Thread by @OlamideTowobola

"How to market yourself online as a freelancer"

A Thread

Every freelancer learns that income is never guaranteed. Having a steady pipeline of clients is the key to growing a business that is financially strong and sustainable. To make this happen, you have to be effective at reaching new audiences and showing potential clients.

Think about it from the client’s perspective. Does it make more sense to hire an obscure, unknown freelancer or someone with a strong brand reputation?

As more people turn to freelance work, solo entrepreneurs need to market themselves to stay competitive. @Upwork's Forward 2020 report found that, “36% of American workers freelance,” and 65% earn more freelancing than through employment, making it a lucrative career decision.

Fortunately, you can get started as a freelancer without spending a dime. However, you need to put in time reaching ideal clients. Boost your income and turn your freelancing gigs into a successful small business using marketing tactics proven to get results.

1. Optimize Your Online Presence:
When you’re first starting out as a freelancer, it’s easy to keep up with your marketing activities. But once you get busy, it’s often the first thing that gets set aside. Use free project management (PM) software, like Trello or Airtable, to:

- List profiles that need regular updates, from social channels to freelance work platforms.
- Track pitches to potential clients and save conversations for future reference.
- Develop keyword lists, niche sources to refer to, and existing industry contacts.

Start with keyword optimization. Research phrases that relate to your business and place them strategically on your website and social media profiles.

2. Optimize your freelance platform profiles:
Nearly all freelancers initially set up profiles on various platforms, like Upwork, Fiverr, ClearVoice, etc. But when time is short, you may be tempted to only fill out the necessary fields or forget to regularly update your profiles.

Head back to each channel, complete every field, add portfolio work, link to your social media accounts, and a natural-sounding yet keyword-rich bio will result.

Much like social media or search engines, freelance platforms tend to reward active users. Even if you haven’t worked on the site yet, it’s essential to add new content to your portfolio and update your bio to keep your profile visible.

3. Leverage LinkedIn for marketing:
LinkedIn is a critical channel for freelancers, with the online platform reporting more than 20,000 U.S. businesses use the platform to recruit, and “over three million jobs are posted on LinkedIn in the U.S. every month … .”

Get the most out of LinkedIn by:

Completing your profile: Write a value-filled summary using skill-related keywords.
Optimizing job descriptions: Flesh out your experience by turning job duties into accomplishments reflecting how your work benefited a previous client.

Adding skills and endorsements: Look at job ads to see skill keywords used in your industry, then choose from more than 50,000 skills to add to your profile.
Securing recommendations: Reach out to your network and request a LinkedIn recommendation.

4. Build a website or portfolio site:
While you can find jobs or show proof using profiles on freelance marketplaces, you ultimately want to direct leads to a website or portfolio. Plenty of website builders exist to get a site up and running, including Squarespace and Wix.

Once you decide on a platform, use your swipe file to get ideas from your industry experts. Look at how each freelancer sets up site navigation, or bio pages, and displays their portfolio. Use a free tool like Ubersuggest to identify keywords on sites you want to emulate.

5. Get active on social media/Connect with industry leaders:
While activity on Facebook or Twitter may not result in instant lead generation, both channels are fabulous tools for networking and building social proof.

Beyond posting on social media, you can:

Participate in Twitter chats: Search Twubs or TweetReports to find industry or skill-specific chats to learn, grow, and share expertise.
Join Facebook groups: Participate in communities to network, get answers from other professionals.

Freelancing is a lucrative way to work independently and achieve financial stability during uncertain economic times. So what are you waiting for? Start networking, market your skills, and build an income stream that will turn your freelancing efforts into a profitable business.

There's no limit to how much you can earn as a freelancer. Here's a student of mine that landed a $1450 gig on Upwork.

https://twitter.com/OlamideTowobola/status/1339234527881916416?s=20

You want to get started on a platform like Upwork? Here's a blog post to give you an headstart.

https://twitter.com/OlamideTowobola/status/1280816187820122113?s=20

@MomentsWithBren @TundeTASH @ToyosiGodwin @_lanreolu