Are you a freelancer? Once you’ve made the switch to working for yourself, there’s a second hurdle to overcome. How do you find work? While popular job boards and online platforms are usually flooded with regular full time work, freelance work can be a little harder to come by. Over time you will gradually gain your own set of clients, but in the beginning, it can take time and effort to garner work. Here are five easy ways to find freelance jobs.
How to find freelance jobs
1 Online freelancer websites
There are a surprising number of websites popping up that are dedicated to sourcing work for freelancers. Some sites will let you create a profile and clients can then contact you for a quote, while others operate on a bidding system, with users uploading jobs and you are then required to pitch your ideas in order to win the business. Do a Google search to find the best sites in your region, popular freelance sites in Australia include Freelancer, Upwork and Behance.
2 Use your personal network
Word of mouth can be one of the best (and cheapest) ways to grow your freelance business. Make sure you let your network know, including friends, family and business contacts, that you are taking on new clients. Reach out to old work colleagues that may need freelance assistance, and even ask for referrals or testimonials from previous work contacts that you can publish on your business website or LinkedIn profile.
3 Tap into social media
These days, social media is used for so much more than simply connecting with friends. People use it to sell homewares, read recommendations, find recipes and most importantly, find and refer work. Facebook groups are a great place to start if you’re looking to grow your business network. Tap into a niche and let the referrals come to you. Also remember to regularly update your own social media channels in order to further your brand and grow your reach.
4 Advertise your business
There are so many forms of cost-effective marketing that can really go a long way to growing your small business. Instead of being limited to more traditional and expensive forms of advertising, like television and radio, businesses can turn to email marketing, social media marketing and online advertising. Once you have your website up and running, you could dabble in Google AdWords to help your website rank for keywords in Google search results.
5 Industry events
There’s no better way to grow your freelance business than by connecting with others in your industry and beyond. Take the time to attend events, conferences and training that will benefit your business and grow your skill set. You can even nominate yourself to speak or present at certain events, in order to grow your brand and showcase your expertise with a wider audience.
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