The Conversion Scientist ARCHIVE™

The Magic Email for Freelancers and Job Seekers

It’s 130 words long, and can build your practice or get you more interviews

Email is the biggest social network on the planet. Even 80-year-olds have been on email long before giving Facebook a try. Because of this, it is the most effective tool for building a network that will connect you with the people that can give you work — whether you are a freelancer or a job seeker.

The problem is that email is a very personal medium. If we send unsolicited email, we feel we’re invading someone’s personal space. After all, we’ve all had spammers invade our space.

The Magic Email

The Magic Email gives you polite, respectful access to your email network. It contains the following components:

• It is specific about it’s purpose: to get permission to contact someone by email
• It states exactly what the recipient can expect from future emails
• It states specifically how the recipient can help
• It offers to reciprocate, making you a resource for them
• It tells the recipient how to remove themselves from your list

As a bonus, it should offer something of value; a link to something of broad interest.

The Magic Email creates an email network that has given you permission to contact them. It is through these contacts that you will win more freelance opportunities, and have your resume and cover letter delivered directly to hiring managers.

The Details of the Strategy

If you want to turn email into a work-generating network, listen to my presentation at Freelance Austin. Furthermore, Austin-based CardboardResume.com™ has sponsored a free copy of my book The Market for Me: Surviving Job Loss and Building Your Lifetime Career Network.

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The Job Song courtesy of Industrial Jazz Group via Music Alley.

What is Your Social Conversion Rate?

New presentation debuts at Innotech eMarketing Summit in Portland

After collaborating for a ClickZ article on Social Conversion with Dave Evans, I was pleased to get an opportunity to work with him to expand on the topic. I presented the topic at the eMarketing Summit during Innotech Portland 2009.

This is a topic that is moving quickly, and I suspect you will have something to say. Please do.

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RISEAustin Podcast: Your Key Web Site Strategies

What is your Web site pattern?

I’ve boiled down the entire universe of Web sites into five patterns: Brochure, Portal, eCommerce, Considered Purchase, and Site as a Service. So far, no one has been able to identify a sixth unique pattern. Which are you?

Here’s the full presentation I gave at RISE Austin, an amazing and unique conference in which businesses present free sessions to entrepreneurs all around the city.

We are lucky to live in Austin. Enjoy the audio and slides.

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