You left your employment and have set up as a freelance business, congratulations! How exciting! It can feel incredibly liberating to leave a company and set up your own business. Be your own boss, make your own decisions. Only, how do you get your first client? This is the most important question a new freelancer asks. And it is also the thing most struggle with once the first word-of-mouth jobs dry up. Here are some freelancer marketing tips and strategies.
Freelancer marketing tips and strategies
Know your target audience…and your own values
Often, freelancers jump right in with social media profiles and websites, and then….tumble weed. Just because you have a presence online, doesn’t mean that clients will find you. The first thing you need to ask yourself is: who do you want to work with? You may be a website designer, but you will have a clear preference of the types of brands you would want to make websites for. What are your own core values? What do you stand for? What is important for you as a business, and as a person? This will inform the definition of your ideal client.
Your ideal client will be based on your core values. If you are passionate about diversity, environmental issues or human rights, then you will not want to work with clients who don’t share those values. Money is one thing, but in the end you don’t want to be associated with companies whose values you don’t share.
What are the client’s needs?
So your client wants a website, or some brand photos. But dive a little deeper. What is your client’s end goal? What do they want to achieve? And how can you help them reach that goal, or solve their problem? Understanding deeply what results your ideal client is looking for will help you to create a crystal clear message that resonates with what your client wants The clearer you are about this in your copy and content, the quicker they will book a call, or reply to your email.
Tap into your existing network
This is the easiest way to get started, and get some first clients under your belt. Perhaps you still know people from previous employment who match your ideal client profile. Or maybe there are groups you hang out with who know someone. The key thing is: you have to start talking about your business, and let people know you exist. It doesn’t all happen online. Face-to-face networking is still one of the most powerful ways of marketing. Have a clear elevator pitch ready – and GO!
Have a social media presence, but choose wisely
There are so many platforms out there, but don’t be on all of them. It is not sustainable to keep them all alive. Choose wisely. Freelancer marketing tips and strategies do not say that you have to be everywhere. Where does your ideal client hang out? Be there. And use these platforms how they are meant to be used. If it is Tik Tok, go and create snappy catchy videos that tap into the pain points of your ideal client. If it is LinkedIn, make sure you start following key people in your industry, and engage with their content to become more visible to them. Have your bios updated according to your key message.
Have a website that makes them say YES!
As a freelancer, you need a website. This is your home, where all other activity point to. It can be as simple as a landing page, but have one. And really fine-tune your copy. Make sure that from the very top, you catch your audience’s attention. Pull them in, tap into their pain points, make them want to read on. Show them that you understand their situation, and that you are the person who can help them.
Don’t put long pieces of text on it, though. Be to-the-point. A short intro with your core message. Set the scene, give examples of what their current reality may be, and how they will feel after working with you.
Share credentials and testimonials
Nothing better than other people recommending you. Gather testimonials and put them on your website. They don’t need to be from your freelance work if you don’t have any clients yet. You can use testimonials from people you may have worked with while still in employment, but still relevant to the work you do as a freelancer. You may have some good ones on LinkedIn already. You may also offer a small (but real) job for free to a friend in return for a review. Once you start working with paying clients, you can slowly replace the old testimonials with fresh ones.
Use keywords and key phrases for SEO
One of the freelancer marketing tips and strategies is also to do some keyword research. You may think your client will search for something in google to find you, but often the actual words and phrase they type in are different. Less jargon, more informal wording, is my tip. If you are a mindfulness coach…would someone search for a mindfulness coach in google? Or would they type in “How to feel less overwhelmed”? Think outside the box! If you are a graphic designer specialised in helping ‘green’ brands, make sure you use relevant wording in your copy – and your portfolio.
Blog articles to help you rank in Google
Once you have a list of great keywords and phrases you want to be found for, think of a list of topics you could write blog articles about. Topics your audience would find interesting and are relevant to the problem they are trying to solve. Blog articles could be about trends in the industry, but can also be more philosophical musings from yourself. It doesn’t matter, as long as it serves the purpose: keeping the reader hooked and making them interested in working with you.
Need more help with as a freelancer or creative small business?
I am Nina Eggens, and as a coach, I work with people like you on exactly this: laying a solid foundation for your creative business, so that you know what you are doing, have a clear structure and focus, and understand how to book clients. Book a first free call to see if we are a good fit.
