The best Free Tips on getting clients for freelance work
Introduction
I suspect that the most common reason why people don't freelance is they don't know how to get clients. I used to be in the same boat — believing that someday someone would come up to me, ask me to design their website, and all I'd have to do is ask, "how much?" That's not how it works – at all! And then, after getting over the initial hump and landing my first client, I had no idea what came next.
How could I charge?, What is a fair rate? What deliverable should they expect from me? These tips will help you get ahead of your competition if you are a freelancer or considering becoming one.
Here Are The Best Free Tips for getting clients for freelance work
Create a website.
Tell your family and friends.
Tell your former clients you're pursuing freelance work.
Become part of an online community.
Make yourself easy to find.
Learn from others who are doing great work and building
Create long-term relationships to sustain your business
Create a website.
Creating a website is one of the most important things you can do for your freelance business. You don't need to be a web designer or get it professionally designed. Still, you should find an easy-to-use website builder and start putting together some basic pages. A professional-looking website will give potential clients confidence in your abilities and make them feel more comfortable hiring you.
You should also remember that people often browse the internet on their phones and tablets, so your site must look good on mobile devices and desktop computers. Suppose someone is looking at your site on their phone. In that case, they'll probably be distracted enough by trying not to drop their phone while walking home from work.
they won't have time to navigate problems with how things are laid out! Make sure everything works smoothly no matter what device your visitors are using (or even if they're using an old flip phone).
Tell your family and friends.
One of the best ways to get clients is to tell your family and friends about what you do. You don't need to be shy about it, either! Your relatives and friends will be excited about you and want to help.
You can begin by asking them a few questions:
What are their favorite things about your work?
Are they familiar with any other freelancers who do similar work?
Could they recommend anyone else who might need your services?
Tell your former clients you're pursuing freelance work.
Let your former clients know that you're pursuing freelance work. You'll want to email or text your existing contacts, letting them know you are available for freelance work in their industry. If they don't have any openings on their team, they may be able to introduce you to someone who does. This way, if they ever need help with something else, they'll already know who's suitable for the job!
Become part of an online community.
Become part of an online community.
Find a forum where you can post your work, get feedback, and even recommendations for clients. An example is the [Freelance Writers Den](https://www.freelancewritersden.com/). A great place to look for freelance work is at websites like [Upwork](https://www.upwork.com/) and [Fiverr](https://www.fiverr-com). On both these sites, you can create profiles where potential clients will be able to find you easily when they need someone with your skill set. Once you have completed your profile on one or more of these sites.
Make yourself easy to find.
You've got your portfolio. You've got the skills that clients are looking for. Now it's time to get people interested in hiring you. To do that, there are a few things you can do to make it easier for them:
Make yourself easy to find. Nowadays, that means creating a website and social media presence for yourself (more on those below).
And while there's no substitute for being great at what you do, having some essential marketing tools like these will help people discover what you have to offer—and hopefully, hire you!
Be professional-looking at all times—no exceptions! Clients should see professionalism when they're looking at your page; not only does this make it look more trustworthy, but it also makes clients feel more comfortable working with someone who takes their work seriously enough, not only to show off how good they are but also how much pride goes into making sure everything looks good too.*"
Learn from others who are doing great work and building their freelance businesses.
The next time you feel overwhelmed by the thought of taking on more clients and projects, remember: that others have done it before you. You can learn from their mistakes, successes, and best practices.
Here are some resources to help you get started:
Read books about freelancing (some authors to check out include David Kadavy and Seth Godin)
Listen to podcasts about freelancing (you can find these on iTunes or Stitcher radio)
Watch videos about freelancing (we recommend checking out YouTube for great content)
Create long-term relationships to sustain your business in hard times.
It's always a good idea to build relationships with people you can rely on. If you're just starting out, this means making sure your contact list is full of contacts willing to work with you again.
But how do you get them? There are several ways:
Ask your previous clients if they know anyone else who needs freelance help. People tend to stick with the same service providers when they're happy with their experience, so asking for referrals from past customers is a great way to find new ones.
Find people on social media and connect with them before reaching out about freelance work (or even getting into anything personal). This will allow both parties to get a feel for each other's personalities before deciding whether or not working together would be beneficial in any shape or form.
Once those two steps are complete, it's time to start building your network! Start small by reconnecting with old friends and acquaintances; after all, these people were once part of your life for some reason (even if only briefly), so why not try contacting them again now?
Once this initial step has been taken, proceed slowly but surely! It's okay if things don't start happening right away - just keep working hard until eventually, something clicks between yourself and someone else somewhere along the line."
Think about your personal brand.
Have a personal brand. When starting out as a freelancer, it's essential to consider your personal brand. What are the traits that make up your business? How do they align with who you are? Think about the clientele and reputation you want to attract: Are you well-known for being organized and efficient? The kind of person who will get results quickly and efficiently no matter what the task is? Is your business known for being quirky or fun, or creative?
Know where your target audience hangs out. Where do they live online, in real life, on social media—wherever they gather as consumers or creators (or both).
Offer to do some unpaid work that could lead to paid employment.
Offering to do some unpaid work that could lead to paid work is a great way to get clients. This shows the client that you are a good fit for the job, and after seeing your work and getting feedback on it, they will probably be willing to pay you.
It's also important not just because this helps get clients but because it helps establish trust with them too. You can use this opportunity to build a relationship with your potential new client so they feel comfortable working with you on future projects or referring other people who need similar services.
Find out what your competitors are doing.
The best way to figure out how to help yourself is to first see what your competitors are doing. If you want clients for freelance work, you must get a sense of:
What their strategies are
How they're promoting themselves and their services
What their prices are (and whether or not they're competitive)
The strengths and weaknesses of the business as a whole, including any customer reviews or social media accounts
There's no point in reinventing the wheel if plenty of good options are already out there. Figure out what works best for your competitors, and then try to build upon that foundation with your ideas and techniques.
Be a trailblazer
You don't just build other people's businesses—you make yours too! You're a trailblazer, a trendsetter, and someone willing to take risks. You're also a leader and a pioneer who doesn't mind being the first person on the scene with new ideas or solutions.
You need to be an entrepreneur if you want to succeed as a freelance worker in the modern world. If you don't have any business skills, it's time for some severe self-development: learn about marketing yourself and your services; learn about selling; learn about operations—all of which will help define how successful at freelancing you are going to be. But even before all that comes into play...
Use job boards like Upwork or ProBlogger to build your name.
You can use job boards to find clients, but they're also invaluable for building your name. Many freelancers only use job boards to get started and generate leads.
These sites charge fees for posting jobs, and some even take 10% of the freelancer's fee! However, suppose you want to start freelance writing quickly and don't have the time or money to spend on networking events and meetups. In that case, it might be worth signing up for one of these sites.
Leverage social media and blogging to promote yourself.
You can use your blog and social media to promote yourself. Your website should also have a link to your portfolio so that people can see examples of your work before they hire you.
Social media is straightforward for potential clients to learn more about who you are and what you can do as a freelancer. It's important to share images, videos, and articles that showcase your skills in different areas: video editing, photography, graphic design, etc.
You can get freelance work by putting yourself out there and being persistent.
Get a head start on your freelance career by putting yourself out there and being persistent. The best way to do this is simply by doing the following:
Be willing to learn from others. No one knows everything, so don't be afraid of asking questions or admitting you don't know something.
Ask for help when needed, and listen carefully when people offer advice. If someone offers advice that doesn't feel right for you, politely thank them for their time but keep doing what feels suitable for you!
Be willing to work hard, even if it means taking time off from your day job (if applicable), until the money starts rolling in from clients who trust your skillset enough to pay good money for them!
Conclusion
One of the biggest problems for freelancers is getting new clients. An excellent solution to this problem is through social media. Whatever service you provide, social media tools like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are a great place to start making connections and promoting your work. But regardless of whether you're comfortable with social media, three other steps you can take will give your freelance business the boost it needs.
