In part 1 of the subject topic I mentioned that the way you market yourself online differs from how you do it offline. You may want to read part one first before you continue (click here). When you have read it, you may be asking yourself why I did not touch on contact details when they are such an important aspect of getting connected with clients.
When it comes to contacts, do not be tempted to give false details hoping to increase your chances of success because trust is very important in freelancing. Your demographics count because of the various online support services that depend on them. For example, some countries do not accept some payment methods, yet payment is an important aspect of your freelancing business. Similarly, some partner programs are restricted to specific countries and regions.
Next I discuss two effective ways by which a freelancer can share contact details.
- Registering with a freelance platform
There are a lot of platforms on which you can register yourself as a freelancer. That is where you will have your profile displayed for your market to know more about you. You are free to share as much information about yourself as possible yet it must be within the permissible rules of the platform you are listing yourself on.
Having worked on fiverr since 2014 and registered with other similar websites, I know that with these platforms you are 100 percent reliant on how they shape up the platform. There often is high competition and what promotes you is the quality of your work and how you have presented yourself to the market.
The pros are that you get free and warm traffic as visitors are ready to buy whenever they visit such platforms. The advertising is basically on the platform owners and you only share your earnings with them. This presents you with a lot of opportunities to get good deals, some of which can be long term and good paying.
- Having your own website
Having a website is one method that works well for freelancers to market themselves without restrictions. However, a website only works if it is managed and kept alive to its purpose. You also must work hard to attract traffic to it.
When you have your own website, you can monetize it anyhow with very limited restrictions. A personal website is also a good place to share samples of your past work, demonstrate your skills and give as much details as you wish about your freelancing business. This means that you have to keep a record of your work as it surely is easier to share delivered work as samples than to create new ones. Note that it may be necessary for you get permission from the customer to who you delivered a service or product to before you can use it as a sample for your work.
When you are a starting out, you surly must create samples yet you still can be noticed by your potential customers. You must be honest about your position and be transparent. This is very important because potential customers are often very suspicious and lookout for the slightest indicators of dishonesty on your side.
Contingency plans
Before I sign off this post, I want to sensitize you on empowering yourself with contingency plans. The resources you use to do business may fail at some point whether temporarily or permanent. In such instances, you must have a plan on how you will your customer expectations. Your customer does not really care whether you used mobile data or some form of Wi-Fi but it is on you to make sure you are connected.
Let me make examples of likely contingencies for some resources:
- Internet connection – WiFi, mobile data, a friends place with connections and a nearby internet café.
- Power/electricity – live connection to power, self-powered laptop, UPS, solar powered electricity and back up batteries.
- Communication with customers – telephone line, zoom meeting, email, WhatsApp, etc.
- Outsourcing the service – this can be your last resort yet you can have a backup friend or team that can take over your work in case you cannot deliver at all.
Conclusion
Making yourself known opens doors for you yet you still must manage customers. Some customers will want to take advantage of you because you are out looking for jobs with them. They may want to make you do something that will legally implicate you, request you to do unethical jobs, etc. Be careful not to be money driven to the point of compromising your values.
