Way To Get Clients As A New Freelancer
In a digital era, everyone has access to anything across the Internet, including services of all sorts.
Freelancing and outsourcing have become a trend for entrepreneurs like Larby Amirouche and businesses alike because it is a cost-effective way to get quality services.
Moreover, clients have tons of options on who to hire based on their preferences. Larby Amirouche considers freelancing as a good option for those businesses that have limited budgets but need essential services.
What is Freelancing?
Freelancing is a contract-based profession where the freelancer uses his skills and experience to provide services to a number of clients.
Freelancers can take on various assignments without committing to a single employer. They can take as many gigs (jobs) as long as they are able to deliver the outputs on time.
Most freelancing gigs are in work-from-home situations, however, some clients ask freelancers to work in their offices.
Overall, it all depends on the agreement between the client and the freelancer.
Freelancing is an enticing profession. Most freelancing gigs cater to the problems of a usual service-class human.
According to Upwork, a platform for freelancers. Full-time working Americans work an average of 47 hours per week while freelancers work an average of 11 hours less per week.
Advantages of Freelancing
Oftentimes freelancers also have full-time jobs, they do these gigs to generate extra income to pay off debt or save for a rainy day. Moreover, it is affordable to start freelancing, most of the time you just need a computer, internet, and of course your skills.
Another thing about freelancing, your work can start ASAP. As soon as a client hires you, you can start immediately.
The good thing about freelancing is it is the best fit for people who want independence over a job. Lastly, freelancing is flexible.
Aside from these pros, here are other advantages of having a freelance job.
Flexibility:
It was already mentioned that being a freelancer is a flexible job. Today, millennials opt to choose to go freelance rather than working in a corporation.
Why? Because in freelancing you have the option to choose the time when you want to start working or the amount of workload you want to achieve in one day.
Flexibility is one of the main benefits of freelancing. Aside from these advantages, freelancing also allows freelancers to work anywhere as long as there is a decent internet connection to fulfill their obligations.
You Can Choose Your Clients and Projects
In reality, if you are committed to a full-time job you might find yourself stuck with a project that goes against your ethical and moral objections but you will still continue because you are paid to do it.
On the other hand, you have tons of options in freelancing. If you see a job advertisement and the project proposal of the client doesn’t fit you, you can always refuse. However, if this is the case, you need to have a plan B.
Understanding Financial Security
One of the downsides of freelancing is the uncertainty if you will still have clients in the following months. However, history has proven that having a full-time job doesn’t necessarily reassure your financial security either.
As a freelancer, you will develop an awareness of your finances. You will learn to save because there is no 100% guarantee that you will have projects later on.
Freelancers are always prepared. You will always need to have several plans in line and you won’t leave things to fate.
Larby Amirouche on the Best Way to Get Clients as a New Freelancer
If you are already interested in freelance work, here are a few ways on how you can land your first client and a few more.
1. Be Present on Online Job Boards
There are several online freelance job boards where you can find clients posting job ads for freelance work.
On those boards, you can already see what the clients are looking for and what kind of agreement they are willing to commit to. So it will be easy for you to weigh your options.
2. Maximize the Power of Social Media
Add Value on Facebook
There are tons of Facebook groups. Usually, these groups are divided based on the niche or type of freelance work most of the members of the group can offer.
Show Visuals on Instagram
This platform is best for graphic artists and photographers. Instagram can be their online portfolio where potential clients can inquire about their services.
Network on Linkedin
Linkedin is a more professional way to look for freelance work.
3. Get Clients Through Networking
Networking and word of mouth are two of the best ways to get clients. When people know what you can offer and how you work they can recommend to you their network who are looking for freelancers.
Moreover, by networking, you create valuable connections that you can benefit from in the future.
4. Use Email Marketing
Similar to the usual business, your product is your services and skills and one way to promote yourself is to get into the inboxes of future clients.
If you already have a blog or a website for your freelancing business it is recommended to use a pop-up builder to create a notification on your site that prompts visitors to enter their email for a perk, such as a discount or downloadable asset.
This will give you quality leads to build up your email list without much work.
5. Get Listed and Encourage Reviews
If you want to get freelance clients, your business needs to be present in popular sites such as Yelp, Google, Facebook, etc. Once you set up your account, ask previous and current clients to leave reviews outlining their experience in working with you.
Testimonials are great tools to attract new clients.
6. Create and Optimize Your Content
If you are a writer, blogger, or even a photographer, creating a website dedicated to your works is a great advantage.
Clients can further evaluate if you are the right hire for their company if you present them with actual work.
Moreover, it will show your work ethics because if they see how well-maintained your site is, they will think that you have a great attitude towards work. Because maintaining a site is difficult.
In addition, optimize your content. Of course, you have to do this so you can rank on SERPs and more clients will be aware of your offered freelance work.
7. Improve and Practice Your Pitch
A pitch in the freelancing world is the message you send a client to introduce yourself and explain why you should be hired. As time goes by, you will learn the perfect pitch.
You can research on how to deliver a great pitch or you can also be just yourself. You’ll never know what the clients would like to hear.
Conclusion
For Larby Amirouche, freelancing is a great opportunity for those who are just starting out in their careers. It is an option fresh graduates can explore to develop their skills and knowledge.
Some clients are understanding enough to give pieces of training and offer other opportunities that can hone your skills as a professional.
Larby Amirouche thinks that freelancing is a competitive job. You always need to be at the top of the game to get new clients to trust you and your work. You need to continuously improve yourself just like in any full-time job.
Originally Posted: https://larbyamiroucheblog.tumblr.com/post/632037111926784000/way-to-get-clients-as-a-new-freelancer