How to Find Work Without Using the Freelance Job Boards

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How to Find Work Without Using the Freelance Job Boards

Posted April 14, 2010 in Getting Started, Marketing

You know me, I’m the Job Board Queen. I troll places like Craigslist, Indeed and ProBlogger in order to list freelance writing jobs for my community each day. Even though I list the gigs, I often encourage the members of my community to look beyond the job boards. I tell them the most lucrative opportunities aren’t always found in a classified ad.

There are more freelancers now than ever and here’s something to consider: for every gig you apply to there could be dozens, if not hundreds of people applying for the same. Besides you and the other freelancers you interact with online, there are also out of work designers, journalists, photographers and others looking to make ends meet. Moreover, there are parents looking to make a living while working at home with their kids and recent graduates looking to make a go of it outside the traditional work force. So, yeah, go ahead and apply for those job board gigs, but know you won’t be the only one.

You might consider a less traditional route.

Use the Social Networks

Twitter isn’t only for sharing what’s for dinner and Facebook isn’t only for playing Mafia Wars. The social networks are also important tools for building relationships and trust. Through the forums, microblogs and networks you can meet other freelancers who share tips, ideas and, yes, job leads. Moreover, the more time you spend with other freelancers the more likely they are to recommend you to clients and even outsource their overflow. Plus, you’re also networking with potential clients. They may not need you now, heck they may not think they’ll ever need you, but you never know when a Twitter friend can become a client.

I like to use this example:

Someone you chat with every day discovers he’ll need a freelancer. Who do you think he’ll be most likely to call–a stranger who answered a Craigslist ad or a freelancer he has a relationship with online?

Establish Your Expertise

When you’re good at what you do, the clients come to you. This is why so many freelancers work so hard to establish their online presence. They have websites to use as portfolios, and blogs where they share their expertise. They also write ebooks and courses. This comes in handy for the client who is shopping around for designers and writers.

Many potential clients would rather not take out ads if they don’t have to. Truthfully, it’s a pain to have to sift through 500 applications and portfolios. Rather than go this route, clients will ask for referrals or explore freelancers’ online portfolios. If you’re considered an expert in your niche, with a good reputation, there’s a very good chance clients will come to you.

I haven’t applied for a job in over a year. Though I’m not accepting as many clients as I used to, every gig coming in now is repeat business, referral from another freelancer or client, or from someone who landed on my blog. In fact, my blog refers several potential clients each month. I tend to refer those clients to writers I trust from my community.

Keep in mind that an online reputation doesn’t grow overnight; it could take months, even years before you see this type of business.

Go Local

Many local businesses would rather work with area-specific freelancers for several reasons:

They like freelancers to be close by in case they want to have a meeting or need pickups or drop offs.
They like to stimulate the local economy.
The feel more comfortable doing business with someone down the road as opposed to across the county.

Though it’s more work than trolling the job boards, it’s not too difficult for a confident freelancer to find local clients. Area networking events can provide a goldmine of opportunities. The Chamber of Commerce and the local government often throw networking events for business representatives to meet each other in an attempt to keep spending inside the community. Local professional organizations and civic groups also hold networking events. You might also find clients at conferences and seminars. Branch out to include county-wide events as you may meet some interesting people there as well.

Cold Calling and Emailing

Here’s the part that scares everyone. Cold calling takes us out of our comfort zones. Who wants to call businesses unsolicited when we can use email? The truth is, you can do either. Both are effective for landing clients and both turn off potential clients if not done correctly.

When I first began freelancing, I decided I was going to target graphic design studios. I worked for a design studio for several years and they hired many freelance writers, designers and photographers. This was a good place for me to begin my cold calling experiment.

I sat down and researched a list of local businesses that might work with freelancers. Instead of calling unannounced, I contacted the receptionist and explained that I wanted to send a package to whoever hires freelancers. Once I had a name, I snail mailed a packet containing:

A cover letter
My freelance writing resume
Testimonials and recommendations from other clients
Samples of my writing
A rate sheet
My business card

Several days later, I called to see if the packet arrived. If it was, I set up an appointment to have a call or in person meeting. I landed a few lucrative clients this way too. A couple of the businesses contacted didn’t need me right away, but kept my details on file and called me later.

I didn’t always find success though. Once I couldn’t make it past the reception desk and another time the person on the other end was very rude in his dismissal. Though cold calling wasn’t something I was comfortable with, it worked out well for me.

Some freelancers prefer cold emailing. This can work too but you have to be sure to have an eye catching subject line so you’re not tossed in the trash. I know some freelancers like to find websites with a poor design or poor writing and write to offer their services. You really have to be delicate in these situations because you won’t land clients by insulting them. For cold emailing, paste your details and samples in the body of your email because no one wants to open up a stranger’s attachments.

Be Brave

I always suggest freelancers try and do one brave thing a month. It can mean cold calling, attending a networking event or having a meetup of other freelancers. It’s the brave freelancers who land the lucrative gigs. If you have no intention of stepping outside of your comfort zone, rock on. No one says you shouldn’t use the job boards and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with sticking with what works best for you. However, the next time you’re wondering why the other guy gets all the good gigs, consider it might be because he’s not looking online.

How Do You Land Clients?

What methods do you use to land clients beyond the usual job boards. Share your strategy

About the author: Deb Ng is a freelance writer, professional blogger, social media consultant, founder of the Freelance Writing Jobs network of blogs and author of the soon to be released “Freelance Writer’s Guide to Social Media” . Follow Deb on Twitter @debng.

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45 Comments

Jordan Walker
April 14th, 2010 at 8:51 am

Thanks for the article Deb, I agree that it is very important to use your social network when looking for additional freelance opportunities. I believe last week on this blog, they mentioned asking for referrals from previous clients…golden!
Deb Ng
April 14th, 2010 at 8:59 am

Jordan, You’re very welcome! I credit social media with a huge chunk of my success and I’ve been able to take many of my online relationships offline for a more productive client experience. I often wonder if I would be as successful without the Internet. I hope I would, but I’m not so sure.
Sarah
April 14th, 2010 at 9:47 am

Great article, Deb. Totally agree on your client-finding strategy. I am convinced that it helps the client to either be referred to you by somebody he trusts or have met you in person. That’s why I personally prefer networking via Social Media or at local Meetups and events and haven’t used the cold call method yet. But I like your idea of calling first, getting a name, sending the package and then calling again. Might try that some day! Thanks again for the article!

Sarah
http://twitter.com/sarahsantacroce
Lucian
April 14th, 2010 at 10:06 am

You can still find work using job boards, but the most effective way for me, it was to have a good listing and have the client come to me with website inquires.
It so much easier, than applying for a job listing, along with another hundred of freelancers. Odds to be selected or to work for a fair price are low.
I still get to be contacted by some “diamond” clients using Craigslist job board and I still get quick turnaround but profitable gigs.

However, recommendation from past clients is what keeps a steady workflow.

I haven’t been able to focus on social networks for getting clients but I am sure is a good environment for that.
Kennyh
April 14th, 2010 at 10:19 am

I’ll be honest, I’ve never used a job board to get clients. During my college years I had to do two internships and I carefully picked out the designstudios where I wanted to carry out these internships. I choose two wellknown designstudios with a large network, always worked hard en delivered great work, build a large contact tree and stayed in touch with those people. When I started freelancing I contacted these people and told them I was going to freelance. Both designstudios I did the internships at hired me several times and I get a lot work through the clients I worked for at those two studios. It happens often that I get an e-mail or phonecall from a company with “Well I’m searching for a designer/developer for this and this project and the CEO from …. recommended contacting you”. That’s the way I get work, it took some planning ahead but it was worth all the effort.
Dr. Freelance
April 14th, 2010 at 10:36 am

Practically every client I have derives from a cold-calling campaign I did back in 2001 after a miserable, slow 2000. I still have quite a few of the original clients I called, but more important, they have each generated more referrals than I can count. (And I haven’t made a cold call since then.)

And you’re absolutely right that graphic designers are an excellent resource–not only for the business they can bring you, but also for partnering on your own needs.
Lena Tailor
April 14th, 2010 at 10:49 am

This post is quite educating. This might be of help in this recession time for beginners. Thanks to share this useful info.
Matt Pritchett
April 14th, 2010 at 11:07 am

I will admit that I am somewhat new to the freelance scene (I’ve been “free” since January of 2010), but I have never used a job board. I’ve looked, researched, and decided that the amount of work, and amount of money, involved is just not worth the effort. I have received my steady stream of clients through referrals, former clients (I used to work as a Multimedia Director for a non-profit), and web site hits. But to each his own, right?
JoAnna
April 14th, 2010 at 11:13 am

I get a lot of jobs by referral, and I’ve also found a lot of work from LinkedIn as well. LinkedIn groups are a great way to meet people who are looking for writing expertise (even if they don’t know it yet), and people can also find writers who have filled out a thorough profile.
Chris Mower
April 14th, 2010 at 11:38 am

Deb, great article. It’s great to have a reminder now and again of different ways to find clients and work.

What I’ve found with job boards is that the companies who use them tend to not pay as much per project. And why should they? Like you said, they may have 500 applying for a project, and when there’s that much demand, you can take your prices down.

Thanks again for the post. :)
Lexi Rodrigo
April 14th, 2010 at 12:02 pm

Excellent suggestions, Deb! I’ve never used job boards myself. I’ve found really good clients on online forums (paid) and, believe it or not, on Twitter. Or rather, the client found me on Twitter. The rest are word-of-mouth referrals.

That said, job boards are also good for finding leads.

The bottom line is, we have to be creative and resourceful enough to find opportunities everywhere. Because they ARE everywhere.
Amber Weinberg
April 14th, 2010 at 1:04 pm

The best way I’ve found clients, was a cold emailing campaign I did back in September. I’m still getting work from that! I just recently started getting a few referrals (my target clients are studios, agencies and freelancers, and they usually don’t like sharing their freelancers) and I get a pretty steady stream of clients from the “hey I’ve seen you everywhere on the web” type. I don’t really have any local clients, which is fine by me because they tend to have lower budgets and want to physically meet, which takes more time out of my day.
Deb Ng
April 14th, 2010 at 1:04 pm

@Sarah – My favorite method of networking now is a combination of online and offline. And do give cold calling a shot, I’ve been writing about the benefits for a couple of years now and It really does work. You want land a sale from everyone you call but two or three isn’t bad at all.

@Lucian & kennyh- I still believe in the power of the job board. I see very lucrative opportunities every single day. I think we all get to the point where we don’t need them anymore. And Kenny, those design studios provide a goldmine of opportunities, don’t they.

@Dr.Freelance – So happy to see cold calling not only worked for you, but mow you have a repeat clients.

@Lena – Thank you for your kind words. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me via Twitter or email and we’ll see what we can do.

@Matt – I don’t believe that job board gigs don’t pay good money because I see jobs for all levels of freelancers every on every job board. Even some very lucrative gigs.

@Joanna – Thanks for the LinkedIn tip, which shows the importance of having a good online resume there, and the references and referrals are especially important.

@Chris – Thanks! Again, I don’t think the job board have a balance of both – but there’s sure a lot of competition for the big gigs.

@Lexi – Twitter has been an amazing resource for finding gigs and clients. I sing its praises often.
Nick Burd
April 14th, 2010 at 1:47 pm

I like the snail mail idea… i might actually give that a try… Its harder to misplace a hard copy than it is to misplace an email. :D
Deb Ng
April 14th, 2010 at 2:16 pm

Hi Nick,

It can also backfire on you, though. After receiving a snail mail you might not make it past the receptionist because they don’t want your services or solicitation. I had one person return my packet to sender with “no solicitation” written across the envelope. However, they also now have something to keep on file – whereas jotted down phone numbers get lost.
Nicole Foster
April 14th, 2010 at 2:49 pm

Great article Deb!

I used to frequently visit job boards and job bidding sites, but I have rarely found clients. To this day, I have acquired two paying clients from all the job board and job bidding sites. However, I am taking the same approach as the article and trying new methods. I have been developing my brand on social networking sites and locally, I have seen some success. I would highly stress targeting locally because it really can bring in more work and it has worked tremendously for me.
Tim Lewis
April 14th, 2010 at 2:50 pm

I find job boards like Craigslist and Elance to be a large waste of time. Most postings there are from clients who want to pay peanuts, yet freelancers are falling all over themselves to get these gigs.

In order to make real money as a freelancer, you need to find your niche (mine is healthcare copywriting) and develop a targeted list of prospects who might be interested in your services. Hit ‘em with direct mail, e-mail, and follow-up phone calls. Follow up is key!

Offering a free report is another great way to start a relationship with these potential clients.

Another idea: mine your professional contacts, friends and family. Tell them what you do and don’t be afraid to ask for referrals!
Jerome Bohg
April 14th, 2010 at 5:19 pm

Wow, good job on the article. I started cold emailing companies a few weeks ago and today I told myself I had to make a few calls as well. First three calls where a bit scary and they weren’t in need of freelancers but the 4th call started positive so that encouraged me a lot. Will do more calls the upcoming weeks. It’s good to see that you’re not alone out there and as a freelancer we all have to struggle with the same issues.
AllyBlog
April 15th, 2010 at 12:35 am

Although I’ve been in the recruitment biz for many years plus running a job site, I’ve to say nothing beats referrals. So, the best thing to do is still the old-fashioned way of delivering great work and get people notice and talk about your work. You’ll be getting clients knocking non-stop at yr door…:)
Leslie A. Joy
April 15th, 2010 at 2:31 am

Personally, I don’t know how you do it Deb. I’ve tried a few different job boards and had absolutely no luck.

I’d love for job boards to work for me, but I have trouble finding jobs where the client isn’t asking for a ridiculously low price.

Currently, I’ve been using a combination of you’re suggestions above, which I’ve had much better results with.

Though to be fair, I’m brand new to the freelancing game (started about 4 months ago)0, so maybe I just need to gie job boards some more time.
Marcel Garbi
April 15th, 2010 at 5:24 am

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Lloyd
April 15th, 2010 at 6:07 am

Dab, this is a great article.
The traditional job boards are really good, in my opinion. Your ideas will only work for the brave:) Going local is, I believe, underrated. I’ve noticed a large number of freelancers find it awkward to mix up their personal online presence with their business, but I believe you’re right: they could do that more often. Personally, I prefer someone I know to do a job I need done.

Lloyd
officedeskreviews
Mark Spidle
April 15th, 2010 at 9:43 am

Referrals are a great way to get customers. This article is very helpful and I may try some of these techniques soon.

Thanks
Anything Graphic
April 15th, 2010 at 10:39 pm

I have yet to try the cold calling, I’m scared. But a lot less scared with your post and tips. Thank you for your advice :-)
Kei
April 20th, 2010 at 7:50 pm

Hi Deb,

Great post! I actually liked the snail mail idea. It sounds a lot or work, but it goes on a very professional manner. I’d try it out, but instead of snail, I’d use emails. =)
Urviho
April 21st, 2010 at 11:29 am

Hello.. nice article, i hope, that it will help me on hard way to get new clients :)
online marketing
April 26th, 2010 at 4:18 pm

Hmm thanks for the share, atleast I found it as an interesting read
Isaiah Frazier
May 1st, 2010 at 8:11 pm

From my personal experience the best way to get new clients is to treat your pre existing clients real good. Word of mouth goes a long way so I try my best to please every client and believe me it always pays off.
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July 20th, 2010 at 11:25 pm

very nice article ,i think it’s very useful for me ,because i’m a graduate and want to find a new job for me
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November 30th, 2010 at 11:15 am

This is a very helpful article. Luckily I have never had to refer to these boards because I have a farelly large client base. Thanks for sharing.
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