients that they need to find a niche and stick to it. No one is good at everything, so you should figure out your strengths, and lead with them.
When you jump at every business opportunity out there, you do yourself and your clients a disservice. By setting yourself apart and truly excelling at one thing, you become a unique provider in the market. You can then market your services to a specific audience, which will lead to clients who appreciate your skills and business you enjoy.
Bonnie Buol Ruszczyk has 20 years of marketing experience working with a diverse range of industries and people. In 2009, she created her own firm, BBR Marketing (www.bbrmarketing.com), which provides marketing advice and services for professional services firms. Through her creative thinking and distinctive approach, she brings unique ideas to her clients that differentiate them from their competition and give them the tools needed to reach their audiences. She can be reached at bonnie@bbrmarketing.com.