Selling Your Freelance Services: How to Market Yourself as a Freelancer

Whether you’re in the market for a job for freelance writer, photographer, or digital marketer, having natural talent and acquiring the necessary skills is simply not enough. You also need to learn how to sell your freelance services, as an important element of being a freelancer is knowing how to market yourself.

This article will cover ways you can market yourself and promote your freelance services, covering actionable strategies like building a website, creating an online portfolio, developing a personal brand, leveraging social media, and going to networking events.

Building a Website

In our digital age, one of the best ways to get your freelancing name out there is to create a dedicated online presence - one that is marketable, searchable, and visible to customers seeking out your services. You can do this in several ways, like building up your personal brand using social media platforms such as Instagram or Facebook, or perhaps creating a more professional-looking, business-focused profile on LinkedIn.

Another strategy to boost your brand’s presence in the digital space is to build your own website. You can go about this in several ways, but using a pre-formatted site builder that comes with customisable templates to upload your details into is probably the easiest.

Creating an Online Portfolio

You’ve built your website, now you can use it as a platform for your online portfolio.

Whether you’re a writer, visual artist, or photographic journalist, the purpose of your online portfolio is to showcase examples of your work and demonstrate highlights of the projects you’re most proud of. Be sure to put consideration into the type of case studies you want to display here: a varied portfolio of different types of work will promote your versatility and your ability to apply your talents to a wide range of jobs. Think of your online portfolio as a digital audition: you want to be presenting your best work, and also, to flaunt how talented you are at your freelance skill set.

Developing a Personal Brand

As mentioned earlier, you can use your social media and website to build up your personal brand. But what constitutes a strong personal brand, one that makes potential customers want to reach out to you and enlist your freelancing services?

As with any brand, a personal brand must have a point of difference. You want your voice to be unique and stand out from your competitors. Freelancers are a dime a dozen, according to writer Garen Glazier, which is why they need to have a “secret weapon”. Ask yourself, ‘What is my secret weapon?’ That is to say, what do you bring to the table that other freelancers don’t have to offer? Maybe it’s your quirky writing style, or perhaps it’s your eye for detail. If you’re a freelance photographer, perhaps you notice elements of interest or visual subject matters that others simply don’t see. Whatever it is, hone in on it - this is your point of difference: the foundation on which to build your personal brand.

Leveraging Social Media

How do you leverage your social media presence as a freelancer? Be purposeful with your posts. Posting with intention means putting consideration into everything you put up. Ask yourself, ‘Does this post serve a purpose?’ Consider what you’re trying to achieve through your socials, and think of your social media as an extension of your personal brand.

A great use of social media is to promote work you’ve recently completed. Maybe it’s a blog post, or perhaps it’s an artwork you’ve created. Make noise around your achievements through your social media profile - if you’re proud of it, post it.

Going to Networking Events

Like with any ambitious professional who wants to succeed in their career, freelancers need to network. Building up a network of contacts is critical for freelancers, particularly as they most often work independently. In a somewhat isolated line of work (freelancing is known to be lonely), networking not only connects freelance professionals with other industry peers, it can also lead to their next job offer.

So, how do you network effectively as a networker? First, formulate an action plan. Set your intentions for the event. Is your attendance purely social, or are you wanting to line up more work for yourself? Next, lean heavily on the personal brand you’ve worked so hard to create. Knowing what you have to offer will give you a strong standing to present yourself professionally. Finally, have fun. Networking is social, so do your best to have meaningful conversations and make purposeful connections with other attendees.

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In the field of freelance work, you’re up against so many others, all competing for the same jobs. To be successful in freelancing, then, you need more than just pure talent. You also must be able to market your services.

As discussed, some of the best self-marketing tactics for freelancers include building a website and creating an online portfolio, developing a personal brand and using social media to promote it, and attending networking events.