What are the best ways to find clients as a freelancer?
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Finding clients as a freelancer can be challenging, especially if you are new to the market or switching niches. You need to showcase your skills, build trust, and stand out from the competition. In this article, we will share some of the best ways to find clients as a freelancer, whether you are looking for long-term projects, short-term gigs, or referrals.
One of the first steps to finding clients as a freelancer is to create a portfolio that showcases your work and skills. A portfolio is a collection of samples, testimonials, and case studies that demonstrate your value and expertise. You can create a portfolio on your own website, a platform like Behance or Dribbble, or a service like Contently or Clippings. Make sure your portfolio is relevant, updated, and easy to navigate.
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Ling Yah
Ex-Lawyer turned Personal Branding Strategist (5.6 million views!), Writer & Podcaster (currently on my Year of Yes!)
There are many free tools available to create and maintain your portfolio with. It is best to have it easily available online so anyone can find you, review and subsequently reach out if it is of interest to them. The best is to have your own personal website. But there are other ways too eg with your LinkedIn profile. Just insert the relevant case studies and portfolio and put them in your featured posts section. If it is a document to upload, then you can upload them on GDrive and get the link to include as a Featured Post. The important thing is to just get started.
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Painda Gul
⭐⭐ |𝑯𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝑬𝒙𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 |𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓 |𝑯𝑹 |𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 |𝑯𝑹 𝑶𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 |𝑷𝒂𝒚𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 |𝑺𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈.
The top ways to find clients as a freelancer are: - Target specific industries or niches. This will help you to focus your marketing efforts and to attract clients who are looking for your specific skills and expertise. - Offer value-added services. In addition to your core services, offer other services that can benefit your clients, such as consulting, training, or support. - Go the extra mile. Be responsive to your clients, deliver high-quality work on time, and exceed their expectations. - Get referrals from past clients and colleagues. Word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool, so encourage your past clients and colleagues to refer you to their contacts.
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Painda Gul
⭐⭐ |𝑯𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝑬𝒙𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 |𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓 |𝑯𝑹 |𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 |𝑯𝑹 𝑶𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 |𝑷𝒂𝒚𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 |𝑺𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝑴𝒆𝒅𝒊𝒂 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈.
The best ways to find clients as a freelancer are: - Build a strong online presence. Create a professional website and social media profiles that showcase your work and expertise. - Network with other freelancers and potential clients. Attend industry events, join online communities, and reach out to people you admire. - Use freelance marketplaces and job boards. There are many websites and platforms where you can find freelance projects. - Offer free consultations and trials. This is a great way to show potential clients what you can do and to build trust.
Another way to find clients as a freelancer is to network with people who might need your services or know someone who does. You can network online by joining communities, forums, and groups related to your niche, industry, or skill. You can also network offline by attending events, workshops, and meetups where you can meet potential clients and collaborators. Networking is not only about promoting yourself, but also about providing value, building relationships, and learning from others.
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Doina Bejenaru
Sr. Talent Acquisition & Operations • Startup • Web3 • Technical Recruiter
Some online networking ideas include: - virtual roundtables - webinars and workshops - online mastermind groups - Twitter Chats - Clubhouse Audio Rooms - Fireside chats - sign up for online conferences in your niche - Slack communities Some offline networking ideas include: - coworking spaces- meet entrepreneurs, professionals, and freelancers from your local area - Local Business councils events - join professional organizations as a board member or individual contributor
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Kishore Kumar
HR - Talent Acquisition | 10M+Views | 29k+ Followers | Recruitment | Influencer | LinkedIn Creator | Technical Recruiter
Online platforms like social media groups, professional forums, and industry communities provide a fertile ground for fostering connections with individuals who may have a need for your services. Engage with relevant discussions, share your expertise, and offer valuable insights to position yourself as a thought leader in your niche. Stepping away from the virtual world, offline networking events such as conferences, workshops, and meetups offer a chance to interact with potential clients face-to-face. Actively participate in discussions, exchange business cards, and follow up with promising contacts after the event. Remember, networking is not a one-way street; it's about building genuine connections and providing value to others.
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Aniket Kadam
Hiring Top Tech Talent in Australia & US
Online Networking: Engage in online communities, forums, and social media related to your field. Share your expertise, connect with professionals, and provide value through discussions, content sharing, and online interactions. Offline Networking: Attend industry events, conferences, and local meetups. Bring business cards, engage in conversations, and establish personal connections through face-to-face interactions. Building relationships and offering value are key in both online and offline networking.
A more proactive way to find clients as a freelancer is to pitch to prospects who might benefit from your services. Pitching is the process of reaching out to potential clients with a customized proposal that outlines how you can help them solve a problem or achieve a goal. You can pitch to prospects by email, phone, social media, or other channels. To pitch effectively, you need to do your research, craft a compelling message, and follow up.
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Doina Bejenaru
Sr. Talent Acquisition & Operations • Startup • Web3 • Technical Recruiter
To streamline your approach to pitching clients, you need to work smarter rather than harder. Start with Twitter and sign up for a custom search based on keywords from your niche. Use https://tweetdeck.twitter.com/ to be the first to know where your contributions are needed, and then convert those opportunities into clients. Use Apollo.io to discover your prospects' email addresses and set up a sequence of six emails. As a freelancer, you may excel at pitching, but many do not follow up. According to data, you need to follow up around six times before someone does business with you. Set up email sequences on Apollo.io and forget about it!
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Jeanne Lowrey
Recruiting Manager @ R+L Global Logistics | SHRM Board Member | Disney Fan | Caffeinated Recruiter
For instance, if you're a freelance content writer, you proactively pitch to prospects in the travel industry. After thorough research, you identify a boutique travel agency looking to enhance its online presence. You craft a personalized email pitch, highlighting your experience in travel-related content and explaining how your services can boost their website traffic and customer engagement. Your message includes specific examples of successful travel content you've created. After sending the initial pitch, you follow up with a polite and informative reminder a week later. This proactive approach can lead to meaningful client engagements, showcasing the value you can bring to the travel agency's marketing efforts.
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Imran Khan
Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist@ HP business partner pan India
A more proactive way to find clients as a freelancer is to pitch to prospects who might benefit from your services. Pitching is the process of reaching out to potential clients with a customized proposal that outlines how you can help them solve a problem or achieve a goal. You can pitch to prospects by email, phone, social media, or other channels. To pitch effectively, you need to do your research, craft a compelling message, and follow up.
Another way to find clients as a freelancer is to use freelance platforms that connect freelancers with clients. Freelance platforms are websites or apps that allow you to create a profile, browse projects, bid on jobs, and get paid. Some of the most popular freelance platforms are Upwork, Fiverr, Freelancer, and Toptal. Freelance platforms can help you find clients quickly, but they also have some drawbacks, such as high fees, low rates, and competition.
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Doina Bejenaru
Sr. Talent Acquisition & Operations • Startup • Web3 • Technical Recruiter
Use freelance platforms to establish your presence, allowing you to build a work history with global clients. Also, keep an eye out for the latest freelance platforms; being one of the early adopters can be advantageous.
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Jeanne Lowrey
Recruiting Manager @ R+L Global Logistics | SHRM Board Member | Disney Fan | Caffeinated Recruiter
As a freelance graphic designer, you leverage freelance platforms to find clients. You create a compelling profile on Upwork, showcasing your portfolio, skills, and client testimonials. You then browse through the platform's job listings and identify a project that aligns with your expertise in branding and logo design. You submit a competitive bid and communicate your value to the client. After successfully securing the project, you deliver high-quality work, impressing the client with your creativity and professionalism. While freelance platforms come with fees and competition, they provide you with a convenient way to connect with clients and build a freelance business.
One of the best ways to find clients as a freelancer is to ask for referrals from your existing or past clients, colleagues, friends, or family. Referrals are recommendations or introductions from someone who knows and trusts you and your work. Referrals can help you find clients who are more likely to hire you, pay you well, and work with you long-term. To get more referrals, you need to deliver quality work, exceed expectations, and ask for feedback.
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Jeanne Lowrey
Recruiting Manager @ R+L Global Logistics | SHRM Board Member | Disney Fan | Caffeinated Recruiter
For example, if you're a freelance photographer, you actively seek referrals to expand your client base. After completing a successful photography project for a local business, you ensure that your client is delighted with your work. You then reach out to them with a personalized email, expressing your gratitude for their business and asking if they could recommend your services to other businesses or individuals in need of professional photography. Your client, impressed with your work, happily introduces you to their network, resulting in new clients who trust your skills and are more likely to engage your services for their photography needs. Asking for referrals generates valuable business opportunities.
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Michael Lanzaro
Recruiter @ Roth Staffing | Whole Foods Market
To go a step further, implement a referral program to your friends, family, colleagues and current clients. If they help bring you business, they deserve to share a small reward at the least.
The final way to find clients as a freelancer is to market yourself and your services. Marketing yourself is the process of creating and sharing content that showcases your expertise, personality, and value proposition. You can market yourself by blogging, podcasting, video-making, social media posting, email marketing, or other methods. Marketing yourself can help you attract clients who are interested in your niche, style, and vision.
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Doina Bejenaru
Sr. Talent Acquisition & Operations • Startup • Web3 • Technical Recruiter
Marketing yourself as a freelancer can take various forms. Here are a few ideas: - Have your own podcast. - Engage in content marketing (blogging, LinkedIn, social media, etc.). - Respond to inquiries on Reddit and Quora, subtly promoting your skills and driving traffic to your website. - Add service options to your LinkedIn profile.
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Michael Lanzaro
Recruiter @ Roth Staffing | Whole Foods Market
The best marketing is to have clients come to you. Establish yourself as the leader in your field by being active in your field. Referrals are great, but what are you doing to stand out from your peers? LinkedIn and other platforms will be the best way to showcase your content and skills.
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Michael Lanzaro
Recruiter @ Roth Staffing | Whole Foods Market
In my experience, the beat way to draw in new clients is through old fashioned cold-calling. Pick up the phone, and call your prospects. Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone