An important part of achieving success as a professional writer is setting expectations with your clients that you are sure you can meet. Taking the time to hash out an upcoming project with a client will help ensure that you both stay on the same page throughout the process, and that each of you have clear expectations about what the project will look like once it is complete. Here are five tips you can use for effectively setting and meeting client expectations:
Tip #1: Provide a Tentative Schedule
One of the most effective ways to make sure you and your clients are on the same page is to provide a tentative work schedule to each project manager you work with before starting a new project. This will help them understand what kind of workload you have on your plate, and provide them with timeline expectations that can be used to plan other aspects of the project you are working on together. You don’t have to provide specific details about projects or clients that might be on your docket at the time, but you can outline your anticipated work hours, and how many of those hours are already committed to other projects.
Tip #2: Offer Some Insight into Creation Technique
After reviewing the specs for an upcoming project, take the time to document some content creation techniques that you think will work best for the project and share your insight with the client you’re working with. This will give them an idea of things like the topics you want to cover and what style of writing they can expect the content to feature.
This will also give your client an opportunity to provide their own feedback about technique, and keep you both on the same page in terms of how the content takes shape as you create it.
Tip #3: Discuss Keyword Distribution
Keywords are just as important as topics, angles, and writing styles you incorporate into your content. The right keywords in place help to attract the right readers who are likely to already be interested in the products and services your content is ultimately promoting.
But keyword placement isn’t set in stone when it comes to content marketing – marketing agents employ a variety of keyword implementation methods, so you need to make sure that you understand how each individual client wants to get the job done before starting a project. If a client isn’t specific about how keywords should be used, let them know your intentions so they’ll know what to expect.
Tip #4: Verify Visual Necessities
Visual implementations are an essential component of quality content because it helps bring the words to life and it inspires website visitors to read through an entire piece before moving on to something else. If you’re expected to find photos or videos for a project, ask your client which sources they’d prefer you to use and how they want the sources credited.
Otherwise, you may find yourself having to search for the ownership and reuse rights of the photos after you turn the completed work in which may require extra time without any extra pay. Make sure clients know if you charge extra for sourcing and including photos before providing the service, as some may choose to simply find the visuals using their own time and resources. Clients should also know up front how many visual effects you are willing to provide for each piece of content you create, if any at all.
Tip #5: Submit an Overview
After you feel that you have all of the information necessary to complete a project for a client, put together a quick overview of the services you expect to provide so as to minimize disappointments once the content is created. You’ll find that submitting an overview and getting approval before starting a project helps to cut down on revision requests and financial disagreements. To be thorough you’ll want to include keyword usage, topics, subheading ideas, and photo placement in your overviews.
After using these tips, the best way to make sure that you meet your client’s expectations is to schedule the workload into your personal calendar and make a commitment to review the project on a daily basis whether you plan to work on it at the time or not.
