Finding more work as a Freelancer
One of the most difficult aspects of being a freelance web designer is finding and maintaining a steady stream of work. This is especially true for newbie freelancers, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to sit back and wait for projects to find you – this will almost never happen, at least not when you are starting out.
There are a number of different ways you can go about finding work.
Create a website
First things first, create a website so that you can showcase your work professionally with a killer portfolio. In order to attract visitors to your site, embed widgets that connect to your blog and social network sites. If you are not sure how to build a website don’t worry, because there are many web hosting platforms out there that are able to help you build a website easily, such as Basekit which enables you to build a personalized web site without any coding.
There is very little point in creating a killer portfolio site if you are not driving traffic and potential clients towards it. One of the best ways to get more visitors to your site is to start and maintain a blog. Not only is a regularly updated content great for SEO, but it also shows potential clients that you are knowledgeable in your field.
A blog can be used to start discussions with fellow designers and developers, all of which may be a potential source of work for you in the future.Do you specialise in or have knowledge of a particular industry that is not directly related to design? Writing articles on these types of subjects may also help bring less technical potential clients to your site, since you already know a lot about their field they may just approach you for their next web project.
Utilise social media
Everyone is trying to use social media to promote their business and freelancers are no different. The problem is that a lot of people are unaware of the best ways to fully exploit the benefits of social media. Of all the social media sites that are available, these are the main three that you should use:
1. Twitter
The mistake a lot of people make is to just follow other designers and to tweet useful design related links. Whilst this is a great way to learn from others and to contribute to the community, it’s not going to help you find much work. Try to get involved in discussions, with both designers and people in a particular field you are interested in. For example if you are passionate about gaming or fashion, get involved in discussions with industry experts whilst letting them know what you do. It may lead to
potential new clients.
Another way to utilise the power of Twitter is to benefit from tools such as TweepSearch and NoisyRobin. TweepSearch allows you to search the profiles of fellow users to help you find people to follow, for example you could search for the creative directors of design studios in your area, no doubt these are great contacts to have.
NoisyRobin searches individual tweets and emails you information. The next time somebody tweets the immortal words ‘I’m looking for a freelance web designer’ you could be the first to know!
2.Facebook
Update your profile, let all of your friends know what you do for a living. Create a page promoting your business and invite all your friends to become fans. The efficiency and effectiveness of word of mouth has never been better thanks to Facebook. Put pictures of your work online for all to see, but just make sure that picture of you and your 3am kebab is not visible to everyone!
3. Linkedin
Like Twitter, a lot of people don’t know how to take full advantage of Linkedin. Linkedin is so much more than making a few connections and hoping they’ll maybe one day turn into potential clients. You can use it as a search tool to find future clients,
search Q&A to contribute and share your knowledge, you can integrate your blog, start discussions and even become a member of the hundreds of groups. It’s worth spending a few hours getting to grips with Linkedin – it has been a greater source of traffic to my site than Facebook and Twitter combined.
Comment on Blogs
This doesn’t mean commenting on blogs just for the sake of it. As a designer, you probably spend a good chunk of time reading design blogs anyway – if you have an opinion then it’s worth spending a few minutes making a comment. Not only will this help increase traffic to your site but commenting on blogs is also a form of networking. You are contributing to
discussions and letting a wider audience know what you are talking about.
Like I mentioned earlier in regards to your own blog and people you follow on Twitter – try to expand into commenting on a broader range of subjects – you never know who might be reading!
Targeted Email Campaign
It is worth spending time compiling a list of local businesses in your area, along with email addresses. Whether that means searching the Yellow Pages, local papers or business directories, it’s a good idea to build a list of potential local companies who could benefit from your services. You can even export your Linkedin contacts into a csv file to add to your mailing list.
Then simply send out an email to all the businesses informing them of the services you offer and a link to your portfolio. Sure it takes a good amount of time to build up a quality mailing list, but you’d be surprised at the results you do it right.
Flyers, Leaflets & Business Cards
Don’t underestimate the power of traditional marketing methods. A well placed flyer in the window of a local computer shop can do wonders for promoting your business locally.
What methods do you use to promote your freelance business?
1 Comment
HI Lee,
Great post.
To extend your last statement there (re: traditional marketing methods) – don’t overlook the power of traditional face to face networking. A lot of people fall into the trap of relying too heavy on their web presence to generate leads for them but overlook the people right here in town who would gladly throw them cash to do work for them if only they met the freelancer in person. Not only that, but the trust level tends to be higher when there is a face to face meeting involved, which in turn, usually causes more referrals from them to other locals that they know. Thus, getting out to the chamber of commerce, toastmaster, BNI, or other networking meetings is usually a good source of leads and socialization.
Not only that, but be sure to go outside your normal circle of people – go where your customers are (Which is to say, if you are a web designer or social media consultant, trim down on the number of meetings you go to with other people like you). Don’t think like a power user or like someone in your industry, think about your extended family or the complete newbie – where would they go to socialize and to mingle? Regular business people tend to hang out in certain spots, so if you make yourself visible & available there, you’ll have a greater likelihood of earning some leads from the effort. Same with regular (non-technical) people who are either corporate buyers or influence the decision makers at their work – they have certain areas that they hang out, and so go where they are. It’s good to talk shop with other people who do what you do, but really, how much business is that going to generate for you? Fish where the fish are, not where the other sharks/fishermen are.
Anyways, found you via EmpireAve. Liked this post and thought I’d say Hello and comment.
Cheers,
@BruceServen