I’m probably asked this question more than any other question when people hear what I do for a living. It’s also a question I dread because there’s no set answer and there are certainly no guarantees.

When I worked in a corporate job, I could easily give a salary range for what I did. I could even state my exact salary if I wanted to.

As a freelancer, it’s not quite so simple.

In this post, I’ll take a closer look at some of the very real issues behind the question of “how much can you earn as a freelancer?”

Freelancing Must-Have #1–a Marketable Skill

To become a freelancer, you first need a marketable skill. But not all marketable skill sets translate well into freelancing.

Creative types often transition easily to freelancing. The freelancing community is full of writers, designers, programmers, photographers, and other creatives. These skills seem to be easy to market.

Other jobs are not quite so easy to take freelancing. This is particularly true of jobs that require you to be at a specific place during a specific time in order to get the job done. A bank teller, for example, or a nurse–these skill sets are not so easy to translate into freelance income.

When someone asks me how much freelancers earn what they often mean is “how much can I earn if I start freelancing?” I really can’t answer that without knowing whether they have a marketable skill.

But simply having a marketable skill is not quite enough. Many freelancers with marketable skills fail at freelancing. That’s because they don’t have the next freelancing must-have.

Freelancing Must-Have #2–Marketing Savvy

Not only do freelancers need a marketable skill, but they must also know how to market that skill. This is a huge obstacle for many people coming from traditional employment.

In traditional employment, your company brings the work to you. There’s no need to develop marketing skills. Freelancing is quite different.

You may be the best graphic designer in the world, but if you can’t get the word out you won’t succeed as a freelancer.

Creative types are notorious for hating marketing. I dislike it myself, but I also realize it’s necessary if I’m going to earn a living as a freelancer.

If you’ve always relied on traditional employment to provide you with an income, you may have no idea where to start with your freelance marketing plan.

Here are a few freelance marketing tips from the Freelance Folder archives:

• Why Your Freelancing Business Must Have a Brand
• Plan a Marketing Strategy for your Freelance Career
• Two Weeks to More Client Leads

You can find even more freelance marketing tips under the marketing tab on this blog.

Let’s take a closer look other factors that affect freelance earnings.

Your True Freelance Earnings Potential

So what is your earnings potential as a freelancer?

What I usually tell people about freelance earnings is that the amount you can earn depends on how hard and how smart you are willing to work.

Of course, this assumes that you have a marketable skill and some basic marketing skills.

That’s the short answer, but it’s only partly true. The freelancing community is full of talented freelancers who are just barely scraping by because they don’t charge enough for their work. They are in danger of burning out before they realize that they should charge more.

Many other freelancers are part-timers. They may freelance a few hours a week, but they also have a full-time job. Naturally, they earn less–by choice.

Still, I’m really optimistic about freelancer earning potential. There’s virtually no limit to how much a talented freelancer with marketing smarts and lots of drive can potentially earn.

It’s not unusual to hear of freelancers who earn six figures–far more than they could have earned from a traditional job.

Sadly, most freelancers will never reach their true freelance earning potential due to some of the pitfalls I mention above.

Your Turn

How would you answer the question of “how much can you earn as a freelancer?”

Have you reached your true earnings potential as a freelancer? Why, or why not?

Share your answers in the comments.

Image by Peter Gene

Each approach has its own unique challenges, drawbacks, and benefits.

In this post, I’ll be profiling two different approaches to freelancing and discussing the challenges, drawbacks, and benefits of each approach.

Are You a Passive or a Proactive Freelancer?

Two basic approaches to freelancing include:

• Passive freelancing
• Proactive freelancing

(Of course, there are other approaches–but those are the approaches we’ll focus on in this post.)

A passive freelancer is one who basically lets the clients direct his or her freelancing activities. This freelancer’s approach to marketing is to simply get his or her name out there and wait for clients to call. When the client does call, the passive freelancer usually lets the client dictate the terms of the freelance agreement. The client sets the price and determines the deadline.

In contrast, a proactive freelancer actively recruits clients. Their approach to marketing includes targeting clients who fit the profile of their ideal client and making cold calls. When the proactive client enters into a freelancing agreement, he or she actively negotiates the terms. The proactive client is also more likely to have a product.

Challenges and Benefits of Passive Freelancing

Passive freelancing comes with several challenges and drawbacks, including:

• Famine periods–Since the passive freelancer relies on clients to come to him or her, they are more likely to experience extended periods without work (the so-called “famine” of the feast or famine cycle).
• Loss of control–A passive freelancer has less control over his or her income and schedule since he or she lets the client determine the terms of his or her freelancing agreements.
• Lower income–Along with increased famine periods and loss of control comes a lower income. The passive freelancer is likely to earn less money.

Surprisingly, there may also be a few benefits to passive freelancing:

• Requires less marketing effort–The passive freelancer spends less time on marketing his or her freelancing business. He or she may have a website and a social media presence, but that is probably all.
• More spent on core skill–Since a passive freelancer spends less time on marketing, they may have more time to spend on their core skill (writing, designing, translating, programming, and so on).
• May be better suited to part-time freelancers–Because of the reduced marketing effort, passive freelancing may be all that a part-time freelancer (who likely has another income source) needs.

Challenges and Benefits of Proactive Freelancing

Just like passive freelancing, proactive freelancing also has its challenges, drawbacks, and benefits. Here are some of them:

• Difficult for shy freelancers–Shy freelancers, in particular, have a hard time making cold calls. In addition, many freelancers don’t really know how to sell.
• More rejection–A proactive freelancer generally faces more rejection, at least initially. After all, they are contacting companies that may not have even thought about hiring a freelancer.
• More effort required–Proactive freelancing takes more effort. In fact, a proactive freelancer may spend up to half of his or her time on marketing activities.

Naturally, proactive freelancing has some benefits:

• Less famine–Since a proactive freelancer is actively recruiting clients, they are less likely to experience the “famine” of the feast or famine cycle.
• More control–A proactive freelancer determines who his or her client will be. They also are actively engaged in determining rate and schedule.
• Greater income–Because proactive freelancers are more likely to work at a higher rate and because they seek out clients, they typically earn more than their more passive counterparts.

Moving from a Passive to a Proactive Approach

Most freelancers start with a fairly passive approach to freelancing. However, after a time, many start to feel trapped in low paying gigs and/or waiting for work to come to you.

There’s good news! Even if you’ve been a passive freelancer so far, you can transition to proactive freelancing. Here are five steps to help:

1. Set aside a specified amount of time each day for marketing activities. You will probably need to spend at least double the marketing time that you have been spending.
2. Discover and contact companies that meet your ideal client profile. If you are not used to cold calling at first, you may want to practice your approach with a friend.
3. When a prospect does contact you, don’t automatically accept the terms that they give you. Often freelancing agreements can be negotiated.
4. Start replacing low paying clients with higher quality clients. If you’re a typical passive freelancer, you probably have a number of current clients that pay you less than your rate.
5. Don’t forget to keep up with your marketing. A typical freelancer mistake is to stop marketing while you are working. If you want a steady stream of high quality clients, you can’t do this.

Your Turn

Are you a passive or proactive freelancer? Which approach do you prefer?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Image by trazomfreak

The lonely freelancer may even be in danger of losing his or her social skills. At least, that’s the popular perception.

Freelancing and being isolated just seem to go together. Some people are even attracted to freelancing specifically because they think they won’t ever have to work with people.

Too bad this popular perception of freelancers is mostly wrong.

While many freelancers do work from a home office, most of them rely on others to get the job done.

Take a look at the individuals listed in this post and see whether you agree with me that most freelancers aren’t really alone.

Clients

First and foremost, freelancers must work with clients. A freelancer without any clients will soon go out of business. In fact, most freelancers juggle multiple projects at the same time. This means that they are working with more than one client at any given time.

In case you’re new to freelancing, in some ways having a client is like having a boss. Of course, the client probably won’t tell you when to come in to work and they won’t be looking over your shoulder to make sure that you are getting the job done. But you do need to figure out what they want you to do and how to do it. If you have more than one client at a time, this can seem like having more than one boss.

To keep your clients happy, you will probably have to stay in touch–either through email or by phone. You will also need to communicate with your clients to ask questions, turn in your deliverables, and submit your invoices.

Not only must a freelancer worry about getting along with their current clients, they need to worry about getting along with future clients as well. Future clients are also known as prospects.

Prospects

Prospects are another type of person that a freelancer needs to deal with on a regular basis. Your prospects include anyone who fits the profile of your ideal client.

If someone fits the profile for your ideal client and you have connected at some level, it’s worth building that relationship on the chance that it may one day evolve into a freelancer/client relationship. Remember, trust is an important port of any relationship, and that’s especially true for a freelancer/client relationship.

You have no way of knowing which of your prospects will actually become a client. It’s not unusual for a freelancer to remain in contact with a prospect for months, or even years, before they are hired. Still, it’s a good idea to keep in touch with a long list of potential clients.

Of course, clients and prospects are not the only people that freelancers need to stay in touch with.

Other Freelancers

Freelancers need to stay in touch with other freelancers too. Some freelancers don’t see the need for this, but I’ve found it helpful to maintain healthy relationships with other freelance writers.

For one thing, you never know when someone’s circumstances are going to change. Another freelancer may grow their business to the point where they will one day need to hire you. And don’t forget, freelancers sometimes bring other freelancers in to help them on a project when they are overloaded.

At the very least, a good relationship with another freelancer can be encouraging. Because they are freelancing themselves, they likely really understand what you are going through (which is often not the case for a freelancer’s family and friends).

In addition to building a relationship with other freelancers, it’s important to build and maintain relationships with those you’ve worked with in the past.

Past Employers and Colleagues

Your relationships with past employers, clients, and colleagues are important. Whenever possible, try to stay on good terms with those you’ve worked with in the past.

One reason to cultivate good relationships with those you’ve worked with in the past is that they can be a good source of testimonials and references. They are familiar with your work firsthand, so their testimonials are the most meaningful to prospects.

Also, don’t forget that circumstances change. A company where you once worked as an employee might one day need a freelancer. A former colleague may open his or her business. If you stay in touch, you will learn of these new opportunities as they arise.

Your Turn

I’ve shown in this post that freelancers really can’t afford to be isolated from others. In fact, maintaining relationships is probably more important for a freelancer than it is for a traditional employee. The perception of the freelancer who is all alone and rarely makes contact is mostly a myth.

What do you think about freelancers and being isolated? Have I missed any relationships that a freelancer needs to cultivate?

Image by miss vichan

If you’re a freelancer, you’ve been asked that question before. You may not have known what to say, or you may not have been comfortable with the price you quoted. That’s because pricing our services is one of the toughest issues that freelancers face.

No one seems to agree about pricing. There’s a lot of opinions out there and many of them contradict each other. What’s a freelancer to do?

This post is a bit different. You’ll find not one, but twenty different pricing principles for freelancers in one handy place. You don’t have to apply all of these principles if you don’t want to. However, in my freelancing experience, these really work.

Pricing Principles

Are you struggling with how to price your freelancing services? Here’s a checklist of principles to review before you set the right price for your freelancing services.

1. Base Your Fee on Quality of Service, Not Quantity–You’ll wear yourself out if you are trying to do a high volume of work for a low fee. Instead of trying to charge the lowest price, concentrate on producing high quality services that justify a higher price.
2. Your Price Should Cover Your Expenses and Allow a Profit–While this may seem obvious, many new freelancers have never run a business before. They’re not used to thinking in terms of profitability. Be sure to include overhead in your expenses.
3. Update Your Price Regularly–Are you charging the same rate now as you did last year? The longer you go without raising your rates, the more likely you are to slip into the red. Plus, you are worth more now than you were last year because you now have more experience.
4. Base Your Price on the Current Job, Not Promises–Fairly often a prospective client will contact me wanting a price break because in the future they *may* have a lot more work for me. However, unless they are willing to sign a contract now for that future work, they don’t get a break.
5. Don’t Commit to a Project Price without Knowing the Scope–You need to know how much effort is involved before you can quote a price. You can’t do that unless you know the scope of the project. Scope creep in freelancing is a common problem, so get it in writing.
6. More Work Should Equal More Pay–If the client adds a task to the project after you’ve accepted it, your rate should almost always go up. It’s best to point this out sooner, rather than later. Otherwise, you could find yourself working for a lower hourly rate than you were counting on.
7. Free Work Often Doesn’t Pay–Occasionally, someone will ask you to donate your services. This may be coming from a charity, or a friend or family member. Think long and hard about whether you want to do this. Remember, free = no pay.
8. Don’t Work for Anything Other Than Money–Another request *prospects* often ask of freelancers is whether they would be willing to work for exposure, or even whether they would accept a barter. While some freelancers do engage in barter, remember that money is what pays your bills.
9. Your Prices Are a Guideline–Remember that your prices are a guideline. You are a freelancer, so you are in control. If you feel that a particular project is going to be more difficult than most, you can raise your rates to make up for the extra effort.
10. Never Guess What to Charge–While you may want to give a ballpark figure to a client before you know the details of a project, don’t commit to a firm price without knowing the scope. (Hint: if you do give a ballpark figure, guess high and give a range.)
11. Do Know What Other Competitors in Your Field Charge–As a freelancer, you should know what your competitors charge for their services. You can find this out through professional organizations (which often track such information) or by looking at competitor sites.
12. Understand Pricing Packages before Committing to One–Pricing packages can be a great motivator for prospects who are undecided, but it’s important to put a lot of careful thought into any pricing package that you offer. Make sure that the package makes business sense.
13. Put Date Limits on Your Pricing Proposals–The last thing you want is to have a prospective client pulling out a five-year-old proposal of yours and demanding that you honor the prices quoted. It could happen unless you include a date limit on your proposals.
14. It’s Okay to Charge Late Fees–Your freelancer agreements should include provisions for late fees. Most other businesses charge extra fees for their clients who don’t pay on time. Remember, as a freelancer you are also a small business owner.
15. It’s Okay to Charge More for Rush Work–Are you taking on a project with an extremely tight deadline? While I don’t generally recommend accepting rush work, if you do take it then it is okay to charge extra for it. Just make sure the client knows this up front.
16. Lower Rates Don’t Necessarily Mean More Clients–There’s a common misperception among some members of the freelancing community that lower rates will lead to more clients. This is not necessarily true. In fact, if your rates are too low, many prospects may think that you are not any good at what you do.
17. If Your Clients Say Your Rates Are Too Low, They Are–It’s a sure sign that you need to raise your rates if your clients are telling you that your rates are too low. Believe them and fix it. Remember, they didn’t have to say anything.
18. Track Your Time to Understand Your True Rate–If you don’t track your time, how will you know what hourly rate you are really earning? Fortunately, there are plenty of tools available online to help you with keep track of how you spend your time.
19. It’s Okay to Have a Proposal Rejected Due to Price–I know it hurts to have a proposal rejected, but stand your ground when it comes to your prices. If price is the main objection a prospect has, they probably won’t make a good client for you.
20. Understand When to Use Hourly and When to Use Project Pricing–Hourly vs. project pricing is a lively debate among freelancers, with some preferring one over the other. Understand which one works best for the types of projects that you do.

Your Turn

I hope that I’ve taken some of the mystery out of pricing freelancing services. Did I miss any pricing principles?

Image by MinimalistPhotography101.com

Then, they wonder why they have no clients.

But, if you don’t stand out from the other freelancers, is it really a surprise if you have trouble finding clients?

Now, more than ever before, it’s important to develop a brand for your freelancing business. In this post, I will discuss what branding is (and is not), list some of the benefits of having a freelance brand, and explore ways to discover your freelancing brand.

What Branding Is Not

Many freelancers (and non-freelancers) are confused by the idea of business branding. In fact, most people don’t really know what a brand is, but they recognize one when they see it.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that having one (or more) of these for their business means that they have a brand:

• A logo
• Business cards and stationery
• A website
• A social media presence
• A slogan

But, they are wrong. Those things, in and of themselves, are not a brand, but they can help you build your brand. They can serve as a reminder of what your freelancing business stands for.

In a nutshell, a brand is what your client thinks of when they think of your freelancing business. It may be based on emotions as well as fact. Simply being known as a good writer, good designer, good programmer, or good translator (and so on) is not a brand. That’s not enough.

Here are some examples of possible freelancing brands, but there are many more:

• A designer is known for their elegant, but simple work
• A copywriter is known to be the writer who gets results
• A programmer is known for their exceptional ability to solve tough problems

Even something as simple as being known for being friendly, could be a brand if it makes you stand out from your peers. You could be known as the friendly freelancer.

Now that we’ve discussed what branding is (and is not), it’s time to look at the benefits of having a brand.

Benefits of Having a Freelancing Brand

Having a freelancing brand can mean the difference between getting a client and not getting a client.

The freelancing marketplace is crowded. There are more new freelancers every day.

The number one benefit of having a brand is that is makes you stand out from the myriad of other freelancers out there–and that’s a huge thing when it comes to drumming up new business.

Because they stand out, freelancers with a brand are more likely to be remembered by prospects and clients alike. Being remembered can really help a freelancer the next time a client is looking for someone to work on their project.

Having a brand can also help you to determine your Unique Selling Proposition (USP), which is how you explain why you are better than other freelancers to clients and prospects.

A final benefit of having a brand is that it can help you to make your marketing efforts more intentional.

For example, if you know that your brand is the elegant simplicity of your designs, then your work that embodies your brand should be highlighted in your portfolio. That means making sure that your most elegant designs are prominently displayed. If your brand is your superior problem-solving techniques, then your blog should highlight your problem-solving ability, perhaps through tutorials or how-to articles.

While you might agree that it’s important to have a brand for your freelancing business, what brand should you choose?

How to Discover Your Brand

I admit it. It’s hard to discover your own brand. And besides that, many freelancers don’t really have a brand. They are just part of the generic horde of freelancers

A quick tip to find out whether you have the makings of a freelancing brand, or not, is to ask several of your clients what they think of when they think of working with you. Look for positive terms like:

• Responsive
• Original
• Courteous

You may be able to use what your clients are already thinking about you to build your freelancing brand.

If this tactic doesn’t work, think about how you want your clients to perceive your freelancing business.

Want to Learn More?

Are you ready to learn more about branding? Here are some great resources:

• The Basics of Marketing: What is a Brand? by Jay Ehret of The Marketing Spot–This is a great article, written for entrepreneurs, that gives an overview of branding.
• What is a Brand? from Branding Strategy Insider–This basic piece tackles some of the common myths about branding.
• 5-core-steps-to-building-a-business-brand-strategy by Susan Gunelius on Keysplash Creative–This helpful article gives you some steps that will help you start to build your brand.

Your Turn

What is your freelancing brand? What do your customers know you for?

Image by uberculture

Google+ Hangouts is one of the most interesting social media tools currently available for freelancers (and others). It is also one of the unique Google+ features that helps to distinguish Google+ from other social media tools.

If you’re a freelancer, you should look into the various ways that Google+ Hangouts can help your freelancing business. In this post, I’ll explain why freelancers should be interested in Google+ Hangouts, describe briefly how you can get started with Google+ Hangouts, and help you find some good Hangouts for freelancers.

Why You Should Be Interested in Google+ Hangouts

Google+ Hangouts offers a great opportunity for freelancers to connect on a more personal level with individuals they would ordinarily not be able to interact with on a face-to-face basis. Google+ Hangouts are easy to use, versatile, and free of charge.

On her blog, Fix Your Broken Marketing, Jodi Kaplan identifies ten ways that freelancers can use Google+ Hangouts including:

• Hosting a conference call
• Brainstorming
• Training
• Holding a status meeting
• Networking

Other Google+ Hangout uses for freelancers could include:

• Building a community
• Discussing potential projects with prospective clients (replacing the sales call)
• Collaborating on a group project
• Holding “office hours” for clients

Google+ Hangout sessions can also be recorded, so a team meeting can be shared with absent members at a later date. Also, this means that a training session could potentially be used over and over. In fact, the possibilities for using hangouts abound for freelancers. You can probably think of Google+ Hangout uses for your own freelancing business.

An important factor to keep in mind is that, for right now, Google+ Hangouts is limited to ten people (including the person who initiated the hangout). So, if you have a need to connect with more people, you’ll need to use another method of communication.

What You’ll Need to Get Started

To take advantage of Google+ Hangouts, you’ll need the following:

• Computer with internet connection
• Google+ account. (If you do not have a Google+ account yet, you can go here to set one up.)
• Google voice and video plug-in. (You can download these plug-ins here.)
• Webcam for video chat or a microphone for audio only. (A text chat area is included in hangouts for those users who have neither a webcam or microphone.)

Freelancers are used to working at home, often in very casual attire. However, if you’re taking part in a Google+ Hangout to advance your freelancing business, you’ll want to pay a bit more attention to your appearance. Replace those rumpled pajamas or scruffy sweats with something a bit nicer and make sure that your hair is neatly combed. Don’t forget to straighten up your office a bit too, since Hangout participants will be able to see everything that’s directly behind you.

How to Get Going with Google+ Hangouts

Are you ready to set up your own Google+ Hangout? It’s actually very easy, provided that you have all of the right equipment in place. (See the list above.)

There are basically two ways that you can start a Google+ Hangout.

• Click the Hang Out link under a Google+ post. (Each Google+ post has three links: Comment, Hang Out, and Share.)
• Click the Start a Hangout icon on the far right of your Google+ screen. (You can also try Hang Outs + Extras, which contains other features such as the ability to name your Hangout.)

Once you’ve started a Hangout, you’ll get a screen that prompts you to check your hair and make sure your microphone works. At the bottom of this screen, you also have options to mute video, mute mic, and tweak your settings. Once you’ve taken care of all that, simply click the green Hang Out button in the middle of the screen to start your Google+ Hangout.

You’ll notice the hangout screen has additional options at the bottom including:

• Invite–Lets you invite others.
• Chat–Text only chat that can be helpful for sharing links.
• YouTube–Use to view a YouTube video in your hangout.

Like all social media, Google+ Hangouts frequently updates and adds new features. However, this should be enough information to get you started on using Google+ Hangouts for your freelancing business.

How to Find Some Good Google+ Hangouts

Finding a good Google+ Hangout can be difficult, because not all hangouts are named or permanent. And, of course, active hangouts are changing constantly. In fact, the best Google+ Hangout may wind up being the one that you start yourself. :)

However, the gphangouts.com site has some great tools to help you find hangouts including:

• A list of permanent hangouts
• A way to search current Google+ Hangouts by category
• A means of scheduling future hangouts.

More Resources

Want to learn even more about Google+ Hangouts? Here are some additional resources:

• Google+ Hangouts gets On Air broadcast and record, dial-in voice and ‘live’ notifications by Matthew Panzarino at TNW
• Five Google+ Hangouts Features Businesses Will Love by Joseph Fieber at PCWorld
• Minding your Hangout Manners by Jim Fierce on Media Tapper
• Hangouts–Google+’s own page and video explaining how hangouts work.

Your Turn

Do you use Google+ Hangouts for your freelancing business? If so, how do you use this feature? Do you have any permanent Google+ Hangouts that you’ve found particularly useful? Which ones?

Share your answers in the comments below.

Image by glasseyes view

You need something different–something better than what other freelancers offer. Your business needs that special something that makes a prospect pause and think to themselves, “I have to do business with this freelancer.”

We’ve talked about the importance of having a unique selling propositon (USP) before. That’s still important. But having the “Wow” factor does so much more for your freelance business.

Having the “Wow” factor can mean the difference between being considered for a project and being hired.

So what is this “Wow” factor and how can a freelancer go about getting it? The truth is that the answer is as individual as your clients are. If asked, many clients would be unable to give you an answer beyond “I know it when I see it.”

There are a few things that you can do to wow clients. While these tactics may not work for every prospective client, they will work for many. That’s what’s this post is about. It explains how you can wow prospects so that they become a client.

7 Ways to Ramp Up the Freelancing “Wow” Factor

Are you ready to really impress prospects and clients? Are you ready to take your freelancing business one step further? Try some of these ideas to really “wow” your clients.

1. Testimonials that rave about your services. It’s important to have testimonials, but some testimonials don’t add to your”wow” factor at all. I’m sure you’ve seen a testimonial before that reads something like this, “I hired Joe to design my website. Joe designed the website on time and in budget.” What you want instead is a testimonial that reads something like this, “I hired Joe to design my website and he did a fantastic job. He exceeded my expectations in every way. Joe will be designing all of my websites from now on.” Do you see the difference?
2. A blog that says, “I get it.” Most freelancers know that they need a blog. As a result, most freelancers have a blog. Sadly, most freelance blogs are just ho-hum. Some cover topics without any regard to who their clients are or what they need. Many freelance blogs sit neglected week after week and sometimes month after month. Instead, direct your freelancing blog to your clients. Use your posts to demonstrate how you can meet client needs. You don’t have to post daily, but don’t ignore your freelancing blog for months at a time either.
3. Out-of-this-world web design on your site. How would you feel about eating a restaurant that has peeling paint on the walls and holes in the upholstery on the seats of the chairs? What if they served your meal on dishes with cracks in them? You’d probably think that the place was a bit run down and you’d be right. The restaurant might serve great food, but they’ve already made a negative impression on you. They’ll have to work twice as hard to prove that they have good food. Your freelance is the same way. Is it out of date or incomplete? If so, you’re probably making a bad impression on prospective clients.
4. Snappy content on your site. Even if you’re not a professional writer, the copy you put on your freelance website is important. It needs to sell your message. It also needs to be completely error-free. Like your website, your web copy is part of that all-important first impression. If you have trouble in this area, consider hiring a professional writer to spruce your copy up. Remember, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.
5. Social media leadership. Being a social media leader doesn’t mean you’re on social media 24/7 making inane comments. Regular participation is enough. Being a social media leader also doesn’t mean that you have the greatest number of followers or friends (or whatever). What it does mean is that your social media participation enhances your overall professional reputation. If you frequently get messages from people thanking you for the content you share or if your shares spark conversation, then you probably do have this wow factor.
6. A quick response. Prospects are notoriously impatient. If you get an email or phone call, try to acknowledge it the same day. Even if you can’t answer all their questions, at least let them know that you received the email and are working on it. I can’t begin to tell you how many prospects (turned clients) thanked me for my prompt responses to their inquiries.
7. Expectations exceeded. You don’t want to get the reputation of someone who just barely gets the job done. That’s not the way to “wow” clients. Instead, seek to exceed expectations whenever you can. If the project’s due on Friday, try to turn it in on Thursday. If the client asked for two ideas, give them four. Actively look for ways that you can improve the client’s business and make those suggestions. These little extras may seem small, but they have the potential to really “wow” clients.

Your Turn

What about your freelancing business? Does it have the “Wow” factor?

If it does, what do you think makes your clients say “Wow” about your business? If it doesn’t, how will you go about getting it?

Image by music2fish2 (eric lanning)

Whether you’re offering your services or a product such as an eBook or WordPress theme, if you can’t sell then you won’t get any clients. So, every freelancer should learn more about sales.

In this post, we’ll talk specifically about the reasons that many clients decide to make a purchase. We’ll also talk about how you can use the information you learn about your clients to become better at sales.

10 Reasons Clients Buy

What causes a client to make a purchase decision?

Surprisingly, while need may drive a client to shop, need rarely closes a sale. That’s because for nearly everything that a potential client might need there are usually multiple freelancers to choose from.

If need doesn’t cause a client to make a final purchase decision, what does?

Here are ten sales motivators that every freelancer needs to know and understand:

1. Price–I put this sales motivator on the list, not because it is the most important, but because it is out there. There are, in fact, clients who make their purchase decisions based primarily on price. However, if you’re serious about earning a living as a freelancer, this should not be the group that you target.
2. Prestige–It is true that some people purchase a product or service for the prestige of it. For most freelancers, however, this will not be the sales motivation for your clients. Even extremely well known freelancers find that they are not so well known outside of freelancing circles. However, if you happen to be famous…
3. Convenience–This is a huge motivator for many clients. If a client perceives that you have made the purchase easier for them, they are more likely to buy from you. Remember, that there is also a convenience factor tied to getting repeat business. It is often easier for a client to work with a freelancer that they already know.
4. Reputation–A freelancer’s reputation is a crucial asset that needs to be protected. A good freelancing reputation is priceless, while a bad freelancing reputation can sink a business. This is why I always advise freelancers to be careful about what they do and say online.
5. Fear–Fear can be a powerful motivator. A prospect may be afraid for many reasons. They may be afraid to use your services. Or, they may be afraid not to use your services. If you think fear is affecting one of your clients, it’s a good idea to discover the root of their fear.
6. Expectations–To some extent, building expectations is what sales is all about. If your client expects great things from you, then they are more likely to buy from you. Just make sure that you can actually live up to their high expectations, or you may ultimately have an unhappy client on your hands.
7. Trust–Most business relationships are based on trust, but this is especially true for those freelancers who do their work online. This is because many clients don’t get to meet their freelancers face-to-face. If a potential client doesn’t believe that you will deliver they will not buy.
8. Relationship–Relationship is linked to trust. If you can build a strong relationship with a potential client, they are more likely to hire you when they are looking for someone with your skillset. People prefer to do business with those who they know and are comfortable with.
9. Value–Over and over again I’ve stressed that value needs to be a big part of any freelancer’s marketing program. If you can’t provide real value to your clients nearly all of the other motivators will be negatively impacted.
10. Add-ons–Everybody loves a bargain. Or, at least, almost everybody does. Bundling services and products together can help push an undecided prospect towards becoming a client. This is especially true if they believe that they are getting a good deal. What can you add on to your services to make them irresistable?

What to Do Now

Take a look at this list of sales motivators. How are you selling your freelancing business?

If you’re using a negative motivator, such as price or fear, try to switch your marketing so that you’re motivating your clients in a more positive way. Try focusing on value and trust instead.

If you didn’t recognize any of these motivators, it may be time to talk to your clients. Find out what factor really caused them to buy.

Finally, after reviewing the list, you may be able to discover a new marketing direction for your freelancing business.

Your Turn

Did I forget any sales motivators? Which ones?

Which motivator causes most of your clients to make a purchase from you?

Share your answers in the comments.

Guess what? All those posts are right. (Well, mostly right.) Content IS very important if you want to do business online–and that includes most of us freelancers, too.

Of course, content is not the only thing that’s important to your freelancing business. But it’s still very important.

In this post, I’ll explain what content is and examine what freelancers should (and shouldn’t) be doing about creating online content.

What Content Really Is

When a freelance writer like me starts reading about the importance of content, I feel like rejoicing because most people think of words (blog posts, articles, and so on) as being content. So, if content is becoming more popular and if content is writing, then it could mean more work for me. Yay!

But, of course, that is totally the wrong definition of content. It’s incomplete.

Content is not just the words that you put online. Content includes every single thing that you share online. That means:

• Photos
• Videos
• Audio recordings
• Cartoons
• Designs
• Social media comments

All of the above are content, as well as:

• Blog posts
• Articles

You probably already have a website or blog for your freelancing business where you publish content. You just need to learn to use it effectively. Now that we understand what content is, let’s take a look at what goals freelancers should have for their content.

Content Goals for Freelancers

As a freelancer, your goal in creating content is a little bit different from a news organization or even from a popular blog site (unless blogging is your main freelancing gig). News sites and popular blogs are only after traffic, and can use almost every type of content to get it.

Big blogs often thrive on publishing controversial and maybe even shocking material. The more traffic they get, the more they can charge their advertisers, which directly contributes to their bottom line.

If you’re a freelancer, you do want to get some traffic to your freelancing blog or website. However, your goal is not just to get a lot traffic to look at your site. You want to get targeted traffic that will ultimately attract clients to your freelancing business.

Your content goals are very different from those of the news sites. In most cases, you probably need to avoid controversial and shocking content and focus on helping your clients instead.

So, if freelancers are to avoid shocking and controversial content, what type of content should they publish?

What Type of Content Helps Freelancers the Most?

What is the best type of content for a freelancer to publish?

Here is a list of content ideas that will help build most freelancing businesses:

• A post that solves a common problem that most of your clients face
• A video that provides valuable information
• A social media share of something your clients will find useful
• Timeless content is usually best for freelancing businesses
• Samples of your best work

Even humor can sometimes be helpful on a freelancer’s site, but be careful. Remember, humor is in the eye of the beholder. If it could be offensive to some, it’s probably best not to use it for your freelancing business.

Also, update your sites regularly. You don’t have publish new content every day, but it’s been proven that sites with recently updated content rank higher in the search engines. A higher search engine ranking means prospective clients can find you more easily.

Once you’ve created your content, don’t forget to tell people about it. Share it through social media. Tell customers about it. Include your URL on business cards and stationery.

Now that we’ve looked at what type of content you should be sharing, it’s time to discuss online reputation.

Content and Your Online Reputation

No discussion of content would be complete without mentioning online reputation.

Your online reputation is a crucial part of your freelancing brand. Like it or not, the content that you publish online becomes a part of that brand. So be very careful about the content that you create or share.

Negative content never really goes away. Even if it is deleted, your past content can be hiding on someone’s machine somewhere just waiting for them to republish it. That’s why it’s best to be as careful as you can about what you put online.

Want to Learn More?

Are you interested in learning more about online content? These four posts share more valuable information about content:

1. 5 Strategies for Creating Magnetic Online Content from Frank Marquardt on Mashable
2. Content Marketing Defined from Donna Papacosta on Business 2 Community
3. 10 Content Marketing Goals Worth Pursuing from Sonia Simone on Copyblogger
4. Develop Irresistible Content with this 4-Point Formula from Neil Patel on Problogger

Your Turn

Do you have a freelancing blog or website? How has sharing content online helped your freelancing business?

Share your answers in the comments.

Image by Search Engine People Blog

Going the freelance route can be quite an exhilarating process. You drop the 9-to-5 workday in exchange for a whole lot more freedom and independence. But with this job track also comes the burden of management.

Personal branding and marketing is a big part of growing your own freelance business. You need to get your name out there into the world and hopefully reel in a few clients. It can be difficult, but I have offered a few ideas below which can get you off on the right foot. It’s best to plan ahead even with a small marketing strategy.

Once you put something in place to get the ball rolling things will only get easier. It’s important not to get discouraged and always keep pushing forward! There will be difficult months, but stay focused on the end result and you’ll pull through like a charm.

Determine a Branding

When you think of brands some popular mainstream franchises may come to mind. McDonald’s, Best Buy, Sony, Apple – these are all examples of big business. But small businesses and freelancers alike should have a style of branding. Even if it’s simply your own name and icon.

This step is crucial to begin with since it can affect so many alternate areas of marketing. At some point you’ll likely need to put up an online portfolio of work, maybe even purchase a domain name as well. Typically freelancers will purchase a domain under their own first & last name. But you could also come up with a creative company name and use this instead – whatever you feel more comfortable with.

The point is to build a solid brand and stick with it. It takes a lot of time to leak out your URLs into the web. So it would be a pain to change domains after 1 or 2 years of solid link building. Take note the type of work you do may also influence this decision.

For example, a freelance web designer may be more inclined to work under their own name. This makes their work easily recognizable by other potential clients. However a mobile app developer launching a few concepts may consider branding under a design studio instead.

Master Social Media Platforms

The fastest way to get your name recognized is through social media. Networking was performed in person for the past couple hundred years. But with the Internet technology has advanced so quickly that we can find each other from any point on the planet!

There are a handful of networks to consider joining right off the bat(excluding Facebook!). I even frequently scour the web looking for new startup ideas with strong potential just to get my account early. But we don’t all have time to signup for 20 or 30+ different social media platforms. So I put together a small compilation below of networks you may consider.

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Tumblr
• Behance
• Artician
• Instagr.am
• DesignBump
• Stack Exchange
• Design Snack
• Pixel Groovy

Google itself is also a very powerful networking tool. The company provides you with tons of free web apps which you can access all through a single account. Examples include Gmail, Analytics, Google Chat, and Documents. If you aren’t already using at least some Google products I recommend giving them a chance.

Network with Other Professionals

By far the best way to get yourself recognized is to connect with other people within the industry. You need to get yourself known amongst designers, developers, and webmasters all over the world.

There are a number of ways you may accomplish this. Some of the social networks I listed above are viable solutions. You may also post on forums and bulletin boards which can attract some attention as well. But my personal recommendation is to stick with a niche field and build up recognition there.

There are many different freelancers out there including graphics designers, illustrators, writers, marketers, and even programmers. When you have work to show it provides a jumping off point for getting your name linked around the web. Some of my favorite networks including Dribbble and Github showcase wonderful design and development work, respectively. These websites often include further contact details such as the user’s personal URL or Twitter account.

Always Keep Working

Even throughout this entire marketing strategy you should be trying to land some freelance projects. These are ultimately the works which end up in your portfolio and get shown off to future clients. And we all need money to pay the bills each month.

Never underestimate the power of landing an extra design job. This can be just the kick you need to build up a bit of credibility and positive buzz. Repeat customers are the best people to build long-term relationships with. They will value your work and often look to you for professional advice. Just don’t set yourself up swamped with work to the point where stress takes over!

Freelancing is all about relieving yourself from the hectic Monday-Friday work schedules. Take advantage of this and build projects around your own comfortable timeframe.

Conclusion

The process of marketing your brand will not build to a climax overnight. You’ll need to stay focused on the goal and continue sharing out your name for months, possibly even a couple of years. It’s a steady climb upwards but if you have the skillset to back up your ideas you’ll quickly build a powerful name for yourself.