Are you sick and tired of working your socks off with nothing to show for it at the end of the day? Well, you are not alone. Considering the harsh economic times, most people working a 9 to 5 job are struggling to make ends meet!
The good news is that this does not have to be you! The web has opened up so many opportunities for freelancers to earn a living. In effect, you can now start a freelance side-hustle to supplement your regular income. The best part is that you can do it while still working a day job.
Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?
Nevertheless, there’s a catch. The freelancing space is not as easy as it seems. You have to contend with fierce competition from fellow freelancers and meet the stringent demands and deadlines from clients.
Thankfully, we have a solution. All you have to do is to believe in your abilities, trust in your skills, and follow these 10 steps to start your freelancing journey.
1. Identify your expert skills
Notably, everyone has a hobby or an area of interest that revolves around his or her skills. Whether you are a student or a professional, you probably have something up your sleeves that you are very good at doing.
With that said, you should first identify the tangible skills that you have to make it easier for you to break into the freelancing world. Working with what you have in terms of skills and interests will make your freelancing journey a walk in the park.
2. Find a niche/market
Now that you already know about your area of specialization, you need to find and choose a market that corresponds to your skills. The niche that you choose will essentially determine your target audience and the possibility of selling your skills successfully.
With this in mind, your target market should revolve around your passions to make it easier for you to sell your skills effectively.
3. Determine common problems in your niche that you can solve with your skills
Every day, web users search the internet for solutions to their various problems. This shows that nearly every niche has a variety of problems that require viable solutions. The good news is that a problem in your niche translates to an opportunity for you to market your skills. However, you need to first identify these problems and find out whether you have the right skills to solve them, before moving to the next step.
4. Create a package of services that will solve your niche’s problem
Different problems demand for different approaches and unique solutions. Considering this, you should create a package of services that you feel will best solve the problems in your niche. If possible, you should provide a detailed breakdown of how the services that you are offering will solve the problems in your niche.
5. Give the package a price/value based upon the problem it solves
As with any product, your package also has a price. You should value your package depending on the problems that it solves and the amount of work you have to put in to solve these problems. However, setting the right price might be a tough call given that if your price your package too highly, the cost might scare away potential customers.
Ideally, you should consider finding the right balance, not to affect your profit margins.
6. Build a professional website for your services
Nowadays, it is nearly impossible to run a successful freelancing business without a website. Essentially, your website acts as the foundation of your business and it gives potential customers a sneak peek into some of the services that you have to offer.
However, for your site to drive traffic and convert visitors into customers, it must pass through the hands of a professional designer. Having a professional site will build trust and make your business credible in the eyes of customers.
7. Add this package to your website with examples
Building a professional website is just but one of the ways of obtaining customers. For your website to attract your target audience, you need to add valuable content and provide viable solutions. In this case, you should add the package of services that you are offering, and include valid examples of how these services can help your customers.
8. Create a case study on your website describing how your package can solve problems
Customers want to see reviews and testimonials so that they can trust your services and have confidence in enlisting your services. Essentially, they want to know that the services you have to offer can help solve their problems. One good way to go about it is to add a case study on your website. The case study could be a testimonial from a previous client or a detailed review of how your package helped solve a particular problem.
9. Share this case study and links to your website on social media
Another effective way of getting the word out to new customers and attracting traffic to your website is to share your case study on social media. This will give you a good opportunity to discuss and engage with potential clients on social media. Remember to add links to your website so that prospective clients will know where to go whenever they need more information about your freelancing journey.
10. Learn how to speak confidently with new clients about the benefits of enlisting your services
The final step that may make or break your journey revolves around how you speak with potential clients
You should take it into your stride to learn how to speak confidently with new clients, explaining to them what you have to offer and how they will benefit by enlisting your services.
Your confidence can make a significant difference as far as landing quality clients is concerned.
The Takeaway
Here’s the point. The world is moving at a faster pace than most of us anticipate. Only those who move with the times will be able to enjoy the fruits of working smart and working hard.
Freelancing is the epitome of working smart. Although it might prove to be a hard task at first, you can make it and become your own boss within no time, by following our suggestions above. So what are you waiting for? Join the freelancing world today!