Strategies To Help You Become A Successful Freelancer

While freelancing has been an appealing prospect for many years, the pandemic has put it firmly in the spotlight.

With the workforce becoming increasingly remote across all industries, freelancing has become the answer for an ever-growing number of people.

The independent workforce—or as they are commonly called—brought in $1.2 trillion in 2020, with participating in some kind of freelance work.

In addition, a growing number of these independent professionals are electing to leave their day jobs and freelance on a full-time basis.

Almost 4 in 10 people now put their skills to work as fully independent professionals, which is an 8% increase over the rate of freelancers in 2019.

While the appeal of becoming a freelancer is clear, a complete career change may feel daunting.

Many entrepreneurs wonder how they can begin a successful freelance career and leave their full-time job behind for good.

If you're considering entering the freelancing world, these strategy tips will set you on the path to success.

Always Look For New Clients

Securing new clients can be one of the most difficult parts of being a freelancer, especially when you’re starting out. However, you can’t assume that the clients who are paying you today will be there tomorrow.

The nature of the freelance business is changing.

Projects will wrap up, budgets could get cut, and you need to be ready to replace current clients with new ones as required.

With this in mind, it’s imperative that you stay in search mode for prospective freelance clients.

Even if you have sufficient work today or this month, remain hungry and active in your marketing efforts to ‌land new clients throughout the year.

Change Your Mindset

Consider yourself to be "in business" as opposed to just looking for gigs or working from one job to the next.

When you're in business for yourself, you're never really between gigs even when you don't have work to do.

You could be marketing, networking, and developing your skills. Yes, you can set your hours and take time off. However, mostly you should be devoted to building your business.

Identify Areas Where You Can Specialize

You might believe that you can write on any topic, or that can meet any challenge. But your potential customers want to hire an expert.

If you’re bidding for work on a freelance website or comparable platform, your potential customers will get a lot of bids, particularly if the job is attractive. You have to stand out from the crowd.

Recognize areas where you can specialize and where your personal experience will increase value for your clients.

Develop a suitable portfolio around that area so that you can showcase your skills to potential clients and demonstrate your expertise.

Give Information Freely

When clients or potential clients ask questions that need your expertise, it’s very tempting to charge them for your time.

Of course, the first “meet and greet” is free.

But what about when your marketing client calls to get your opinion on some of their ideas? Or when your clients ask for your input on a tiny change to their website?

Those questions and the answers you give signify your time, so you should send them an invoice for your advice, right?

While it’s quite true that you need to get compensated for your labor, charging for every interaction will not help you get ahead.

Be generous with your knowledge and advice. If a client (or potential client) asks a straightforward question, give a brief answer without billing for your time.

Utilize these little moments to showcase your expertise and commitment to helping your clients achieve their goals. In time, people will see you as an invaluable resource that they want to hire.

Don’t expect potential clients to pay you for the first meeting where you gauge if you can meet their requirements.

Consider this first meeting investment and then price it into the rest of your service. This said, don’t allow clients to take advantage of your generosity.

If a client asks dozens of questions every single day without paying, you need to have a conversation about setting up a retainer.

You should not give formal services for free.

Build Your Digital Presence

In today’s world, so much is done online.

Companies post jobs and clients look for freelancers online.

Several different digital platforms make it easy to put together a portfolio that demonstrates your skills and expertise for those interested in hiring freelancers in your niche.

You can on a variety of platforms. Plus, you can use social media to let people know about your freelance business.

Work on your LinkedIn presence and use it as an opportunity to connect with everyone, from your best friend to past professional connections and future clients.

Fostering a strong network can give you leads for prospective clients and prospects to let your professional experience shine brightly.

On LinkedIn, you can emphasize your experience and expertise while ‌cultivating reviews and recommendations that provide an excellent form of .

Be Your Own Brand And Business

You may be a business of one, but you are still a business and, therefore, a brand.

To create a professional impression, you need to act like a business. This means having a logo, a website and a social media presence, and a professional email address with a signature.

It’s also important that you put proper billing processes in place. There are plenty of free options to get you started, and you can brand and customize your invoices accordingly.

Every step of the journey a client takes with you should be a good experience, from an initial meeting to your last invoice.

A cohesive, consistent approach to branding will help you ‌stand out and boost your chances of success.

There’s a lot that goes into going freelance. However, if you have the right strategy and approach, you can set yourself up for a future that’s filled with success.

Good luck!