Thread by @tom_hirst

Marketing for freelancers.

Everything I’ve learned.

A thread.

If you don’t take marketing seriously,

Prepare for constant battle.

Good marketing makes everything easier.

- Getting clients
- Pricing projects
- Negotiation

All the hard stuff, made easier.

Good marketing makes everything better.

- The clients you work with
- The projects you work on
- The pay you receive

All the important stuff, made better.

When supply outweighs demand, freelancing is tough.

When demand outweighs supply, freelancing is freeing.

You can be the best:

- Developer
- Designer
- Or writer

But the best doesn’t always get:

- The most work
- The best clients
- The highest pay

The perceived best often does.

You can’t market your way out of bad service.

But you can market your way out of good service.

It’s great to be good at what you do.

But people need to know you’re good.

When you start freelancing, prepare to work on your craft less.

If you want to code, design or write all day; get a job.

Becoming a freelancer means becoming a marketer.

Schedule time every week to market yourself.

If you don’t like marketing, do it until you do.

Don’t stop marketing when you get busy.

This is when you’re at your most vulnerable.

Because you get complacent.

You might be busy now, but what about next week/month/year?

Keep marketing always.

Too much opportunity is never the end of the world.

Too little is.

Don’t worry about what you’d do with too much work before you have too much work.

With excess leads you can:

- Outsource
- Collaborate
- Pay forward

It’s a good problem to have, not a bad one.

Make friends before you ask.

Asking people for freelance work is effective short-term.

Getting them to ask you is effective long-term.

How to get people to ask you to freelance for them:

- Make friends with people
- Demonstrate specific expertise
- Show proof of work
- Come recommended
- Do a good job

Marketing is about trust.

If people trust you, they’ll buy from you.

7 ways to gain trust:

- Be discoverable (online and offline)
- Be authentic (don't fabricate)
- Be transparent (show results)
- Be accessible (help people)
- Be relatable (tell your story)
- Be brilliant (do great work)
- Be useful (spread value)

Your personal website is the centrepiece of your marketing strategy.

A good website with solid content opens up opportunities from all angles.

If you don’t get enough work and you don’t have a website,

There’s your next assignment.

Trying to be everything for everyone,

Makes you nothing to no-none.

Pick a position and stick to it.

Choosing a position:

- What’s in-demand
- What you’re best at
- What you enjoy most
- What makes you different
- What you can do for a long time

Look for the overlaps.

Identify the people you want to work with.

Profiling your ideal client:

- Who are they?
- What do they buy?
- What are their problems?
- Where do they hang out?

Only show work that you want more of.

Only show clients that you want more of.

Your marketing efforts compound over time.

And shiny object syndrome kills.

Stick to the plan and go long.

Promote yourself without fear,

Until others promote you without fear.

Word of mouth and social proof are imperative.

High leverage marketing assets:

- Your website
- Your content
- Your email list
- Your social media accounts

Spend time curating them all.

Speak of your service confidently at all times.

Remove “this should”, “I might” and “I’m hoping to” from your vocabulary.

Replace them with “this will”, “I can” and “I’m going to”.

If using “marketing language” makes you feel queasy,

Get over it.

Fast.

Marketing that sticks is marketing that’s repeated.

Messaging is everything.

Believe in your ability and others will too.

Topics to study to up your marketing game:

- Writing
- Business
- Psychology

Read business books.

Give yourself the best chance of success;

Freelancing is easier when you make marketing part of your job.

Now available in article format!

tomhirst.com/marketing-for-…