How to make a full living as a freelance service provider

When it comes to career, every one of us has got a handful of option to choose from. Some of us go and take up a job with corporate or medium/small companies where as some prefer to be be entrepreneurs. Well, this article is meant for a third kind called “self employed individuals” or simply freelancers. To become a freelancer one needs to have a skill/knowledge that can be sold in the market. To sell in the market freelancers need to promote themselves via advertisements, referrals etc. To do this “promotion” or when simply put “To Get The Work” – there are many channels that connects a freelancer to market (or people who are in need of a freelance service provider). Let’s take a look at some channels and promotion methods a freelancer can benefit from.

1. Freelancing websites

These are websites which brings together the service provider and service buyer together into a single platform. As a service provider you can list yourself in a page of these websites – you can put information about your skill sets, your knowledge level, your previous works (as portfolio), your hourly rates etc. Service providers can list their services in need at another page. Freelancers can bid to service buyers (in the area a freelancer is competent in) and if the service buyer likes you – he may hire you on an agreement. Freelancer will get paid after delivering the work fully. Similarly in some cases (if you are an established service provider) – service buyers may contact you directly. Each and every website has different terms of conditions, so read them carefully at the time of joining. In normal cases the website will charge 10% of your service charge/quote as their commission. Some popular websites in this category are listed below:- Elance – Freelancer – Guru – ODesk

Here is great list of websites to select from:- The Monster List of Freelancing websites

2. Setting up your own service website

Well, that’s where you take advantage of traffic to your own website. You need to start a website that is related to your niche service category and then populate your website with really useful content! you heard me? “really useful content” and this will help you to take advantage of traffic from search engines. For example – if you are in first page of Google.com from a search query like “web designer in new york” – you will easily get many leads which you can bet upon.

3. Guest blogging

The idea is simple – go out and find other websites related to your service category, ask them for a writing slot and provide a really good article in their website. You will often get a link back to your original website from this article! And who benefits? You get noticed more and more.

4. Networking

“Contacts are gods”! Well, that’s it. How powerful people maintain their power in this world? Through “powerful friends in their network” . Why dont you start networking and some industrial veterans as your friends? You only gain rite?

5. Advertising

I dont need to tell you about this. You may try online advertising and print advertising. I will suggest you go the “online advertising” way as it converts better compared to prints.

Finally “stay committed” to your client.I always bank on the following quote by M.K Gandhi - when it comes to customers and anything associated with them!

“A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider of our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to do so.”

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