I know….doesn’t every writer day that they have a ‘secret weapon’ just to get clicks or likes? But as I sat down today and thought about the last several years of growing my freelance business, I thought that this one critical move I made years ago helped me launch faster than any other.
It wasn’t sexy. It wasn’t super-easy, either. It took work and I had to use this tool very carefully but wow - it made a huge difference. I used this strategy to find my first client and it just took off from there.
Trade show exhibitor lists.
See? Doesn’t sound very cool. But for a B2B writer like myself, I knew it was important to lean into finding my perfect clients where they all get together each year. And that’s trade shows. Particularly the major shows or conferences that may only happen once a year. It’s finding that one that everyone puts on their calendar.
As a B2B automotive writer, that is the annual NADA show (National Auto Dealers Association). The suppliers that I work with exhibit there to get an audience with dealers big and small. They are my perfect clients. It helps that I’ve been to that show as an attendee so I have seen firsthand how many exhibitors there are.
And their exhibitor list is segmented into different types of verticals (finance, aftermarket, marketing, fixed ops, etc). It became easy to search for companies that I felt could use some help with copy or content based on what I saw on their website. And every year there are new companies to reach out to.
Not every conference will have that list available and some will only show the last years exhibitors unless you are an attendee for the current year. That’s ok, though…you can still find plenty of contacts.
Approach with Caution
Just like every expert advises about the dreaded ‘pitchslap’ on LinkedIn, don’t reach out with an immediate pitch through email. If the list shows the marketing contact (most will), a simple introductory email is all you need.
For my first email, I wrote to the listed contact, a CEO, and let him know what I did to help companies like his, what my industry experience was, and that I was happy to chat should he have a project I could help with.
That was it. Short and sweet with a link to my brand new website. Within 24 hours he responded saying he has a small project for me and I was finally a ‘paid writer’.
I approached him with a hard-sell, I would have lost him.
Plus, marketing contacts know they will get email-bombed when the list is published so it’s important to have a short but impactful message that’s easy for them to save in case they do need help down the road.
Believe me, they will remember the freelancers that didn’t drive them nuts.