Life as a Freelancer Archives

Advertising is such a social and highly collaborative industry that it’s practically a job requirement for you to competently navigate relationships among a wide variety of people through networking. But for some of us, making new friends — or at least making new connections or workplace allies — doesn’t always come easy.

As a lifelong introvert, I am more aware of this than practically anybody. What I’ve learned from my 10+ years in the biz is that making connections is a long-term process. If you’re also an introvert, it’s important to remember the benefits, and remind yourself that it’s worth the work that goes into networking — even if it’s just inside your office.

Why Workplace Networking is Important

1. It can make your life better.

Having friends, compadres, confidantes, or whatever else you’d like to call them, is essential to having a long and successful career. In an industry where there are a lot of late nights, working lunches, and missed vacations, having work friends can take the edge off and help you avoid burnout.

2. It can make your work better.

You don’t have to be friends with everyone, but developing a few key strategic alliances can make it easier to do your job. As a copywriter, I always make a point of trying to cultivate relationships with the senior account and strategy people for the brand that I work on. It makes my job easier, more fruitful, and less painful. When people know who you are and trust that you’re working toward the same goal they are, they’re more receptive to exploring boundary-pushing work.

3. It can make you better.

Friendly relationships can also reshape the dynamics of feedback and criticism. It softens the blow to hear criticism come from someone you perceive as a teammate (and conversely, they may be more sensitive about giving it if they’re friendly with the person on the receiving end). If you’re getting professional feedback from a colleague with whom you’ve forged a relationship, instead of listening with resentment and dismissing their words, you’ll hear suggestions for doing better work coming from a knowledgeable partner who has the best interests of the project in mind.

How You Can Improve Your Workplace Networking

It can feel like a fine line between making strategic connections and dressing up as an extrovert. Even if it doesn’t come naturally — and it won’t, at first — there are a few little things you can do every day that can make the process easier.

Smile. When you’re in an overwhelming situation, it may be difficult to crack a smile, but smiling can help you be less stressed. You don’t have to smile at everybody, but do think about it like it’s a welcome mat.
Speak up in meetings. It shows people who you are and invites the opportunity for conversation. Start small by making short statements or asking a simple question.
Network outside your office, too. Read about how you can win your next networking event and add more connections who can help you achieve your professional goals.
Challenge yourself. The objective isn’t to turn you into an extrovert; it’s just to make it easier and less forced when the right opportunities do present themselves.
Give yourself the time and space to recuperate. Expanding your comfort zone is hard work. Introverts get their energy from within so after doing something particularly challenging, make sure you block time out for yourself.
Pace yourself. There’s no need to get out there and do everything at once. Try one of the tips or all of them; the important part is to stay true to yourself.

Networking isn’t a “one and done” process

Any kind of relationship takes work and nurturing. You don’t acquire a new friend and then have that friend forever without doing some work. The same is true with business or workplace relationships.

You’ve probably heard that it can be more expensive for a business to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an existing one. Now think about that in terms of maintaining your network. Keep nourishing your new connections by showing value, whether it’s lending a friendly ear, providing key information, or offering to make an introduction.

Lisa is a Creative Circle candidate and seasoned advertising copywriter who lives in Los Angeles. Her background includes both in-house and agency work on Fortune 500 and global accounts in the consumer and healthcare/pharmaceutical fields. She excels at words, fashion, and cats. If you want to work with Lisa, contact Creative Circle Los Angeles.

If you’re job-hunting, you need to know about a scam that could end up costing you thousands of dollars – not to mention your faith in humanity and a good chunk of your time. In June, scammers started targeting communications professionals with “job leads” and fake job offers at top agencies like Weber Shandwick and MKTG.

The scam in question was a variation on the well-worn “Nigerian prince will send you a check for $100,000; you keep $90,000 but wire him $10K.” The difference was that it was tailored and targeted to prey on hopeful job seekers.

The Details

The scam artists placed bogus want-ads on ZipRecruiter. The jobs were legitimate-sounding opportunities (e.g., work-from-home graphic designer) with high-profile and well-respected agencies. The ads themselves used professional-looking logos, real employee names, and even language copied from the real agency’s website. In a few cases, the scammers sent emails to unsuspecting individuals.

Once a job seeker replied to the bogus ad, the scammer set up a job interview via Google Hangout. After a long and fairly convincing interview, an offer letter (also fairly persuasive) was sent. Then the job seeker was mailed a check to be deposited and used to purchase computers and equipment to furnish a home office.

The catch is, there’s no job. The check is from a non-existent account, and of course, it bounces after the job-seeker makes the expensive purchase through a vendor that is linked to the con artist and doesn’t send the furniture.

If you make it to the end of the process, you’ve been duped out of your money, your credit card numbers, and your social security number.

How to Protect Yourself

Even though this particular scam was brought to light and the agencies unfairly implicated have gone to great lengths to inform and warn job seekers, scams are a lot like cockroaches: Where there’s one, there’s probably 1,000 more of them, and the minute you get rid of one of them, another pops up instantly to take its place. Be ready so you won’t get taken by the next one.

Never, ever give out your personal information online – especially your social security number or banking information. If anyone asks, consider it a giant red flag.

If you start smelling a rat, pay attention to details. If you’re applying for a job at a large and reputable company but all of the communications are sent from someone at a Gmail account, this could be a sign that not everything is as it seems. Cybersecurity experts McAfee have a thorough checklist on recognizing fake emails that is a must read.

Similarly, watch out for communications of any kind riddled with misspellings, typos, and poor grammar.

Beware of any ad that says IMMEDIATE HIRE. If you’ve ever interviewed at large agency, you know the bureaucracy involved – almost no one is EVER hired after a single interview. One candidate interviewing for a graphic designer position reported that the interviewer never asked about his portfolio.

Likewise, most legitimate companies will never hire via a chat app.

If you’re working with a recruiter and they ask for money upfront, run. Recruiters make their money when a company hires their candidates.

How to Continue Your Job Search

Even when they’re 100% legitimate, applying to an online job posting can make you feel like you’re throwing your resume into a bottomless pit. Instead, energize your job search and get more rewards for your efforts.

If you do decide to apply to a job online, reach out to your network to learn more about a job. Your odds are so much better if you can get a real email address to send your resume to – or, better yet, a friend or contact who’ll put in a good word for you when they forward your resume.

Find positions through your friends and colleagues. Statistics vary, but anywhere from 70 – 85% of all jobs are found through word-of-mouth and networking. Many companies don’t even publish some of the best jobs, so the only way to learn about them is from someone with some ‘insider information.’

Above all, trust your gut. Always be positive and optimistic about your job search. Remember, cases like this are the exception, not the rule. However, remind yourself that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Money is a taboo topic in our culture; it’s something we use every day that we don’t talk about often. As a result, some of us may struggle with a negative money mindset, where even though we always want more of it, we struggle with subconscious beliefs that may prevent us from actually seeing more money in our pockets.

Just as your mindset around your freelance work affects the clients and projects that come your way, your mindset about money (and what it means to have money) also plays a huge part in your success as a freelancer.

What is money mindset?

At a simple level, our beliefs about money influence how we feel and what decisions, choices, and actions we take each day. If your subconscious perspective on money is along the lines of, “I’ll never make that much money,” or “I’m not capable of making enough money,” or even “Money = greed,” your daily actions and reactions will perpetuate that.

For example, if you believe that money is the root of all evil and that only greedy and selfish people make a lot of money, then it’ll be tough to ever put yourself in a position where you can make a lot of money and feel good about it.

Similarly, if you feel that you will never have enough money or that you’re not capable of financially supporting yourself through your freelance work, then these subconscious beliefs will continue to pop up and create limiting patterns and behaviors in your day-to-day life. You’ll push away opportunities to earn money because your subconscious belief system views it as dangerous, greedy, selfish, or impossible.

It might seem confusing at first, but when you start to see how your subconscious beliefs lead to thoughts, feelings, actions, and results, you can begin to reverse the pattern. If you aren’t happy with your money situation, trace it back to the root by looking at your underlying beliefs about money in the first place.

How can you change your money mindset?

To change your beliefs about money, start with acknowledging any currently limiting beliefs and work your way forward. Here are four ways to get your money mindset to work in your favor:

Write down your current perspective on money. This usually comes from your childhood and can have a lot to do with your family’s point of view on money. What did your parents teach you (directly or indirectly) about money? What beliefs did you take away from your early life that are still in your adult life? Write down whatever beliefs you have about money that might be holding you back from creating more of it.
For each belief, ask the following questions: Is this belief true? Is this something I want to continue to believe? If the answer to either of those questions is ‘no,’ ask yourself: Am I willing to see this differently? Being willing to change is a key step in rewriting our beliefs. If you’re willing to see things differently, you can move forward in releasing the subconscious belief that’s keeping you stuck and move forward in creating a new, positive belief instead. Ask yourself, How does this belief hold me back from what I want in my work/life? Seeing the ways this belief is limiting you will help your subconscious brain get on board with rewriting it.
For each negative, limiting belief, replace it with a more positive and empowering statement. Here are a few examples:

“Artists will never make a lot of money” can become, “My work as an artist brings me financial abundance and freedom.”
“Money is a limited resource” can become, “Money is a limitless resource, and I am open to receiving, spending, and investing my money freely.”
“It’s dangerous to make a lot of money and be successful” can become, “It’s safe for me to make money from my creative skills and abilities.”

Put these new empowering beliefs somewhere you’ll see them every day to remind yourself of your new perspective. Read the new beliefs out loud to yourself every day until they feel true to you. Remember that you’re rewriting beliefs that you’ve likely been carrying since childhood, so it might take time to see the benefits! Be patient, and know that just by becoming aware of these beliefs, you’re taking a huge step toward rewriting them.

It may take some time, but reframing your beliefs about money will make you feel more empowered and capable of receiving payment for your freelance work. Remember that it’s OK to want to make money (we all need it to survive!) and you can choose beliefs that support you in achieving your financial, personal, and professional goals.

Lauren Madden is a Mindset and Wellness Coach and Yoga Teacher in Phoenix, AZ with a background in advertising and marketing. She helps women break through fears and limiting beliefs that are holding them back from living their best lives. To find out more, visit this.

Perhaps no other business, other than professional sports, so vocally celebrates the anointment of winners, whether it’s the winning of a pitch, a promotion, an award at any one of the dozens of award shows, a fancy title, or other public announcements that one person did something better than everyone else. With this type of celebration culture, some degree of professional envy is inevitable.

However, not all envy is created equal. There are some people who feel a twang of jealousy, give themselves a moment, and then go on with their business. Others have a hard time letting it go, and if this sounds like you, enjoying a long and fulfilling career in this industry is going to be tough.

The Different Types of Envy

First, there’s the kind you get when you’re looking through an awards annual or checking out someone’s portfolio, and you see an ad, a logo, a tagline, whatever, that’s so freakin’ brilliant that you smack yourself on the head and think, “ARRRRGGGH, why didn’t I think of that?” Experts call this benign envy, and there’s most definitely a place for it.

Then there’s the other kind, the “not-so-benign” envy. You know what I’m talking about: the visceral feeling that your heart has been pushed out of an elevator shaft coupled with the flush of anger mixed with shame burning your cheeks. Over the course of my career, I’ve had friends who ended up with some really impressive bullets on their resumes, one in particular who’s star rose much faster than my own. He was humble and appreciative of his success, but a white-hot anger — not at him, but the unfairness of the world! — began consuming me. I just couldn’t shake it, so I consciously chose to disconnect from the friendship — a friendship that had enriched me personally, and could have led to professional recommendations.

That kind of jealousy is a zero-sum game: There’s never a winner, and the only person who loses is you.

What To Do

To keep moving forward after what seems like a professional setback, try these strategies and learn to constructively deal with your own jealousy.

Own it. Being honest with yourself and acknowledging your jealousy is the first step to releasing it. To break through, it may also be helpful to acknowledge it with the object of your envy. You can simply praise their accomplishment, or you might add, in a positive and non-threatening way, that you’re even a little bit jealous of what they’ve done and that it’s a motivation for you.
Work on your confidence. If you think about it, jealousy is basically a lack of self-esteem. Hobbies and side-hustles can help, even if they’re not 100% relevant to your job. Do something you love and you’re good at. But also, don’t be afraid to try something new. Not only is the challenge good for your brain, it will also get you more comfortable with not being the best at something.
Believe that there’s more than enough success to go around. Some psychologists believe that jealousy is a natural reaction to a “scarcity mindset” – that is, if you think there’s a limited number of accolades to go around, you will naturally be threatened when someone gets one.
Use it to your advantage. Benign envy can be hugely useful to you. In a 2011 psychology study called Why envy outperforms admiration, psychologists found that, as a motivating force, envy outperforms admiration! The distinction between admiration and envy is that envy contains a shred of belief that you could be that good, too. For example, you might admire Elon Musk or Usain Bolt, but you envy your friend who just landed a job at Wieden+Kennedy. It’s that envy that will inspire you to grow.
Make your own success. It really does sound like a Catch-22, but the best way to deal with jealousy is to not let it keep you from attaining your own success. Remind yourself that success in this business depends on many factors. Hard work and talent are part of it, for sure, but a lot of it is…well, maybe not luck, but there’s definitely some chance involved. There’s the chance that a company is hiring someone with your experience at the same time you’re looking for a job, or the possibility that someone you know thinks of your name at the exact moment one of their colleagues asks for a recommendation.

The great thing is that these are all things that you can influence. Do everything you can to improve your own skills now (which, again, happens by observing the great people around you). Network and market the hell out of yourself. Keep it up and sooner or later, you’ll find your own success.

The omnipresence of cell phones, apps, and platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter has given rise to what is called the era of Big Data – the huge volume of information available about both individual and aggregate behavior that can be sliced seven ways to Sunday. The data is a goldmine for advertisers and marketers, and it’s revolutionized how business is run by changing what we learn about, and sell to, consumers.

Big Data enables laser-like targeting of the right consumer on the right platform at the right time. The targeting is as broad as seeing new suggestions based on your previous behavior when you log on to Amazon or Netflix – or as specific as how supermarket chain Kroger used digital insights and variable printing to produce direct mailers that resulted in a 70% response.

Big Data as a force in marketing and advertising isn’t new. However, as our connectedness grows, data is transforming our business at an almost exponential rate. That means that if you want to remain relevant in your job, it’s crucial keep track of what’s changing and make sense of it.

Big Data and Your Job

Account Service

Account service is still primarily a high-touch art form, but in an age when we can get almost instantaneous feedback on advertising and marketing performance, good account executives are seizing opportunities to build the client relationship and drive more business for the agency.

Reading recommendations
– Forrester is an online publication (and real-world research company) that can put all these ideas into perspective, allowing AEs to confidently champion new solutions to their customers.
– The Harvard Business Review has news and in-depth analysis about how marketers are using Big Data to create value for their customers.

Creative

Creatives might be historically suspect about the role of data in the creative process, but they can also benefit from staying abreast of the newest technologies. As marketing becomes more immersive and personal, it’s psychology, not technology, that will help connect with customers.

Reading recommendations
– The Kissmetrics blog always has provocative articles on making deeper connections with customers.
– A. V. Sudhir has interesting thoughts on how data can enhance, rather than replace, creativity; he isn’t a creative but a sociologist who writes about how oceans of data are reshaping society.

Media

For media professionals, Big Data means good news, bad news, then more good news. The good news is that you can target at almost a granular level. The bad news is that there are more vehicles than ever – but there’s also more reliable reporting and metrics to help you evaluate your options.

Reading recommendations
– If you’re not already, you should be checking sites like Nielsen, the media section of McKinsey, and Facebook for Business, which will tell you not just about new media on the horizon but how people are using it.

Production

Producers have their work cut out for them with all of the emerging technologies. To add more value to agencies and their clients, they’ll need to keep up-to-date on the newest marketing vehicles and processes (for example, the increasing call for 6-second ads).

Reading recommendations
– No matter what industry you’re in, there’s a lot you can learn from what’s happening in the retail sector, as it’s undergoing huge transformations and embracing exciting technology. Digital Signage Today covers the most influential trends.
– With coverage of new consumer technology, digital best practices, and industry news, Marketing Land is another must-read.

Strategy

In the strategy department, Big Data has enabled needle-in-a-haystack specific insights into consumer behaviors. Media continues to shift towards digital, which enables the collection of real-time performance metrics that enable you to evaluate your options.

Reading recommendations
– Though he doesn’t have much of a social media presence, former AIG Chief Science Officer Murli Buluswar writes brilliantly on mining data for uncommon insights.

The future: It’s technical.

All signs point to our reliance on Big Data only getting stronger, with 91% of advertisers either already having a data management platform in place or adopting on in the next year. As more companies implement AI-based systems to help crunch all of those numbers, it’s the people who understand what the data means and how to use it who won’t need to worry about being replaced by a machine.

I’m about to admit to something embarrassing: It was the summer after I graduated college with my degree in Communications and Advertising, but before I’d started Book Shop. I was in that stage of blissful ignorance where you’re unaware of just how much you don’t know, so you think you’re brilliant! I lived in an area with a lot of mid-sized, regionally famous advertising agencies, and I wanted to start getting some work. As a way to pique a creative director’s interest, I…sorry, HOLD ON, I need a moment. This really pains me to write, it’s that embarrassing.

*deep breath* I sent out these mailers of custom-labeled packages of gum made up with my name and the copy “Looking for some icy-fresh creative solutions?” (or some horrible garbage like that) along with my resume and cover letter. Despite spending a fair amount of money on the whole thing, I got exactly zero responses. And thinking about it now, why would I have gotten any? It was a terrible, lame, meaningless attempt at wordplay, which (with the exception of this) is pretty much the lowest-hanging creative fruit. The product itself wasn’t cool, useful, or inspiring and it told the recipients nothing about me or my skills.

So, if you were looking for ideas, go ahead and scratch that one off of your list.

While there’s a long and storied practice of using stunts or gimmicks to get the attention of a creative director or a hiring manager, it takes effort to pull one off that works for the right reasons like this mind-bogglingly ornate orchestration that landed its creator a job at TBWA/Chiat/Day Venice. So many others take effort but don’t work like the would-be candidate who took out a billboard with her name and info on it.

What works and what doesn’t?

Slightly similar to, but a million times better than, my tragic gum promo is Brennan Gleason’s “Resum-Ale”: a 4-pack of craft brewed beer with a resume printed on it. It got him plenty of attention and, more importantly, a job.

It works because it:

Is refreshing (pun sort of intended)
Shows off Brennan’s impeccable design skills
Stands out among flat mailers
Is a premium product, and
Is a natural extension of the designer’s personal brand

One of the many reasons why my gum promo failed was because it was just empty promises – it’s that old adage that if you have to tell someone how cool you are, you probably aren’t. Copyblogger Nathan Hangan calls it the difference between self-adulation and self-promotion. Self-adulation is simply rehashing your past glory whereas self-promotion is “…the art of spreading ideas, concepts, and a greater vision.” Creative directors aren’t looking for people to tell them how great they are; they’re looking for problem solvers.

Why execution isn’t the only thing that matters

Big ideas are more important than impressive execution. When I say “big”, I don’t mean “big” like a billboard. It’s ideas or solutions to big problems that get attention. For example, 72andSunny was recently besieged by wannabes who hacked into the agency’s Dropbox account to get their work in front of creative directors. While it’s a stunt that requires big brass balls (which creative directors like), it didn’t really have a point or a seed of an idea beyond getting attention for the sake of getting attention.

On the other end of the spectrum, job seeker Alec Brownstein started with a huge, essential insight — creative directors probably Google themselves a lot. He purchased a display ad that was related to the name of the creative director he wanted to work for, then linked that to his portfolio — all for about $6. It was intriguing and smart enough that it worked. Brownstein got his dream job at Y&R New York. He’s gone on to write books, and is responsible for this 90-second masterpiece that helped launch Dollar Shave Club.

The point is: Advertising has plenty of people who can already make ads. It’s big, scalable ideas that will stand out among the competition. If it’s a truly great idea, it doesn’t even have to be focused on advertising or self-promotion like this Dubai man who attracted the attention of Deutsch with his ingenious approach to combating the very real problem of public urination in India.

Don’t forget: You also need the skills to back it up.

Even if you have a great gimmick, if you don’t have the skills to match, your big stunt will end up nowhere. Have you ever thought of the greatest idea for a one-off or individual ad, and your teacher or creative director says, “That’s fantastic! Now show me what the other two or three in the campaign look like,” and then you can’t, and everyone’s disappointed? That how it’s going to be if you don’t have the portfolio to back up your stunt.

A big blowout might get you in the door, but if you don’t have strategic, big-picture work to match, you may as well consider it “false advertising.”

One of the most dangerous mistakes you can make as a freelancer is trying too hard to be liked, especially when you’re trying to nail new business. You probably want to make it seem as if you’re smart and easy to work with, so you don’t ask too many questions.

Asking the nitty-gritty questions that sometimes make clients shrug or roll their eyes can be the difference between a profitable assignment and one that eats up your time and prohibits you from taking on more work. Too many projects that go astray can jeopardize your ability to make a living as an independent professional. These nine questions are a good start to make sure you don’t short-change yourself in the process.

1. What’s your budget for the project?

Why beat around the bush? Find out early if the project will be worth your time. Even if the client comes back with a figure you think is ridiculously low, don’t be rude: Offer to recommend an accomplished junior. You’ll both walk away feeling good, and if they really like your work, they may contact you when they have more money.

True story, this happened to a friend of mine when an advertising agency contacted him for a design project. He couldn’t do it on their budget but instead referred them to another designer. They liked him so much, they eventually found the money to hire him; he’s now their Associate Creative Director.

2. How many rounds of edits will I be responsible for?

This is where most freelancers end up losing money. If you’ve already provided a quote and signed a contract, and then the project goes round after round on revisions, you may end up having to eat those costs. Consider committing to a certain number of rounds of edits before additional charges start accruing.

3. Do you already have a creative execution in mind

If the client already has something in mind, why waste time inventing the wheel? You should always bring your own expertise and judgment to adapt their ideas. However, if they specifically ask for something, no matter how awful, you’re not doing your job if you don’t offer it up.

4. Who is my contact at your site?

Having a direct contact can help you avoid wasting hours trying to track down information and assets. Even if you think a project is simple, make sure you get this upfront.

5. Who are the project’s approvers or stakeholders?

As a freelancer, it always makes me nervous if the ultimate approver isn’t at the meeting because it means that whoever is there is interpreting or funneling second-hand directions to you. If the requestor or approver isn’t present, make it a point to learn who it is and then get in touch.

6.Do you have an existing brand style guide that I’ll need to follow?

Don’t start designing, writing, or even noodling around with concepts until you know if you’ll have to follow pre-established guidelines. Better still, get a copy of the style guide and learn the name of the expert who can answer questions about applying the guidelines.

7. Where will the photos come from?

If you either have to find stock photos or provide pre- or post-guidance to a photographer, that’s a lot of time you should make sure you’re compensated for. If the client expects you to furnish them, either by procuring stock photos or taking them yourself, those are extra costs you’ll want to be prepared for.

8. Will this need updates?

It’s one thing to create a website, blog, social media channel, or other interactive project but quite another to make content updates. Make sure the client understands this and will pay you accordingly if they expect you to keep their website, blog, or social media feed current.

9. What are your terms, and to whom should I submit my bills?

For most freelancers, it’s standard operating procedure to collect a deposit when starting a new project, then submitting the bill once the project wraps. The balance could be paid within a month, but many companies have net 60 or even net 90 terms. Are you in a financial position to wait that long to receive the rest of your money? It really matters. And so does knowing who you’ll need to follow up with, once you’ve submitted your invoice.

Protect yourself by asking the right questions before you accept a job. Don’t worry about seeming aggressive, bothersome, or uninformed – to the contrary, asking thoughtful questions will make you appear engaged and knowledgeable. (Besides, working with a client who is too stingy with information is a big red flag.) Most importantly, you’re making sure you receive fair compensation for all of your time and effort.