Finding Freelance Work

How you start looking for business on Day One will depend very much on your background and what contacts, if any, you already have who may be potential clients. Remember that possible clients could be people that you meet in a social capacity as well as a business one. Never be afraid to drop your services into the conversation at an appropriate moment, whatever the circumstance. Generally, as a freelancer, people are always more sympathetic to your ‘pitch’ than they would be if you were mentioning a company you were employed by. People love entrepreneurs! The main groups of people to look to for work opportunities are:

1. Anyone you have ever worked with in the past, or met through someone else, who may be a possible client. Track these people down via phone or Internet and get in touch. Start with an email explaining that you have set up as a freelancer and ask them to bear you in mind if they have a requirement. Or pick up the phone if you’re brave enough! Although an email can often be a softer approach, sometimes a call really does do the trick. It depends on your past relationship with that person and which you think will be most effective.
2. Someone you know well like a friend or family member. Offer them a free or heavily discounted service - in return for allowing you to mention them as a client. Use them to write a case study about what you did or show examples of the work you produced for them when pitching for other new business. Prospective clients will always feel more comfortable about using you if you they do not appear to be your first one!
3. Networking with a capital N. The more people who know that you are out there, the more chance you have of generating business. Investigate local networking groups, breakfast clubs and the like, or industry-specific events if you are aiming your services at one particular market sector. A trade event is a perfect opportunity, where many prospective clients are all gathered in one place on their exhibition stands with nowhere to escape to when you approach them, business card in hand.
4. Your suppliers. That might sound odd but it isn’t. Build up your network of suppliers from existing contacts and new research, they will all be very happy to talk to you as you are, in effect, a route to market for them. If you develop a good working relationship you will become a virtual part of their sales team, bringing in new business with no cost of sale for them. But the flip-side of this is that they will also uncover business opportunities for you.

Online

It’s certainly worth investing in a website so prospective clients can find information about you, your services and contact details. In order to create a ‘professional look’ and brand identity, the website should reflect who you are and what your business is all about! If you know a web developer, you’ll be able to negotiate a competitive rate however, if you don’t then there are a number of low-cost packages out there to get you online. A few things to consider when designing your website include:

KIS (Keep it Simple)

Don’t complicate your site with too many pictures (search engines can struggle with these so prefer text copy when searching your site) and keep your messages and information clear and concise with simple navigation.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) - Certain things on your website can help search engines like Google to find and rank it highly:

• Keywords - think of the words that potential clients would type into Google and include these in your webpage’s, include them in the URL (web address name), the code behind the page (meta titles and meta descriptions) and article headings.
• Content - make sure that your content is relevant to those you’re targeting it at and have links throughout that connect to other pages on your website. Google is very clever and seems to know if you’ve written quality relevant copy, if you try and short cut the process Google will spot this and not list you on the vital first page.

URL’s - Choose your URL carefully – make sure it clearly indicates what your freelance services are about. You can buy and check the availability of certain URL’s online at getdotted.com

Testimonials - Once you’ve worked for a couple of clients, get them to write you a testimonial to put on your website. If prospects know you’ve done a great job for someone else, it’s more likely you’ll do a good job for them.

Data collection - Get peoples contact details – if someone’s interested in the services you offer, get them to fill out some details (name, email, phone number). You can use these to send them more information about the services you offer. Even if they don’t use your business immediately, if you stay in contact they may become clients in the future.

Become an industry expert - If you write authoritative pieces on your website, there’s a good chance people will find them. For example, if you’re a copywriter write a page like ‘how to find a good copywriter’, there’s a fair chance a potential client will type this search term in and find your site.

Getting online might not get you direct sales but it increases your profile and means that people can find you when they need your goods or services!

Along with a website, creating a formal email address (for example joe.bloggs@photography.com) rather than a hotmail/Google email can give a professional look to clients creating the impression that the business is bigger than it actually is!

Advertising

Advertising can be costly (giving a lower return than other methods of marketing) however it’ll raise your profile in the industry and may bring in business. If you do decide to advertise you’ll need to consider your target audience:

• What do they read, what sites do they visit, where do they look for new suppliers?

• Can I reach them in a cost effective way?

• What’s the adverts’ objective? To get them to call me, visit my website, read an article, buy my product/service, remember me?

• What will your prospects think about you after reading the advert?

• Does the advert represent your industry? Trendy and funky might be good in some instances but it’s probably not best for solicitors, accountants and doctors.

Initially you may get business through networking however you may want to put out some paid adverts to put your freelance services in front of your target audience. Most people these days find suppliers online, therefore if you’re going to advertise online make sure you do your research and find the best, most cost effective advert for your market.

Banners and links from other websites can also bring in business. If you operate in a niche market (or even a larger industry) there’s likely to be plenty of blogs written about that market – many bloggers sell space for advertisements but if you offer a great service then they may recommend you for free! If there’s an industry body (e.g. for freelance Photographers you may be a member of BFP), they can help promote your business, enable you to network with potential clients and put the link to your website on their pages.

We’ve talked a lot about your target audience; this is because when thinking about where to advertise it’s easy to be sold on absolute numbers. However, this can be pointless, after all so what if 1,000,000 people see your advert but it isn’t relevant to any of them, far better that your advert is seen by 1,000 hot prospects. Make sure when discussing your requirements with advertisers you are very clear about who your target audience.

Forums, blogging and social networking

A new revelation to marketing, forum entries and blogging has become one of the cheapest and best ways to acquire new clients. To appeal to clients you need to appear as an expert in your field – through writing a blog you gain credibility within your industry. Make sure you keep the content of your blog relevant and interesting – keep up with changes in your industry and development in the skills that you can offer.

You’ll find that if you’re interested in the services you offer, so will others! There are lots of forums out there talking about everything from financial advice to your crisp flavour preference. Chances are, people are talking about the goods or services that you offer. Get online, search for these forums and start posting away! Don’t just market your services – offer advice and helpful tips. This will build you a name in the industry.

Furthering this, increasing your social networking presence can get people to your website. Set up a facebook account dedicated to your freelance services and promote away! Twitter about your services making sure to Tweet links to your website – you’ll be surprised how many people will be interested in your business.

Have a look at our sales and marketing pages for more information on growing your business.

If you'd like to chat with Easy Accountancy about your small business, Ask us a question, call us on 0500 234 111 / 01442 275 767 or email aaron.oneill@easyaccountancy.co.uk

Easy Accountancy

Easy Accountancy is the UK’s only national specialist accountancy firm for freelancers, sole traders and small businesses

If you’ve just started out as a freelancer or run a small business, you’ll definitely need a small accountant and there are plenty of options out there! However, most accountants will charge you every time you get in touch with them; for every phone call, email or meeting.

We don’t want our clients to be scared to contact us and potentially lose out on valuable tax saving advice. It's even more important when you first start out as you really need to set your business up in the best way possible. As a start up you’ll probably have loads of questions and will really appreciate the fact you can call your accountant as many times as you like without the fear of racking up large bills.

Our low cost, all-inclusive fixed-fee accountancy service includes unlimited access to your own accountant throughout the year, so you never need to worry about picking up the phone and then receiving a bill afterwards for the privilege, and covers all your business and personal tax affairs needs. All clients additionally receive: 

• Help to run your business in the most tax efficient way possible
• Help so you can understand the taxes you need to pay
• Advice on the best ways to manage your business
• Updates and reminders so you'll never miss a deadline
• Help to ensure you maximise your tax allowances
• Provide proactive tax advice throughout the year

We’ve saved our clients up to half on their accountancy bills – if you’d like a quote, click on the quote me button to the right of this page. 

We also have a money-back service guarantee - all of your telephone calls and emails will be answered on the same day, or we will refund your monthly fee (another first within the accountancy world).

To appoint us as your accountants, please fill in our Client Agreement Form online.

If you are a contractor working through a limited company then visit SJD Accountancy (our sister company) who specialise in providing tax advice and accountancy services for Limited Company contractors.

For more information or a general chat about your business plans please Ask us a question, call us on 0500 234111 / 01442 275767 or email aaron.oneill@easyaccountancy.co.uk

You may also find the following pages helpful:

• Free guides
• Become a Client
• Sole Trader or Limited
• FAQ Centre
• Freelancer & Sole Trader Calculator
• Developing your Business
• Finding freelance work