Marketing Techniques of Successful Freelancers

Ah, the life of a freelancer. Whether you’re a freelance writer, designer, accountant, or something else, you know that while you may have freedom in your schedule and unlimited earning potential, clients aren’t guaranteed to stay with you for years…or even months, which means you constantly have to hustle to keep a pipeline of steady work.

And without a boss giving you orders, you may feel adrift at knowing what to prioritize, including marketing yourself, especially if you’re new to freelancing. Not to worry, here we will look at a few tried and true strategies to get your name out there (and I, as a veteran freelance writer, can vouch for these!).

1. Never Stop Looking for Work

This is a lesson I learned early on when I assumed that my clients would be with me forever. Ha.

In the freelance world, there is often no loyalty. Brands pull work in-house, lose budgets, or your contact moves on. What would happen if your biggest client left? How long could you support yourself? 

Even when you’re full to the gills with work, keep networking and using these marketing strategies to find more to fill your pipeline.

2. Brand Yourself as a Thought Leader

I’m a writer, so writing comes naturally to me, but whatever field you’re in, content marketing is a fantastic way to show you know your stuff.

Publish blog posts on your website. Share content on social media. Write a guest blog on websites where your audience spends time. If the opportunity arises, speak as an expert at an industry event.

Every piece of useful content you put out into the Universe can attract people who are looking for your wisdom.

Oh, and if writing doesn’t come easy to you, you can hire a professional ghostwriter (like me!) to do it for you under your name.

3. Don’t Be Afraid to Give Away That Wisdom

“But Su,” you say, “if I publish everything I know, why in the world would people hire me?”

Here’s a secret: people like having knowledge but don’t like doing things. 

Let’s say you’re a designer, and you publish an article providing step-by-step instructions for how to create a logo on Canva. Aren’t you putting yourself out of business by telling people how to do what you do? Not really. Because you have tons of experience and knowledge of what makes a good logo, people may read your article, decide you have the experience they’re looking for, and hire you!

The more places you spread your wisdom, the more clients you can attract. You can publish your blog posts on LinkedIn, write on Medium, find websites and publications your audience reads, or even act as a guest on industry podcasts, etc. Those potential customers you reach will start calling!

4. Focus on Building Relationships, Not Selling

Newbie freelancers often make the mistake of focusing on sales rather than relationships, and they quickly realize their folly when they don’t get the sales they were banking on.

The key to long-term customer relationships is caring about people.

How can you do this? 

When you connect with people on LinkedIn, ask questions about THEM rather than spouting off all your accolades. With existing clients, get (a little) personal and ask about their kids or that trip they told you they were going to take last month.

We’re all human, and the more we treat each other as humans, the better the business relationships we can have.

5. Focus on New Ways You Can Add Value to Existing Customers

Maybe you get hired for a one-time project, and the client is happy with your work. How can you find additional ways to serve that customer?

Spend some time analyzing the business. Find gaps you can fill. For example, if you’re a writer and you were hired to write an ebook, see how the company’s blog looks. If it’s out of date or the content could be better, make a list of topics you could write about and pitch a monthly package for a series of blog articles.

Because the client is already sold on your value, you’re more likely to be able to retain them after you’ve shown what you can do.

6. Stay Tapped into Freelance Opportunities

Until you can rely on word of mouth to bring you new clients, you’ll need to go looking for more work. For me, there are numerous freelance writing websites and newsletters that I subscribe to. LinkedIn is also a good place to find freelance gigs, as is UpWork.

If you’re a member of an industry organization, that could also be a place to find companies looking for services like yours.

To pay or not to pay? There are sites and newsletters that charge a fee to access gigs. It’s up to you to determine whether it’s worth it to pay for these. Often, you can get a free trial so you can see whether the value is there. Sometimes, the opportunities on these lists are more exclusive and, therefore, have fewer applicants, giving you a greater shot at closing the deal. And remember: paying for a subscription to freelance job boards may be a tax-deductible business expense!

7. Ask for Referrals

Remember those uber-happy clients you have? They could be your biggest marketing tool. Send a quick note to your best clients and ask if they know anyone else who might need your services. Sometimes, all you have to do is ask. Your happy clients are eager to help.

You could also create a referral program and offer clients or contacts a fee or gift card when they refer new business to you.

8. Make Sure You Shine Online

Telling you that you need a website isn’t necessary, right? You know that your website should be concise in explaining your services and include examples of your work.

If you’re not well-versed in SEO (search engine optimization), you should learn at least the basics or hire an SEO professional to ensure your site is found in search results.

Keep your LinkedIn profile up to date as well, including keywords that potential clients may be searching for. 

Here’s a tip I recently used: ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence that everyone’s talking about, can actually polish up your LinkedIn profile. Just copy and paste what you’ve got under a given role (or your summary) and ask ChatGPT to write it better. Even though I’m a professional writer, I have to say, ChatGPT really made my work experience shine!

9. Remember: Less is More

When it comes to the social media and marketing channels you use to get freelance work, don’t bite off more than you chew. What do I mean? So often, professionals think they need profiles on all social media channels. But then they don’t have the time or energy to update all of them.

Focus on the channels where you have the biggest opportunity to connect to your audience. If you’re a photographer, that might be Instagram; if you're a business writer, maybe LinkedIn.

Aim to update your profiles a few times a week with relevant content, updates, and engaging posts.

Marketing your freelance business isn’t a one-and-done. It will require ongoing effort, so carve out enough time to update your social channels, create thought leader content, and connect with leads and customers every week.

Before you know it, you’ll be the go-to person in your field, and prospects will flock to you!