A post on BNET tells business owners five ways to spot a $100 million idea. Those same five principles apply to increasing your value as a ghost writer. While you may not be able to become a $100 million ghost writer, if you pay attention to these five things, your service will be perceived as being worth more.
1) No matter how passionate you are about writing, if you don’t meet your client’s needs you won’t have value.
Passion for what you do keeps you going when the job is tough. It’s an important component to life as a ghost writer. Yet, passion without the skill to discover what your client needs is economically valueless. You must have the skill to see what your client’s wants and needs are.
Sometimes this includes educating your client. And sometimes it means not writing content that fits what you think they need. You may have to write what they want! Never forget. You are a ghostwriter. Your personality can only shine through when it suits your client’s needs.
2) When you identify your client’s big problem, you make a difference.
Because you client is on the inside, he or she may be overlooking a marketing strategy or approach that would make a major difference. Sometimes the “big problem” is a collection of small problems that have taken on the snowball effect. Constantly look for solutions that will help your client’s bottom line. Your writing may be part of the picture, or it may not. That doesn’t matter.
3) Share from actual experience.
Get involved in social media. Practice SEO for your own ghost writing business. Put ideas you read about into use and test them. Collaborate with others. Grow your personal experience base. Your will have more to offer as a ghost writer. If you lack experience in a certain area, be up front about it. Always be honest about your abilities.
4) Market your service.
If you know how to market your own service, it will position you to help your clients market their product or service. Learn everything you can about marketing. You don’t have to be into sales to develop strong marketing skills. Develop your elevator speech so you don’t waste new client’s time rattling on about what you do. Make sure you have an informative website.
5) Let you client help you develop ideas.
While most clients come to you looking for ideas, don’t assume that they don’t have ideas worth developing. Often, a collaborative environment where you bounce ideas off each other produces ideas that exceed anything either of you started out with. Your skill with writing is only as good as the underlying ideas. You will never lose out by bringing your clients into the process.
These five principles not only enhance your value as a ghost writer. They enhance your working relationship with your clients. It is easier for your client to feel confidence in you, especially when you are working virtually, when you are meeting needs, identifying trouble spots, sharing from your experience, presenting yourself positively through your marketing collateral and using your client’s strengths to do the job right.
