For many people out there, freelancing can be the perfect career path. It offers a large amount of control over the trajectory of your career as you’re the one that decides what services you’ll be offering, who your clients and customers are, when you work, and how much of a workload you take on. For all its benefits though, it also carries with it some negatives – the biggest being the fact it can be a hard business to get up off the ground.
One of the biggest issues that freelancers run into, especially when their business is new, is how to go about finding customers and clients. You don’t want to be too busy that you are missing deadlines and not giving 100% on each contract, but at the same time you need to be busy enough that you’re paying your bills. Finding creative methods to promote your freelancing services should be an essential aspect of your business. Here’s a look at some techniques you can start to employ.
Create a Website and/or a Blog
One thing you’ll want to start working on right away is your online presence. Let’s face it, we live in a digital age where people depend on the internet for information, communication, and for ecommerce. If you don’t give attention to your online presence, then you are missing out on a potentially huge market segment.
The best and most effective way to start building an online presence is to create a professional looking website and/or blog. If you’re going to start with just one, the website is probably the best place to begin. With a website, you can share all the particulars such as what your business offers, your location and contact information, plus you can use it to promote any other message you are trying to get out to your customers.
In order to increase traffic to your website, you’ll also want to get involved on the top social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so that you can link back to your website.
Attend Events in Person
An effective marketing plan is one that is balanced where offline and online techniques are concerned. So, while a website, blog, and social networks may get you off to a good start in the online world, you still need to use traditional marketing techniques. One of the best ways to create brand recognition is to get out and attend local events in person.
You want to be sure you pick events that make sense to your business; in other words, events where the attendees could actually use your services. You also don’t want to show up to these events empty-handed, as attendees love booths that hand out swag. Custom shaped flash drives grab people’s attention, such as these from CFgear, and it’s a practical item they can actually use. You can actually have your company’s logo printed right on the flash drive so they are constantly reminded of your name.
Ask Existing Clients and Customers for Referrals
Another way to expand your customer base is to start a customer referral program. Each time you finish a project, ask if the client would be willing to refer you to someone else or another business. You can even offer a referral incentive such as a discount off the next project you complete for them.
A Small Look at the Ways to Branch Out
This is just a small look at the many creative ways you can start promoting your freelancing services and really expand your customer base. Just remember you need to stay consistent with your actions and not ease up on your efforts.
