How to Market Yourself as a Freelancer in 5 Steps

Finding clients (aka income stability) is one of the biggest challenges for freelancers. It takes time to build a regular roster of clients, but even so, there’s no guarantee that it’ll last.

Therefore, it has never been more important to build your personal brand to keep drawing in new clients — this applies to whether you’re just starting out as a freelancer or looking to grow your freelance business.

Knowing how to market yourself online puts your name out there. It literally makes you findable through the internet, which is essential for success in the world of digitalisation we live in today.

With that being said, here’s how to market yourself as a freelancer in 5 steps.

Step 1: Create a website

Having your own website is a fundamental step in self-marketing. It’s where you’ll show off your amazing personality, share information about the work that you do and how you can help potential clients, (perhaps) host a blog, and your contact information.

Building your own website is easier than ever with services like WordPress and Wix. You can create beautiful and professional-looking websites without any graphic design and coding skills at all.

Step 2: Show off your portfolio

Any potential client that looks you up is going to expect to see your portfolio. This is where your sales pitch happens.

Don’t add every single thing that you’ve ever created. Be thoughtful about what you want to include by showing off your strongest and most unique pieces.

You can host your portfolio on your website that you created in the previous step.

Step 3: Optimise your LinkedIn profile

Think of LinkedIn as Facebook (or Meta now, I guess) for business. It’s one of the best social media platforms for freelancers.

Many companies are actively on LinkedIn and searching for freelancers, it’s great for researching companies (and vice versa!), and clients can post testimonials about you.

Optimise your LinkedIn profile to let potential clients know that you’re open to work. Hook them in your LinkedIn summary by positioning them as the solution to their problems. You can also use this section to show off your personality.

Again, don’t forget to direct them to your website to check out your portfolio.

Step 4: Be visible — Start blogging

A blog is an excellent way to show off your knowledge in your niche and market yourself as an authority in the industry. More than that, it gives potential clients a feel for your style and personality.

It’ll take some knowledge of SEO and writing skills, but when your material is high-quality and worth sharing, you’ll boost your online presence and showcase yourself as an expert.

Host your blog on your website and don’t forget to share it on LinkedIn too.

Step 5: Collect testimonials

When you need a tailor or plumber, you ask for recommendations, right? The same applies to many companies when they’re looking for freelancers. In fact, studies have shown that 7 in 10 customers are more likely to buy from brands they trust.

Testimonials show that you’re trustable, reliable, and good at what you do, so make the most of them!

As soon as you’ve completed a project, ask your client if they’d be willing to leave you a testimonial on LinkedIn or on your website.

The Bottom Line

If you want a freelance career that thrives, you need to know how to market yourself consistently. Only then will you start attracting more clients than ever before.

So, don’t be shy about promoting yourself. You provide a valuable service and people won’t know about it unless you tell them about it.

For more guides like this, tune into the BigPay blog every week.