Twenty medical writers gathered at the Ann Sather Restaurant in Chicago to partake of cinnamon rolls and learn how to use Web sites as marketing tools during the April GCAC/AMWA freelance meeting.
Sherree Geyer, Veronica Hinke and Scottie Kersta-Wilson, led a panel that addressed why writers should establish an Internet presence.
Sherree and Veronica, Chicago-area freelancers who specialize in healthcare and environmental communication respectively, advertise services and display writing samples on their Web sites, www.geyercommunications.com and www.featheredtrumpet.com.
Scottie, program manager for Environmental Health Consulting (EHC), a woman-owned firm in Oak Park, IL who specializes in risk assessment and health/science communication (www.environmentalhealthconsulting.com), promotes her freelance photography, writing, and editing business on her site, www.imagediary.com.
Veronica says that a Web site with “a clean professional design” distinguishes one writer from the next and allows editors to quickly access work samples. She warns against including too much personal information on a site but believes that photos can warm-up a writer’s Internet presence.
Sherree feels that photos can distract visitors from a site’s content and should be used judiciously. Internet sites can be linked to those of organizations, such as the Independent Writers of Chicago, which includes a page dedicated to member Web sites, she adds.
Scottie, who manages the EHC and GCAC/AMWA Web sites, stresses the importance of Web maintenance and hosting to promotional success. She says taking care of a site for a couple of hours a month keeps it fresh and up-to-date and recommends www.westhost.com, a hosting service which bills quarterly rather than monthly.
Be sure to join us in June when we'll learn that cold calling does not have to leave us cold!
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