If you are creative in some way then you have a talent that can be
capitalized on. No matter whether it is writing or designing, there are
plenty of people out there who need things written or designed and who
can’t do it themselves.
This is where you come in. If you can promote your services to the
people who need them, you can bring in a lot of work. You just need to
know what you have to offer so you can target the right people.
Luckily there are plenty of ways to do that both on and offline.
Okay so first off, where do your talents lie? I don’t just mean what
area they are in, I mean what aspects of your talent mark you out from
your competition when it comes to showing off your skills to the people
who might just want to pay you for them?
The answer to this question will help you decide how and where to
promote yourself. Having your own website is almost essential if you are
to look professional; if your talents lie in web design then you should
have no problems doing this, and if you are a writer then you can
create your own copy and seek the help of a designer to put them on a
professionally created website for you.
But what is the easiest way to get your first job?
The best thing to do is to go looking for it. There are several
reputable websites online which allow buyers to link up with service
providers, and many of them are global in nature. This means you could
be in the US and working for clients in Australia, the UK and many other
countries besides.
If you sign up to one of these sites make sure you create an
outstanding profile for yourself. Potential clients will read this to
see what kind of person you are, so you should keep it professional and
make it sound good even if you haven’t yet done any professional work
for anyone. Everyone has to start somewhere.
Another good way of promoting your services offline is to get a stack
of high quality business cards made up to hand out to people who ask
about your services. You could do the same with tri-fold brochures and
pamphlets too.
You might also find it easier to get those first few jobs if you find
some other people who are freelancing their own talents online and see
what they are doing to get work. Some people run their own blogs and
often reveal something of what they do on there. You would be amazed at
how sharing some people are, so make the most of what they have to say
and learn from their experiences.
Incidentally, there are some bloggers who have a regular job feed for
creative work linked in to their blog from another site, so keep your
eyes peeled for these and bookmark them in your favorites when you find
them. It’s worthwhile keeping a special folder with these kinds of
websites in it, so you can check it each day to see if there are any
jobs that appeal to your talents that you can apply for.
You will generally find that you will start getting a mixture of work
from your own efforts to find it on job sites, and people finding you
through your own website. What you really need to aim for in both cases
is satisfying the client so they come back to you for all their creative
needs in future. Regular clients mean regular paychecks, so keep
plugging away at it!
No business is built overnight, but freelancing is one of those
businesses that can really build into a huge income if you persevere and
hone your talents. Keep that in mind during the early days, and you
will soon be kissing your regular job goodbye!
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