Josephine Sabin is the Marketing Manager for DesignCrowd.
Being a freelancer is one of the most flexible jobs in the
world, especially since it means being your own boss and creating your
own hours. But of course, there are plenty of challenges.
Whether you’ve already started your freelance journey or
you’re a freelance wannabe, these awesome tips will help you get on top
of your freelancing career and become a master of your own success!
Brand yourself
As a freelancer, your brand represents just one thing –
YOU. Branding ensures you stand out from the competition by giving your
services a coherent, professional image and communicating your strength
and vision.
At the very least, you should start your branding journey with a logo and/or a website. If you have a smaller budget, look to crowdsourcing sites to get help, opinions, and feedback at a low cost.
Don’t undersell your skills
Many beginner freelancers make the mistake of underselling
their skills from the start, meaning they end up working hard for very
little financial return. Ask yourself, how much money do you want to be earning per hour as a freelancer? Will it be enough to cover your expenses, as well as provide you with a good net income?
If in doubt, do your research on industry benchmarks and consider how much cash you really need to make your freelancing work.
Be a networker, not a loner
The general assumption with freelance work is because you work for yourself, you work alone. This notion can hold you back.
Networking
will be the one thing that can make a huge difference to your
freelancing career. Sign up to online communities with other freelancers
on LinkedIn and Twitter.
It can bring in new clients/projects, but it can also create great business relationships,
allowing you to leverage the talents of other freelancers/businesses
and combine your individual services to enhance your business offerings.
You can learn a lot from other freelancers, whether you’re just
starting up, or in deep already.
Get organised
Every freelancer has their own way of staying organised, so
it’s important to find out what works for you. Software programs are
all the rage, whether for project management, time management,
invoicing/accounts or sales/leads tracking.
If you’re carrying out any of these tasks manually,
automated software can make your job much easier, freeing up your time
to focus on more critical business areas.
Ask for testimonials
Are you asking for client feedback at the end of each of
your projects? Client testimonials will be crucial in building your
brand reputation and in persuading new clients to take you on.
Publish your testimonials as soon as you get them and make
sure they are easy to find on your website, your social media pages or
your freelancing profiles. Testimonials are great addition to your
portfolio, especially if you can get a big client to vouch for your
work.
Market yourself
Many freelancers don’t spend time on marketing because they
feel it’s unnecessary or ineffective. But fun marketing campaigns can
give your business a unique and innovative edge that other freelancers
lack and you never know when your marketing efforts might result in a
new, spectacular client or project.
How will you kick-start your marketing this year? You could choose to run a PPC campaign online, use a client like MailChimp to fuel your email communications, conduct a letterbox drop or simply start a blog and promote your content.
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