Congratulations! You took the step for you to test your skills in the freelance world. Now you have to announce that you've taken this important step in your life to start getting clients and, above all, people can share what you do. But beyond that, one of the reasons why it's important to share what you do with your network is so that people will keep you in mind for possible future opportunities and, thus, build your clientele, which is one of the main challenges of freelancing.
Even if you have secured retainer contracts, diversifying your workload is one way to make sure you are not relying on one group of people. Having more clients requesting your services is another way to experiment with increasing your rates. For example, if your current clients pay you $50 an hour and you get another client to accept $75 an hour, you can go back to your current client and ask them to match your rate or move on to the client who pays you more.
If you want to know different ways to share your freelance services on social media, read on as here we will tell you where and how.
Facebook / Instagram
The most well-known method of self-promotion for freelancers is their personal social networks. Since most of the population has a personal profile, it's normal to advertise the big transition you're making there, and from there, send them to your services account if you have one. This helps you reach more people than just your peers or previous clients; and in many instances, people are also looking for who to hire on social networks beyond LinkedIn.
Remember that each application has its own demographics, so you may want to consider having both Facebook and Instagram so you can reach older people on the former and younger people on the latter. Don't close yourself off when you're starting out, the more people who can get to know you and your services, the better. Be clear with what you offer and, little by little, you will see the fruits arrive. If you do not know where to start to create the image of your freelance account, read our article where we give you the main steps.
LinkedIn is the platform you think of first when it comes to promoting yourself as a freelancer. It's just a matter of updating your profile to include your new position and sharing it as a post. Don't forget to include the services you offer in the description section; for example, if you're an SEO consultant, indicate the types of projects you've done, the results obtained or, well, previous positions. The clearer, the better.
UpWork
This platform is a great idea when you already have some time and experience in freelancing. You don't have to have it to use UpWork, but we mention it for the fact that they take a cut of the profits you get through the use of their platform. So if in the beginning you can get clients organically from somewhere else, all the better. But it's still a great option to promote yourself. On UpWork companies are looking for freelancers to find someone who fits their specific needs, so it's important that you are very detailed with what you do, what you offer and who you are looking to work with.
Online communities
One of the many benefits of freelancing is the amount of online communities that exist; from Facebook groups to coworking groups, there are many spaces where you are given the opportunity to share your services and the transition you are living in. Joining them is useful beyond advertising what you're doing, but provides a place to ask questions, learn from others' challenges, find new tools and connect with other freelancers.
Create a website
This step is not a priority if you're just starting out as a freelancer, but it's also not a priority for certain fields of freelancing. For example, if you're in a field like design, where people need to see your portfolio, it's a great idea. But if you're in accounting, a website isn't as necessary. However, it is a very professional cover letter where you could still put a contact form for potential clients who want to know more about your services. Platforms like SquareSpace or Wiz allow you to create nice and cheap pages.
