Collaborative post:
Whether you are new to the freelance scene or you are currently years into it, you need to find as many ways to attract new work as possible. It doesn’t matter which avenue you freelance in, you need to have the goal of building your client list and making more money – everyone needs more money, right? You need to stay on the hunt for work, and sometimes this can mean hours of unpaid admin to find what you need.
You need clients but there’s no time to find work, which means you end up spending more time client hunting than anything else. So, below, we’ve put together four ways that you can market yourself better and grow your freelance business better at the same time. Let’s take a look!
- Look closely. There is every chance that you know more people than you think. You have a network of friends, current clients, family members, ex-employers and coworkers – that’s a lot of people. If you know that you can offer a valuable service and your product or service has been popular in the past, then there is every chance that you can reach out to those you know. They may have people that they can ask for contractual opportunities, or they may have some of their own. By reaching out to everyone and anyone, you can grab another client and add to your network. Good work sparks good word of mouth, and you can get your name out there that way!
- Stay updated. When was the last time that you updated your online portfolio? It seems like a small thing to do but if you don’t update that online portfolio of yours, you’re going to be able to keep your clients and future clients updated on what you can do and your availability. You can even pay for adverts to have your freelance skills up for grabs and advertise these out online on social media pages. Don’t make your online profile too long, though! Too much information and you’re going to bore people on your page. It’s not ideal to do that!
- Start a blog. Going online and starting a blog is going to be far better for you than anything else as you need a voice online that people can relate to. If you have a unique skill, you need to showcase it as much as possible and you can do this with a blog. You can talk about your methods, the different ways that you do it all and give your freelance business a little personal touch!
- Hunt the job boards. Companies will often advertise for freelancers on job boards that will be specific to the skill sets that you have, so you can trawl these to see whether you can pick up work this way. These will also have inroads with new clients and you can contact the clients directly who are listed on the jobs board.
Once you have a few clients on board, try to grow your network further!
Sarah x
