One of the biggest questions I hear around freelancing and one of the hardest ones to answer is “How do I get started as a freelancer?”. In this post I will try to answer this question from a high-level, so while specific details might be different based on the industry you want to freelance in, the general steps should be the same for everyone.
Determine Your Target Market
When deciding to become a freelancer, it makes sense that the first step is deciding what you want your target market to be. However, this question can be a lot harder to answer than you might think. This is because the answer to this question is going to be the foundation of business and the core of all your content and marketing material. What is crucial to understand is that your target market isn’t a skill but a segment of the industry(s) for which your skills solve problems.
I will use Morgan Web Development as an example. Through this company, I do a ton of development, but I also do a lot of design, and server maintenance as well. From a skill set standpoint, there is a huge variety, which according to a lot of resources, isn’t a good thing, you need to “niche” down. I think this point is what is misunderstood. To an extent it is right, you wouldn’t want to just market yourself as someone who can do it all. However, while I market a variety of skills it is very targeted towards a specific audience, and I think that is the key. I target specifically businesses who are looking for a single, expert, resource who can manage all of the digital needs their business may have. Versatility is actually a selling point for the business.
So, whether you are trying to become a freelance designer, handyman, developer, consultant, or whatever, don’t look at your skillset and build your business around that. Instead, look at your skill set and what you want to do and tailor that to a specific targeted market. From this foundation, you can start creating content, finding potential clients, and putting yourself out there as a freelancer.
Build Your Website, Portfolio and Get Some Marketing Material
Once you have decided on your target market, the next logical step is to create an online presence for it, starting with a Website. Some people can get away with not having one, but the reality is that in today’s world when someone hears about you the first thing they are going to do is look you up. When they do they need to be able to find you and you need to look professional. Luckily it is pretty easy to put together a professional website on your own and pretty quickly as well. On this website, you will want to have
- A homepage that clearly establishes what you do and who you do it for along with easy ways to navigate the site and contact you.
- A services page that details the different services you provide
- An about you page that talks about who you are, though I’ll admit this is pretty optional to me. It depends on how you are trying to market yourself.
- A portfolio page that details your experience and past projects in your target market and beyond.
- A contact page that allows visitors to contact you in the different ways you want them to
- (optional) a blog page where you post content to draw in users
When it comes to your portfolio it can be hard to know what to add. When you are just getting started, you probably haven’t had any clients so there aren’t going to be any past projects from customers you can add. This obviously poses a problem. My recommendation is that, if you can, create around 5 sample projects that you can post so visitors can see the quality of your work and then start posting projects from clients once you start getting them. However, if you are trying to become a freelancer in an industry that this isn’t something you can do, then I recommend leaving the portfolio section off until you have at least three clients you can reference.
Once you have a website and portfolio built, the next thing you want to do is get some marketing material. This could be as simple as getting some business cards that have your website, phone number, logo, and email address on them. In fact, since you are just starting out that is exactly what I would do. If as you get started you find that potential clients are asking for more, or a specific piece of information about you and your business, then you can create that and provide it.
Landing Your First Client
Now that you have done all the leg work, the hard part begins. It’s the biggest question when it comes to not only freelancing but running a business in general, “Where do I find clients?”. The truth is there is no secret answer, but there are certain practices you can follow and marketing strategies that you can use to increase your chances of success. So, how do you get that first client?
In my opinion, the best thing to do is simply put yourself out there on as many platforms as you can. I wouldn’t recommend spending any money on ads though. You’re first client should be found either through word of mouth, organically through your website or Google Business, UpWork, or a similar platform, or through engaging people through social media. Let’s break all of these down individually a bit.
Word of Mouth
It may seem a bit annoying but in order to be successful as a freelancer you are going to have to talk about your business all the time. You are going to have to work to build a network of contacts and you never know who may need your services or know someone who might. Ask everyone you know if they are interested or know someone who may be interested in what you are providing. Offer a discount or whatever it takes to get that first client in the door. You need to talk about your business beyond just reaching out to people you know as well. When you meet someone new, mention that that’s what you do and try to slide in the question if they know anyone looking for that type of work. You simply don’t know when something is going to turn up so you need to make it known you are an option.
Website or Google Business
When setting up your business you should have created a website and registered for a Google Business. The reality is that without a solid amount of effort publishing content and SEO, you probably aren’t going to see a ton of traffic to your website. It is honestly very unlikely that your first client is going to come from organic traffic to your website. One exception could be through your Google business. If you are a local service that is operating in a particular area, then your information could show up to users who are searching for your services within that selected area.
UpWork or a Similar Platform
I am using UpWork as my example because that is what I use but there are other similar platforms that essentially allow you to create a profile place bids on potential contracts and allow other users to request your services. These platforms can be very valuable but are also very difficult to break into. As a new profile, you will have a low rating and no referenced work, plus a lot of the jobs posted get 50+ bids so it can be very hard to stand out. As a new freelancer though, I have always had the opinion that some work is better than no work and you can use that to your advantage. As a new profile, I would recommend trying to submit the lowest bid and hopefully getting some traction with people looking for a good deal, then if that is successful you can raise your rate once you get some clients.
Engaging People Through Social Media
When I say social media I am using the term very broadly and not just Facebook, Instagram, etc. I am referring to forums, Reddit, and really any online space where people in your target market may be. It can be tricky to get clients from this space but being active in these spaces and engaging with other users as well can lead to some success. Personally, what has worked best for me is finding subreddits on Reddit that are tailored to my target market, engaging with topics there, and sending DM’s to users who are posting.
Social media is going to be tricky because it is time-consuming and is going to be different for every industry but it’s definitely worth using.
conclusion
To get your first client I would recommend combining all of these strategies and not just focusing on one. Combined you will have the highest chance of success and you will eventually need to utilize each one anyway so you might as well get comfortable with each space.