Freelancing has become a common lifestyle amongst many people and the flexibility it offers is what makes it so attractive to make you get up and start your own business. Those who aren’t freelancers won’t know the beauty of it until they start a career on their own.
The main point is to find work that will last and when you start your own business, there’s nothing to worry about if you follow the current trends and put the right steps into practice.
46% of people worldwide are freelancers and this is quite a large number that can help you expand your business, especially when you are operating internationally.
Let’s dive deeper into this article to learn more about how you can grow and expand your freelancing business.
Growing a freelance business wants you to focus more on self-promotion and marketing. It’s all about marketing your services when starting out and here’s how you can do so.
Before you take any further steps, you need to be sure to register as a freelancer. You can’t start a freelancing business if you aren’t initially registered. Keep in mind that each country has a different procedure on how to register.
In this case, we can use Spain as a good example. Here’s a short guide on how to register as an autónomo (freelancer) in Spain:
If you don’t know which steps to take, being a freelancer might be harder than you think. You need to find your own clients, file taxes, and take care of administrative tasks. However, don’t let that demotivate you.
Breaking everything down into smaller parts is an excellent idea for making the registration process easier. Always read about the requirements in the country you want to start your freelancing business. While they are all similar and general rules like filing taxes, getting a social security number, getting a work permit are all the same, some small rules might differ.
Creating new connections is always a fantastic way for growing your freelance business. It’s important to expose your services and introduce yourself to clients who are in need of them. The more visible your business is, the easier your word will get across to potential clients.
There are plenty of popular methods you can use for expanding your network and they are:
Networking isn’t just about attending an event or passing out business cards, but looking for numerous ways on how you can connect with like minded people and solve a problem for them with your services.
You have several options when you begin searching for new clients, but over time, it might become tiring. Focusing on long-term clients is a much better option and allows you to benefit more in the long-run.
Looking for new clients continuously because you lost older ones might be problematic since you’ll need to invest more time in sending out emails and pitching your services. On the other hand, long-term clients are great for building a sustainable business. You aren’t wasting any time on trying to secure a new project, but are focusing more on delivering high-quality services to your current clients.
Statistics show that selling to an existing customer has a higher probability of being sold by 60-70% compared to a new prospect that is only around 5-20%.
Always remember that 80% of profits are made from only 20% of your existing customers.
You need to price correctly if you’re thinking of attracting new clients and ensuring your work is rightly compensated. Prices are usually set based on your skill level, experience, market rates and the amount of value you’re providing to your clients.
There are different types of price models for freelancers. Here are the two most important ones:
If you’re stuck on which rates you should offer in your freelancing business, you can take the following approaches to determine them:
After you set your price rates, communicate your services to your customers and show them your results and even experience level. Don’t forget to always include some level of flexibility in your rates, especially for your long-term clients.
Each freelancer has their own skills, so it’s important when you have a team to know which services you’ll be offering. For example, a copywriter will offer services such as writing blogs, creating engaging copy on landing pages, writing your social media copy and more.
In this case, when you are presenting your copywriting services, you’ll need to mention what you’ll do for clients. This accounts for all your skills that your freelance business will offer.
If you want to offer high-quality skills, always make sure to be an expert at your skill and even hire a team of experts. You have lots of competition online, so it’s important to deliver high-quality services.
Reviews and referrals are always a good way to improve brand awareness. You may ask why? 49% of customers will trust positive reviews, meaning that when they see a good review about your services, they’ll much more likely consider it compared to if they saw none or a bad one.
If you want referrals, you’ll need to provide excellent work for your clients. No client will give you a thumbs up if you aren’t giving it your best. Providing excellent work not only makes it easier to identify your satisfied clients, it makes it easier for them to refer your business to others.
You can showcase these referrals on your social media channels. They’re a great way to showcase your work quality and let’s not forget that 71% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase based on social media referrals.
Your freelancing business isn’t going to grow overnight. Therefore, it’s important to focus on the long-term results and contribute as much as you can. Clients who are happy with your services will spread the word and not only will this be good for you, it’ll bring more clients.
However, don’t forget about registering yourself as a freelancer if you haven’t done so. Check local regulations and fulfill all requirements needed. Continue to build your network through social media and even establish an online community if you think it’s fit for you.
