Usually, I write sitting down. I’d say 99% of my writing hours are spent with my posterior in a chair and hands on a keyboard, body slouched in some weird, non-ergonomic posture that’s slowly twisting my spine and causing paralysis. Other writers might be different. Maybe they write standing up? I don’t know. What I do know is that anyone who takes the title Freelance Writer is going to spend a lot of time slinging words together; and all those hours will be hell on the body. So, the last thing no freelance writer should be without is:

A gym membership

I’m not a body builder. I’m not a gym rat. But I really like my gym. The sound of metal plates crashing together, the feel of a dumb bell in my hand, the pure manliness of it all… But more important is the end result. Working out will give a writer:

Increased Energy and Stamina: Need to pull a late night writing session to meet a deadline? Not a problem if you’re fit. A two-pack-a-day scribe is never going to beat me when it comes to a demanding client with short timelines.

Increased Creativity: I’m not sure how physical health is related to creativity. But I know that when I’m working out regularly, I’m more creative. Some of my best ideas arrive when I’m on a weight bench.

 Youthful Focus: If ones body is in tune, ones mind settles on the task at hand a lot easier. Remember how easy it was to concentrate in your youth? You were in better shape back then, my friend. 

Writing is a sedentary profession with few moments of heart-charging adrenalin. Okay, make that zero moments. Being a good writer, however, demands a youthful spirit and the strong, limber body that goes with it. This is earned not at the keyboard, but in the gym.

Put me to work for your business today. Consultations are always FREE and solutions are worth more than you’ll pay, guaranteed.

Lake Lopez is a freelance writer, blogger and social media consultant based in Denver, Colorado.

7 Dollars Could Change Your Life

That’s a brave statement, I know. Let me explain… With the internet came opportunities, especially for writers. Large corporations pay astute writers to create keyword-rich content for their websites. Small business owners pay writers to write a compelling sales page that inspires someone to click Buy Now. The list goes on. One opportunity, however, is often overlooked:

Creating Your Own Information Product

Information products are easy to produce, easy to deliver and provide immediate gratification. The buyer doesn’t have to fight traffic to go to the bookstore. The product is delivered directly to the buyer’s e-mail box. That’s even faster than Amazon!

Chances are, you already have some knowledge that would be a good e-book. If you’ve been a mechanic for twenty years you know the mistakes people make when caring for their automobiles. You could save people a lot of money and heacaches while creating a side income for yourself in the process.

Jonathan Leger spells it out in his book, $7 Secrets. Granted, Jonathan is a pretty good writer. But you don’t have to be. You can hire a guy like me to write your e-book, then sell it online. Both of which leave you free to do what you want with your days, like go fishing. Best of all, you can immediatly sell this book and keep 100% of the cover price. That’s the entire $7 delivered to your PayPal account. Seriously, do it now – or wish  you did later.

Social Media is FREE!

It cost nothing to set up a Facebook account. Twitter does not charge you for Tweeting. YouTube allows – encourages, actually – you to post videos for free. So does this mean your social media efforts are free? Look, having access to social media is not the same as using social media. Setting up a Facebook fan page will not attract customers unless you use the fan page to engage prospects. And using social media takes a lot of time. You must:

• Establish Goals
• Devise a Plan with Clear Steps of Action
• Implement the Plan
• Measure the Results
• Adjust Accordingly

You have two choices when it comes to all of this:

1. Do it yourself.
2. Pay someone to do it for you.

If you’re already a savvy Facebook user and you get Twitter, you’re going to be okay. Set a goal such as Earn 12 Leads from Social Media this week, then Tweet and post your heart out and evaluate the results. If you’re not so good at Facebook, think Twitter is a mysterious waste of time and have no idea what to blog about, well, you’re in trouble. Big trouble. This is because:

Your competitor is going to get this stuff.

Maybe not this month. Maybe not until next year. But he will. And when he does he will devour you and that’s that. All your hard work, all your knowledge and skills, everything you’ve built will be destroyed by the deluge of internet activity the next generation grew up on.

Don’t believe me? Then ask yourself why newspapers can’t stay in business. Ask yourself why the Yellow Pages is on lilfe support. Still think I’m crazy? That’s fine – don’t hire me. I make money telling you how to use Social Media, not sugar coating your situation.  

If you decide to conduct your own Social Media campaign, you’re going to need a few basic skills. The good news is that you can pick up the trade fairly quick. You may still need a consultant for SEO or SEM, but the day-to-day implementation is only a few hours of your time. You can acquire the skills you need at any number of places, or have a pro teach you. On that note, don’t think that your high school kid with 6,087 Facebook Friends is a pro. He’s using Social Media in a whole different way and his techniques won’t work from a sales and marketing perspective.

As you think about your social media goals and where you want your business to go, look at my solutions and let me know which you’d like to discuss. Chances are I can exceed your expectations and the consult is free.

One important fact should loom very large over your head as you search for a Social Media Expert. The fact is:

There are no experts.

Let me explain. The internet is still an evolving media. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are an even newer development. The rules for engaging an audience, utilizing search engines and making an impact online are subject to change.

SEO, for example, used to rely heavily on meta-tags and descriptions. Black hat techniques such as tag-spam manipulated the search engines, earned traffic by the hordes and ultimately caused the destruction of tags as a viable source of info about a site. Now, spiders crawl through your site scouring it for content and meta is all but ignored. True story. But plenty of internet experts will proudly pound the pulpit about the value of meta-tags.  

My point is this. The game changes all the time and nobody knows all the rules all the time. Beware of anyone who claims otherwise. If your new to this, it’s easy for someone to ramble on and on about their knowledge and convince you they have the solutions to your business problems. It puts you, the business owner, in a very bad position. You know you need to leverage social media as well as or better than your competitors, but who do you believe?

There’s a way to circumvent this dilemma; treat your social media action like any other project with a clear set of objectives, milestone and deliverables. Know what you want to accomplish and what indicates you’re getting there or not. Review progress often. If you’re getting the results you want, great. If not, don’t be afraid to throw out what isn’t working, including the freelancer who accepted your $2,500 retainer.

Got a problem? I’d like to solve it. Contact me today for a FREE CONSULTATION and put social media to work for you NOW.

Lake

In the early days, blogging was a way to keep a journal or diary online. It was self-indulgent and pretty worthless. As blogging platforms evolved into Content Management Systems, more people saw the beauty of an easy to use publishing platform that search engines loved. I’m one of them. I am a blog addict. All of my blogs relate to one of my passions and, in conjunction with other media, have added people to my network and exposed me to new ideas.

That said, we can answer whether or not blogging is social media with a resounding, definite Yes and No. This is because it depends more on how you use your blog. If you see your blog as a one sided conversation in which you do all the talking, you’re publishing. You are showing and telling, sharing and maybe shouting, but know this – you are not engaging. Stop thinking of your blog, or any of your social media efforts, this way.

Blogs can and should be a source of idea exchange, a conversation, a place where relationships begin and develope. If you look at your blog from this perspective you are utilizing social media. This is not to say that every blog must have a ton of commentors or activity. Some blogs cater to a quiet audience and that’s fine. The exchange comes in different forms and we’ll address those later.

Starting of thinking a blog to promote your business? Or dreaming of being the next six figure blogger? The next post in this series will tell you whether or not your blog will stand out from the crowd or die on the side of the information highway. I’ll giveyou a hint about the post: it all comes down to answering one question. In the meantime, contact me today for a Free Consultation and put social media to work for you and your business. Every day you don’t do it is  a day lost to someone who does.

Lake