The future, outlets like Entrepreneur proclaim, is freelance. “More than half of all U.S. workers are expected to freelance by 2027,” the source predicts, and for the intrepid souls who are new to freelancing, some advice on how to maximize their business would be beneficial. That’s where this short guide comes into play.

In this article, we’re going to take a look at a few tips that will help you, as a freelancer, fine-tune your business model and optimize your ability to find a steady workflow.

• How to Fine-Tune your Freelance Business Model
• Four ways to Fine-tune your Product/Market fit
• How do I Market my Freelance Business?
• How do Freelancers get Clients?
• How to Create a Killer Freelance Writing Pitch and Win Clients

How to Fine-Tune your Freelance Business Model

Know Your Worth

Regardless of the industry, you’ll want to ensure you’re fairly compensated. That means knowing what your services are worth and not being afraid to negotiate with your clients. Do your research to learn what the standard rates for your line of work are, then stick to those rates closely when making deals with your clients.

Read Also: Financial Tips for Freelancers: How to Keep up With Quarterly Taxes

Having a great reputation as a freelancer will benefit you in negotiating the price of your services, so on this front, be sure to maintain a strong portfolio (if applicable), plenty of references/testimonials, and scores of satisfied clients in your wake to further justify charging what you know you’re worth.

Optimize Your Online Presence

One mistake inexperienced freelancers are prone to is poorly managing their presence online. You might think that “just having a website” is enough, but that’s often far from the case. If you have a website, you’ll need content there that will educate potential clients on what you do, then convert them into customers.

Having a blog and strong calls-to-action are good strategies for most freelancers to follow, provided that blog content provides worthwhile information to prospective clients and clearly defines why your services would be of value over competitors.

If your writing skills are strong, this is a task you can probably jump into on your own. If you aren’t so confident in your writing abilities, though (or don’t have the time to regularly update your content), you might want to consider outsourcing this task.

Never Stop Networking

Making connections is the key to having a steady freelance workflow, which means you’ll need to turn networking into a formalized, disciplined habit. Attend industry events, join professional groups, and, perhaps most importantly, connect with other freelancers within your industry.

Not only are your freelancing peers a good source tips on how to become an expert at your craft, but they will also often have the inside scoop on projects, giving you a chance to “throw your name in the hat” before such opportunities become public knowledge.

Decide what needs attention

Even if you’re busy with client work right now, find time to look after the nuts-and-bolts of your business. Draw up a list of priorities: what could do with tightening? What needs to change?

Catch up on your records

Get your contact books looking pristine. Update suppliers and key customers. Make a list of any who’ve gone quiet, people you’d like to work with, and new ventures you’d like to try.

Get your financial data up to date: Scan and store

The Amaiz app can help you identify spending trends and where you might be able to save. It will also keep a beady eye on your expenses as it stores and automatically categorizes your receipts.

4. Capture customer feedback

A key to diversifying is thinking about customer needs you haven’t anticipated in the products or services you currently offer. If you don’t have a route to regular communication with your clientele, now’s the time to set it up.

5. Change and analyse

As you’re making these changes, keep track of customer interest by continually gathering feedback, and analyzing the data.  Build this communication with your customers into your plan.

Keep these tips in mind, and keep working hard to propel your freelancing career to the next level.

Four ways to Fine-tune your Product/Market fit

Product/market fit is about designing a product that satisfies the market’s needs. Notice how this isn’t about creating a cool product for the sake of it. Product/market fit is about starting with your target audience’s needs and building a solution for it, not making your existing solution fit into what you think your audience wants.

But that’s just one component of PMF. Your market not only needs to be interested in your product, but that market needs to be large and engaged enough to make your business profitable. If you only have 50 target customers in the world, it’s going to be much harder to build your business.

At its core, PMF isn’t about persuading people to buy. If your product/market fit is on point, the “why” is automatic; customers will come to you for the solution because it matches their recognized need.

So, how can we actually improve our product/market fit? Get started with these four tips to overhaul your product/market fit and make more product sales.

Know your business 

For good product/market fit, you must know thyself. What sets you apart from other companies in your space? How does your USP help you resonate with potential customers?

It’s OK to take a stance and have a personality, even as a business entity. In fact, doing so is going to pre-qualify potential customers, ensuring that only interested people are engaging with your brand, which will boost ROI.

It’s important to define the story of your brand, but don’t hold too tightly onto that story. If you’re running a small product-based business today, things will change.

Your business will grow and selling platforms will change, which means your market will change, too. Whatever happens, be ready to pivot, but balance that need to adjust with making your brand voice heard.

Understand your target market 

“Market” is a critical part of product/market fit. You need to understand the people who buy your products. What are their hobbies, values and interests? Where do they like to shop? Who or what informs their shopping choices?

Once you’ve researched your audience, mirror their values in your own branding, down to your website, marketing and product packaging. Mesh consumer expectations with your brand identity. When you do your homework, you’ll be able to mirror their values in your own branding, which is a game-changer for product brands.

Be consistent 

While it’s OK to adjust your brand to fit the market, that doesn’t mean you should completely change your business model every month. That’s a recipe for disaster, as it will confuse your customers and cause you to lose out on orders.

Customers are wary of brands today. Thanks to the internet, consumers can learn just about everything about you with a quick Google search. If you make the mistake of claiming something on social media that doesn’t jive with your website, customers are going to notice.

For example, if you claim to be sustainable but your product packaging contains single-use plastic, customers will lose faith in your brand.

Once you’ve determined your PMF, you have to show up consistently for your market. Otherwise, you’ll lose any semblance of customer loyalty and have to start from square one. Stay true to your values from the start. Everything from your marketing to packaging and customer experience should align with your values in order for your company to scale.

Value community feedback 

Nobody’s perfect. There’s always going to be some way you can improve your product. The key to scaling your product business is to listen to this feedback. Don’t shy away from engaging with your customers on social media or blogs. This is a critical opportunity to forge customer relationships and collect feedback.

Whether you’re getting negative reviews or unlikes on your Facebook posts, use that feedback. Instead of getting upset that the customer doesn’t like your product (it happens), take it as constructive feedback that will spur growth.

In fact, this is an opportunity to make even more money! For example, if your customers want more spice in your perfume, why not make a product to fit that demand? That’s good product/market fit at work, and it drives bottom-line growth like crazy.

How do I Market my Freelance Business?

There’s no easy way to building a reliable client base or audience, marketing is a forever task that must be done almost daily.

If you’re ready to market yourself and grow as a freelancer, continue on and use these five marketing tips to actively market your freelance business.

1. Understand your business & set attainable goals

The very first thing you should do when starting any kind of business is to understand the who, what, when, where, and why’s. The best way to do this is with a business plan, and luckily for you – you can use a previous post of mine to create your simple three-section freelance business plan.

‍By setting attainable goals and understanding your freelance business you’ll be more focused on how to market to those you wish to reach.

2. Know your market

This ties directly in with tip one.

What matters most when you’re marketing is understanding who you’re marketing to and/or what you’re trying to market. Knowing that will make things much easier for you when it comes time to market.

Before you start a blog, create a product or offer your freelance services, find out who you’re marketing to, and then create a strategy around those details. Will you be walking into a client’s place of business directly? What promotional items will you need? What are you offering for their benefit and how can you make it appealing?

Again, getting all of the details written down will help you better execute an effective marketing plan.

3. Create value

You can do this by launching a few products throughout the year, by creating educational content on a blog, or in so many other ways. Get creative here and create something of value that you’re passionate about.

‍Take a look at all of the influential entrepreneurs online; they offer some sort of value to their community.

‍Chris Spooner of Blog.SpoonGraphics is a great example of how creating value has brought him a steady amount of freelance work and all-around success.

Chris shares in-depth graphic design tutorials, and not only does that attract other designers to his site, but proves that he’s an expert to clients. Chris mentioned in one of his Question Time Videos, “I’ve gained most of my clients in the past through the extra exposure my blog has generated for me.”

‍Chris is one of so many successful freelancers and entrepreneurs online that are there simply because they offer valuable content for an audience.

Take one of your top influences, observe and think about how you came to know about them, then observe how they market their business. What are they doing that works? How are they driving people to their website? What type of content are they creating that creates buzz? Analyze everything, then learn from their success.

Creating value doesn’t necessarily mean you have to set up a blog either, you can simply provide a client or customer with anything that’s beneficial. Understand your goals, know your market and provide something of value.

4. Network often & connect

Twitter and Facebook are excellent for networking with clients, customers and like-minded people.

That’s obvious, but you’d be surprised by the amount of freelancers that don’t utilize its strengths. Social media is the best marketing platform and resource goldmine that a business can have – plus it’s FREE!

Aside from Twitter and Facebook, we encourage you to connect with your clients, customers and/or audience in other creative ways – for example by using a mailing list to send out updates or Instagram for photo-based content.

All of these platforms online and many other creative strategies offline can be used to market your freelancing. It can be overwhelming, but remember this: stay focused and consistent!

5. Stick to your plan

You’ll get busy as your freelancing continues to grow, so it’s important that you stick to the plan – continue to share content on your social media accounts, send out scheduled newsletters and continue to bring your ideas to life.

You can never stop marketing yourself. The only time you should stop marketing your freelance business is when you’re ready to give-up. None of these tips are going to make you an overnight success, so stick with it!

As long as you stay consistent and are always getting your name out in front of others in some way, then you’re successfully marketing yourself.

How do Freelancers get Clients?

One of the toughest things about freelancing is getting clients. Whether you’re just starting a freelance business or looking to grow your existing client base, download our Free eBook, The Freelancer’s Roadmap.

Some days, the life of a freelancer can feel like you’re spending more time client-hunting than actually working. Time is money, and you owe it to yourself to use it wisely.

Below are my top 11 strategies to get clients a a freelancer.

1. Word of Mouth

This is probably the best way to land clients without doing any work to get them. When someone recommends you to a person they know, it means a lot more than a polished resume. People trust personal recommendations more than a portfolio, killer resume/LinkedIn profile, or blog. It all comes down to that age-old saying: “It’s not what you know, but who.”

So, do good work, and get referred to others. People who own their own business probably know others who do, too. And those connections just may need a new website, video editing, new logo, etc.

Also—don’t disregard family and friends. Starting out by doing work 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.

2. Have a clear, up-to-date portfolio—and market 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:

– Sortfolio.com

– Coroflot.com

– Graphicartistsguild.org

– Hireanillustrator.com

Another way is to blog (which we’ll get to next).

And don’t disappoint when they get there!

– Have work samples and/or case studies

– Get testimonials from previous clients

– Make sure your contact info is easy to locate

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

3. Blog (or more simply—create content)

Add a blog to your portfolio or online resume. It’s done wonders for my project, LearnToCodeWithMe. But before you dive in 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 into 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.

4. Write (or create content) for others

When you create content for others, you put yourself in front of more eyeballs (including those of potential clients!).

The most common form of this is guest writing. However, creating content for other sites/publications doesn’t have to be writing. 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)

While in general, the more people you get in front of, the better, it’s also who you’re getting in front of. Quality is more important than quantity. Here, quality means an audience comprised of people who can use your expertise.

Creating content for others gets you in front of more people, meaning more potential clients.

5. 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.) Moreover, LinkedIn profiles tend to show up high in search results when people Google your name (which almost every recruiter/employer does).

Having an outdated, dusty LinkedIn won’t make you stand out among the rest. Make sure to:

– Include a summary that addresses your most important and relevant skills and achievements

– Keep your experience and skills updated

– Add relevant work of yours in the LinkedIn “work samples” area.

– Have a crisp looking profile photo.

– Go above and beyond by adding recommendations from former employers/people you have worked with.

Recruiters and others making hiring decisions look at LinkedIn. Make a memorable first impression by keeping yours updated and polished.

6. Keep other, industry-relevant social media accounts up to date

These days, there are social media sites catering to a variety of specific industries, especially freelance-oriented fields. Depending on your expertise, there most likely is a platform for you.

To name a few:

– For developers – GitHub

– For designers – Dribbble and Behance

– For photographers – Flickr and Photo Critique

– For videographers – Vimeo

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

Hang out on the social networks where potential employers are looking for talent. Plus, you can network with peers to gain insights and connections.

7. Network in person

Attend conferences and local Meetups. Go to happy hours. And make sure to bring some business cards! Meeting face-to-face is always more memorable—there’s that in-person connection you can’t get online.

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

Even with all our technological advancements, nothing compares to face-to-face networking.

8. Start coworking

Coworking is like 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.

Coworking has many benefits, including networking with others who could need your services.

9. Speak at events/conferences

One step up from attending events is speaking at them. The best kinds of events/conferences to speak at are ones where audience members may need your services.

For instance, you are a web designer. These days, every business should have a website (made easy by companies like Brandcast – who offer a killer end-to-end web design platform for professional designers) so speaking at a conference for business owners will get quite a few potential clients to remember your name.

And if you give a talk about the importance of good website design in business, outlining all benefits it can bring (longer time on site, increased visitor engagement, more sales, etc.), you’ll demonstrate your value even further.

Of course, when it comes to landing speaking gigs, you have to start small. But as you build up credibility as an amazing speaker, it’s even possible to get paid to speak at events. Promote your brand, get new clients, and get paid for it? Sounds too good to be true.

Speaking engagements strengthen you as an expert in your field. They also provide the opportunity to get in front of new potential clients.

10. Network online

Nowadays you don’t have to be face-to-face to network. You can now attend conferences virtually.

For instance:

– For developers – hack.summit

– For internet business folks – 1 Day Business Breakthrough

– For online creative business owners – Maker Mentors

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

– Quora – a bunch of different questions you can answer, showing your knowledge on the topic

– Freelancers Union Hives – requires a membership with Freelancers Union, but is a great place to discuss the ins and outs of freelancing

– LinkedIn groups – for instance, Photography Business & Marketing or Freelance Graphic and Web Designers

– Relevant subreddits – like r/webdev or r/freelancewriters

– GrowthHackers – for the marketing-minded

– Relevant Facebook groups – like this WordPress one or this user experience group

Participate in forums that are relevant to you and your expertise. Offer insights, recommendations, and connect with others. Even if you live in a remote area, there is no excuse not to connect with others in your field.

11. Position yourself as an expert

There are ways you can establish you 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.

Create material that goes beyond the blog post. Teach others through eBooks and other kinds of information products.

In the end, it’s all about relationship building

Landing new clients doesn’t have to be a daunting activity that eats up hours of precious time—and you don’t have to be pushy or spend money on advertising either.

When it comes down to it, getting work as a freelancer is all about building relationships (online or offline) and demonstrating your value and expertise. Use these methods of passive promotion and you just might start each day with a couple more emails in your inbox.

How to Create a Killer Freelance Writing Pitch and Win Clients

1. Pitch Yourself as a Problem Solver

First, introduce yourself.

• How long have you been writing?
• What do you specialize in?
• Who have you written for before?

Reference where you found their ad, or how you know them. If you met at a networking event, try something like:

“Hi, John. We met a few weeks ago at a luncheon for the PRO Hurd Network. I just wanted to reach out…”

Next, you need to solve their problem – even if it’s one they don’t realize they have. AKA, What can you do for their business?

Businesses don’t want to guess how you can help them. Chances are, their job post is going to tell you exactly what they need help with, so focus on selling yourself as the answer to their problem. Don’t be afraid to be specific!

Are they looking for a writer to create informative blog posts for their industry? Tell them why you’re the right choice. Do you have experience in the field? Have you written similar content before?

Maybe you’re a finance writer and have 6 years of experience in the banking industry. That information is relevant if the job you’re sending a pitch for is finance-related.

2. Show Off Your Work

9 times of 10, you’re going to need to include writing samples with your pitch. This is where an online portfolio comes in handy! It might depend on the requirements, but oftentimes you can just include a link to your published work in the body of your pitch email.

It’s important to include samples that are relevant to the job you’re pitching for as well. It doesn’t make sense to send a previous article about the best brand of dog food to a company in the tech industry.

If you don’t have relevant samples, make some. LinkedIn is a great place to publish your own articles, or you can check out sites like Medium.

An exception to this would be if you’re writing samples relate to another field, but you have experience in the industry you’re sending the pitch for. If your previous writing has been for the health and wellness field, but you want to apply for a writing gig in the tech industry, having worked in that industry before will work in your favor. Just say something like:

“At this time, I don’t have any writing samples relating to the tech industry. However, before starting my career as a freelance writer, I worked as a Mobile Developer for three years at X Company.”

You can still attach writing samples of your best work. Plus you’ll have an edge because you worked within the industry. Still, if you have the time we recommend creating a writing sample or two. Having a sample will really solidify you as an expert.

3. Proofread Your Pitch

One of your services as a freelance writer is proofreading and editing. So, you might get really embarrassed when you make a mistake while pitching. Whether it’s grammar, spelling errors, or forgetting to delete extra words you feel very silly.

Always double-check the requirements in the application guidelines, too. Some clients get sneaky and ask you to reference a specific phrase or word in your pitch, or add it to the email subject line.

Read Also: How to Get Gigs as a Freelance Graphic Designer

If you don’t follow the rules, your pitch will get tossed aside, no matter how good it is. So, it’s definitely worth the few minutes it takes to double-check everything before hitting send.

4. Track Your Pitch

Not everyone does this, but it’s something that we think is important.

Keeping track of your pitches can help you out later if:

• They don’t get back to you right away
• You’re sending multiple pitches at once

The best (and least embarrassing way) to track your pitches is using a spreadsheet of keeping a notebook dedicated solely to pitches. Some information to include:

• Where you found the ad
• How you sent your pitch
  • Did you have to go to a secondary website like Spotzer or ZipRecruiter?
  • Was it through LinkedIn?
  • A dedicated email address?
• About the job
  • Job title/expectations
  • Did they have a pay rate included or did you they ask you to include your rate?
• What samples did you include?
• When did you send it?
• Did you get a response?

Knowing the answers to these questions will save you time later on and keep you from feeling embarrassed if you can’t remember the details.

Finally

The financial impact of Covid-19 is undoubtedly challenging for freelancers. But there will be exciting opportunities out there too. Being your own boss means you can adapt to changing circumstances without needing to run ideas past anyone else. Just make sure you have the right support in place, including supportive business banking.

The long-term growth of solo-business is unlikely to change. It will continue to be propelled by advances in tech. Platforms and home working favourites like Slack and Zoom make it easier than ever for people to make self-employment work for them. With technology decoupling jobs from location, anyone can work from anywhere, any time.