How to Win Business as a Freelancer
Author: david johnson
In this article, we will provide you with some time-tested advice on how you can approach this particular issue.
Finding local work
For many people, the search for a freelancer to carry out their projects, starts and ends at home (or at least very close to it). There are many reasons for why hiring someone local is such an attractive proposition, but one of the key factors is the fact that people are often a lot more comfortable carrying out business with people that they have met face to face. So, how can you tap in to this pool of customers?
Yellow Pages / Business Directories: as you yourself can probably testify, many people when looking for a contractor will turn to a local business directory. Advertising your services can often be less expensive than you might have thought, and you can even start small by advertising on-line.
Local Newspapers: there are a range of advertising options available in print in your locality; from ‘free-ads’ type papers distributed monthly, to classified advertisements in your local daily newspaper, to a full colour two-page spread. If you are starting out as a freelancer, you would be advised to start small, but with a range of different adverts, perhaps on different days, or in different sections of the paper. As a tip, include a small special offer in each advert with a particular offer code in each different type of advert – this way you can track how successful each advert is and phase out the unsuccessful adverts over time.
Flyers: these days the chances are good that you’ve got a colour printer for printing off your personal photographs at home, and if you haven’t then you’ll know somebody that does. With desktop publishing programs as standard on any home computer, you can print off four professional looking flyers on every sheet of A4 paper, which can then be distributed around your neighbourhood, or placed on boards in local shops.
Further afield
While you’re working on tapping in to your local market, you can also be setting your sights on winning business from outside of your immediate area. These methods can be accomplished with a reasonably sized marketing budget, with real results.
Freelance marketplaces: with the Internet shrinking the global marketplace, there are now a number of online marketplaces (such as PeoplePerHour.com) where you can post your details and bid for projects that fit in to your field of expertise. The benefit of competing for work in this way is that you can find customers that are actively seeking for people with your skills as opposed to simply advertising what you can do.
Online advertising: search engines such as Google and Yahoo present sponsored search results next to their organic search results. These adverts literally only charge when people click through on your adverts, and so you’re not spending money until you get actual results. To find out more, simply enter ‘advertising’ and the name of the relevant search engine in to your favourite search engine.
Trade magazines: whatever your chosen field, there will be a number of trade magazines bought and read by your potential customers. Your first port of call should be your local library to find out which magazines you should target – then simply check in the last few pages for details of their advertising packages.
A final word
No matter how you land your first few customers, there is one marketing technique that is more effective than any other, and better still, will cost you nothing: word of mouth. Referrals from previously satisfied customers can increase your business dramatically, because a recommendation from a trusted source counts for more than the most compelling advertising copy.
With this in mind, it is vital that you approach every piece of work as a showcase for your talents and ability to satisfy your customers. This goes beyond simply completing work to the highest standard. You must also ensure that you communicate effectively with your client before, during and after the project and deliver the work in a timely fashion.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/career-management-articles/how-to-win-business-as-a-freelancer-534259.html
About the Author:
If you are searching for freelance projects , then online freelance marketplace PeoplePerHour.com is a great place to start, because they have hundreds of projects listed in categories in everything from Accounting through to Web Design.
