Tips You need to gain Clients as a Freelancer

This contains a few important tips that are sure to help connect to more clients as a freelancer.

INTRODUCTION

One of the toughest things about freelancing is getting clients. Freelancers sometimes feel like they spend more time searching for clients than working. We owe it to ourselves to make the most of our time.

However, you don’t have to resort to spending money on advertising campaigns or being overly “sales-y” (which can come off as desperate). There are other, easier ways to get clients—and instead of you searching for them, they’ll come to you. Below are some of the top strategies you need.

Word of Mouth

This is probably the best way to acquire clients without having to do any work. When someone you know refers you to another person, it means much more than your polished resume.

A portfolio, killer resume/LinkedIn profile, or blog do not have the same trust value as personal recommendations. It all comes down to that age-old saying: "It's not what you know, but who you know." You will get referred to others if you do good work. People who own their businesses are likely to know others who do the same thing. Those connections may need a new website, new video editing, a new logo, etc.

Also—don’t disregard family and friends. Beginning your career by working for a family member is nothing to be ashamed of. Money is money. Experience is experience. And you need both.

It’s not what you know, but who. And when you do good work for others, you’re bound to get recommended.

Have a clear and up-to-date portfolio and share it

A good portfolio is practically non-negotiable. However, it is important to note that having a site won’t guarantee that people will come to it. To attract potential freelance clients, you need to market it. One way to do this is by utilizing searchable portfolio sites, like:

Don’t just make a nice portfolio to showcase your work; promote it, too.

Blog or Create Content

Add a blog to your portfolio or an online resume. But before you dive head-first into the world of blogging, it’s important to know your market.

Writing about topics relevant to the field you want to work in gives you a chance to demonstrate your expertise. There is an art to this.

Here’s a quick example: You are a WordPress web designer/developer. You may think it makes sense to write WordPress “how-to” articles. These articles are super helpful…but only to those wanting to learn WordPress themselves, not those interested in paying you to build a site for them!

Instead, write articles that will appeal to the people you want to work for and be more likely to lead to a sale. For instance, post an article about how making a website responsive can generate X increase in sales. That’ll catch the right people’s attention, and will be more likely to get you a new gig.

Blogging is another way to passively market yourself and your services. But make sure to write about topics that’ll appeal to your target client

Create Content for Others

By creating content for others, you expose yourself to more eyes (including those of potential clients). Guest writing is the most common way to do this. It is not necessary to be a writer in order to create content for other sites/publications. It could be:

  • Illustrations
  • Infographics
  • Videos (with your name in the credits)
  • Images (taking photographs for a particular post/guide, with a link to your site beneath)

In general, the more people you reach out to, the better. It's also who you're reaching out to. Quality matters more than quantity. The quality here is an audience made up of people who can use your expertise.

Keep your LinkedIn up to date

Recruiters and other types of hiring managers search on LinkedIn to hire. (They even have an entire tool for that exact purpose.)

Additionally, LinkedIn profiles often appear high in search results when people search for your name on Google (which almost every recruiter and employer does).

Having an old, dusty LinkedIn won't help you stand out from the competition. Be sure to:

  • Include a summary of your most relevant and important skills and achievements
  • Keep your experience and skills updated
  • Add relevant work of yours to LinkedIn's "work samples" section.
  • Have a crisp looking profile photo.
  • Add recommendations from former employers/people you have worked with.

    Make a memorable first impression by keeping yours updated and polished.

Social media sites cater to a variety of specific industries these days, particularly freelance-oriented fields. Depending on your expertise, there most likely is a platform for you. To name a few:

Like with LinkedIn, maintain an updated profile with relevant work samples.

Network in person

Participate in local Meetups and conferences. Go to happy hours. Make sure you have business cards on hand! Face-to-face meetings are always more memorable than online ones because there's that in-person connection that can't be replicated.'

Attend conferences and events that are relevant to your interests. Or, perhaps, more importantly, ones relevant to your potential clients (e.g. if you're a graphic designer, attending local business owner meetups).

Network Online Nowadays you don’t have to be face-to-face to network. You can now attend conferences virtually. For instance:

More than online conferences or events, there are industry-specific forums you can partake in.

Coworking

Coworking is another form of in-person networking. The main difference is that you typically go to a coworking space on a daily, or at least semi-regularly. Coworking spaces are buildings or large rooms used by groups of entrepreneurs/small business owners/freelancers. They’re ideal for getting work done (especially freelance work) in a collaborative environment.

Plus, a coworking space is a great place to make friends, because being a freelancer can get lonely. (It’s not like your typical office life, where you are surrounded by coworkers by no choice of your own.) Network with others, collaborate and get your own work done.

Position yourself as an expert

There are ways you can establish yourself as an expert in your field that goes beyond the standard blog (which it seems like everyone has, these days). For instance, you can write an eBook. The fact is anyone can publish a book on Amazon or on their own using a platform like Gumroad…but not everyone knows that.

Aside from showing your expertise on the topic at hand, writing an eBook gives you a reason to do speaking engagements or interviews—because you can talk about your new book!

However, if you’re not much of a writer, you can do other things to position yourself as an expert, such as:

  • Create an online course—on your own, or on a platform like Udemy or Skillshare
  • Build another kind of information product—like a package of goodies (videos, files, etc.)
  • Mentor newbies to the field online or in person (you can do this either on your own or via a structured program)

Beyond solidifying yourself as an expert on the given topic, eBooks and information products are another way to generate a little extra revenue.

Conclusion

Getting new clients doesn't have to take up hours of your time; you don't even have to be pushy or spend a lot of money on advertising. As a freelancer, getting work essentially comes down to building connections (online or offline) and proving your expertise and value. Use these methods of passive promotion and you just might start each day with a couple more emails in your inbox.