The other day I stumbled upon a discovery that has been costing me business for weeks, or maybe months.
A link was broken on my online writing portfolio. Yikes! I was thankful that an editor sent me an email to let me know, and then asked for more details directly. But, how many prospective clients simply passed me by because they couldn’t get the contact information they were seeking?
Talk about a lead generation FAIL.
So, guess what I’m working on over the next few weeks? I’m spring cleaning my online presence. And, you should too. Here are the areas I’m going to focus on:
- Fix broken links. I know this sounds daunting, but go to the contact page on your website and social media profiles and click on every link. Make sure they work. I use a broken link detector on my two websites to alert me as soon as a link goes dead.
- Update bios with current information. How long has it been since you wrote your little blurb on Twitter or Facebook? Maybe you’ve won an award, changed positions or have a new focus. Reflect these updates in your bios so readers know exactly what you’re about this year.
- Fill out partially complete profiles. Have you ever signed up for a service and filled out the minimum to simply get going? Now is the time to go back and round out those profile pages. A few months back I did just that and was approached by a brand client the very next day for a writing opp.
- Update your online samples. Did you complete an amazing SlideShare or edit video last year that you want the world to see? Be sure it’s posted on your website, LinkedIn or an online portfolio. Make it easy for possible customers to see what you’ve been up to lately.
Can you think of any other spring cleaning tasks online writers should tackle ASAP? Share your ideas in the comments below.
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