As a freelancer, your number one goal should be to find more clients. It can be tough when you are just starting out to expand your customer roster, but with a little hard work in the right areas, it’s more than achievable. Whatever industry you are working in, there are some tried and tested methods of increasing your client numbers. In today’s guide, we’re going to go through a few techniques you should try – give them a go and let us know how you get on.
Research the competition
Your first step is to take a step back and look at the competition. When you are a freelancer, it’s important to differentiate yourself from others in your field. You might want to explore focusing on a particular niche, for example, or offer better value than your competitors. But before you can come up with your offer, you need to know what everyone else is doing. The freelance industry is more crowded than ever, and it’s vital your service stands out.
Start targeting your ideal customer
Next, have a good think about your ideal client. Again, this is part of developing a niche for your freelance business. Freelancers often struggle to find high-quality clients that give them what they need. You might find yourself attracting low payers, for example, or people that expect far too much for what they are prepared to spend. So, have a long hard think about your ideal client – who are they? What level of business do they operate? What are their pain points? How can you solve their problems? Once you understand their issues, you can start targeting all your marketing and advertising to speak to them directly.
Offer different services
Think about complementary services you can offer your clients – it’s a great way of boosting your customer base. Let’s say you are a web designer that creates stunning websites for your customers. You do your job, they pay you, and everyone’s happy. Or are they? As you will know, web design is only the first step towards a successful online business. There’s SEO to think about, as well as content creation. It makes sense, then, to offer those services too. You could outsource to SEO reseller programs, team up with another local business, or learn the basics yourself. The point is, offering more services will keep clients on board for longer – and give them more value.
Always ask for references
If you aren’t asking for references from happy clients, start doing so now. Word of mouth is the best way of getting more customers. It’s a form of a social recommendation that has always worked in the past and will continue to do so in the future. People need to trust you if they are going to hire you. And, without knowing who you are, a recommendation from a friend or family member will often do the trick.
Put these strategies into place and you should start seeing an increase in interest for your services. Sure, starting about in the freelance world can be tough. But go about your business in the right way and nothing is stopping you from achieving success.