This week I’d like to swap tips on marketing yourself as a freelancer. Personally, I’ve gotten excellent results from referrals, and I always try to refer other freelance buddies when I hear about a project that might be a fit for them. It’s good karma all around!
I’ve also done well with the occasional Craig’s List services ad. This is where you post your services and weed out potential clients, rather than responding to an ad and hoping they pick you out of the slush pile. Either way, you have to sort through a lot of … well, you know what. But at least if you post an ad, you have a bit more control.
Sometimes a client finds me through my website or something I’ve posted on HARO, but these are more passive ways of landing new clients. While I’ve tried sending out postcards to new prospects or registering with creative staffing firms, I haven’t had much luck with either one. A few inquiries, sure, but no contracts.
What works for you in terms of marketing? Have you had success with postcards or other materials? Do tell!
Personally I’ve found its great to network locally – you can find clients who have content needs you might not have anticipated. Plus it gets your name in the circles, which is never a bad thing.
I’ve had luck via Twitter, via people landing on my blog, liking my style, and hiring me.
Postcards and regular contact with potential clients (very 3 months) brings me a good deal of work.
I’ve found a few great clients on Craig’s List and one of my best steady gigs I got through Media Bistro.
the best paying jobs I’ve landed have been via researching organizations/companies that interest me, creating proposals, and convincing them they can’t live without me.
Referrals are the best, I agree. But personal contact more than mail or email works wonders. People are eager to connect (whether they know it or not), and I’ve found I receive quite a bit of repeat work from folks I’ve talked with on the phone or met in person. I do pretty good phone, but I do even better in-person chat. For some reason, though, I tend to avoid the phone. However, my latest approach has me on the phone more and signing up for events where I’ll meet business folks.
I’ve always been impressed how you seem to market yourself and have grown such a large readership in a relatively short period of time. I hadn’t considered posting an ad on craigslist, that’s a good idea.