8 Proven Tips To Promote Your Freelancing Business

The dreaded feast and famine cycle can be a huge deterrent for freelancers. As a freelancer, it is understandable that it can be hard to take your foot off the gas – even for a mini weekend break. The constant need to look for clients, the anxious episodes when work dries up, while also trying to keep up with client work can cause a lot of anxiety, stress, and burnout.

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Yes, it is hard. But if you step out of your comfort zone, and get a little more strategic, the ride can well be worth it. 

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Here are some of our best tips to help you balance the scales and take your freelancing game to the next level:

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Choose a niche

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When you are just getting started, you may find the need to take any job that is thrown your way — no matter how measly the pay is or how ridiculous the deadlines are. 

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And that's totally fine! 

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When you’re new you definitely need to challenge yourself with diverse projects and get a feel of what kind of job you enjoy the most. As you progress and get some experience under your belt, you may want to consider picking a niche and focus your time and attention on excelling at it.

You can pick your niche based on your:

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• Interests: Hobbies and activities that excite and bring you joy. What do you enjoy reading, researching, and talking about?

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• Skills: Your strengths that you are innately good at. Or any new skills that you’ve recently picked up.

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• Experience: Your educational and professional experiences from your school days, college, and career.

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When you become a specialist in a certain niche, platform, or software you can establish yourself as an authority in a smaller pool of freelancers and attract clients who are specifically looking for your help. While you may have to turn down other offers that come your way, it also means that you can focus on being proficient in that chosen field and ask for higher rates.

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Here’s why:

While you may be able to do a stellar job in a variety of roles, your client is looking to solve an urgent, pressing problem. When they find someone who is marketing themselves as a solution to their particular problem, they are more likely to pick them and also be more willing to pay the upfront quote with minimal negotiation.

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Come up with your elevator pitch and offer

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As you scale as a freelancer, you’ll definitely want to ensure that you have an elevator pitch ready.  This is a 30-sec brief description that clearly states your unique value proposition. In other words, it clearly states what you bring to the table. Your elevator pitch should include who you help and how you help.

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Eg: Here’s an elevator pitch template 

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I help [ideal client] achieve [goal] through [solution].

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Next up is the offer. An offer is not just the price that you quote for the service. It includes the kind of service, the quantity, and the value that you bring to the table. An irresistible offer would be: “I offer 3 months of social media management that includes 30 posts per month along with ideation, post creation, and audience engagement.” As opposed to “I offer social media management.”

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While you don’t have to craft a be-all-end-all offer, it does help to have two or three offers that you offer as a standard or go-to.

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The best way to build an offer is to look for repeating patterns in your business.

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• What are the most common problems that your clients face?
• What are the most common problems your clients have reached out to you for?
• What are the types of deliverables that you’ve successfully completed and created results for?
• What are the present-day problems or challenges in your industry?

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Do a rundown through the questions and come up with an offer that your clients find appealing.

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Once you’ve crafted your pitch and offer, bring it into play. Utilize them during your networking events, breakout sessions, and discovery calls.

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Set up an onboarding process 

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As you gather more experience you may want to take it up a notch and consider the entire client experience from the start to finish. Having a seamless onboarding process can make it easy for both you and the client to ensure that the project is running according to plan. This also puts you in a good light in the mind of your client and highlights your professionalism.

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• Discovery Call: This is the first icebreaker call where you meet your probable client to discuss their challenges, project requirements, and expected outcomes. This call is the deciding call where you conclude if it's a good fit for both you and the client. Keep this call within 15-30 mins max.

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• Proposal: Once you get off the call make sure to follow up with the client stating whether you can help them reach their goals. If so, briefly state what you discussed on the call and get confirmation.

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• Contract & SOW: Once you receive the confirmation, draw up a contract and a Statement of Work and make sure to get it signed by the client. Your contract should include project details, deliverable format, payment details, and frequency. This further solidifies the fact that both are on the same page, committed, and ready to move forward. Don’t stress over the contracts. There are plenty of freelance contracts available online that you can access and edit as per your requirements. Some of the notable ones are Hello Bonsai, Honeybooks and PandaDoc.

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• Project Kickoff Call: During this call, you can request more information, understand their business in detail and ask for anything else that would help you do a good job. Depending on the industry and type of job this step may or may not be necessary.

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• Execution and Deliverables: Throughout the execution process keep them updated. Have a prescribed place and timeline for executing your milestones and deliverables. Incorporate an easy feedback loop process and maintain good communication.

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• Offboarding: Ask for their overall feedback, the scope for improvement, and also a testimonial. If you’re feeling inspired, offer ancillary services that you can help them with. Put your creative problem-solving hat on and figure out how you can assist them further. Suppose you’ve written email campaigns for your client. Once the project is over you can offer to send those emails and manage their email list for them. 

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Build an audience

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If you want to enjoy a sustainable, long-term freelance business then it is incredibly important to put yourself out there, showcase your skills and build an audience. This allows you to expand your network, place yourself on your client’s radar and also establish your professional credibility.

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While doing so you’ve got to keep in mind who you’re trying to attract. Speak to their pain points and provide insane value through your content. 

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Building an audience is a tricky job. You don't want to come across as a thought leader and end up attracting other freelancers who are looking to learn from you. Rather you should focus on your ideal clients and solve their problems. Share your wins, lessons learned, or any courses and certifications that you’ve done. These factors make you much more relatable, honest, and hireable.

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Optimize your social media profiles to include a well-lit professional photo and a keyword-rich bio. LinkedIn is a great place to start building your network, no matter what kind of freelance work you do. 

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If you’re a graphic designer or an illustrator you could consider Instagram as a place to land clients and use it as an expression of creativity.

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As a freelance writer, Twitter is an untapped, no-frills platform to expand your client network.

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If you’re a social media influencer or UGC creator then Tik Tok is your best friend.

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If you want to travel on the less trodden path you could even consider blogging or starting a Youtube channel to place yourself in newer waters.

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Negotiate and Close

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By now it should be no surprise that as a freelancer you are the face of your business. 

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Yes! That’s right, business! 

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Like any business, negotiations, deals, and sales calls are a natural part of the process. If you want to have a successful career freelancing then it is important to learn the skill of negotiating and closing, take ownership of your calls, and lead them. Show up as the expert that you are and demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about. Like any new endeavor, it may seem uncomfortable in the beginning but as you experience more of these, you’ll get better. 

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You could even do a dry run with a fellow freelancer based on the common objections that you’ve faced from your previous clients.

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Join a community

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One of the easiest ways to fast track your freelance career is to surround yourself with fellow freelancers who are on the same journey. Online communities and social media groups are a great starting point to connect with other like-minded freelancers.

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You can use this as an opportunity to learn from people who are ahead of you, have an overview of their experiences, and side-step their mistakes. Having an encouraging community in your corner makes you feel supported and grants you a hub of knowledge and freelance opportunities. 

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Most freelancers, who are packed to the limit, are always looking to offload work and provide referrals to other trusted freelancers. Therefore it is very important to build connections, acquaintances, and good rapport with other freelancers. Likewise, you can return the favor to another freelancer when a situation presents itself.

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You can find a wide range of options from free groups to paid communities. Reddit, Facebook, and Discord are great places to find free freelance communities. Use these communities to introduce yourself, share your expertise, and engage in conversations.

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Last but not the least, keep this in mind: don’t view your fellow freelancers through the lens of competition. Build genuine connections with one another, help them in need and offer to lift others up as you grow.

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Ask for testimonials and referrals

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The quickest and no-brainer way to skyrocket your freelance business is through testimonials and referrals. Once you successfully finish a project make sure to circle back to your client and ask for a testimonial. Getting a recommendation from a thrilled client is a surefire gateway for newer clients to trust you and bank on you.

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You can do this through Google forms, a testimonial template, or give them the freedom to share their unbiased feedback. Make sure to use these on your website, socials, and during discovery calls.

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Another killer way to have a booked-out schedule is to leverage referrals. Once you successfully complete a project, request your client to refer you to their business friends. Most often clients are more than willing to refer you in the hopes of helping their colleagues and friends, given that you build a good working relationship and reputation with your clients.

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Make time for self-care

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You are the one man/woman show of your freelancing business. From up-leveling your skills to marketing and delivering quality work, the success and efficiency of your freelance career lie solely on you.

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Therefore it is very important to make sure that your cup is full. Only when you are at your peak, will you be able to serve your clients to the best of your abilities. 

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Keep your physical, mental, and emotional health in check. Schedule space in your routine to indulge in activities that bring you joy. Take your foot off the pedal and prioritize self-care. 

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Despite the upper-hand benefits of freelancing, sometimes it can get lonely frustrating, and downright overwhelming. During those times, it can be helpful to be a part of a like-minded community. Having someone who relates to your troubles and challenges can help you drop the burden that weighs you down.

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Sign up for a virtual coworking meet-up or explore a change of scene by working from a co-working space and making some new friends.

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Ready to take your freelancing business to the next level?

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Here’s how Growthhub can help:

Growthub is a one-stop place for brands and freelancers to find each other, effortlessly execute projects, and get paid on time without the commission and hidden fees. Plus it’s completely free. Get in touch with us today!