Being a freelancer is a business in and of itself and having a freelance platform that allows you to track time and send professional invoices is one piece of the puzzle that will lend to your credibility and give new clients a glimpse of the quality of work they can expect from the moment they first sign your contract.
More than a helpful tool for managing your day-to-day business, though, you’ll also want a few more things – such as a professional website, email address, headshot and more. These will help you highlight your best work, share feedback from happy clients and attract new clients for future projects.
When you approach your career as a business, you can start to think of ways to brand yourself. Start attracting the best freelance jobs by presenting your skills to the professional world with these tips.
1. Use a Professional Looking Photo
A photo of your dog or an image of you on the beach doesn’t really give off the professional vibe, nor does leaving the photo section blank.
Even if you have to crop an older photo or take a selfie, do your best to create a professional looking headshot. People want to see who they are dealing with, and using the same photo across all your profiles online will add to your credibility and legitimacy as a freelancer.
2. Create a Personal Website
While LinkedIn and profiles on freelance communities are good to have, a professional website is even better.
Clients are going to check you out online and see if you have a website. And, without a website, you will immediately call into question your legitimacy.
Plus, you can use your website as a marketing tool to promote your services, offer work samples and testimonials, and attract new business. You don’t need a massive or expensive site – a small, professional looking template on a user-friendly site like WordPress will do the trick.
3. Act Professional on Social Media
Another area where clients will check you out is on social media. There have been countless instances of employees getting fired for what they say on social media.
If you say questionable things on your profiles, think about how many opportunities that you could potentially miss out on without even knowing it because a client decided not to contact you.
You can have personal and professional social media accounts and contacts. Just make sure you link your professional accounts to your website and freelance profiles online.
4. Have a Professional Email Account
An email such as coolguy247@email.com just won’t cut it.
It is important that you have an email that is strictly for business purposes and that you use the same email for all your freelance work.
Yes, Gmail is okay to use.
I use it – nolanwilsonfreelance@gmail.com.
Just make sure you include your name (or your business or website name) in the email.
Don’t forget to include a signature line at the bottom of your email that includes your contact information, links to your social media accounts, confidentiality disclaimer, website, and highlights a current promotion, if relevant.
5. Use Branded Letterhead for All Communications
Whether you are sending a client a quote, invoice or project work, using branded letterhead on your documents will instantly add credibility to the document.
It is worth the investment, but it also doesn’t have to be expensive.
A freelance platform like Spera not only allows you to manage multiple clients, but it also allows you to track your time seamlessly and send automated invoices to your clients, collecting payment via credit card, debit card or ACH transfers, so there’s never a question about whether a client received that PayPal notification.
With these must-haves in place, you are in a better position to portray a professional image, build a professional freelance brand and start getting gigs today.
