The 3 Best Ways to Make a Name
for Yourself as A Freelancer
There can be some big bucks to be earned when you’re a freelancer. There is no ceiling when it comes to getting paid as opposed to working within a set salary. This is the theory, at least. The reality is that it is very difficult to maintain a steady flow of clients.
It takes getting your name out there and becoming somebody who is sought after for the type of work that you do. The key is to divide your time between doing the work for your client and putting the time in for promoting yourself. In this article, we will go over several of the things you need to be doing to make a name for yourself as a freelancer.
Use Social Media
The most obvious way to get name recognition in your area of expertise is to utilize social media effectively. What isn’t so obvious is how to go about doing so.
Social media is a bit tricky as the algorithms are different across the various platforms and the strategy needs to change accordingly. You can’t treat each network the same. For instance, many people overextend themselves by trying to be active on every platform. To save time, they often try to automate the posting process.
This often wastes time since you have to do little things like resize image for Instagram posts since it is different than Twitter, for example. The content also should be different; people on each platform have different expectations.
The key is to focus on just a couple of networks where your ideal audience is hanging out, so you aren’t wasting time on people who aren’t interested in what you’re doing. Create engaging and helpful content and you will see some traction that will help your brand.
Become An Authority
People want to hire experts in their field, so they know they are getting the best service possible. You have to make sure that you are known for being the expert in your field by creating a name for yourself online.
This means using a variety of different media to get the word out there. In addition to using the right social media channels, you should also be creating a following on YouTube through videos. Then, start a podcast and get listeners on their way to work during the commute. Finally, start a blog that targets the keywords most often being searched around the topics associated with your expertise.
Niche Down
Being a generalist will get you nowhere and lead to a struggle to find clients. It is much better and easier to get your name out there as a specialist in a certain field. This means picking a niche and only doing that one type of thing. For instance, if you are a freelance writer, stick to being the one who is an expert at travel in Asia. or, if you are a photographer, be the one who only does product photography.