Solve the Common Marketing Problems that Bug Most Freelancers
Posted January 19, 2010 in Business, Marketing
As a freelancer, you probably have a great deal of expertise in what you do. Whether it’s programming, web development, graphic design, freelance writing, or some other field–you’ve worked hard and honed your skills. Now, you may be starting to see some of the benefits of all that hard work.
With a few exceptions (those of you whose field actually is marketing), your knowledge of marketing is probably not as strong as your knowledge of your chosen profession. As a freelancer, you know that you have to market your business in order to survive. So, you’ve done what it takes. But, there are still a few nagging problems about marketing your freelance business that bug you.
It’s normal for a freelancer who doesn’t specifically specialize in marketing to struggle in this area. Here are four common marketing problems that bug freelancers (and their solutions):
Problem 1. Inconsistent Branding
It’s very common for freelancers to develop a weak or mixed online identity. This problem often happens naturally as a freelancer starts to develop an online presence. In this Internet age, it is likely that some of a freelancer’s social media presence began before he or she ever considered starting a freelance business. The freelancer may have a Facebook account or MySpace page left over from school days that just doesn’t reflect the freelancer’s new professional identity. Or, they may have been a big fan of Twitter or Digg before they started their business. Now that the freelancer needs to market their services, they may be still trying to leverage these very different online presences.
Solution: Choose an image and stick with it. This may mean having a professional photographer take a head and shoulders shot for use online, or it may mean having a graphic designer come up with a good logo that you can use consistently everywhere that you have an online presence. You should also take a good honest look at your online networking accounts. If your current Facebook or MySpace account reflects a less professional you, then you may wish to create a new, more professional, account specifically for your freelancing business.
Problem 2. Finding Work When a Large Project Ends
If we’re totally honest with ourselves most of us will admit that we don’t really market our business as heavily as we should when we are busy. If you have a large or long-term project it’s easy to become complacent and even lazy in our marketing efforts. If a freelance project has lasted for a significant amount of time, the freelancer may have even forgotten some good sources of job leads. Unfortunately, this can cause a freelancer to panic when the big project does finally end and possibly even suffer through a famine cycle unnecessarily.
Solution: Develop a job hunting routine. Start by examining all of the projects you’ve had in the past year. Determine where you found each job. Make a list of these places to check for future work. Next, check on forums where colleagues discuss your field. Pay attention to where your colleagues are finding work and add those sources to your list. Finally, you can use a job search tool. Make it a point to check with at least one of these sources for leads at least once a week even when you are busy.
Problem 3. Knowing What to Say to Friends & Family
Have you ever felt awkward when asked by a friend or family where you work? If so, you’re not alone. Many a freelancer has stumbled over this innocent question. It happens because most people are still conditioned to think of work as a place where people go. Yet, many leads come from word of mouth and those we know. It’s important to handle your personal networking opportunities well.
Solution: Develop your elevator pitch. First of all, it’s important to remember that people aren’t really trying to trip you up with this question. Most likely, they are just trying to make conversation. The best way to deal with this question is to plan ahead for what you are going to say. Having a good elevator pitch can help–this doesn’t mean that you will have a preset speech that you woodenly deliver every time someone asks you about your business. It does mean that you are comfortable using certain information as a guideline for a meaningful conversation about your work.
Problem 4. Deciding If You Should Have a Niche
One of the biggest decisions new freelancers make is whether or not they should specialize (and what that specialization should be). There’s a lot of debate in freelancing circles about whether specialization or generalization is better for a freelancer. We won’t repeat that discussion here. Instead, we’ll provide a few guidelines to help you decide how to specialize.
Solution: Take a skillset inventory. Examine what you do best. Also, make a list of projects that you’ve done well at in the past. Look over the information carefully. Do you see any trends emerging as to a particular type of project? If you do, it could be that you should consider specializing in that type of project. It’s also important to remember that a chosen specialty need not be forever. If a particular niche doesn’t work out for you, you can always change it later.
What Bugs You?
We’ve shared some common marketing problems that freelancers face, and some possible solutions. Now, it is your turn. Let us know what marketing problems bug you.
Do you have a freelance marketing question that you haven’t been able to solve yet? Or, have you already solved a particularly difficult marketing challenge?
Share your questions and experiences in the comments.
Image by freemind
Related posts:
- Online Marketing Is Great – But What About Traditional Marketing?
- Online Business Marketing Is Much Like Marketing Offline
- How To Use Controversial Marketing For Higher Profits
- Viral Marketing Techniques That Can Increase Traffic
- The Purpose of Online Marketing Strategies
About the author: Laura Spencer is a freelance writer from North Central Texas with over 20 years of professional business writing experience. If you liked this post, then you may also enjoy Laura’s blog about her freelance writing experiences, WritingThoughts. Laura is also on Google+.
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38 Comments
Nicole Foster
January 19th, 2010 at 7:56 amMy biggest problem is inconsistent branding. I can guarantee you, I have changed my portfolio design every 5 months since I started in September of 2008.It’s very bad to be inconsistent and I have decided it’s time for me to settle down. This design I’m working on now is my last for a long time, I promise :P
Ed Gandia
January 19th, 2010 at 9:09 amMy colleague Pete Savage offers a great way to think about point #2. He says you should view self-promotion like going to the gym. Sudden and occasional bursts of effort aren’t going to do you much good. You need a steady, daily push in order to always have a good backlog.
We all know this. But I like the gym analogy because it brings it back to something we can all relate to. And it’s especially helpful when we’re busy with work and we tend to forget these things.
Laura Spencer
January 19th, 2010 at 9:38 amNicole — I guarantee you, you are not alone with this problem. Many freelancers struggle with #1. It’s good that you recognize it and are doing something about it.
Ed — I like the gym analogy. For many of us, that’s exactly what selling is like. It’s a bit unpleasant, but necessary if our business is to stay healthy.
Lucian
January 19th, 2010 at 10:01 amI found out that contacting potential clients on job boards almost never works for me. Those people can get even hundread of replys to ther posting. It is much more easy to get the client when he/she initiates the contact. That’s why I spend more time putting my name outhere and improvemy website and skills, than desperately try to contactthe clients. For others tha method might work better…
Neil Brown
January 19th, 2010 at 10:16 amGreat tips, Laura! I think #2 & #4 are especially important. It is very easy to get lazy with our marketing efforts when the work is coming in or we’re working on large projects. I’d say most of us have had at least one “uh-oh” moment when we realize we are getting ready to wrap thing up but don’t have another project in the pipeline (especially early on)!
And having a niche is such a valuable way to differentiate yourself in a crowded market, demonstrate expertise and charge more for your services. I’m focusing on that even more this year in my own freelance business!
dp
January 19th, 2010 at 11:04 amI’ll be going for the niche route as well. it’s ridiculous to think you can sell yourself as everything under the sun.
I’ve never had a problem with consistent branding for myself though. after all, that’s my expertise. It’s usually the client that does not allw themselves to be branded consistently despite my pleas. So it goes. -dp
Jesaka Long
January 19th, 2010 at 11:17 amVery timely and helpful post, Laura! I’m guilty of #2 and am currently correcting that with new habits–which fit Ed’s gym analogy perfectly. Consistent branding is really important and I would also argue that keeping your online presence fresh is just as important. If your portfolio is three years old, prospective clients may wonder what you’ve done lately.
Robert Anthony
January 19th, 2010 at 12:56 pmGood points. I think the two that made me go “oh yeah, I should get on top of that” were developing an ‘elevator pitch’ and deciding if I am to carve out a niche.
Anyone who has a successful elevator pitch care to give some insight? What do you say? Did you find you had to add/scrap any information?
Laura Spencer
January 19th, 2010 at 1:22 pmGood points everyone!
Robert Anthony, we have a few good posts on creating an elevator pitch. Here are two of them: Is Your Elevator Pitch a Home Run?, Creating an Elevator Speech: How Looking In The Mirror Can Help Your Business.
I’d like to hear what the readers say on this one too.
Louisa
January 19th, 2010 at 1:42 pmGood tips. Relevant to me at the moment is the inconsistent branding, and whether to brand myself as an individual or a ‘business’. At the moment I’m kind of saying both depending on who I’m talking to, but maybe I need to just decide on one and stick with it…
Mollie
January 19th, 2010 at 1:55 pmGreat article! I always hate the frantic scramble for jobs after a large project comes to an end. A set routine is a great idea… I keep a bookmark folder on my toolbar for job sources, it makes things much easier to just roll down the list!
Salma Jafri
January 19th, 2010 at 2:10 pmExcellent points Laura. I think for me developing that social media presence was a big challenge (and still is to some extent) since I had to step out of my comfort zone and connect with other people from the industry. Twitter has been immensely helpful in that area once i got over the shyness of self-promotion. There’s a fine line between promoting yourself and offering up great content not related to you!
Simon Carr
January 19th, 2010 at 2:10 pmInteresting stuff…
Branding is super-important, because it is how your clients will remember you. But that doesn’t necessarily lead to new jobs or re-occurring work…
The point about having a Niche is something that can be argued both ways. I think everyone has 1 thing that they are really good at. Ultimately, being good at more than one thing will open the doors to more projects. Even if you aren’t considered an expert in a particular area, clients will overlook this if they know you can be their one stop shop.
Maxime Alexandre Trudel
January 19th, 2010 at 3:42 pmI think my big problem isn’t even there… I juste start up so for now it’s kinda hard finding new clients. But it’ll come… That’s my big marketing problem for now it is finding where to knock to get new customer…
If not I think that my design is the same everywhere. 2 isn’t a problem yet. Maybe 3 I can work on it and 4 I know where I am and where i’m going…
Felipe
January 19th, 2010 at 3:48 pmThanks for the tips guys!!
Lexi Rodrigo
January 19th, 2010 at 5:03 pmI can certainly identify with Problem #3. I’d been writing from home for a few months before I stopped saying that I was “only a stay at home Mom.” Now even my hubby proudly says, “She has her own business that she runs from home.”
Yeah, branded T-shirts and mugs coming soon :-)
Jared
January 19th, 2010 at 5:43 pmJust starting out, and still in school full time, my biggest problem is deciding if I have time for a project, and where to find a project. I have actually done a little more graphic design that web thus far… and I wouldn’t call myself a graphic designer until a lot further down the skills list. Ah well, they’re happy, and I’m happily paid. : )
Amber Weinberg
January 19th, 2010 at 6:19 pm@Nicole I have the same problem! I just changed my site design today and my old one was only 5 months old. I think my new year’s resolution should be to only change the site’s design once a year ;)
Nicole Foster
January 19th, 2010 at 7:00 pm@Amber: I’m glad somebody else is like me. I’m just trying to achieve almost-perfection and I find my style changes so much; so I end up with layouts I’m dissatisfied about after dealing with it for a few months.
Yeah, I think I’m going to try that resolution after I finish this redesign xD
Matt M.
January 19th, 2010 at 7:52 pmSometimes as a freelancer it is easier to create a new entity, such as a consulting company and allow that to be the focus of your branding and marketing initiatives. By creating a new entity, you can have a separate twitter/facebook/blog/website/etc that allows you to put on your “business” facade when need be, but keep you personal life personal. For me, I created Forge Search Marketing as my business entity and this allowed me to maintain a bit of privacy when it comes to other matters such as Facebook.
BigM75
January 20th, 2010 at 5:00 amvery nice article, cool stuff thx
Stephen Webb
January 20th, 2010 at 5:15 amThere are some key points raised in this article that certainly concern all freelancers. Knowing how to market yourself effectively is obviously key to success when working for yourself, and by analysing the problems out there it is possible to create a unique identity for yourself.
The first key point about inconsistent branding is certainly a widespread issue, as many freelancers cannot stay put with one design, and feel the constant need to reinvent their branding. This of course can create many additional problems in that your identity is quickly and easily lost, and the confusion this creates.
There are a lot of relevant issues brought up here, including of course the point about having a niche. The debate about the advantages and disadvantages of this rages on, but the advice given here is clear and useful, find what you do best. This is a useful article that I’ll be bookmarking for future reference.
Jeba
January 20th, 2010 at 5:21 amthe niche thing.. It’s quite hard for me to decide on.. It is too tempting to try everything..
Nichole
January 20th, 2010 at 6:37 pmMy biggest problem is that the client stresses the word “free” in freelancing.
Most clients now a days see something on the web and expect services (and yes, even goods) for free.
Maybe a movement away from the word “FREE”lancing (which clients will only listen to the word FREE) and towards “Self employed” to stem the tide of clients asking for projects, redesigns, and entire portfolios to be free.
Kemo
January 20th, 2010 at 8:20 pmHowever, if you’re after a strong brand, you should never leave branding aside. The trick’d be to do the best you can for your clients and always leave a link to your own site. Quality as #1.
Marketing and Management
March 6th, 2010 at 5:07 amI hope this information will be useful when I start freelance marketing business as my career.
phonecards
December 22nd, 2010 at 12:23 pmEven though this post is a bit older, I still found it to give some really great info. Thanks.
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