What it means to hang tough.

The recession stings right now, but I press on. I press hard and hang tough in the face of adversity. Don't let set backs undermine your objective. Stay focused on your goal and be willing to find workarounds.


I sent a self promotion in Q4 2009 in order to stay in front of people and expand my reach. Eblasts that I had been sending for a year or so were getting stopped-up at the server level in a lot of cases. I had been sending an average of 90 eblasts and was getting an open rate that was hovering at around 60%. Not bad. The problem though, is that figure is misleading. Out of the 90 eblasts sent only 50 were actually making it past recipient firewalls rendering 40 people completely missing it altogether. I was in reality only reaching approximately 30 people. 


Since the objective was to stay in front of potential clients and/or employers, I knew I had to get a punchier concept, change my tactic, and keep going. I opted for direct and packed a bigger punch in the copy and art direction.


I saved a little money on postage by dropping vendors off my list and focusing solely on prospective employers and clients. Yes, vendors are great people to stay in touch with because they are more mobile in the marketplace than most employers and clients. They see what's happening in the big picture--but for this direct campaign, the budget took over and I had to ditch them until the next eblast.


Here are the headlines:


You have the will to be FIERCE.
Benefit from tenacity and a dedicated work ethic to support your plan.

Your own team can be TOUGH.

Work with creative talent that has ideas and solutions worth yellin' about.

The budget is so TIGHT.

Smooth the rough spots with exceptional process efficiencies and reasonable rates.

Your critics will be ENVIOUS.

Gain a partner that has a service-based approach that keeps everyone satisfied.

Fierce, tough, tight and envious were all meant to evoke an emotion and lighten the prevailing mood about the business climate in general. The promise associated with the campaign was a strong partner (freelance or full time) who is dedicated helping those who ARE employed, to stay that way, and to be successful. 


The campaign was well received, but let's face it, budgets do remain tight--and as a freelancer in this economy, you have no choice than to stick to it and make everyday an adventure.

More ramblings to come.   ;-)