I’ve worked in a marketing office for a little over a year now so I’m no stranger to marketing, but I wouldn’t say I’m exactly an expert either. One of the most important things you can do before your write any kind of piece is to picture your audience or, better yet, see your message through their eyes.
So I’ve been trying that. The first “market” I’m trying to break into is student academic writing. As almost anyone who’s stressed out over turning in an academic paper knows, the last thing you want to spend your energy on is checking your grammar, clarity, or coherence. Often, you’ve got your sights set higher than that – making sure you have your introduction, supporting evidence, and conclusion spot on; checking your reference citations, etc. Although, when I was a student, I actually looked forward to the proofreading and editing stage so perhaps that makes me weird.
In all honesty, though, it’s time-consuming work that requires utmost concentration. Most of the time when I proof something, I read it out loud. It takes longer, yes, but it prevents your eyes from tricking you into believing something is correct when it isn’t. Of course, everybody knows it’s harder to proof your own work because you’ve slaved over these words over and over again. That’s why having someone else check your writing is essential.
To weave back around to my main point, I can picture how an editing and proofreading service would appeal to students. My very first freelance jobs were for a graduate student (if you’re reading this, Bridgett, I owe a huge shout out to you for getting me started).
My game plan, for now, is to spread the word on the college campus I work, Ohio Northern University, and the one geographically closest to me, Wright State University Lake Campus. I’ve put together a flyer I’m going to hang in places students frequent. Hopefully, this will garner an interest, but we will see how it goes.
I’ve never expected anything with this freelance venture to be easy. Actually, I figure building a clientele is probably the hardest hump to get over. But, as they say, sometimes the only way you can learn is through trial and error. So I suppose I’ll just keep coming up with things to try until something works. I’m totally open to suggestions too so please don’t hesitate to leave helpful comments. Thanks for listening!
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