8 Marketing Basics for Freelancers 

Success in freelancing depends on how well one is able to build a personal brand and market it. 

Freelancers have to be their own marketers and brand managers. They need to know how to identify their market, create a selling proposition, craft a brand identity and message, build a personal brand, and market the same to the right audience. 

This personal branding is important to stand out from the other freelancers in the field. It also conveys that you’re a professional and are serious about your work. A good marketing strategy will help you show that for you, freelancing is a career and not something that you are doing as a hobby or on the side. 

Here are 8 marketing basics that can help you put your personal brand’s marketing strategy in place. 

1. Identify Your Niche: Don’t just get into freelancing thinking that you’ll do it all. Identify what you’re good at and what you can deliver on your own without much external assistance. For example, let’s say you’re thinking of launching your freelance career as a writer. So, before you go out to search for work, you need to find out which subjects you can write about exceptionally well. What kind of writing you can do. How much time would it take for you to turn around one blog or article or report. Knowing the answers to these questions will help you find your market, target the right clients, and deliver good work. 

2. Build Social Media Profiles: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are great places for freelancers to connect and network with other freelancers and potential clients. When you decide to start freelancing, spend some time to update your profile on these platforms. Join relevant groups on Facebook. Follow the right people and brands on Twitter. Build your network on LinkedIn. Participate in discussions. And, when you can, try to help people in your network. 

3. Create a Blog or a Website: While you don’t need to do this immediately, do think of creating a blog or website once you are relatively settled in your freelance business. This will help you showcase your projects, list out your skills, and connect with clients. 

4. Make a Visiting Card: Get a visiting card printed. State your name, your field, contact number and email. Make a formal email for printing on your website. If you have a blog or website, then add the details for the same. Hand these cards to relevant people you meet in networking events or when you go visiting clients. 

5. Attend Industry Networking Events and Conferences: We cannot stress the importance of this enough. These events and conferences not only give an opportunity to meet new people in your field, but also give you a platform to learn about the latest industry trends and happenings. 

6. Keep on Learning: In the freelance world, you have to take the responsibility for your own professional development. So, find online courses, part-time or weekend courses that can help you upgrade your current skills and learn new ones. This will help you in getting better paying projects and also add to your existing service offering. 

7. Deliver Quality On Time: If you do all the above things and not this one thing, then all your hard work will be wasted. Quality work, delivered on time is an essential requirement for success, more so if you’re trying to build your own freelance practice. 

8. Take Initiative to Solve Problems: Understand your client’s business and the industry that they operate in. Also try to understand your client’s problems or needs in your area of expertise. Offer solutions or share ideas that can help your client add value to their business. Do it without asking and offer it as a value-add. This will convey to the client that you know their business and have their best interest at heart. Who knows, they might hire you to implement some of those ideas? 

If you start applying these marketing tips as soon as you find and understand your target market, it will help you build a robust reputation and personal brand. A strong personal brand will ensure that you are considered for good work. 

If you need some help in starting your freelance career, get in touch with the team at eWomen.co