Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
When you’re a full-time freelancer such as myself, your income will be determined by the number of clients you can accumulate. The more people who are willing to pay for your writing skills, the more money you’ll make. However, these people aren’t going to come to you if they don’t know you even exist. You need to market yourself well if you want to make enough money to keep the bills paid.
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Using Social Media as a Freelancer
Social media can be an invaluable tool when it comes to promoting yourself as a professional. Even those who are just starting out for the first time can take advantage of the massive market that is available on sites like Facebook and Twitter. It’s all about making those connections with people who have potential to offer work or show interest in your abilities.
How Blogging Helps
Blogging can be used as an excellent platform to practice your skills as well as share various topics with the rest of the world. When you connect your site by using tools such as “Publicize” in WordPress, your social profiles can be updated as soon as you publish a new piece. Over time, you could develop a following and possibly connect with someone who may be interested in taking your abilities a step further. I would suggest connecting with LinkedIn as one of your social sites. It’s more professional-minded and could assist in boosting your reputation as a freelancer.
Connecting Social Media to Your Work
Writers aren’t the only freelancers that can benefit from social media. There are plenty of sites for artists of all kinds to help people promote themselves as professionals. The hardest part is picking the platform that is going to work best for you. Some examples include:
- Singers and musicians could use YouTube to demonstrate their vocals.
- Graphic artists could use Pinterest and YouTube to show off their abilities.
- Writers could use Twitter and Facebook to promote their content.
All it really takes is a bit of imagination to promote yourself on virtually any of the major social platforms. As long as you can consistently connect your skills to a social site, you can begin to build onto your reputation as a professional. However, don’t expect to become an instant success. It could take a great deal of time to reach a higher level of popularity.
Keeping Social Profiles Professional
One of the most important facets for engaging people on social media is to make sure you have profiles that are specifically tailored to the professional part of your life. For example, the Twitter and Facebook accounts I use for Writer Sanctuary are by themselves. This means that my personal interactions are on my personal accounts and not on Writer Sanctuary’s profiles. This gives a more professional appearance. You don’t want a prospective client to see comments to your cousin about getting drunk the weekend before at some party.
Keeping Your Profiles Updated
Another important part of being a professional freelancer is making sure your profiles are always updated. This is especially true if you use writing brokerage sites such as Textbroker or Fiverr. You want people to see what you’re capable of today, not what you had done 12 months ago. It keeps your accounts fresh and far more appealing to clients.
Experience Impacts Samples
As time goes on, there is no doubt that your skills will increase. Profiles that have samples will need to be updated at least once every six months. You want clients to see your most current abilities, especially if your previous samples are riddled with grammatical errors that you’ve learned how to fix since that time. Don’t assume that a four-year old sample is going to be enough to engage new clients.
Clients Are Looking For You
Updating profiles may also give you the chance to add new skills, remove old ones and adapt to your current target market. Clients are looking for specific skills, and your profile may be the one they stumble across. Clients want a freelancer that is capable of delivering exactly what they want. Keeping your information current and full can be just as vital as an actual resume.
Constantly Explore New Opportunities
Don’t be set on your current path. Although you may love a certain paying website, don’t assume that it’s all you’re capable of. Constantly look for other opportunities as they could become more lucrative than the ones you have now. A freelancer needs to adapt and change tactics regularly if he or she wants to remain competitive while increasing income.
Look for Other Writing Sites
I am constantly on the lookout for new sites to add to my collection. Those that I post on this website are ones that I have actually made money on. But this doesn’t mean that these are the only sites available. Constantly keep your eyes open for legitimate sites that will pay you for your skills. You may just double your overall income.
Using Paid Advertising
If you’re serious about increasing your reach to find clients, and have the money, there is nothing wrong with paid advertising. Things like pay-per-click campaigns and other methods could greatly enhance your reputation as well as your client-base in a relatively short amount of time. It just takes an investment on your behalf and a drive to succeed. Just bare in mind that you could easily find yourself overwhelmed if a large number of people come knocking on your door. In either case, it could be instrumental in driving traffic to your site or social profile.
Part of being a successful freelancer is to remain connected with current and prospective clients. You need to give these people a reason to hire you for your skills. By increasing your exposure and broadening your reach, you could make these connections with a wider target audience. You’re only limited by your own effort when it comes to boosting your online presence.
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