Tips to Make More Money with Freelancing

Last Update: February 5, 2021 • College Students • Make Money •

Almost everybody wants to supplement their income and make some extra cash. Freelancing on the internet seems like a good way to do it, but it is not as simple as it sounds. There is a lot of research and work to do before you can brand yourself as an expert in your chosen niche.

Starting a freelance business is a great way to make money, but creating a high-quality portfolio website, and building your personal brand, can take a fair amount of time before everything is set up the way you want it to be. Just a word of advice, if you have a full-time job, don’t rush into giving up your day job too quickly.

How your freelance business progresses will indicate when the time is right to move into full-time self-employment. Test the waters for a while, and as there could be some unexpected pitfalls ahead, you will be glad if there is still a full-time job to fall back on.

Creating a Successful Freelance Business

The key to success in freelancing is to prepare the work properly. Skimpy preparation may mean that you have to go back and do it over, and you might lose some potential paying clients before you even start.

Here are some useful tips to get you going:

Choose a niche that you would like to specialize in. If you are new to freelancing, you might at first feel like taking any paying work that comes your way. However, as you get more experienced in the freelancing sphere, you will definitely feel the kind of work you want to do. Popular niches include health, finance, writing, web development, data entry projects, and digital marketing.
Take steps to improve your skills to become an expert in your chosen niche.
Be clear about the services you offer, and the more specific you are, the better. It will allow you to discover how potential clients see you as you continue moving in the direction you want to go.
If you provide a service, deciding how much to charge is a major step towards determining your worth. You may be tempted to begin your freelance business career by charging the bare minimum to meet your financial needs, with the idea of increasing your rates in the future. This may work, but you could lose some clients when you increase rates. However, if you set the pricing reasonably from the outset, you are more likely to build your credibility, especially if you have put together an impressive portfolio site.

Creating a High-Quality Portfolio

The main goal of having a portfolio is to exhibit your skills, attract new clients and convert them into buyers. If you want to look more advanced against your competitors, the best way to do this is to create a site where you offer your service. That way, you will capture your clients’ attention better.

The purpose of a portfolio is to inform, educate, arouse interest, and convince potential clients to consider you for their technical needs highly. Take some time to decide what to feature on your site, and the best way to be displayed, even before you start looking for new projects.

Here are a few tips on how to create an eye-catching portfolio:

Remember that a personal portfolio site is all about promoting yourself, your name, and your brand.
Create a strong logo, as this is the first part of a site people see. You are promoting your brand, so using your name is a good idea, as is a pic of yourself. Clients like to see who they are dealing with. It also adds an important element of trust.
When giving details about yourself, show some personality, and don’t be afraid to show off any awards or qualifications relative to what you do. You want people to know that you are good at what you do.
Be very specific about the services you offer, whether it be writing content for websites, SEO services, copywriting, WordPress expertise, and so on. If necessary, you can also go into a bit more detail about each service you provide.
Give examples and highlight relevant past experiences that have helped make you an expert in your field.
Be sure to give full contact details, and make yourself available for potential clients who want to get in touch with you.
When constructing your portfolio site, always stay true to yourself and never copy someone’s design just because you think it looks good. What works for someone else may not work for you.
The best way to get your website out there and your message across is to create powerful blog content that puts you in a good place to stand out as an expert in your sphere.
Aim for at least 2 blog posts (with applicable keywords) per month as a start. You can always up the amount later to increase your business’s marketing channel.

The Money is There

Many people have made an excellent living out of operating a freelancing business. Like any business, when you are your own boss, you have to put in the hours to succeed. You may also have to bend over backward to please your clients, but customer satisfaction is what it is all about, and the successful completion of a project is a just reward in itself.

The financial rewards will put extra cash in your pocket.

If you are fired-up to be a successful freelancer, don’t procrastinate – take a leap of faith into the future, make proper preparations, and get busy!