Freelancing has become an increasingly popular way of working, with many people opting for the flexibility and control working independently offers. However, building an audience as a freelancer can be challenging considering the competition in the industry, especially when you are starting.
As a freelancer, building a strong audience and receiving referrals can be the lifeblood of your business. But where do you begin?
The good news is that with the right approach, it is possible to cultivate a loyal following and a referral system. One that guarantees a steady supply of jobs and therefore, more profit for your business.
In this article, we will explore the key strategies that top freelancers use to build their audience and get referrals, and how you can incorporate them into your own business. Let's get started!
Wondering where to begin? Below are steps you need to take to build a loyal audience.
The first step to building an audience is unsurprising — identify the audience you want to target. While this might sound very intuitive and straightforward, a lot of freelancers get this first crucial step wrong. Who are your services for? How can you access them?
To identify and target an audience, follow the steps below:
Before embarking on your quest to find clients you need to identify a niche where you will pitch your tent. This is usually up to your personal interest, passion or skill.
That said, there are numerous niches and the truth is, some are more popular and hence more lucrative than others. The top freelance jobs include:
After picking a niche that suits your skill and motivations best, the next crucial step is to research the target audience— within that niche.
Search platforms, sites and other forums where your potential clients are likely to be found. For instance, a freelance designer would likely have better luck finding clients on Behance, Dribbble, etc.
When you find your target audience, ask:
Identify these pain points and tailor your offerings as a freelancer to capture them. People will come to you only if they feel you have value to offer them. So, make it clear that you can solve their problems.
Before you approach potential clients, it is recommended that you build a personal brand as a freelancer, this is more crucial for those running their freelance services on their own instead of a freelance platform. A brand is a face and a voice behind your business. It is easier for people to associate with and trust brands.
A few tips for building your personal brand as a freelancer involve:
Finally, develop a strategy to reach and engage your target audience, you can reach out to or find potential clients through a variety of methods, some notable ones include:
When communicating with your potential clients it is necessary to empathise with them and make them see that you understand their pain points. A good strategy to help better understand and relate with people is by building a customer profile or personas. That way it is easier to walk in their shoes and create fitting solutions to their needs.
After building a personal brand as a freelancer, the next thing is to consider effective ways to put yourself before the right eyes — business positioning. Content marketing for freelancers is a tested and trusted way to do this.
Below are recommended steps for creating valuable content that can position you as an expert in your niche:
To gradually build yourself up to the stage of being considered an authority in your niche, you need to devise ways to connect with professionals in your niche.
Below are a few freelance networking strategies:
Even with all the right strategies in place, failing to deliver anything short of outstanding results to your clients could hamper the growth of your business. The best way to market yourself is by delivering exceptional results and maintaining good communication.
Here are a few tips:
Finally, with a working strategy and a budding audience, it can be beneficial to devise ways to ensure a steady— and somewhat automated — supply of new clients. Building a referral system works.
Below are a few ways you can do this:
The importance of building an audience and getting referrals cannot be understated, especially for independent freelancers. While this is often seen as a herculean task, following well-known strategies such as researching your audience, creating a brand presence and delivering exceptional results can help you achieve great feats in that regard. Finally, it is important to note that it takes time to see results, so be patient.