3 Easy Action Steps to Get New Freelance Clients
Finding new clients can be hard! But there are simple ways you can take action right now to start getting in front of new clients without chasing down prospective leads or burning up the phone lines with people who don’t have time to talk to you. Get started with these three short tasks today!
Add Keywords to Your Online Profiles
This is super easy! People are searching online for services like yours every single day. You just need to make sure you pop up in their search results! A super-easy way to do this is to add keywords to your online profiles. You can do this whether you have a personal account or a business account on any platform - Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Google My Business- you name it! Keywords to add include your location if you work locally, and the exact terms people would search for if they were looking for your services. This is not the time or place to get creative. While creative about sections and bios are fun to read, they are not search-friendly. Our whole goal here is to make you more discoverable, so lose the frill and keep it simple. If you’re a photographer, say exactly that. If you’re a cake decorator, that’s exactly what you should put.
Provide Value and Insight in Your Networks
Next, it’s time to help people get to know you and understand the unique value you bring to your customers. The easiest way to do this is by creating social media posts about why you do what you do and how you think about the services you provide. While it may seem small to you, these are the things that set you apart. Explaining how you approach the challenge your clients face to provide solutions will be different than how other service providers do it. And this might be exactly what someone needs to know. It doesn’t have to be something super unique either. When it comes to how you provide services to serve your clients, it’s often the little details and your approach that matter most.
When I was looking for my first clients, I decided to provide value by writing LinkedIn articles. I wrote just three or four blog post-style articles on LinkedIn about the services I wanted to provide and how those services provided value to businesses. From those posts, I received two of my largest clients that I still work with today. Talk about a good return on time investment!
Join the Conversation
Last, one of the best ways to meet new clients is to meet new people! There are lots of ways to do this online and in person. You can join Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, industry-specific forums, and more and start engaging with others in your industry or seeking services in your niche. In-person, you can attend small business networking events, or simply just make an effort to show up and community events and talk to a person you don’t know. Anything you can do to expand your network puts you one step closer to connecting with the right people.
And if you’re worried about these groups being filled with your competitors- don’t! This is a great opportunity for you to learn from others. An added bonus is that these are good circles to be in for referrals. Often freelancers may be at capacity serving their existing clients or not be able to offer exactly what a client is looking for. They often post opportunities like this in these groups, so you can have access to clients potentially looking for your services.
Ready to get your next freelance client?
You can find support, resources, and guidance in our Facebook group Purposeful Scaling Freelancers as well! This is a free community of people committed to starting or growing their freelance business to support their ideal lifestyle, bring them purpose, and provide an income.
