A Guest Post by Robert Mora
A lot of people today are drawn to freelancing. There are great benefits when you are working from home (like doing work in your pyjamas, if that’s your thing) or wherever you feel most comfortable. The appeal is even greater when you count in that you make your own hours and you are your own boss! It is predicted that in the US the number of freelancers will surpass traditionally employed people within just a few years from now. So the competition is increasing literally by the day so you need to find a way to stand out from the crowd!
Let’s look at some general principles that will increase your chances that you become a successful writer. The principles do (mostly) apply for whatever you choose to do but here we will focus on writing jobs.
Your Public Profile
Your profile is like your online business card in the beginning so be sure to put a lot of effort into it. People usually trip on this first step since, let’s be honest, profile setup is very boring. If you are going to have freelancing be your primary source of income you need to have profiles on as many freelancing platforms as possible. Dedicated social network accounts for your business purposes couldn’t hurt as well. Make sure your profile Is good and it gives all the vital information that your potential client needs. Don’t go into too much explanation, short summary emphasizing your main skills and areas of expertise. Your profile should show people exactly what kind of writing jobs you are looking for. There are many clients searching for academic writers online for example. If you are good with essay writing and other forms of academic writing, be sure to mention this since it will attract potential clients for sure!
Be Available
As mentioned, in the beginning, the competition is huge and it is fierce. It is very important that you are always available to communicate with your clients. If you miss a message or a call, they will just move on since there are so many writers (or freelancers of any kind) available. Most of all freelancing platforms have dedicated apps for all major systems (IOS, Android, Windows mobile). Download the apps on all your devices and turn all notifications to make sure you do not miss a single opportunity!
Don’t be Greedy – Be Competitive
This one is especially important for getting writing jobs at home! Keep in mind you might be an expert in certain subjects or areas but you are a newcomer on freelancing platforms. So when applying for jobs, avoid offering a premium price since you are still untested. Try to get a few smaller jobs in size and value to get a feel for how the process goes. Once you have a few projects under your belt things will start to open up and you will be able to get more clients and for bigger prices.
Client-Centric Proposals
You get jobs by writing your proposal towards the client based on the job posting specification. Always pay attention and carefully read job posts. Many job posters will insert a keyword somewhere in the text that you need to start your bid with to prove that you read all specifications and requirements. Posters will also put some other aspects on their opening that they would like to see like accumulated hours working on the platform or job success score so if you don’t have all the specs covered don’t even bother applying. Unless you are a paying user there can be a limited number of applications allowed per month and you need to use them wisely in the beginning.
Effective Client Communication
This is the most important thing of all. Once you get your first gig you need to do your best to keep your client happy. You should always treat all of your clients equally no matter how much money are you making from which client. Always closely and to the letter follow your client’s instructions to deliver the product which is exactly what they wanted. Whenever you are submitting work towards your client always double check it for spelling errors or other grammatical errors. The form and the wording are of course, open for discussions and clients won’t mind suggesting a few changes but your texts should always be free of grammar errors at least. Having this kind of “technical” errors within submitted texts will make your work look lazy and sloppy, because it was, and it will make you lose potential long-term clients.
Organize
Even if the main appeal of working from home is that you get to determine your own hours each day you still need some structure. Organize yourself to best suit your client’s and your needs. Set daily goals on what you are trying to accomplish and stick to it. If you leave everything for the last minute you will get into situations where you cannot deliver on time and it will ultimately result in losing business. Try to have a designated place for work. A place that you go to and you are officially on the clock. Try to avoid distractions as much as possible. Even though you are at home you are working, you are getting paid for it and you should act like it! Also, when working from home you are everything from the stock room boy all the way up until CEO. So all of the administrative tasks and similar will be on your shoulders as well. Keep that in mind while designing your work schedule.
We covered the basis, now the rest is up to you. Always remember to treat your clients with respect. Always honor the deadlines set or be honest if you see you cannot make it – in good time, and not an hour before. It is better to say straight that you will not be able to reach a certain deadline than to promise something you can’t deliver. Keep your clients happy, this will lead to great reviews and new opportunities!
Robert Mora is a freelance corporate advisor, researcher, and writer at Ezassignmenthelp. He follows fresh news concerning legislation. Also, he is a marathon runner and participates in local and world competition. Robert has a blogging passion so he likes to share his thoughts with internet users.
