Anyone can make money as a freelancer even in the most remote cities today and millions of people have cashed in on this but did you know that a lot of freelancers are actually struggling to keep a consistent flow of income after a few gigs?
Many new freelancers have gotten a few gig that got them started but without the right strategies, a good number of beginners have not been able to keep it going after the first few months.
With more than 17.5 million freelancers in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, freelancing is increasingly employing millions of people but a good number of these people are also struggling to make a living consistently beyond the one-off gigs.
Whether you’re just trying to leave the rigorous 9-5 or play around with a more relaxed and flexible working model, as someone who has experienced freelancing over the years, I’ll be sharing with you in this guide, the key steps to make a living as a freelancer, even if you’re a beginner or not.
Identify your Skill
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If you really want to make money as a freelancer you’ll need to have a skill. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to have just any skill. You need a sellable freelancing skill that clients are willing and able to pay for in exchange for your services.
Naturally, almost everyone has a skill but not all skills can be monetized. Also, while some skills can be monetized, there are others that can generate a lot more income than the others.
For example, the following are some of the hot selling freelancing skills:
- Writing, Editing, SEO Writing
- Social Media Marketing/Management
- Graphics Design & Video Editing
- Web Development & Mobile Applications
- Virtual Assistants & Executive Assistants
Starting with either of these skills can get you a foothold in the freelancing industry but you don’t necessarily need to have these skills from the get go. You can learn!
Most new freelancers would rather opt for skills that they are already familiar with or ones they have interests in as that makes it easier to work with those skills but depending on your goals, you can still select a skill that you’re not already familiar with, provided it pays the bills.
These are some of the key things you have to consider while identifying the right skills for your freelancing services.
Define & Narrow Down your Niche
There are a lot more freelancers out there so the market is very competitive. If you want to make money as a freelancer whether you’re a beginner or not, you have to define and narrow down your niche.
It might serve you to be a generalist in the early days just so you can survive and land some jobs, regardless of where they are coming from but as you keep building and growing your brand, you have to narrow down.
By narrowing down your niche you can easily become the big fish in a small pond. This reduces the competition while positioning you as the expert in your own niche.
So, instead of being just a web developer, you can decide to be a web developer for law firms. This solidifies your expertise in the niche while also giving you the opportunity to charge better than the generalist.
In a nutshell, it is important to find a niche. Whether you’re going to narrow down your niche in the beginning or not, just find a niche where you can comfortably offer your freelance services to clients.
A clear niche lets your clients understand how you can help them. It also gets them to see you as capable of helping them especially when you’re well established in that niche.
Finally, choosing and narrowing down on your niche can get you to scale your business a lot more easily.
Create a Brand and a Digital Presence
Freelancing is powered by the digital economy so you’ll definitely need a digital presence. And considering that you want to make money as a freelancer then you’ll have to turn up your digital presence a lot more than what is currently available in the industry.
You can start with the following:
- Create a brand. Choose a name, a short bio that describes you and your freelance services, a professional picture, fliers etc.
- Get on Social Media. When this is done, you can then get on social media. Get yourself on some of the top social media platforms with your target audience. This could be LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok etc. Create a profile there. Upload your bio, profile picture other important details relevant to your freelancing career and then get started with using the platforms.
- Get on Freelancing Platforms. There are a number of freelancing platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer.com etc. where clients meet freelancers. Sign up on the platforms and create a profile there.
- Get a website. To earn a living as a freelancer beyond one off gigs, you need a central online platform like a website where your profile can be accessed online and you can be directly contacted for jobs across the web.
Taking these steps, you would have built a formidable online presence that will increase your options and chances at getting jobs as a contractor, compared to using just one option like the freelancing websites for example.
Build a Portfolio
One of the major factors that contributes in deciding the kind of jobs you get as a freelancer is your portfolio, testimonials and the kind of brands you have worked with in the past.
It can be a struggle to build a portfolio as a new freelancer without jobs but if making money as a freelancer is your goal, there are certainly ways you can go about it.
- Start with sample Projects. Where you don’t have projects, you can use to build a portfolio, use sample projects to your advantage. If you’re a web developer and you like a particular website, rebuild it. Ditto for any other skill.
- Volunteer. Offer your services to brands and organizations like NGOs etc, in return for mentions and testimonials.
- Offer Pro-bono Services. You can offer to do pro-bono services for your friends and family in return for feedback and testimonials
- Give out discounted offers. While this may not be your go to option, discounting your rates as you launch into the freelancing market can give you a competitive edge.
Beyond this, you can also intern with top freelancers, firms or collaborate with other freelancers to build your portfolio.
Since the goal is to make money as a freelancer, you need a robust portfolio you can showcase to potential clients. And you have to take all necessary steps to get this as that makes it easier to land jobs.
Go for Clients
Now that you have your skills all sorted and your portfolio polished out, it is time to reach out to your clients.
When I started freelancing, I was keen on waiting on clients but, that had me waiting for a very long time before that first client. after the first client, I decided I was done waiting. I took the initiative to reach out to clients and that was it.
As an expert that wants to make money as a freelancer, you need to go for your clients. And there are some options you can use for that purpose.
- Use Freelance Platforms. Use the freelance platforms you registered earlier to land more jobs. Start with optimizing your profile to meet the user search phrases and target keywords for your jobs. Afterwards, begin to apply for jobs posted on those platforms. LinkedIn, Fiver, Upwork, Freelancers are good places to start.
- Stay Visible on Social Media. Don’t merely create a profile and leave. If you want to earn a living working as a freelancer, engage and get visible on social media. Post your work, talk about the things you do and use storytelling to project your work and expertise before your target audience.
- Reach out directly to Clients. You can also reach out directly to clients using cold emails, warm emails and other options, offering your services while projecting the value these clients can earn from your services. Beyond cold emails, you can reach out to clients who might be in need f your services without even realizing it.
The whole idea about going out for the jobs is to not just get you before your potential clients but get you to interact with and convince them to work with you, directly or indirectly.
Promote & Scale
While it is very possible to make money as a freelancer without doing too much, promoting your freelancing business can give you quite an edge if you are able to do that effectively.
There are both free and paid options you can use to promote your freelancing services.
- Content Marketing. Create and share thoughtful and helpful content on areas relevant to your services and target audience needs
- Guest Blogging. Create and post articles on websites relevant to your niche
- Social Media Engagement. Post valuable content across your social media platforms at intervals and take time to engage with your audience
- Networking with other freelancers within your niche both online and offline
- Use Paid Advertising. Where you have the resources, opt for paid advertising options like Social Media Advertising, Google PPC, Sponsored Ads on websites etc.
The organic promotional options including search engine optimization, email marketing etc can get you in the door but using paid advertising can make it even faster to get freelancing clients especially in the early days.
Also, it is important to work on scaling your business and growing it beyond you as the only service provider.
A lot of people have started from freelancing to a full-service agency. You can consider having this as your goal while also doing your part to get the job coming.
Final Words
You can make money as a freelancer just like many other people are doing it, regardless of your location. But to do that, you have to get the work done.
For instance, you have to get and sort out your skills, create a befitting online presence, portfolio, start reaching out to clients and of course, deliver on high quality jobs.
There are no ways to cut the corners. If you do not have the right skills, get your digital skills sorted here. Get on the right work ethic. Offer excellent services to your clients if you want to have them coming back.
Show off your work. Do not be shy to promote your freelancing business. Position yourself as the leader in your niche using content marketing and strategic storytelling. Build in public.
Measure your growth at intervals. Find out what is working and discard what isn’t. And finally, reach out to us lets guide you on this journey.
Now its your turn. What are you struggles when it comes to making a living as a freelancer? Drop your comments below.
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