As you begin to freelance you will want to focus on the jobs. This, of course, is your bread and butter. However, you must pay attention to your marketing strategy. Without a strong plan you will go through cycles of hot and cold. When you are hot and you have jobs, the money comes pouring in. But then comes the cold spell; no jobs, no money. You find yourself frantic and scrambling for that next job.
( Read the transcript )
A Bullet Proof Marketing Plan for Freelancing
Now it is time to match your skills with available jobs.
In order for you to succeed, there must be a market for what you have to offer. It is the old model of supply and demand. There must be a demand for what you have to supply. If there is not a large enough market you will not succeed. It could mean adjusting and refining your information sites. That is why research is essential. It is a balancing act between finding an area that is not being overworked and areas where there is not enough work. In other words, you have to find an area where the demand for your expertise is high and the supply for that type of work is low.
Previously I suggested going back to school. You can gain experience or education in order to fit into a niche where the demand is high and the supply is low. With experience and specialization your value as a freelancer increases.
So far you have discovered that having skills and identifying these skills is essential. Next you learned that finding a niche that is high in demand is important to success. What you need to understand now is that none of these will work if you don’t also have passion for what you are doing. Your heart has to be in it. This is the fuel in the car that keeps you moving toward your goal.
Sometimes passion and skills are not enough. Let’s say you are passionate about computer repair. In fact you are so passionate about it that you went to school to earn a degree in computer technology and repair. More than that, you graduated at the top of your class. You decide you want a job repairing PC’s. Unfortunately there are at least ten qualified applicants for each job available. Because the field is not as specialized as it once was and because there are so many more qualified people who can do PC repair, your service will not pay high wages. But what if you went to school and got a certificate to work specifically on Apple computers? Because there are less people qualified to work on Apple computers than those who can work on PC’s, your ability will be specialized.
It is a niche area that has a high demand and a low supply. This translates to higher pay.
The last thing to remember after you complete a bullet proof marketing plan is “not to give up.”
Freelancing is hard work with many challenges. Once things get flowing, things will get better. Don’t let a set back or two get you down. Learn from your mistakes and use them to plunge forward. You will eventually succeed with the right plan. It may take some tinkering, but the payoff is well worth the hard work.
As you begin to do freelancing you will want to focus on the jobs. This, of course, is your bread and butter. However, you must pay attention to your marketing strategy. Without a strong plan you will go through cycles of hot and cold. When you are hot and you have jobs, the money comes pouring in. But then comes the cold spell; no jobs, no money. You find yourself frantic and scrambling for that next job. You find one and accept whatever pay is offered just so you can make sure the lights stay on. Often times you undercut your usual price just to have work. Then you get a couple of jobs and the money is coming in again.
You don’t need a weatherman to predict the hot and cold season for you. You need a good marketing plan to keep this from happening.
You have to set time aside to work on marketing yourself. It is essential for making your bullet proof strategy work. When this is working you will always be hot because you will always be in demand. There will be no cold spells because you will have constant client inquiries asking for your services.
What is the secret of the bullet proof marketing plan? First you find a way to get new clients. The next step will be to make those potential clients into sales. Finally you have to make those one time customers long term repeat customers.
If you can dedicate a few hours each week to this marketing plan- the forecast will always be sunny.
Now it is time to match your skills with available jobs.
In order for you to succeed, there must be a market for what you have to offer. It is the old model of supply and demand. There must be a demand for what you have to supply. If there is not a large enough market you will not succeed. It could mean adjusting and refining your information sites. That is why research is essential. It is a balancing act between finding an area that is not being overworked and areas where there is not enough work. In other words, you have to find an area where the demand for your expertise is high and the supply for that type of work is low.
Previously I suggested going back to school. You can gain experience or education in order to fit into a niche where the demand is high and the supply is low. With experience and specialization your value as a freelancer increases.
So far you have discovered that having skills and identifying these skills is essential. Next you learned that finding a niche that is high in demand is important to success. What you need to understand now is that none of these will work if you don’t also have passion for what you are doing. Your heart has to be in it. This is the fuel in the car that keeps you moving toward your goal.
Sometimes passion and skills are not enough. Let’s say you are passionate about computer repair. In fact you are so passionate about it that you went to school to earn a degree in computer technology and repair. More than that, you graduated at the top of your class. You decide you want a job repairing PC’s. Unfortunately there are at least ten qualified applicants for each job available. Because the field is not as specialized as it once was and because there are so many more qualified people who can do PC repair, your service will not pay high wages. But what if you went to school and got a certificate to work specifically on Apple computers? Because there are less people qualified to work on Apple computers than those who can work on PC’s, your ability will be specialized.
It is a niche area that has a high demand and a low supply. This translates to higher pay.
The last thing to remember after you complete a bullet proof marketing plan is “not to give up.”
Freelancing is hard work with many challenges. Once things get flowing, things will get better. Don’t let a set back or two get you down. Learn from your mistakes and use them to plunge forward. You will eventually succeed with the right plan. It may take some tinkering, but the payoff is well worth the hard work.
As you begin to do freelancing you will want to focus on the jobs. This, of course, is your bread and butter. However, you must pay attention to your marketing strategy. Without a strong plan you will go through cycles of hot and cold. When you are hot and you have jobs, the money comes pouring in. But then comes the cold spell; no jobs, no money. You find yourself frantic and scrambling for that next job. You find one and accept whatever pay is offered just so you can make sure the lights stay on. Often times you undercut your usual price just to have work. Then you get a couple of jobs and the money is coming in again.
You don’t need a weatherman to predict the hot and cold season for you. You need a good marketing plan to keep this from happening.
You have to set time aside to work on marketing yourself. It is essential for making your bullet proof strategy work. When this is working you will always be hot because you will always be in demand. There will be no cold spells because you will have constant client inquiries asking for your services.
What is the secret of the bullet proof marketing plan? First you find a way to get new clients. The next step will be to make those potential clients into sales. Finally you have to make those one time customers long term repeat customers.
If you can dedicate a few hours each week to this marketing plan- the forecast will always be sunny.
