Tips to freelancing success
If you are planning on starting your career as a freelancer, you need to be aware of the skills and expertise that you need to possess in order to survive the competition out there.
What does it mean to be a freelancer?
First things first: Let’s define the term “freelancer”
Well, a freelancer is an independent contractor who is not committed to a single employer and instead works for many organizations/people at once or different people simultaneously.
- In general, a freelancer performs specific tasks – some on a regular basis, and others only once in a while. In order to survive or at least be stable in your career as a freelancer, you need to make sure that you can easily pick up projects with different types of work and switch between them when needed (a special skill for this is called “portfolio”).
- List down the area(s) you would like to work as a freelancer? There are many areas you can choose from – writing, design, social media marketing, consulting, etc. You need to make sure that you know the ins and outs of your chosen area and that you have some expertise to show potential clients, in order to get more projects.
- Also, you need to choose whether you want to be a freelancer full-time or part-time. Of course, the latter one would require more commitment in work and will need more time for marketing yourself in order to make sure that at least your income covers all your costs. But if you are ready to do that, you will have a chance of having more stability and less pressure on your shoulders.
- How would you advertise yourself? There are many ways of advertising your services – through a blog, social media, ads on digital publications/websites, offline channels, or even a personal website with a portfolio. You need to decide which one is the best for your area of expertise.
- Ask yourself if you would like to work with international clients or just domestic ones? If you decide that working internationally will give you more opportunities, then you need to be aware of additional costs and taxation issues.
Freelancing success tips and tricks
Here are some essential elements of freelancing success to help you on the way:
1. Learn new skills each day
There is never a day in a freelancer’s life without work or marketing, but there are days when there is nothing to do. So how would you spend your free time? Spending it on learning new skills, doing some courses is always a good idea. But make sure that you don’t spend more than 15% of your time on learning. Application of what you have learned is just as important.
2. Marketing is irreplaceable
Make sure that you do marketing every day, even if it’s for 10 minutes – look for new clients, contact them, make sure that they know what your services are, etc.
Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are not only a good way to get in touch with people, but they can also be great for marketing yourself and staying up-to-date with the latest news and trends in your industry.
3. Don’t run after doing it all by yourself
Learn to delegate some tasks (especially if working part-time) – it will definitely release some pressure off your shoulders. You can learn how to delegate here. One of the worst things freelancers usually do is try to do everything by themselves. There are so many great tools out there that will help you provide your clients with the best. You can find some tools here.
4. Work-life balance is crucial
Don’t forget about the “golden triangle” of success – work-life balance, excellence, and sustainability. If you are not happy with your work-life balance, you won’t be happy in general; if you don’t practice excellence, you won’t be up-to-date with the newest technology or you won’t be able to offer your clients what they deserve; if you don’t do anything for sustainability, sooner or later the time will come when nothing will work.
5. Networking
Don’t underestimate networking – see it as a way of getting new projects and staying in contact with your clients. You can find some networking ideas here. Getting new clients can sometimes become a struggle, especially if you are trying to get in touch with the “right” people. Social events and conferences are great opportunities to meet people who can potentially be your future clients or business partners.
Watch this short video on tips and tricks for successful networking:
6. Build a portfolio
Keep making all your skills visible online by creating an online portfolio where potential clients can find out about your previous work. Don’t forget to also share your talents with other people through blogging, networking, etc.
This video will help you understand how to build a portfolio as a beginner:
7. Be professional
Always try to give your best in everything you do. If you are not satisfied with the quality of your work, this will automatically affect your client’s satisfaction as well.
Finally, you need to remember that as a freelancer, you are the one who is responsible for everything related to your business. If you fail, nobody will be there to take care of it – so work hard and keep up with all those tasks!
If working internationally appeals to you or if your current work-life balance needs improvement, then freelancing may be the right choice for you! In order to ensure your success as a digital marketer make sure that you do marketing, SEO marketing every day, even if it is for 10 minutes – look for new clients, contact them, make sure that they know what your services are, etc.