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4 Simple Ways to Market Yourself as a Freelancer

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Oli Kang
4 Simple Ways to Market Yourself as a Freelancer

A lot of people have thought about freelancing, but only a few have succeeded.

Whether you’re a graphic designer, makeup artist, recruitment specialist, marketing consultant, or writer, building your personal brand is crucial not only to find jobs but also to become an established freelancer.

However, marketing yourself as a freelancer goes beyond simply showcasing all the best work that you’ve done. You need to find ways to stand out and get noticed from among hundreds or thousands of similarly talented and experienced professionals.

To help you get started in your quest to stand out from the rest, here are five simple ways to market yourself as a freelancer:

1. Use social media

Now, this advice to be on and maximize social media marketing may seem like a no-brainer. But you’ll be surprised to find that not all freelancers take advantage of this affordable marketing channel to get the exposure they need. And don’t say that you don’t like Instagram or Facebook, so you end up with no social media mileage.

If you don’t have any yet, create social media accounts on the most appropriate platforms. Make sure you complete the “About” section and launch your page once it contains a good number of interesting posts. Ask your friends and people in your network to follow or “like” your page. Better yet, ask them to share it with their own networks, as well.

Schedule your posts and keep them interesting and useful for your market. In the end, you might be surprised at how much business you’ll end up getting through social media.

2. Start your own blog

You don’t have to be a writer to start a blog since it can be something personal, or a project for yourself. Blogs actually started out like people’s online diaries, and have been adopted by the world of business for SEO. Also, they turned out to be money-making channels on their own.

When you start blogging about your work as a freelancer, talk about your doubts, struggles, and fears. For example, if you’re using a new type of lenses as a photographer, or design software, you can talk about how easy or difficult it was to use these.

You can also talk about your daily life – something like what happens on a typical freelancer’s day? You can share tips and updates, or discuss certain topics and issues with your audience. All of these things are interesting in their own ways, so don’t keep them on your website exclusively.

Share your blog links on social media, and don’t be afraid to ask your network to check them out, too. Perhaps later on, you can even venture into vlogging.

3. Update your online portfolio or personal website

Don’t allow content to go stale, and this includes your online profile and blog posts.

Update everything that no longer reflects the current situation. For example, if you’re a food writer and keep a food or restaurant-related blog, you should make it a point to indicate if a restaurant moved elsewhere or is no longer open. And always, always update your online portfolio every time you finish a project. As usual, share your website or online portfolio periodically. Who knows? You might just get new clients that way.

4. Be good to your clients

It doesn’t matter if you charge by the hour or on a per-project basis, you should always treat your clients fairly and conduct your dealings honestly. Sure, it may be tempting to pad your fees when you know you’ve got a well-funded project in your hands. Don’t.

If a client sees your business integrity and commitment to quality, you may end up having a client for life – and referrals, too. There’s nothing like word of mouth or online reviews to make or break a business, so be transparent in handling your projects. Always strive to provide quality work, so there’s no reason for you not to gain the recognition you deserve.

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Oli Kang
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