In this article, you will learn how to create and expand the sources online and offline to get more freelancing clients. I am also highlighting in this post about building a freelancing business and networking tips to find more freelancing clients.
Steadiness in the freelancing business and your financial stability can take 1 or 2 years. It also matters what kind of clients you come across and what type of experience you have during this time.
When you are new to the field of freelancing, your only aim is to get your first project by any means. Eventually, you will get the first project but what happens next? Being financially independent will require you to have constant clients who pay you regularly. Or you will need the kind of projects that can support you for a long time to come and your freelancing business can run smoothly.
For this, you will have to market your skills and services practically. If you are hired by someone on a freelancing website and you successfully completed the job with good feedback from the client, it is proof of your capabilities. It proves that you are a skillful freelancer and a thorough professional. This is one of the best parts of working as an online freelancer.
When a client gives you positive feedback it is displayed for everyone to see and this gives you credibility and publicity at the same time, which is not true in the case of offline jobs because getting verbal feedback does not give you proof of your success.
What to do for expanding freelancing business and become financially stable; how can you do to get clients and projects on a regular basis:
1. You need to create a marketing and Branding Strategy
When you are skilled and have faith in your capabilities, you can take up any type of project and handle any kind of client. Then you will be able to work without anxiousness or worry and you will be full of confidence when you meet or talk to clients. You will most likely be in this field for 8 to 10 years so you cannot afford to leave any chance of securing clients.
Your marketing skills will make a lot of difference in this process. You can try to learn from bigger companies about this, about what techniques they use to market their products and services so that there is a constant cash flow and profit for them. I know that a freelancer does not have money to spend on traditional marketing methods, but there are several ways that can be used to get your freelancing career on the path to financial stability.
2. Create your profile on multiple freelancing platforms
You cannot depend for a long time on any single freelancing platform to find clients and projects. It is a different matter altogether that you wish to use that platform; it’s just not wise to stick to one source of online work alone. If you create multiple platforms to look for work your chances of finding varied types of projects will increase many times and give you the significant experience of writing job proposals in different ways quickly. So whenever you have time, research other freelancing platforms and create your profiles on them.
Read More: Top Tips to create freelance profile that gets you more projects
How to create a professional freelance profile to get more clients
3. Create your own website
The second most promising source of finding online work besides freelancing platforms is your own website. In fact, I would like to say that your personal website can get you more work than all freelancing websites combined, as is the case with me. Moreover, if you have your own website you can use it as a reference while sending your job proposal or cover letter.
This will also serve as an archive of your samples that you can display to possible clients. Making a basic website by yourself isn’t difficult these days. There are thousands of tutorials available anytime that will describe how you can make a website with step-by-step instructions. The availability of intuitive open-source website creation tools such as WordPress makes the job much easier. After making the website you can start adding quality content such as your best works/projects, your experiences, profile/portfolio etc. You can also add a blog to it and express your views and get feedback from readers.
This will not only be a good way to utilize your free time, but it will also teach you important things about Google search ranking, SEO, keyword planning and Google analytics etc. If you choose your website name carefully according to the target keyword, such as the Freelance logo designer, your chances of finding more work and clients get higher if you are in the top 10 results for that keyword search on Google. Adding a blog to your website is a great idea because it will connect more people with you.
When people read and like the information and knowledge you are sharing with them, they will share it with others and give your site more traffic. Once you have good enough traffic on your website, you can integrate Ad-monetization methods such as Google AdSense.
So your website will give you multiple benefits. It will create an opportunity for marketing and publicity when you share your skills and knowledge with others and in addition to that, it can give you a steady source of passive income in 2 to 3 years. So you can see how important it is for a freelancer to create his own website.
Read more: Build your portfolio Website and get unlimited Clients
5. Network building
Building a network is a critical part of every business’s marketing strategy. All the people that you know are a part of your network. Each of these people has its own network and so on. So always try to reach out to people and connect with as many as possible. Take part in social dialogue and causes. Be ready to help friends and those in need. Try to stay in touch with people of authority and influence in society. When you see the right situation, tell them what you do and how you can help solve people’s problems.
6. Continue learning and practicing to become an expert in your field
It is a great thing that you are multi-talented and have skills that add value. But it is not possible to use all your talents at once. So the first thing you have to do is to select a talent or skill that you know has high demand in the market and will help you earn an income. Once you have made that choice, keep practicing it till you become an expert and remain updated with the latest in that skill.
When you become an expert in your field and the market demand for your skills increases, there is nothing that can stop you from becoming a successful freelancer.
Provided you become like a river, with your skills as water. So that you constantly keep learning and improving (flowing), despite all the hurdles that come in the way.
Using your imagination and creativity to create new marketing opportunities and provide high-quality services, you can attract and retain many clients and earn a good income. Remember, freelancing isn’t limited to the online world alone, you can also find good work offline. Now it is up to you if you want to become the best web designer, best content writer, best anything in your town or not. There are countless opportunities waiting for you, you just need to make good use of them while you have time.
Related: Freelance Guide and Tips for Beginners: Based on my own personal experiences and success