Is this your first time working as a freelancer? Make yourself known! A company’s brand is critical for differentiating itself from the crowd.
People are more likely to hire freelancers who can clearly demonstrate that they have a deep understanding of their clients’ needs through their branding.
For freelancers, establishing a personal brand is a necessity.
- For starters, take stock of your professional strengths.
Inexperienced freelancers can benefit from a list of their qualifications. While working as a freelancer, it’s a good idea to write down all of the skills you have to offer your clients.
What sets you apart from the crowd can be found on this list. An independent web designer in the United States who is fluent in Portuguese, for example. The North American market is a target for Brazilian firms seeking expansion.
Designing stunning backdrops for your clients’ photo shoots may be an option if you have experience in set design.
If you’re putting together a personal brand, keep in mind your unique combination of skills…
2. Identify the ideal freelancing customer for your business.
Your ability to attract the right customers is just as important as your technical know-how in the success of your business. Why? The reason why your products and services must be aligned with the needs of your ideal customer is because of your branding, messaging, advertising, and pricing.
Each freelancer has a different ideal customer. An ideal client for a wedding photographer is someone who is engaged, has a reasonable budget, and has a large network of friends and family members who are also getting married soon.
A freelancing marketing consultant, on the other hand, will look for growing companies or startups that have recently received funding and are in need of a long-term marketing strategy.
3. Choose the problems you can solve for your freelance customers.
Once you’re clear on your strengths and who your ideal customer is, you can decide what you want to offer them. And you base that on the problems your ideal customer is attempting to solve.
For example, wedding photography clients expect high-quality images, but these days, everyone carries a camera around with them. Their other concerns include organising the event, making everyone look their best, and providing them with high-quality images that they will treasure for years to come.
It’s important to these clients that they don’t have to be concerned about anything, including whether or not Cousin Ava will finish uploading her 500 photos from the reception to Google Drive when she has time.
If you’re looking for someone who can write the copy you need, but you don’t have the marketing staff to do the job for you, a freelance marketing writer may be the answer. This problem can be solved by hiring a freelancer who is capable of conducting research, generating copy ideas, and collaborating effectively with other stakeholders.
“I am a freelance wedding photographer serving couples in the Atlanta area who want to relax and enjoy their special day while I take care of all aspects,” your branding might read.
4. Calculate your rates—privately
Have you considered whether or not your prices are an integral part of your overall brand identity? To compete on price, you don’t need to explicitly state your intention.
Not that we’d advise it, of course! Rich people are wary of using discount-branded services because they are worried about the quality.
Price competition also has the disadvantage of allowing your customers to be stolen by a competitor who offers a lower price. There are better ways of achieving long-term success than focusing solely on short-term gains.
You must, therefore, know how much money you will need each month to pay your bills. A detailed breakdown of how to calculate this can be found in The Freelancer’s Bible.
This step can help you fine-tune your messaging so that you don’t waste time on clients who aren’t a good fit for your company. Companies with low budgets are more likely to contact you if your branding is “Have Project, Will Write!” than if you have “Content Creation for B2C Health Technology Startups” in your name.
If you want to make money, you need to target customers who can afford it.
5. Build your brand identity and messaging
When it comes to your company’s brand identity and messaging, you should focus on what your customers can see rather than what you can’t see.
This includes everything from your logo to your colours and fonts. Regularly use them to promote your products and services across all of your digital platforms.
It’s critical that the colours associated with your brand stand out without detracting from the brand’s primary meaning.
It is important that your fonts are easy to read so that your brand name and message can be quickly scanned by your audience.
Market yourself as a freelancer
You now have everything you need to start promoting your freelance business, building relationships with potential clients, and establishing a professional profile for yourself.
Your freelance website is ready to be put together. With Hostnats, getting online and getting started is a breeze.
