7 Marketing Strategies for Freelancers
In freelancing, you have more freedom and independence as a worker. You can set a schedule of your preference, you can choose any workplace, and you can make your own business decisions. But being a freelancer means being a one-person show. There are challenges you need to overcome independently, and among those challenges is marketing your freelance service.
7 Marketing Strategies for Freelancers
Every business needs to market itself, and that includes freelancing. Although your freelance service is not exactly a kind of business that needs a permit and has to be registered, it’s still a business, and you must market it extensively. Marketing opens many doors for your career growth as a freelancer. Your value and your reputation will transcend to considerable heights, which could make you a top freelancer in your locality. Of course, you certainly want to achieve that feat. So, we’ll show you seven marketing strategies that can boost your freelancer status.
Study the Market
Before you put out all your trump cards, you need to do an analysis of the playing field and the movements of other competitors beforehand. That’s an essential principle in playing games. But you can also apply that principle in marketing yourself as a freelancer in the freelance market.
By studying the freelance market, you’ll be able to determine which sort of clients need the type of service you’re offering. In that case, you’ll know which demographic you should target and approach. Other than that, you could also learn one or two things about how other freelancers in your field obtain a steady clientele. You can follow their method and go beyond it to gain an edge. Simply put, you need to have a bird’s-eye view of the market to come up with a solid marketing plan.
Establish a Branding
Among the critical factors for successful marketing is to have something that people can recognize easily or something that represents your identity. In other words, you need to have a brand. You don’t have to arrange a large budget to brand yourself as a freelancer. A simple logo and slogan will do. For the logo, you can make use of templates and easy-to-use tools for graphic designs. And for the slogan, make sure that it’s a phrase that it’s catchy and sums up the excellence of your freelance service.
Unleash your creativity in establishing a brand. Having a brand will help your promotion campaign and enable the market to remember you, especially prospective clients that are considering hiring you.
Be Active on Freelance Websites
Based on a report from Payoneer, an estimate of 33% of freelancers obtain clients via referral and word-of-mouth, while the other 73% obtain clients from online freelance platforms. As you can see, the majority of freelancers today heavily rely on the internet to find more work, and for a good reason. Why? Well, most clients are tracking and hiring freelancers through freelance websites because it’s easier and faster. With that in mind, make it a must to market yourself on freelance websites. Go to as many platforms as you can find and post your portfolio and freelance profile on each of them. That should win you a proposal from multiple clients.
We recommend you to try Upwork, Freelancer.com, and Fiverr. Those three freelance websites are full of clients searching for freelancers daily. Millions of clients and freelancers are currently registered on each of them. You can find hundreds or more freelance gigs available. And sometimes, you can take the initiative to approach clients first, rather than waiting for them to contact you.
Have a Social Media Presence
Nowadays, digital marketing is the primary norm in promoting products and services, thanks to the kind of technology our generation has. The best platform for digital marketing is none other than social media. So, make sure you have a social media page dedicated to your freelance service. There are multiple social media strategies you can execute in obtaining followers. These followers could well become your trusted clients shortly or at least some of them.
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are excellent social media platforms to market yourself. Post information about your service every day, as well as your contact details. And, make sure to upload images of your portfolio and sample works as proof of your skills and expertise.
Publish Blogs or Vlogs Regularly
Aside from posting images of your portfolio on social media, publishing blogs and vlogs is an even more effective method to market yourself in the digital world. Blogs and vlogs can capture the interest of your target clients, especially if they relate to their needs and if they contain useful information. Your blogs and vlogs could be about tutorials or educational topics related to your niche or field of expertise. If you have the resources, consider forming your website and publish your blogs and vlogs on it. For your vlogs, you can upload them on Youtube. Nevertheless, social media is good enough, and thus it will do.
Publishing blogs and vlogs regularly can boost your online reputation and help you garner more clients in the process.
Make Connections with Other Freelancers
Other freelancers might be your competition in attracting clients, but they can also become your allies. There are quite many reputable freelance groups out there, and if you join them, that could bode well to your reputation as a freelancer. Members of a freelance group aid each other most of the time in finding clients. They sometimes refer you to clients who have projects that are more suitable for your skillset. But, you don’t really need to join freelance groups. Having a few contacts with other freelancers will do. Though, it would probably be best not to partner up with freelancers that are your direct competition. What we mean by direct competition are freelancers that offer the same services as you do inside and out.
As you may have realized, having connections with your peers can also open windows of opportunities. No man is an island, indeed.
Always Say Yes
When you receive an offer from a client with a complex project, never say no for an answer. Take it as a challenge and an opportunity to get out of your comfort zone. After all, you went to extensive lengths to market yourself. Don’t let it all go to waste. Sign an agreement contract from any good client giving you an offer. If you refuse clients with difficult requirements, you might lose the chance to obtain a regular client. Who knows? A client that you refused might’ve found your productivity satisfactory and would’ve recommended you to other clients.
The many benefits of freelancer jobs encouraged many people to transition to freelancing. Admittedly, not all of them are prepared beforehand to face the challenge of marketing themselves. But in your case, you are fully prepared because of what we’ve discussed to you here. So, start creating your checklist of marketing goals and standout as an excellent freelancer.
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