Building strong client relationships holds the key to a successful and rewarding career as a freelance copywriter. Not only do writers depend on their clients for business, but they can also grow as writers if they have a positive mindset, where they can digest client feedback and use that to keep improving their copywriting skills. However, before we dig deeper into some tips to improve client relationships, let’s establish why client relationships are important.
Why are Client Relationships Important?
One of the primary reasons why client relationships are important for a freelance copywriter is that the writer relies on their clients for work. It’s the bread and butter of the freelancer’s business. Simply put, if the freelancer keeps the client satisfied with their work, they continue getting more work from that client. But on the other hand, if the client is dissatisfied, they may not wish to continue their relationship with the freelancer.
If you are new to copywriting or want to learn how to become a copywriter, developing a partnership mentality rather than a transactional mentality will benefit your career. Your focus should be on building productive long-term relationships rather than looking for short-term gain. Sure, not all your clients will be long-term, but your partnership mentality should not change.
Many copywriters start working with a new client with short writing gigs or projects and gradually build their way up to larger projects and steady work. Reaching this point takes patience, consistency, and hard work. The time and energy invested in building the relationship make it precious, and it’s worth it to find solutions to any hurdles that might come along the way. If you want to become a copywriter, you will need to learn how to manage conflict with the client.
A copywriter may have many clients, which can often make the copywriter complacent. It creates a false sense of security that even if they lose one client, it won’t significantly impact their business. Although that may be true in the short term, if the client left due to the negative attitude of the writer, other clients might also have the same issue and choose to end their relationship with the writer.
Another reason client relationships matter is that they provide a foundation for future work—either more work with the same client or as a referral to other clients. A lot of good clients prefer to hire only through referrals. This means maintaining a good relationship with your client helps you get business from them and can also help you expand your book of business.
Lastly, the client-copywriter relationship is important to establish a good working environment. No one likes to feel miserable at what they do for a living. If a client-copywriter relationship is not cordial, it can lead to confrontations, misunderstandings, and frustration. These are all ingredients you want to avoid if you want to become a copywriter.
Tips to Improve Client Relationships
Freelancer copywriters must work hard to cultivate a strong relationship with the client. To add to the challenge, most freelance writers work remotely, making it difficult to build rapport with the client. Sure, they can video conference with the client, but it’s different from being on-site.
In addition, the freelancer-client relationship is not one-size-fits-all, as each relationship can have unique nuances, expectations, and working dynamics. The client and the writer need to be mindful of these challenges and find solutions. From the copywriter’s perspective, here are a few tips to help improve your client relationships.
Listen to the Client
A common mistake for copywriters is not spending enough time understanding their client’s needs. Not only does this include establishing the objectives of a particular assignment or project, but it also involves spending time understanding the overall goals and needs of the client. Freelancers who want to learn how to become a better copywriter should help the client feel heard and understood—an important aspect of a healthy relationship.
Listening to the client sounds simple, but copywriters often neglect this part of building a relationship with the client. A common reason for this mistake is the typical transactional mentality of a copywriter. They need to focus more on completing their assignments as quickly as possible.
Spending time understanding the needs of the client will help reduce the chances of misunderstandings. In addition, it can help you translate the client’s ideas and needs into a workable project outline.
Work On Building Trust
The more you can build trust, the better your relationship will go. Even before you submit your first assignment, you can start building trust by showing the client how you interact, respond, and engage.
Building trust won’t happen overnight. You will have to build trust by delivering projects on time, communicating with the client, and meeting the client’s quality expectations.
Another way to build trust with the client is to make it easy for them to reach you. This means quickly responding to emails or other modes of communication. You should never ghost your client, as that is sure to spoil the relationship.
Ask For Feedback
Copywriters are often reluctant to ask for feedback because they’re worried about bad reviews of their work or are concerned the client might initiate a revision request for a submitted assignment. These are understandable concerns, but a truly smooth, productive, and cordial client-copywriter relationship has to get past these fears.
A copywriter can become aware of their weaknesses by embracing client feedback. Initially, the self-assessment might feel tough, but herein lies the opportunity for freelancers to learn how to become better copywriter.
Getting feedback from the client has the added advantage of engaging them and making them invest in you. This investment will help strengthen your relationship and make you more valuable to the client. Rather than waiting for client-initiated feedback, feel free to ask the client how you’re doing and how you can improve. This also shows the client that you are confident and willing to tailor your work to their needs.
Exceed Expectations
A great way to build your client relationship is to find ways to exceed expectations. For example, you can go the extra mile by writing high-quality articles that require minimal revisions. You could also make the extra effort necessary to format the article according to the customer’s needs. In addition, you could go above and beyond by completing the work well before the deadline.
Remember: if the relationship goes sour or is unmanageable even with your best effort, it’s okay to break up. There can be situations where you feel your work is not the ideal fit for the client or want to specialize in writing for a specific niche. Regardless of why you want to end the relationship, it would be best if you did it professionally, completing all your obligations to the client and leaving on a good note.
Conclusion: Building Clients Relationships is Vital To Your Success
To wrap it up, there is a lot you can do to keep become a better copywriter and improve your remote freelancer skills. One of the best things you can do is to work on making your client relationships stronger. It won’t happen overnight, but it’s worth the effort. It will help you get more work, expand your network, and allow you to enjoy your work.
Author Bio
Ali Azhar is a contract copywriter with Content Workshop and a member of Copywriter Exchange.
At Copywriter Exchange, we exist to help copywriters thrive in today’s economy by connecting them with the resources they need to step up their game. Join now to access the best copywriting resources, including our templates, guides, and courses to help you grow your career, skills, and network.
