5 Effective Ways to Make a Steady Freelance Income

According to an analysis report from Slash Workers, an estimated 45% of freelancers feel secure with their status as self-employed individuals. Because of that, 41% of freelancers plan to make freelancing a long-term career. It’s true that you can feel secure being a freelancer, but you need to work on it.

5 Effective Ways to Make a Steady Freelance Income

One of the things you must do to feel secure in freelancing is to make your income steady. After all, earning more money is what motivates us to continue striving as professionals. So if you want to join the 41% of freelancers who want to make a full-time career out of freelancing, we invite you to read this blog and learn the five ways you can establish a stable freelance income.

Sell Yourself Well

Being a freelancer is like running a small business. The products of your small business are none other than your freelance services. Just like any other business, nothing is going to happen if there are no marketing activities to sell the products to their intended consumers. Subsequently, there will be zero revenue, and that means zero profit, and if there’s zero profit, the business is bound to close.

In freelancing, marketing is essential to earn yourself clients. Keep in mind that clients are your primary source of income as a freelancer. There are several ways you can make yourself known to the freelance market. But in today’s age, everything is in the digital world. The two online platforms where clients and long-time freelancers meet and arrange contracts are on freelance websites and social media.

Freelance Websites

In freelance websites, register your profile as a freelancer and upload your best portfolio. There are thousands of clients on each freelance website. They look for freelancers that meet their requirements and qualifications. For sure, some of these clients are searching for freelancers with your attributes. If they come across your profile, they might send you an email that contains a work proposal. You can also search for available gigs on freelance websites and contact clients to let them know that you’re interested in working for them. In other words, you can take the initiative to earn a job instead of waiting for clients to approach you first.

Social Media

Most people today are on social media. Social media became a platform for worldwide social interaction, news reports, random videos, memes, and business promotion and advertising. With those in mind, social media is an effective platform to market your freelance services and build a strong online reputation. So, you should create social media pages or accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. to gain followers. These followers will see your daily posts and build interest in your services. Later on, they could become your clients, or they will recommend people to you. There are multiple social media strategies you can use to promote yourself effectively.

Among the benefits of freelancer careers are that there’s no need for a big marketing budget. Make do of free platforms like social media and freelance websites.

Expand Your Revenue Stream

In freelancing, more work means more money. If you have many clients, you have many projects to work on, which bodes well in your desire to increase your income. For that reason, it’s advisable to expand your revenue stream by obtaining as many clients as you can handle. In that way, you’ll always have something to work on each day. You’ll less likely experience dry spells. Dry spells or droughts are periods when freelance gigs are lesser than usual. So, make it one of your objectives checklist to increase your clientele.

Keep Your Clients’ Trust

Once you already have regular clients, do your best to keep their trust in you for the longer term. To do that, you need to be consistent in meeting their standards and expectations. Provide them a high-quality output every time they hire you to do a project. In return, they will continue to do business with you, and they might even consider paying you extra. Other than paying you extra, they could also give you referrals to sign additional contracts with other trusted clients. If a client has trust in you, he or she will recommend you to other people. Thus, improving your chances of stabilizing your income.

Always Meet Deadlines

As a freelancer, you’re always in a race against time. Each project has its deadline, or shall we say the date of when a client wants it completed. If you can meet deadlines consistently, you have more time to work on pending projects. The more tasks you finish within a period, the more income you’ll earn within a period. Take note that there are some clients who are very particular about a freelancer’s productivity. They stipulate on their contracts that projects must be finished before or on the completion date; if not, the freelancer’s service fee will be deducted.

To help yourself meet your deadlines, you can use time tracking software and tools to create a solid work schedule. In doing freelance work, you need to season your time management skills.

Follow Up Payments

One of the main reasons why some freelancers aren’t earning a stable income is because of overdue payments. Unfortunately, there will be instances when some of your clients won’t pay you on time due to various circumstances. In such situations, your freelance income will be in jeopardy. So, make sure to follow up on your clients’ payments every now and then, especially if they’re long overdue. Don’t worry about them getting irritated by your constant reminder. It’s your right to claim what they owe you.

There’s also a way to ensure that your clients pay on time. During your contract negotiations with them, make it as one of your conditions that they should pay your service quotation before or on the due date. If they fail to do so, legal actions can or will be imposed against them.

There are many other tips for freelance workers that you must learn to experience a fruitful freelancing career. We have other blogs about freelancing listed on the “You may also like” section of this page. Visit them as well to learn more about the freelance economy. Give your 101% to steady your income rate when you commence your career as a freelancer.

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