Seven Reasons The Client Next Door Is Worth Two in Timbuktu

This is the 1st post in the series: Writing Jobs in Your Hometown

If you are searching for clients exclusively online, you risk passing over what could prove to be lucrative local writing jobs.

You are uniquely positioned to fulfill the needs of local clients. You speak their language, share their currency, and live their current events. All these factors increase your value to local businesses, which makes it harder for them to replace you with an internet search.

Here are 7 reasons to consider stepping away from the computer and looking for local writing jobs the next time you run into a slump with your online marketing efforts.

1. Diversity

The danger of putting all your eggs in one basket is that when the basket breaks you lose everything. Business models change at the speed of light on the internet. Last year’s expert is challenged by this year’s new hotshot. Building a diverse client pool by including local businesses can help ensure you have plenty of options when one client relationship or client building strategy ends.

2. Local Language and Dialect

Those who speak and write the local dialect have the advantage in this business. People respond to a local voice (listen to your local radio station if you do not believe this). True, some writers have an ear for voice and language and can learn the idiosyncrasies of another culture’s speech, but you will not have to work so hard when you work on local writing jobs.

3. Regional Economy and Climate

You know your neighbors’ concerns and you understand how large events affect the local economy. Your content will show your affinity for the events and mindset that characterize your area. You can do the research, but you probably will not know all the right questions to ask to make your piece sound as relevant to an overseas client. Besides, more research is more work.

4. Shared Currency

Exchange rates (and the conversion fees associated with them) can suck a lot of the value out of your overseas assignment. World money markets can change overnight and devastate your income on a contract to which you are bound. You will keep more of your hard earned pay for local writing jobs when you are paid in your local currency with a check drawn on a local bank.

5. Prevailing Wage

It just takes a couple of minutes on Elance.com for an American to hyperventilate about the impossibility of churning out blog posts for $1/post. Local clients are familiar with the prevailing wage in your area and understand your need to make a living. When you demonstrate your ability and prove the importance of a local voice, you should have no problem commanding the price you deserve.

6. Ease of Contract Enforcement

Your dunning notices will be harder to ignore if you are in the area. If the matter cannot be resolved without legal action, it can be much simpler to file a claim and get a swift resolution in your favor for a local writing job.

7. Same Time Zone

Unless you routinely time shift, you will find your communication benefits from dealing with customers who are not on the other side of the world. Otherwise, your e-mail correspondence lags by a day on one end or the other or both. When you need an answer to continue working on a project and the job is local, you can often pick up the phone right then, get an answer, and get on with your work.

I would love to hear what you think. Are there any advantages to local writing jobs I overlooked? What are the disadvantages of working for local clients?

Next post in series => Network with Friends and Family to Find Writing Jobs