With much of the world’s population in quarantine, much of society’s infrastructure is going to be suspended. Schools and all non-essential private sector businesses are all mandated to minimize operations, if not to cease them.
With the world in the state, it’s currently in, especially with the government’s call to practice social distancing, the need to supplement your income is more apparent than ever.
Many people might consider freelancing as a temporary supplementary source of income during these unprecedented times. Then, factor in the comfort of working from home or in one of the many coworking spaces such as Novel Coworking, and freelancing is suddenly a much more attractive proposal, even after the quarantine ends.
If you perform well at your chosen craft, you might even find that freelancing can provide you with a stable source of income even afterlife resumes to normal. The most sure-fire way of turning freelancing into a reliable, stable, long-term source of income is to establish a personal brand (i.e. market yourself).
Here are some ways you can get your personal brand off to a good start.
1. Build A Website
Many businesses know the benefits of having a proper website. A proper website functions as a way to establish your personal brand and it is a representation of what your goals are as well as what services you offer.
Even if you don’t have a web design and web programming skills, there are many platforms and companies that offer these services.
The trick is to choose your web design and development agency well.
2. Utilize Social Media Platforms
Social media is a godsend when it comes to marketing. The reason behind this is that almost everyone has at least one social media account, whether it’s Instagram, Facebook, or even LinkedIn.
These platforms grant freelancers a means to reach their intended audience for free and they can also be used to link to your website and your blog, which will also help drive your website higher in search results.
3. Start A Blog
One of the most efficient ways to market yourself as a freelancer is to start a blog. Creating content as a marketing method will never go out of style because it gives your readers an insight into how you think and how you operate. It can also be used to enhance search engine optimization that generates organic traffic to your website.
More importantly, it can function as a means for you to contribute to the wealth of knowledge on the internet, especially if your experience and expertise are credible and refreshing to your audience.
While you can never dispense with intrinsic rewards, being able to help out a person in need through the information you share is a reward in and of itself.
4. Optimize Your Website
It’s one thing to be able to express your thoughts and share your insights to your audience, and another for your website to become a means to draw more clients to you. If you’re able to invest in search engine optimization, your website is going to rank higher on the Google search index.
This matters to freelancers as much as it matters to other businesses because this helps lend an impression of credibility to your website, and by extension, to you as a freelancer.
When a query is made, the top results are almost always perceived as the best possible matches to the query.
And while it’s true that it takes a long time to get to the top results, the benefits of doing so last a significantly long time, long enough to make the investment worth it.
5. Answer Questions On Q&A Sites
While you can indeed answer questions through your blog and through your website, you’re not exactly going to start out with a significant following that’s going to see the answers and insights that you have on those mediums. The true value that Q&A websites such as Quora hold are that these websites get about 200 million visitors monthly.
This means that hundreds, if not thousands, of website visitors, are going to see your answers on these sites. Not only will you be able to help someone in need, but you’re also going to be able to establish an online presence. And this isn’t going to be just like any online presence. You’re going to establish yourself as an expert in your chosen niche.
You can even get creative with your answers by linking to your website if users want additional information on the question you’re answering.
This, again, helps generate traffic for your website, which in turn, improves its Google index ranking. It’s a win-win for everybody.
6. Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is a mutually beneficial arrangement wherein an author publishes a blog post for a third-party website or blog in order to promote the author’s personal brand. This is an arrangement that satisfies the needs of publishers as well as authors. Publishers need quality content and authors need a platform through which they can reach a wider audience.
Consider the fact that a publisher’s website is likely to have an established audience.
When an author is able to write an excellent blog post, this not only helps draw traffic for the publisher, but it also helps establish the author’s expertise and credibility on the subject matter. Furthermore, depending on your agreement with the publisher, you can even add a link to your website, which would also generate traffic for your website.
But that’s not all. An added value in guest blogging lies in building a relationship with publishers. You can potentially find regular work with publishers that are thoroughly happy with your work.
Relationships are an invaluable asset in the freelancing market. You might even be able to monetize your guest blogging services once you’re able to establish your authority in your field.
7. Build Networks
As mentioned in the previous item, relationships are an invaluable asset in the freelancing market. This is especially true when you’re able to find referrals through these relationships. One effective way of building a network is by attending events that are hosted by individuals who belong to your industry.
This way, you can meet other professionals who you can work with growing your freelancing business. A business card is a simple, yet a potent tool for these events.
It’s also possible to build a network online. Whether it’s by keeping in touch with people you’ve successfully worked with, or by joining and contributing to online forums that are related to your field or industry.
8. Host Seminars
If you have the resources, the portfolio, and the reputation, you might even want to consider hosting a seminar. Even when you already have an established reputation, there’s no harm in taking it a step further. You essentially hit two birds with one stone by hosting a seminar.
You’re not only able to further establish yourself as an authority in your field by sharing your knowledge to your audience, but you are also able to potentially build an even bigger network through your seminar because of how you’re going to be the main focus of your own event.
9. Streamline Processes
Streamlining processes such as creating project proposal templates are going to save you a lot of time when interacting with potential clients. Remember that the quicker you’re able to finish a particular process, the quicker you’re going to be able to start the next process.
If you prefer a more sophisticated approach, you might even want to consider automating some processes. A good example of this is by making use of chatbots. While it’s true that potential clients generally want to be able to get in touch with you directly, you’re not always going to be able to entertain their questions, especially if you’re working on other projects.
An effective chatbot funnel will allow you to elicit and provide important project information even if you’re not currently available. Remember that a response is important, whether it is favorable or not, a quick response will always be appreciated.
10. Price Right
It’s important to be able to determine how much you’re going to charge for your services, because this, too, can provide would-be clients with an insight into what type of freelancer you are. You have to be able to determine the price, as well as whether you’re going to be paid hourly or on a per-project basis.
There are two general rules you have to follow.
If you’re just starting out as a freelancer, you shouldn’t be picky with the work that you get, especially since you haven’t proven yourself yet and because you’re still in the process of establishing a reputation. More often than not, you’re not going to get the amount that you want for your work. This is fine as long as you don’t forget to ask your client to leave a review.
Remember that your primary goal here is to create a portfolio that you can show to future potential clients.
Now, if you’ve been able to establish a reputation for yourself, you now have more negotiating power which you can use to ask for a higher price. In terms of pricing, you have to make sure that your prices justify the quality of your work. If you price your work too low, you’re going to come off as desperate and you might even arouse suspicion, especially since most clients know that quality work often costs more money than subpar work.
If you price your services too high, you could come off as opportunistic, which is also a trait that many scammers exhibit.
Now, in terms of payment schemes, as a freelancer, you’re going to be better off being paid on a per-project basis. This is not only fair for both you and your client, but it also helps you organize your projects better, especially if you’re working with multiple clients at once. This also shows your clients that you know your craft well enough to be able to determine a due date as well as project milestones. It also rewards fast and efficient work, where, if you’re able to complete a task quicker, you get the value for completing that task and you can then move on to the next task.
11. Utilize Email Marketing
Even when we’ve had so many new trends, such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things, rise in the past year, some things will never become ineffective. Email marketing is one of those few digital marketing strategies that will always be an effective tool in building an audience. Most successful businesses use email marketing, and when used to such a potent effect, it can even be monetized.
The best part about email marketing is that you can start your email marketing campaign for free through programs like Mailchimp’s free version, which will give you up to 2,000 subscribers as well as 12,000 emails, which is more than enough for a freelancer who’s just starting out.
Once you finally get the resources, you can increase activity and you can even consider automating the process later on.
12. Don’t Be Too Shy To Ask For Work
Once you’ve performed work for some clients and received positive feedback, it’s a good idea to check back with them to see if they want to hire you again or can refer your services to others. Most companies will choose freelancers who they’ve worked with before over freelancers who may seem impressive but have not been tried and tested yet.
If they don’t have work for you right now, you can ask them to leave a review or testimonial on your website, which will do wonders for your reputation.
Conclusion
The freelancing scape has never looked more important than it does now, especially when the majority of people are mandated by law to remain at home. Even when you aren’t able to establish freelancing as a full-time career, it’s easy to see why it’s a very potent alternative to day jobs, especially during a quarantine amidst a global pandemic.
Should you choose to take your freelancing career to the next level, we hope that the information contained within this article guides you well.
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