We can learn a lot by going through the bad times in our freelance careers. Unfortunately, these times are inevitable in this unpredictable business. However, every problem has a solution. You simply need to be ready to take action whenever the time comes. With this in mind, here are some freelance writing tips to help you along your way.
Never Put All Of Your Eggs In The Same Basket
One of the most important things a freelancer should never do is limit themselves. You should always be on the lookout for new prospective clients. While not all of your clients are going to be unreliable, you will definitely encounter some that are. To minimize your risk, you need to work with several reliable clients and a few agencies, too.
Keep Your Profiles Updated
Make sure that you always keep all of your user profiles up-to-date. If you’re generating business from a website, it is important to to make sure that people have the most current information about you, including what your skills are and whether or not you’re currently available to accept work from new clients.
Keep Your Portfolios Updated
In the same way that it’s important to keep your profiles updated, it’s also important to keep your portfolios updated. You want your portfolio to look its best so that you can advertise it whenever and wherever possible.
Consistently Market Yourself
Unfortunately, a lot of freelancers are quite skilled, but they don’t think they have the ability to market themselves professionally. It isn’t difficult, but it takes a little confidence. Honestly and humbly present your skills and accomplishments to clients. There are a lot of marketing tools available online to help you with this, including sending newsletters to prospective clients and companies and socializing on multiple platforms (i.e. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn).
Use Various Platforms To Find Work
Today’s freelancers who are good at what they do won’t have any problem getting work. There are many different freelance marketplaces where you can get jobs (i.e. oDesk, Elance, GetACoder, iFreelance, Guru.com). These marketplaces are a great way to find work and increase your clientele. However, you may have trouble keeping up if you don’t use a RSS feeder to help you scan through the job listings.
Honesty Is The Best Policy
Above all, make sure that you are honest with your clients. This is the key to a long-term relationship. Be willing to be yourself but also be willing to accept criticism. Freelancing is competitive so you will need to be both humble and flexible. If you’re not willing to do the work, there’s always someone else who will.
In Conclusion
By taking the time to ensure that you’re always doing these things, you’ll be much more balanced. This will help you to weather the storms that are sure to come your way in this business. So, keep your head up and trust that you will make it, no matter how rough it may get.
Brenda H is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments. WriterAccess is powered by ideaLaunch.
