When you start on the freelance path, many questions arise about how you should work. Should I have fixed hours? What are my rates going to be? Should I have contracts? But one that is consistent throughout the freelance journey is, how do I get clients? At the end of the day it is through clients that our income increases and, likewise, thanks to them we can get more. So in this article we leave you some points to consider, but if you do not feel like reading, we also have for you a video on our Youtube channel. In this past Talks by Crema, Marcela told us about her valuable experiences in the freelance path and how she got clients that have led her to success. Click here to watch it!
Here are the points to consider to get clients as a freelancer:
1. Get clients with acquaintances or referrals.
The easiest way to start getting clients is to tap into your social and family circles to provide your services. When you tell them about your new venture, they may not need it, but they probably know someone who does. There you have an assured portfolio of clients.
2. Contact other freelancers
Other freelancers are not your competition, they are your allies. This means that you should not stay away from them and try to stand out, but partner with those you can because they may have you in mind for a client in case they do not know how to provide a service. Think about what services can be ideally allied with yours and look for those freelancers. This way you can work hand in hand in the future, or they can become your clients themselves.
3. Social Networking
The world today is driven by technology; so make the most of it and exploit what you have at hand. For example, if you only have Instagram, as good as it is, you may be missing out on a possible market by not opening your borders to LinkedIn or Twitter. A great tool is Facebook groups of freelancers, or people looking for certain services. There you can post work you've done as a form of portfolio and provide a way for people to contact you to get more clients.
Email is also a great tool to reach more people. You can create a mailing list of people you know or get their email addresses online and send out advertisements for your services.
4. Attend events
As Marcela said in our second Talks by Crema: "go where your customer is." Shame is not your friend when it comes to getting clients in freelancing, so get out of your comfort zone and go find those people who don't know they need you yet. Think about your ideal client and the events they would attend, cafes, museums, etc. Bring samples of your work and your business card, if you have one, so you can share your expertise with potential clients.
5. Digital platforms
Finally, you can subscribe to freelance platforms where you can publish your work or apply for project vacancies. In this article we have a list of platforms that can be useful for freelancers, there you could get an idea of what are the prices or commissions of each one and see which one is best for you. Think about generating value to your client and build your profile of those platforms around it.
Your customers are out there. Maybe they don't know it yet, but you will provide them with that service they were looking for, that's why you always have to be ready to look for them and sell them your services. Just keep in mind that customers come back and refer when they are provided with excellent service, so take care of your quality!
