I’ve added another project to the schedule.  I’m writing an ebook and a fistful of articles the client will be using as part of the ebook’s marketing.  The research process has been enjoyable and I’m looking forward to producing what should be an interesting and informative final product.

I didn’t go looking for this job.  It came to me.  It didn’t come by word of mouth, a well-written advertisement or a pitch for my services.  It started with a forum post I wrote on a tangentially-related topic.  The person who read it sent me an IM via Skype one afternoon, out of the blue.  We had a nice conversation, which led to a few follow-up conversations which, in turn, led to this project.  This project, by the way, has the potential to grow into an ongoing relationship with the client, who has regular unique content needs.

I mention this as a reminder to freelancers and those looking for work that the best opportunities aren’t always found in advertisements.  They don’t always come from a well-orchestrated marketing campaign.

This is a good example of how authentic interaction can “market” high-trust services.  While a discussion board (technology that pre-dates today’s popular social media tools) served as a start, this could easily be a Twitter story.  When you use social outlets to do more than flat-out pitch your product, good things can happen.