{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"#148: How to Line Up January Work Now","description":" If you\u2019re like me, you\u2019ve learned the hard way that if you don\u2019t plan for January right now, you might have a very slow start to the new year.  A lot of places shut down between Christmas and New Year\u2019s Day, which can make that a great time of year to take off from your freelance business \u2014 but it can also be a great time to catch up on work or work on your business,  But those last two weeks of the year are not usually a good time to reach out to clients. I highly encourage you to do that outreach now to ensure some income come January. I\u2019ve said before that my best way to get new clients is through referrals. And while referrals work well for getting new clients, the easiest way for me to get new projects from existing clients is simply to email clients. In this episode, I share my very basic formula and some suggested email language for January outreach. I focus first on a top-tier group, my favorite clients to work with, and then a larger, broader group. I track it via a spreadsheet.  Another thing I\u2019ve been doing more of is posting on LinkedIn when I have availability for work. See the link below under Resources for an example.  Start your LinkedIn post by clearly focusing on your target audience or call to action, because as people scroll through their feeds they only see the first couple of lines of a LinkedIn post and you want to catch their attention.  Another way to potentially line up work for January is to send a holiday card \u2014 this reminds clients you\u2019re out there and available. Email cards are easy, but a paper, snail mail card with a handwritten personalized note will stand out.  Biz Bite: Do a software and tools audit The Bookshelf: \u201cThe Kaiju Preservation Society\u201d by John Scalzi Resources: Join me for the ASJA webinar on Dec. 13 \u201cHow to Host a Solo Business Retreat and Gear Up for 2023.\u201d  Join the Deliberate Freelancer Facebook group.  Support Deliberate Freelancer at Buy Me a Coffee. Melanie\u2019s LinkedIn marketing post ","author_name":"Deliberate Freelancer","author_url":"http:\/\/deliberatefreelancer.com","html":"