Many freelancers make the mistake of putting marketing aside and relying on word of mouth to find work, owing to their belief that they lack the expertise or resources to promote themselves. But no matter how new you are to freelancing, this cannot be further from the truth.
Even if you lack the time and funding to run a full-on marketing campaign, there are more than enough ways for you to leverage what resources you have to bring in more work. The idea is simple – more clients means more money. So, provided you do it right, your efforts are bound to pay off.
With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of five effective strategies for promoting your freelance business. Most come at little to no cost at all, making them perfect for beginners.
Offer Referrals
According to Salesforce, almost 90% of buyers’ purchase decisions are influenced by their peers. Running a referral system for past and existing clients can be highly lucrative. Simply offer a reasonable commission for every new client that they bring your way and you’re set.
Social Media
Social media is a powerful marketing tool for any type of business and you don’t have to spend a single cent to take advantage of its potential. Of course, most freelancers already know this, which means your success when getting in touch with potential clients largely depends on your creativity.
The standard cut-and-paste sales pitch will likely appear as spammy and will be ignored by most people. Instead, be straightforward and outline why that client needs you and what sets you apart from competitors. Including examples of past work is a dependable way to immediately prove that you’re worth your asking price.
Send Cold Emails
Cold emails cost nothing to send and you can expect a reply from 10% of recipients on average. This may not sound like much, but if you’re sending around 30-50 emails per day, you’ll have five new clients knocking on your door. Of course, this method also depends on your ability to create a unique and attractive sales pitch.
Market Locally
Offering your services to businesses in your area has massive potential, as many small businesses don’t consider finding freelancers through the internet. For example, do you think your local cleaning company knows anything about the benefits of having a website or running a digital marketing campaign? Well, you could be the one to let them know.
Consider modern alternatives to handing out business cards to provide a more comprehensive portfolio and appear more professional. For instance, you can hand out custom flash drives to potential clients in your area, at trade shows or as gifts for existing clients. A wise approach here would be to save money buying flash drives in bulk.
Work on Your Website
If you don’t already have a website for your freelance business, you’re severely missing out. Websites have the potential to bring in dozens to hundreds to eventually thousands of clients as you grow and optimize it. This can be done in a variety of cost-free ways, from writing valuable content on your blog to optimizing design elements such as images.
Take a look at your competitors and determine what makes their websites stand out. What compelling features do their websites have and what keywords are they targeting to rank as highly as they do? Get up to date with the latest SEO strategies, analyze your competition, make your way up those results pages and clients will follow.
Conclusion
Marketing your freelance business is much easier than you may think. With a bit of time, know-how and old school hard work, your efforts will pay off very quickly.
