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Getting good feedback from your clients is essential to grow your business. It’s helps to gain new clients via word of mouth. How do you gain that good feedback?
Referrals remain the top way to gain clients. People turn to those they trust with recommendations and will then do their research. It helps them avoid some of the scam bloggers out there. After all, good quality content is essential.
You need to get good feedback from your clients. This isn’t just through referrals, but also on Google, Yelp, and other review sites. Here’s how you can gain it.
Question the guidelines and needs if you’re not sure
This is essential. You need to know what your clients need and the guidelines they have. One of my clients wants 400-word articles, while the other wants 2000 words. If I didn’t read any guidelines, I’m sure you could tell the initial problem!
If there’s anything I’m unsure about within the guidelines, I’ll always ask. This doesn’t mean I have a problem, but that I want clarification. When I do ask my questions, I’m always polite and just checking on something. Clients prefer to answer questions rather than deal with problems afterward.
There are times that I need to refresh myself on the guidelines. For example, one of my clients is an ad hoc client. I’ll need to look back over previous guidelines just to get a refresher to make sure I create the right content.
Keep communication open to get good feedback from your clients
Throughout projects, I keep communication open. Even in between, I’ll come back quickly if a question is raised or someone has put something in our chat group on Slack or whatever messaging system the client prefers..
Open communication is essential. It doesn’t just allow me to ask questions about guidelines, but also allows clients to find out how far into a project I am or whether I need any more work for the month. It allows them to find out if I can handle a task that someone else has dropped within a certain timeframe.
Don’t plagiarize content
This sounds like a no-brainer, but it is surprising how many people will do it! Many don’t even realize it. They think because they haven’t directly copied something directly means that it isn’t plagiarism. Just taking content and reworking the content to get through Copyscape is still plagiarism.
It’s important to take research from multiple sources. I try for three, but there are times that I’ll only be able to find two. I’ll also look for a statistic that I can use from an official site for some clients—they don’t specifically require it but have pointed out that they would like it.
Plagiarism will end your writing career*. It’s as simple as that!
Proofread your writing
Yes, we’re all human and can make mistakes. With the amount that I write on a daily basis, there is usually a mistake or two that I can miss when I first create the content. Clients don’t see them because I proofread all my content and make sure the mistakes are handled.
Proofreading is an essential part of being a writer. And you can’t just give it that quick once-through or rely on Word not coming up with red squiggly lines. Actually read through the content and speak it aloud to make it easier to spot mistakes.
I do have Grammarly installed. This has worked out a little better than Word, but it’s still not perfect.
Be willing to step in at the last minute
Every now and then I’ll step in at the last minute to do some work. I don’t like to make a habit of it, but I make it clear that I’m available when there is an emergency. I still set boundaries, as they are important for any type of business owner.
For many clients, it shows that you’re willing to work as a team with them. You’re willing to put in that little extra effort.
Of course, it’s not always for free. The only time it is free is when I’ve genuinely forgotten to do something or I messed up with deadlines. If it’s extra work, I always expect to be fairly compensated.
I also don’t want clients to just expect me to do it. I used to have one that expected me to do work within 24 hours because on one occasion I was able to manage that. I tried explaining that it was a one-off, but it wasn’t enough for that client. That person isn’t a client of mine anymore if you can’t tell.
By offering high-quality content that is well researched and not plagiarized, I’ve built up a reputation as a good writer. My clients give me good feedback and offer me more work because of this. You can do it, too. Just prove that you’re a writer worth hiring and keeping.
MORE: What’s holding you back as a freelance writer?
Are you struggling to get good feedback from your clients? Get in touch to see how I can help you do that as a writing mentor.