I have a small mention on the main page of my site about how clients come first. What this means is that, even though updating my blog and social media feeds is an essential part of marketing for my business, meeting my client’s needs IS what RUNS my business. I have a schedule for my blog, as well as social media posts. However, there are only so many hours in the day. If that means putting my client’s needs first, then that’s what I have to do.
It’s All About Priorities
Meeting deadlines, the strategies for doing so, as well as their importance is something I recently covered. I believe self-imposed deadlines for blogging and social media marketing are essential and shouldn’t be neglected. However, self-care is also a vital component of being a freelance writer.
We’re small business owners and, if we’re not taking care of ourselves and burning out, then we can’t be good stewards for our clients. It’s all about priorities, how we’re managing our time, and the best practices we’re using for what we’re accepting and rejecting regarding how our time is spent.
What Does This Mean?
If you need to put off blogging or to update your social media to put your client’s needs first, do that. They are the priority—always. Don’t burn yourself out by marketing your business if you’re currently managing a full workload. When things taper down, and your schedule clears a bit, then you can work on adding things back into the fray. Until then, your clients deserve your full attention.
If they’re not receiving your full attention, are you really giving them the quality work you promised? It’s situations like these where guilt may become an issue. You may feel like you have a responsibility to your readers or followers to post or make updates regularly. Ultimately, your responsibility is to ensure your clients are receiving your best work.
Why Am I Writing About This?
My workload ebbs and flows just like every freelance writer’s does. So, it shows on my blog and social media networks. I have a schedule for my blog, I maintain two pages on Facebook, and I like to keep my social feeds updated on all the other platforms. However, when my schedule fills, I disappear. Sometimes I disappear when I get sick, but it’s usually because I’m swamped.
I’ll post a mid-week placeholder on my blog stating as such (like I’m going to do today) and then that post will go on all of my social media feeds. That way, I have something on my blog, and my followers know I haven’t dropped off the planet. Ultimately, my clients are my priority, and everything else I do is secondary. I could post updates and write blog posts in the evening, but I don’t want to burn myself out. Like I mentioned before, I’m a proponent of self-care.
They Appreciate Your Candor
Each time you make a client your priority, they know. They can tell because you’re responsive to their emails and turn things in early or on-time. You’re also turning in copy that’s meeting their expectations. When you’re making clients your focus, they appreciate being put first. When you’re using this kind of sincerity regarding your business, it’s an excellent way of building strong relationships and obtaining recommendations.
While we would all love to retain clients forever, their needs or budgets change. Therefore, if you work with them using honesty and openness regarding your willingness to put them first and make them a priority, they’ll be more likely to give you a recommendation or referral later.