Freelancefolder

The 2 Keys to Personal Branding Success

Posted November 26, 2008 in freelancenews Add Comment »

The 2 Keys to Personal Branding Success
Freelancers need a strong personal brand, and the importance of this only grows with the need to distinguish yourself. This is what you need to succeed.

De-Clutter Your Interface With Hover Controls

Posted November 25, 2008 in freelancenews Add Comment »

De-Clutter Your Interface With Hover Controls
Interfaces get too cluttered if we put too many controls on them. Simplify your interface with simple CSS hover controls. This tutorial shows you how.

Are You Wasting 90% of Your Prospecting Efforts?

Posted November 25, 2008 in Marketing 17 Rockin' Comments »

Did you know that only 10% of the energy used by an incandescent light bulb produces light? The other 90% is given off as heat.

Seems like a lot of wasted energy, doesn’t it?

Well, it’s no different when it comes to prospecting for clients. Most of the time energy freelancers put into a promotional effort is wasted.

It usually goes something like this: You send out hundreds of letters, make dozens of cold calls or go to a handful of networking events, only to end up with just one or two golden nuggets — the few prospective clients that have an immediate need for your services.

It’s true that those few “hot prospects” are ultimately what we’re all looking for. But, too often, the difference between just “getting by” and earning an executive-level income as a freelance professional lies in what you do with prospects who are NOT ready to hire you. [Click here to read more →]

10 Things You Should Keep for Tax Purposes

Posted November 24, 2008 in Business 12 Rockin' Comments »

With the holidays right around the corner, income taxes are probably the very last thing that you want to think about.

Contrary to how festive you might be feeling, however, now is actually the perfect time to get your paperwork in order for this year’s income taxes.

With everything together and organized by January 1st, you will be able to file your 2008 tax form quickly and (nearly) painlessly. If you are due for a tax refund, filing early can help you get your money back as soon as possible.

So, gather up all those unfiled papers now and start to sort through them. Starting on taxes early also gives you a chance to find or ask for copies of any records that you are missing.

(Note: The post is geared towards taxpayers living in the United States, though others may still benefit. This post does NOT constitute specific professional accounting advice. For help with your particular tax question, consult a tax specialist.)

[Click here to read more →]

How To Find Hidden Traffic And Use It To Get More Clients

Posted November 21, 2008 in How-To, Marketing 13 Rockin' Comments »

Finding clients isn’t always the easiest thing to do. Working above and beyond to get great customer feedback and solid word-of-mouth advertising isn’t always enough to keep the bills paid and the fridge stocked, so any client-grabbing advice is welcome news to the harried freelancer.

But did you know that underserved, ready-to-buy clients might already be visiting your website? Let’s take a look at how to use statistics tools and SEO plugins to find these “hidden” visitors to your website, and then how you can convert them into clients.

[Click here to read more →]

Freelance Door Hangers: 10 Days Left to Get Yours

Posted November 20, 2008 in News Add Comment »

As most of you probably know, we launched a major FreelanceFolder redesign earlier this month.

In order to celebrate the launch of the new forums, we’ve been giving away “Freelancer At Work” door hangers for free :-)

The contest is officially over at the end of this month (about 10 more days), so if you’re interested just head over to the forums and read the full post for more info and official rules.

Oh, and for those of you who have entered already — we’ll be shipping out the first batches next week, so keep an eye on your PM box for a ’shipped’ notice.

[Click Here to Read More...]