Four Guaranteed Ways To Keep Freelance Work Coming

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Four Guaranteed Ways To Keep Freelance Work Coming

Posted November 9, 2009 in Inspiration, Marketing

If you want to succeed as a freelancer, you must get your name out there.

You can be the best in what you do but if no one knows about you, your freelancing career is as good as dead (sorry to be so harsh, but it’s true). While many freelancers are obsessed with being web celebrities, there are ways to stay under the radar and still have a successful freelance business.

In this post, we share four methods that I can guarantee will yield results if you follow them and put them into action. I have also shared my personal story in order to give you an idea of why these four ways are key to becoming a successful freelancer or to creating any successful business.

Method One: Break Down Traditional Barriers

If you were at a conference or a meeting, you wouldn’t just start pushing your business cards into other people’s faces. Before sharing business information about yourself there is usually some initial form of communication.

If you are linking to your own articles or promotional messages constantly, that’s like throwing ads into people’s faces. You can’t think of your links as billboard or TV ads (that people don’t necessarily want, but are forced to see anyway). The Internet world doesn’t work like other media. On the web, people have too many options to be held captive by an advertisement.

Be generous and allow yourself to break the traditional barrier of always promoting yourself. Give to others, rather than always asking. You will soon see exposure, loyalty, and referrals coming your way.

Method Two: Share Referrals and Link Out Often

When it comes to promoting your freelancing services, it’s key to be seen by others in your field. If you are a freelance writer who is too busy to take on any more work, refer a client who is looking for a writer to a colleague who is looking for work.

Be sure to tell the client to let your fellow writer know that you referred them. When the other freelance writer finds out that you referred them, they will get in touch with you. When time comes for them to refer a client to someone, they will think of you first. Sharing referrals is a good way to build loyalty from other freelancers in your field and get your name out there.

Another key to getting exposure and marketing your services is through blogging. As you may already know, some people create posts with “must follow” lists of “designers, writers,” and so on.

When you mention someone in a post, they usually come back to thank you for mentioning them. You can also mention others in your blog posts by linking out to relevant articles written by others.

Freelancers are a community of like-minded people who work in different fields, but have similar goals. Help them when they are in need and they will help you to grow your business.

Method Three: Be Transparent

It doesn’t matter whether you are a corporation or a one-man team, transparency in today’s world is key. When you are using different social media and networking platforms, make sure you allow others to see the true you. Be yourself and do not try to sugar coat anything you are saying.

If your office is in the basement and happens to be a storage area, do not tell others you have a gorgeous beach view. What’s the point of lying? Sure you might fool some into thinking that you are doing well, but in the long run lying is not going to help. Be yourself. Do not sugarcoat things.

If you are not knowledgeable about something, but want to talk about it, don’t act like you are an authority on the subject. Being genuine has bigger rewards for you and your freelancing business than being a “poser.” Let your true self be seen so that your potential clients can see not just the work you do, but also the real person behind the work.

Method Four: Embrace Giving

This is a tried and true method. The key to building a thriving community around you and your freelancing services is giving to others.

We are all busy. We all have our plates full. At times, we end up sleeping at our desks. However busy you are, try to squeeze in a few minutes to reply to an email that asks for your input or tweet back to someone who has a problem with something that you might be able to help with.

One of the best ways to keep your name visible on different platforms is to be there when people need you. When someone has a problem and they turn to you, be there for them. If you can’t be there, at least direct them to someone who might be able to help them. They will be grateful to you for your help and your helpfulness will eventually get your name out there.

One last thing that I would like to stress — do not ignore someone just because they are new to blogging, web designing, etc. Help them when you can because when they succeed they will remember you as the one who helped them learn the ropes.

My Story

I would like to share my personal story before I end this article. I started blogging in August 2007. At the time, I had no idea of how things worked on the Internet. I could clearly see that I wasn’t going in the right direction.

For advice, I turned to Jonathan Phillips who also happens to be the founder of FreelanceFolder. He helped me out tremendously.

At the time, I worked from my basement. I would work at my full-time job twelve hours a day, then come home and start writing for other blogs. I did it all for free, just so that I could get my name out there. Jon helped me with the basics of the Internet and gave me a platform (FreelanceFolder), which at that time was only a couple months old.

Slowly, I started writing for other popular blogs such as DumbLittleMan, LifeHack, and Anywired. (I am also very thankful to Skellie for helping me out during my early years.)

Then I started using different social media platforms such as Twitter, Digg, etc. It worked. I got my name out there. In July of 2008, I was able to quit my day job and start working full-time from home. I also bought a house in September and my wife was able to quit her day job so she could spend more time with the kids. Remember, I had had no idea how freelancing worked just ten months earlier.

With the right people, the right attitude, hard work, and by lending a helping hand you will not only build your own business, but you will help others build theirs as well. All my work now comes from referrals. I always find myself short of words to thank all the people that have helped me.

Giving is the best way to promote your services. Today, if someone asks me to recommend a web designer, I always recommend Jon (and he does the same for me with clients that are looking for social media strategy and campaigns). We have worked together on projects countless times and have continuously helped each other.

My business is growing each day and I am planning to launch a company soon, but I will never forget my humble roots and will always be there to help anyone out, new or seasoned veteran, as long as it is something that I know about. That is the key to getting your name out there. It’s not about being famous; it’s about being someone who people can turn to when they need help. Be there for others when they need you and you will soon find your business soaring to new heights.

How Do You Get Your Name Out?

We’ve learned that if you fail to create awareness about your business through engagement with other people and through participation in social media, your business will only last so long before it fails.

I would love to hear your thoughts on different ways that we freelancers can get our name out there.

Also, it would be awesome to read about how you got started as a freelancer.

Finally, if you would like to thank someone who helped you out during your early freelancing years, feel free to leave a link to his or her site. I am sure that they would love to hear from you too.

Image by wlodi

About the author: Ritu is a freelance writer who has been involved in social media for several years. At the moment he is working on a variety of projects, but is always open to new ideas. Contact him at email(at)ritubpant(dot)com or follow @ritubpant on twitter.

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52 Comments

Bono
November 9th, 2009 at 1:21 am

This is a nice post. I’m still putting up my blog though.

Thanks for the share!

cheers
Kat
November 9th, 2009 at 1:57 am

Thank you for this. It’s quite easy to be overwhelmed especially when you’re just starting out as a freelancer. I’ve been doing some freelance work for a year now, but there’s still a lot of things I need to learn. This is a great article for helping me get back on track.
Akmal Adnan
November 9th, 2009 at 2:47 am

I just started in freelancing. you inspired me a lot. thanks.
Elizabeth Albe
November 9th, 2009 at 2:55 am

Very nice. Thank you.
Paul O'Mahony (Cork)
November 9th, 2009 at 3:33 am

Ritu,
Thank you very much. I feel moved by your piece, the good valuable advice followed by your personal story and invitation to others to share.

When I say moved, I really do mean that a tiny welling up of a tear took place half way down the page.

Your wisdom pushed my buttons and seemed to be putting into gentle word things that I’d say in a different style. You are connecting with people who are starting out. I’ve forgotten much of how that feels. You remind me and I thank you for that return to empathy.

Another time I’ll respond to your invitation to contribute the story of how I began to freelance fulltime in 1998. I’ve made so many mistakes I imagine I’ve made them all. But there’s one I didn’t make: never gave up. Stopped yes, doubted yes, got depressed yes – but never stopped breathing the freelance oxygen.

Your style is so engaging, I find myself drawn into your orbit. So I’ve signed up to follow you on Twitter and put your blog in the folder I keep for treasure. Of course there isn’t time now to so my research on you, clicking the links.

But I thank the person who tweeted a link to you @mayhemstudios.

ps Greetings from Glanmire, Cork City, Ireland, where the day is coming up
Mike Smith
November 9th, 2009 at 3:43 am

This is an awesome post that is full of useful information, but I personally believe the story at the end is the meat of the article – it would be nice to even hear an expanded version of your story.

I agree that the more you give, the more you’ll be noticed and respected by others. I have also worked with Jon a lot and consider him a friend of mine (albeit we’ve never met in “real” life). He’s the first person to hire me as a blog writer and has been super helpful with any questions I have. And besides that – hes a real rockstar. how cool is that, to know – and be friends with – a real rockstar? :)

It’s all about the hustle and determination you have. If you’r relentless with the drive to succeed, you can’t be stopped.
Luke Jones
November 9th, 2009 at 4:22 am

Really nice post!
Denis Vaughan
November 9th, 2009 at 4:34 am

I have found your article very interesting and helpful.

I am new to any form of social networking but my experience with Twitter to date very much mirrors your points Method 1 and in a non-commercial way Method 2.

Thank you for sharing your experiences,

I stumbled here via my Twitter friend Paul O’Mahony – @Omaniblog

Regards

@inshin
Nenad
November 9th, 2009 at 5:02 am

I experienced everything you said. I was very active on local newsgroups and after one year I started to receive mails asking for help. Unfortunately I was in middle of moving away process from one to another city and I was for more than a year without a internet connection. I am now at very beginning for the second time and I have now landed two jobs for free. To give you approximate value of jobs it’s a conversion from psd to fully xhtml/css valid wordpress theme. As a web developer it’s quiet hard to get out there and make a notice of your self.
So if somebody is in need for some help about front and back development I am here to help, just email me.
markdamo
November 9th, 2009 at 5:32 am

I recently become redundant and am now plunging into the world of Freelance work. I must say I really enjoyed this post and it has given me real hope for the future and some goals to aim for. Thanks so much, Mark, Ireland.
Obhet Cristobal
November 9th, 2009 at 5:55 am

I have been doing freelance for quite some time now and what you have shared just gave me a heads up on what’s essentially missing in my arsenal of craft and tools..yes like any other freelancers on the planet there were days that would really make me grab the next 9-5 work and just forget about freelancing..

really appreciate your approach on this subject matter..big thanks pal!

I have retweeted this from this from @FreelanceFolder..

Obhet [@Blessedwind] will follow your posts from tweeter henceforth! God bless you!
Richard Milne
November 9th, 2009 at 7:10 am

great article, I’m just starting out freelancing in graphic design, and it’s much more difficult than I had previously imagined. Self promotion is key through giving as you put it is key, at the moment I’m doing massively discounted work just to build up my client portfolio. Referrals are important too like you said, and one thing I’m doing is offering referral discounts to my clients.

Thanks again for the great post, I’m thriving on these kinds of articles at the minute!

-Richard
Beth
November 9th, 2009 at 9:46 am

This is a great article and I must say I have to thank Brian McDaniel of bkmacdaddy designs and his blog series “Behind the Avatar”. Brian is a very successful blogger, designer and social networker and has been helping out undiscovered designers/freelancers/bloggers get their name out.

He has done several lists recognizing either portfolio websites or twitter backgrounds where normally these folks would have a hard time getting on a list. He recently featured my freelance business and me in his “Behind the Avatar” series and it has helped me in so many ways especially being in my first year of freelancing. Brian is the perfect example of the exact points you made in this article of helping out others in the design community.

http://www.bkmacdaddy.com – thanks Brian!
Lexirodrigo
November 9th, 2009 at 10:46 am

Thanks for sharing your inspiring story, Ritu! And congratulations on your success! You certainly deserve it.

I also live by the credo that you must give before you receive. I learned that from Alice Seba, the original Internet Marketing Sweetie and creator of Contentrix.

I got started freelance writing almost by accident. I subscribed to the newsletter of an Internet marketer, Nicole Dean, who was looking for writers for her website. She happened to ask among her subscribers first. Fortunately, Nic took a chance with me. I haven’t stopped writing since then.

I also have to thank my mentors, Kelly McCausey and Lynette Chandler, over at Mom Masterminds. They showed me how to set up my home business, beginning with creating my professional website, which writing services to offer, and how to get my first testimonials.

Thanks for giving me the chance to give props to these awesome and generous ladies, Ritu.

Lexi
Chris
November 9th, 2009 at 12:53 pm

What an awesome post! I guess I’m heading in the right direction. Lexi has been a great for me as well as a couple other people.

One of the most satisfying things for me in running my own business is being able to help people. It feels great to help someone that is having troubles or whatever. It’s one of my favorites.
Ritu
November 9th, 2009 at 1:06 pm

@Paul : I am glad you enjoyed the article and touched you. It really means a lot when someone else can relate to my personal story. Thank you!

@Mike : Absolutely! My mantra when it comes to success is – hustle for others and hustle for yourself. It will bring you success, maybe not right away, but in the long run it brings quite a surprise.

@Lexi : Hi Lexi! Thanks :) . Thank you for sharing a bit of your story and taking the time to thank others.

Thanks to all for your comments and sharing a bit about yourself. If there is someone who helped you in the beginning, always remember to give them credit and someone else who you helped will do the same for you. It’s a loop that we all need to keep going around to making things happen for us and others.
Chad
November 9th, 2009 at 2:59 pm

Nice post, thanks for the info. I have been following similar advice in an effort to create more interest by giving more. I’ve tried to spend more time commenting on other blogs and getting more conversational on Twitter.
It is still very early in the game, but I can see that it is working.
If only I had more time to do it! Better quit my day job. :)
Osvaldas
November 9th, 2009 at 3:01 pm

Nothing but personal stories is the best source to teach yourself. Learn history to predict the future.
tkm
November 9th, 2009 at 4:15 pm

Great article! I recently started my own business and I have already found out that being humble and referring others is the way to go.
maria
November 9th, 2009 at 5:02 pm

It is not that easy, at least in Spain.
You have to have a lot of contacts outside the net, as well.
Only from your computer things doesn´t work.
This is my experience.
Maria.
Dani
November 9th, 2009 at 5:58 pm

Great article. These should be the 4 commandments of freelancers lol! I’ll be linking this on my twitter page.
James J Martin IV
November 9th, 2009 at 6:17 pm

Great article, Ritu. Very inspiring piece of work. It’s nice to see that by helping others you can help yourself. Very sound advice not just for freelancers, but people in general!
Mvestor Media
November 9th, 2009 at 6:38 pm

I completely agree with all of these especially number 4. By giving we can certainly get our name out there, but those who we give to will remember what we did and want to give back, usually by a referral. When you are starting up especially it is important to do a lot of work for “free” because later on down the road it will come back to you ten fold.
Ritu
November 9th, 2009 at 7:10 pm

Thanks again for all the comments guys. I am glad you found this piece useful and thanks to you for reading my personal story there. I kind of got carried away while writing it but every once in a while it’s good to look back and check where you started from. Good luck to all new freelancers starting out. If there is anything I can help you with feel free to contact me or the freelancefolder team.
kiyas
November 10th, 2009 at 12:15 am

Ritu
This is excellent post, everyone have to appreciate, who is sharing their personal story. This post very helpful for me because I’m new freelancer, really this article encouraging people like us.

Thank you very much
Flora
November 10th, 2009 at 4:47 am

Hi !
I’m a newbie in the Freelancers’ world. Actually, I still have a day job, which I don’t like much but my freelance career should start very soon. About the free work, I’m an example of the success of this method. I’ve worked for free for my cousin (identity, business cards, website…) and that brought me my first big client : a communication agency, who saw this work, wants me to work for them now !
And I’m planning to do some more free work, that I will propose to other agencies…
Solomon
November 10th, 2009 at 7:16 am

I really enjoyed reading this post. Specially, the story about your success. Any post with a hint of a personal touch how we encountered problems gives us a perspective and encourage newcomers to emulate the same.
Thanks for the great post, Ritu!
Jon Phillips
November 10th, 2009 at 9:17 am

@Ritu: hehe thanks for the nice words in your post man! Much appreciated! :)
I can totally relate to your story too. When I started out I had a ton of help from my friend Liz Strauss, I wouldn’t be where I am now if not cause of her.

@Mike: hey I’m really happy to have you as a friend man, and as a writer too! :)
Karen Garcia
November 10th, 2009 at 11:52 am

This was a very inspiring read this morning! I’ve been writing for myself forever, but only as a livelihood for several months. I was totally unaware of the whole “freelance world”; finding Freelance Folder through a fellow freelancer was a God send! It gave me that “aha” moment when I finally was able to “name” myself….”I’m a freelance writer!”

Thank you for sharing your expertise and your history. It gives all of us “newbies” hope for the future and inspiration for the now.

Karen
Leorenz Jamias
November 10th, 2009 at 2:23 pm

I enjoyed reading this post. I agree with the points you’ve outlined ‘coz I have had a bit of ‘success’ doing them locally. I’ve just really started out on connecting via web and finding this post helped remind me of what I should do and take note of.

I’d take this opportunity to also thank John Ralph Rios who’ve helped me in establishing other freelancing networks. He has become a dear friend.

Thank you Ritu!
Pennsylvania workers comp lawyer
November 10th, 2009 at 3:12 pm

Great advice, really appreciate all the help.
clippingimages
November 10th, 2009 at 3:14 pm

Really nice article for freelancer. Few awesome tips discussed. Thanks for sharing this nice post.
Eliza
November 10th, 2009 at 5:32 pm

I’ve been a freelancer for more than 4 years now and I would like to say that I really appreciate this post. When we’re doing so many things at the same time, we kind of lost our true perspective. This post helped me recover it today. I will definitely come back to check out more of your blogs.
Eliza
November 10th, 2009 at 5:33 pm

I meant to say ” When we’re doing so many things at the same time, we kind of lose our true perspective.”
Laura
November 11th, 2009 at 3:12 pm

I agree with Maria. For my freelancing work flow to remain steady, I have to meet people face to face. Not only does it mean more work, it means better paid work.
Jamie
November 12th, 2009 at 11:41 am

Fabulous post! I have to admit, I was feeling a little ‘blah’ about my freelancing career, but this post has inspired me to keep on and to try different things. Thanks! = )
Felipe Buenano
November 12th, 2009 at 12:50 pm

Hey Ritu,

Thank you very much for this post!!! It has been very inspiring for me! I started freelancing since the beginning of the year, when I got laid off. However, I have not really placed all the efforts on it for different reasons. For some reason or other, I am having a lot of trouble finding a full-time job… so I am turning to freelancing mostly as a necessity.

If I have to thank someone is my former supervisor wtran… He referred me to my first and only customer LOL
A.D.K.
November 13th, 2009 at 4:47 am

Cool,
I liked most of all your story.
Ritu
November 15th, 2009 at 9:51 pm

Once again, thank you for all the comments and for sharing your own freelance stories :) . I am glad many could relate to my personal story on how i got started.
Doug C.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:37 am

Sounds awesome. I’ve been trying to do this for years and it hasn’t produced any results. I have followed all those steps you outlined, too. Weird.
Garen
November 18th, 2009 at 2:44 am

Great blog post. That is a good idea to refer people to other person when you are to busy. Don’t think of it as you are losing a client, but rather you are gain trust. In the end it is going to only benefit you.

I have included a good blog post on attracting more clients, as well.

Telecommute Jobs
Idris
November 27th, 2009 at 3:27 pm

Attitude is everything! Your gentle tone in the article doesn’t hide your tenacity, Ritu.

I love the points you make,and the story is even more engaging. Glad you didn’t shorten it.

I am still in the early stages of my freelance company. I finish school in three weeks! It was actually a school project gone haywire… the idea was strong enough to take to the streets. It’s been a wonderful part-time journey, and I’m really excited about what the year has in store. Cheers.
Shabbir Hussain
December 19th, 2009 at 12:17 am

Great article. And I can personally say, Method two works. Always. In fact I find myself with a luxury of not marketing my services, which is bad and must stop, because other freelancers are referring their clients to me.
Ernest J. Schweit
December 20th, 2009 at 2:03 pm

A very useful post and a really inspirational story.
I’ve been doing the social networking thing for a few months with only limited success. Reading something like this gives me some hope
Sharon
May 27th, 2011 at 5:51 pm

I started freelancing about two months ago and so far I have not been successful. Your story has truly inspired me. Thanks for sharing.

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FreelanceFolder is a community for freelancers, entrepreneurs, work-at-home business owners, and web-workers. We strive to bring you the articles, information, and community you need to succeed. If there's anything specific you're looking for, please contact us and let us know! Learn more about us →

Meet Our Team...

Mason Hipp

Mason Hipp is a marketer, designer, and entrepeneur. Mason helps freelancers and small businesses of all types, and he is the current owner of FreelanceFolder.
Ritu B. Pant

Ritu is a freelance writer who has been involved in social media for several years. At the moment he is working on a variety of projects, but is always open to new ideas. You can always find him on twitter as @ritubpant.

Jon Phillips

Jon Phillips is a full-time freelancer, blogger and designer. He loves WordPress and plays guitar in a heavy act. He is also the founder of FreelanceFolder.
Laura Spencer

Laura Spencer is a freelance writer from North Central Texas with over 19 years of professional business writing experience. Together with FreelanceFolder, she wrote the guide on How To Start a Freelance Writing Business.

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