Week 8

Currently, I’m writing articles for one client around 15 hours per week.

At the end of October, I was contacted by another potential client to schedule time to chat about building a social media marketing plan and executing the strategy for his business. At first, I considered if I could do it. But that lasted all of a few seconds because of the excitement I felt building my client base. And this was for social media marketing, which is ultimately what I want to spend most of my time doing.

I’ve done contract social media work in the past, so this is not a new industry for me. I know what it takes to build a plan from the ground up, and implement it. I love doing it and I get a thrill out of watching the metrics increase week over week.

Unfortunately, I never heard back from the prospective client. My excitement weaned. And honestly, I was bummed. One client isn’t going to get me to where I want to be!

So, what is the best way to build your book of clients? Here’s my plan:

1. Submit three proposals per week through Upwork. The more proposals I submit, the higher chance there is of getting contacted by someone for work. I enjoy working through Upwork because they deal with all of the invoicing and payouts, I can track my time through their desktop app so there’s no worrying about tracking and submitting time, and it’s easy to find and submit proposals to clients. It helps me get on my feet and understand the process before taking it on myself.
2. Continue optimizing my website and creating content.I’ve been slacking when it comes to working on my site and uploading new content. But the more content I have and the more I promote my industry expertise, the more legit I seem. I want to showcase my knowledge that I’ll apply to my work. I also need to add sections to link to an online portfolio, build a charging sheet, and improve the section that shares what my freelance options are.
   1. Something you wish every client would know about type of work I do – content creation, content marketing, social media marketing, email marketing, etc.
   2. What questions should clients be asking to accomplish their goals and get things done?
   3. Quick fixes clients could make to their business to be more successful
   4. Success stories
   5. Resources I’d like to share, books I recommend, words to live by, etc.
3. Develop business cards, a brochure/FAQ sheet, a contract template and a personal rate sheet. While I’m currently only working through Upwork, my goal is to have at least one client contracted on my own by June 2019. In order to promote myself and recruit clients, I’ll need business cards to share my contact information and website, and a brochure to share the services I provide. Once I land a client, I’ll have to have a personal rate sheet to help determine what I’ll charge, either hourly, by article or by milestone. Then, once we settle on a rate, having a contract template will streamline the process and keep me from having to re-create the wheel for every client. 

4. Contact local businesses. Once I have everything in #3 developed, I’ll be ready to start soliciting! I’ll start with local, small businesses – after researching what they already have and do on social media and on their website, I’ll be able to formulate ideas and create an elevator-speech proposal for them. I’ll tell them what they are doing well, but how hiring me can make it better. I’ll also talk to people I know who own their own business. I’ll focus on problems and pain points they may have, offer my take on their existing products, and what results and goals they are hoping to accomplish and how I can help. 

5. Promote myself on my social media sites.My biggest supporter and cheerleader is… myself! Between my Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, I have hundreds of followers and people I can share with. Not only can I promote my freelance services, but I can share my blog and generate organic traffic, which will help boost my SEO, engagement and traffic. 

6. Consider registering as an LLC. This will make me my freelance business legitimate, as well as provide assistance when it comes tax-time.

Becoming an independent freelancer is going to take time and effort. In my opinion, I already have a leg up by working through Upwork. It gives me a foundation, as well as giving me time to develop myself on my own. I can read, write and learn how to be successful, and put those learnings into practice.

Do you have any tips for becoming a successful freelancer? Leave your comments!