Working as a freelancer can offer many benefits. You can often set your own hours and fit your job around other commitments, away from the stresses of the 9-5 and the knowledge that your livelihood is in the hands of someone else. However, it is not as easy as it may seem. Freelancers live a bit on a tightrope, not knowing where their next piece of work will come from and this can bring its own share of pressures. If you work as a freelancer, you can’t just sit around and wait for work to come to you, you need to get yourself out there and let people know who you are. These tips should help you with finding freelance work.
Top tips for finding freelance work
Web Presence
It is really important to have an online presence, as this is your shop window for displaying your skills and experience. It is worthwhile investing in a decent website and to ensure that it states you are available for commissions/work. You should use your website to showcase your work, if possible and ask for recommendations from previous clients. Your website will always be running, so it is important to make sure this is a priority.
Marketing
Not only do you need a website presence, you also need to keep on top of the marketing of it. If this isn’t something you have the time to do yourself, get some help from an expert. Add fresh content, as this will help you get found through an organic search and make sure you use social media to promote yourself. Use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and any other social media platforms to let people know you are available for work.
Keep in Touch
If someone contacted you with the potential of some work and you didn’t hear back, don’t be afraid to follow up with them, later on, to see if they need any assistance. Contact old clients you have worked for and ask if they need any assistance. You never know where this can lead and it puts you back in their minds for any future work. I have done this and ended up with work, so don’t be too embarrassed to make contact. You never know, they might be really pleased to hear from you!
Anyone for Coffee?
Many people don’t like the idea of networking, especially those events which appear to be a bit ‘stuffy’ and awkward, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get involved in networking. A lot of freelance work is done online and it is a good idea to make an effort to meet up with clients or anyone who you think may potentially be interested in offering you work. If your clients stay further afield then it will impress them even more if you arrange to go and see them. I have a lot of clients in London and have travelled to meet them to put a face to the name and they do appreciate the time and effort. You can organise a quick casual chat over a coffee and just let them know what you can offer. Always remember to take your business cards along with you. This is an enjoyable and easy way to network, without the stress of formal networking.
Join Freelance Sites
There are loads of sites available for finding freelance work, so make sure you register with as many of these as possible. Upwork, People Per Hour, Elance, Freelancer, Guru, Freelance Writing Gigs and SimplyHired are just some of these.
Meet and Exceed Expectations
Many people believe that freelancing is easy but in many cases, it is much more difficult than a stable job. In other jobs, a lot of people get paid just for turning up but this isn’t the case when you work for yourself. In order to get more jobs and further recommendations, you need to make sure you deliver each piece of work within the set timescales and that you exceed expectations. The more you do this, the more work you will end up with.
Do you have any tips for finding freelance work? We would love to hear from you!
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