Here are some steps (in no particular order) that you can take to find clients today:
1. Don’t Overlook The Obvious.
The Internet is filled with blogs, forums, and other sites whose sole purpose is to list work for freelancers and others. If you are looking for clients you should be a regular visitor at these sites. Look for sites that are updated frequently.
2. Participate in Bidding Sites.
There are a number of sites that match clients and professionals by using a bid system. Sometimes the site takes a small percentage of the freelancer’s pay or the client pays the site. Although the job usually goes to the lowest bidder, many freelancers get their start here.
3. Your Own Website.
If you are a freelancer, then you should have a website or blog. If you already have a website, take a good look at your site to make sure that it is client friendly. Is there an accurate description of your services? Would a potential client be able to contact you? Does the site make a positive impression?
4. Professional Support Forums and Sites.
There are a number of forums that cater to the needs of a particular profession. For example, I’m a member of several forums for writers and several for bloggers. Not only do these sources provide information about your field, but also often peers will share leads at these sites.
5. Hobby Forums.
Many freelancers make the mistake of only marketing their services at forums and sites dedicated to their profession. However, if you have a hobby and are already an active member of a forum that pertains to that hobby, make sure that your fellow forum members also know what you do.
6. Social Networking.
Your Facebook account or other social account may help you keep up with friends, but it can also be a valuable source of job leads. If you are going to use social networking to find job leads, make sure that your profile page is professional. Be sure to share some of your professional accomplishments.
7. Make Google Do the Work.
By typing targeted phrases into a search engine, you may be able to unearth some leads. As a writer, I’ve used search phrases such as “writers wanted,” “write for us,” “blog for us,” “writer’s guidelines,” and others to turn up online leads.
8. Use Your Peers.
Many freelancers avoid building relationships with peers because they think of peers only in terms of being “the competition.” This attitude is a big mistake. If you have a good relationship with others who do the same type of work, then you are in a good position to get referrals if your peer should become too busy.
9. Add Consulting To Your Services.
If you offer to review the work of others, sometimes you will be given the opportunity to make the fixes that you suggest. For a designer, this could take the form of reviewing websites. For a writer, this could mean offering to critique someone else’s writing and make suggestions.
10. Promote Yourself Offline.
I’ve already shared an entire article on 6 Simple Ways to Promote Your Online Business Offline, but it bears repeating here because offline marketing is so often overlooked by online entrepreneurs. Marketing offline can give your freelance business an edge that others don’t have.
Did these tips help you? If you found work as a result of one of these tips, I’d love to here about it.
For those of you that have been freelancing for a while, can you add any other ideas? Leave a comment with your own experience.
About the author: Laura Spencer is a freelance writer from North Central Texas with over 19 years of professional business writing experience. If you liked this post, then you may also enjoy Laura’s blog about her freelance writing experiences, WritingThoughts