5 Tips to Get Started with Freelancing (& Build a Strong Brand)

Have you ever wondered how top internet marketers are making money online while doing what they love doing? It is through freelancing!

Yes, millions of people are earning hundreds of dollars daily and some can rack up to millions of dollar per month…. This is made possible because they get started with freelancing in the right way while many others are not making a dime from freelancing simply because they lack the right orientations.

Personally, it took me 3 years to earn my first “three-figures” in dollars. Although, I’m still learning to build my career in freelancing but the story is far different from 2 years ago.

What did I do or put into action that get me started with the right orientation?

Here in this article, my guest blogger, Jeff Finder of LaptopCut.com will tell you 5 effective tips to summarise it all.

You can check out my previous article on how you can start a successful freelance business in Nigeria. Before then, you might be asking..

Does Getting Started With Freelancing Really Worth It?

Yes, it really worth it!

Could there be anything more exciting than embracing your zeal for writing or any skills you can offer and making it a source of legitimate income through freelancing? However, as a newbie or fresher, you will have to earn the trust of potential clients to single you out of the numerous competitors and candidates vying for their contracts.

You must know that getting started into freelancing is a big and important decision, and it will require you to make sacrifices because it is a path that comes with obstacles. I want to share with you five tips that helped me when starting my freelance career.

1.   Identify Your Skills You Are Passionate About

At this stage, you should be aware of the expertise or skill you want to work with, and if this is the case, you can skip this step. However, if you are not sure about this, you should reconsider your decision. For those that are yet to decide on what skills to begin their freelance venture with, here are some steps to follow:

• Take time to learn by doing market research;
• Taking a look at a job posting site for freelancers such as Fiverr
• Acquire some statistics, and overall find some skills that are worthwhile and interesting to you.

Recommended: Top 10 Job Posting Sites/Marketplace for Freelancers

Even though you are not afraid to take up a skill depending only on its viability, it is still logical for you to have some interest in it. You should not forget that freelancing is a tough part that is full of challenges, and the last you want is to give yourself more stress by doing something you hate.

On the other hand, if you have a skill you are willing to sell, you have to ensure that there is adequate demand for your skill. It is quite hard to make money selling skill that nobody wants to pay for, but if your expertise ends up not workable, you should either consider quitting freelancing and get a regular job or accept the reality and take up complementary skills.

2. Build Strong Portfolio, No Client Can Deny

One of the first things I considered when getting started with freelancing is to build my portfolio. This step may sound entirely rational and easy-to-do, but you should be aware that are making this mistake repeatedly, wondering why they are not getting any clients. You should never decide to start a freelancing career without a portfolio of your work irrespective of the skill you want to sell.

If compiling a portfolio might not be possible, then you should push the breaks. Working with a portfolio is an essential factor in marketing your products and services as well as yourself. Exhibiting a low quality work will endanger your prospects for success and will set you on the path of failure from the very beginning.

For example, Stephen Olgade is a freelancer who has his business registered with the Nigeria’s CAC and also have a portfolio website here. According to him, he taps multiple and high-paying clients from the portfolio website.

Creating a portfolio is not that difficult, but it might take some time and resources.  If you don’t have any previous work to add to your portfolio, you will need to create some by offering your services for free by working as a volunteer and placing the result on your portfolio or generating a side project for yourself in your free time.

Contact me to help you build a portfolio website and train you how to gets freelancing job.

3. Position Yourself As An Expert & Build a Brand

If you want to be successful in the world of Freelance, you will need to create a strong brand for yourself, which distinguishes you from other competitors. For instance, I created a brand for myself through my blog in the laptop niche with 6000+ words in-depth blog posts. Eg: best gaming laptops under $1000 in 2019. Other mediums you could also employ is a blog or social media page.

Bearing that in mind, you should streamline your focus to a particular industry. Perhaps, as a graphic designer, you might decide to do branding work only for a digital startup business. This sort of specialization will boost your chances of getting attracted to prospective clients and will increase your chances of success.

4. Learn The Art of Pitching

You should only look for paying clients when you can showcase your abilities (and your reputation) with a good and quality portfolio and testimonials is a fact that has been made known. Once you have done so, this is the stage where you begin pitching.

However, who should you pitch?

Now, if you have adequately branded yourself, then you should have discovered who correctly to pitch. With such a narrow and streamlined focus, the probability of potential clients to take you seriously will be high when compared to you offering a general service. Businesses are willing to work with freelancers that came into existence to serve them precisely, and you can generate this illusion through the concept of specialization.

You can find potential clients everywhere from Google to social media to online freelancing platforms and even to your doorstep. There are endless possibilities. Also, the two vital keys to successful pitching are relevance and volume, meaning you should only pitch clients relative to your brand and do the pitching a lot.

5. Be As Deliberate As you Can

Ultimately, guaranteeing freelance work does not come easy, and it is a numbers game due to the vast and fierce competitions that exist. Hence, the more prospective clients you contact, the more you increase your chances of finding work is the equation you should always bear in mind.

If you have a decent skill and have created a quality brand, there is beyond doubt why you shouldn’t excel in the world of Freelance.

TWO THINGS YOU MUST HAVE BEFORE YOU GET STARTED WITH FREELANCING

• A Portfolio

As a freelancer, you will need to prove to your clients how vast you are with your skill through your portfolio. You will require a decent amount of previous works to send out a message to that you can deliver relevant and quality jobs if hired.

• A website or blog

You should also have a website or blog because most clients will make their final decision if they want to do a meeting or hire you by only taking a look at your website first.

I can help you get started with stuffs like:

Writing a comprehensive contents

Creating a beautiful and professional website

Starting a blog, monetizing it and teach you how to handle it

Teach you on how to make money online even with no skill..

Contact me here ASAP!

Wrap Up – Tips t0 Get Started with Freelancing

These tips listed above are what you need to avoid making mistakes as you venture into the freelancing world. You should avoid a poor start by going through failures that you can control. Endeavor not to skip any of these, and you will enjoy a smooth ride as you are getting started with freelancing.

Kindly share this tips with your friends by clicking on the floating social media icons here and don’t forget to ask any question about starting your career as a freelancer.