Marketing yourself as a freelancer is not very different from job hunting. It is crucial to market yourself properly as you will be in a consistent pursuit of gigs to assure you that your income remains steady. Therefore, you need to be consistently prepared and showcasing for the next available opportunity. Getting your name out there can be very tricky at times, regardless of where you are at in your freelancing career. It’s the manner by which you will keep on finding jobs, drive traffic to your website and subsequently, its the means by which you make money. Chances are you have no clue on how to discover new clients or get your name out there before the perfect clients. Here are a few tips on how you can market yourself effectively.
Advertise yourself
To advertise yourself as a freelancer, you would need to do alot of the footwork by word of mouth. Customers wouldn’t know you exist unless you begin getting your services and work projects out there before them. The primary spot to begin is to contact your family, companions, past managers, past school teachers, and some other critical individuals throughout your life and inform them of your new freelancing business and what you are doing, services and skills you offer. You will be astonished at what number of individuals may require services from you that didn’t realize you offered these or had these skills.
Get Referrals/testimonials
Give your inner circle a chance to be your first referrals. You will require their help, and the more friends, individuals who think about your freelancing business the better possibility you will have at getting a lead. This will slowly convert into strong work forms, quality of work illustrators and some contextual case studies that can be published to your website or portfolio. With this information readily accessible it won’t be long until you begin getting constant workflow.
Social Media and Online Presence
Utilizing on social media to advertise may not be sufficient enough. Helping other people on forum discussions and commenting on blog entries is an extraordinary approach to building your online presence. By doing so , this will link individuals back to your website and can be the most effortless approach to getting more traffic and leads. Also, ensure you have a decent online portfolio or website that converts these visitors into potential customers.
Networking
Networking in person is also very effective in marketing. Most freelancers work online so networking in person may not seem all that important, but it is actually one of the best things you can do to spread the word about your business and services you offer. Attend events with similarly invested individuals, there are plenty of networking events and meetups these days you can find them on Facebook, Meetup websites etc. You can make a significant number of connections at these events. Make sure you have your pitch mastered and your business cards ready!
Free resources
Offer free resources to attract long term clients/customers. You can run a special promotion or offer free services. You can even run a free webinar, digital downloads, workshops. These in turn can bring in your leads and the ability to then convert them into paying customers.