1. Be amazing at something “You need to be a specialist,” asserts Andy Budd, founder of Clearleft. “Be known as the best Ruby developer in Brighton or the best UX person in London. Don’t just settle for being one of several thousand fair-to-middling freelancers who never get picked to do great work and will just only be recommended by a smaller group of connections.” To succeed, Sally Jenkinson, a freelance digital consultant, says it’s imperative to “know what you enjoy and where your strengths lie”. After all, you got into freelance to do what you love, right? 2. Take some risks Jenkinson also reckons it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. In contrast, by deliberately doing things that scare you, she believes huge pay-offs are more likely. She believes, “If you’ve always wanted to speak at a conference but nobody has ever approached you, contact some organisers.” She adds that, “If you don’t think you’re experienced enough to win a job, try anyway. Putting yourself out there can be difficult, but if you don’t ask, you don’t get! Stop being afraid and just do it.” 3. Have your own website Freelance designer/developer Shane Mielke recognises the importance of promoting yourself on community sites like Behance and Dribbble, but says you must build a wider web presence, because “your work [is] being hosted among competitors.” He believes the biggest promotional tool a freelance designer can have is still “a unique personal URL that showcases your talent, skill, personality and creative vision. It’s your ‘business card’ for prospective clients”. 4. Improve your portfolio Don’t put any old content on your portfolio. Product designer Sacha Greif says it must answer whether you’re good but also if you’re reliable: “Focus on explaining what you do and prove you’re trustworthy. Include case studies and don’t just show off pretty pixels.” 5. Write a blog Authentic Jobs founder Cameron Moll says few activities are more helpful to self-promotion than having a unique, qualified voice. “That’s how I got my start,” he says. “It led to landing clients and then Authentic Jobs, which I run full-time today. Develop the ability to write consistently with passion about subjects you care deeply about and you’ll be amazed at the opportunities that arise for growing and sustaining your business.”. “I’ve been contacted by companies who’ve wanted to meet with me after reading an article,” adds Hatch partner Mark Kirby, who’s also found writing beneficial. “You get to share knowledge, are seen as an expert and become someone companies want to employ.” 6. Be more social A personal site is only part of your online marketing. Kirby suggests investigating regular local meet-ups as a better alternative to swapping business cards at random events. “You’ll make friends in the industry and work will be passed to you from these contacts. Although, it’s rare anyone recommends someone they met once for 15 minutes.” Todd Motto, designer and developer, agrees. “The biggest mistake I made when I started freelancing at 17 was thinking putting a site online would be all I needed,” he recalls. “What I really needed to do was establish relationships, learn from people, ask them to pass my details on and utilise existing contacts.” Today, Motto spends plenty of time talking to people, and recommends marketing yourself “as if you’ve never had a website and never will”. 7. Develop your brand Motto says you must also build your personal brand in everything you do. “It’s more than just your tweets, Dribbble account and website,” he continues, “it’s everything, from your logo and photo to your writing, content and attitude. It’s how you wish to be seen as a person.” He recommends being personable and likeable, taking care to not push the boundaries too far – “Swearing isn’t going to do you any favours” – and imagine everything you do face-to-face and online as “one big CV”.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 14:33:41 +0000
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