Freelancing and Blogging
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FREELANCING
Top 10 Tips for Freelancing Your Skills
As world economies decline further, more and more people are looking to supplement their incomes through self employment. The freelance industry, however, is a tough and competitive marketplace. It takes patience and hard work to win freelance jobs.
Here are some tips that will help you succeed as a freelancer, whether you offer content writing, web and graphic design, sales and marketing services, or administration support.
Here are some tips that will help you succeed as a freelancer, whether you offer content writing, web and graphic design, sales and marketing services, or administration support.
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Be Prepared
Before joining the ranks of the self-employed, make sure that you have the necessary equipment to run your freelance business operations smoothly. A personal computer and reliable, high-speed Internet connection are a must if you want to stay up-to-date with the latest freelance jobs and stay connected with your clients.
Beyond the mere possession of a computer, however, make sure that you have the right software to do your job. If you offer article writing and content writing services, you will need word processing software. If you do graphic freelance work, you should have access to advanced multimedia editing software. -
Choose Your Projects Wisely
Do not submit a proposal on all the freelance jobs that you see. Read project requirements carefully and only apply for jobs that you qualify for. Some buyers are very particular when hiring service. They may prefer a local freelancer, or they may only consider applicants with multiple skill sets.
If you cannot fulfill a buyer's requirements, just ignore the project and continue with your job search. Preparing a proposal that will be summarily rejected is a waste of time. It will also tell the buyer that you cannot read instructions properly. -
Submit Custom-Tailored Proposals
Your proposals should always address buyers' needs. When writing a proposal, convey your understanding of the project by stating how you intend to handle the job. Spell out your services and let clients know how they can benefit from your knowledge and expertise.
Tempting as it may be, avoid launching into a detailed tirade of your unrelated accomplishments. A client who needs web design will not care if you spent the last five years doing data entry work. Experience can help you win contracts, but it needs to be relevant. -
Submit Relevant Work Samples
You can better catch a potential client's attention by including work samples in your proposals. Relevant work samples tell the client that you have done similar work in the past, which make you more qualified for the job.
Freelance media professionals can attach samples of their logo design work with their proposals. Web designers can refer buyers to websites that they helped design. Freelance writers can invite clients to visit web publications that feature their written works. -
Do Not Sell Yourself Short
It may be necessary to lower your fees in order to compete with global freelancers and more established service providers. When you are still starting out, lower rates can also help you win your first few projects faster so you can gain valuable feedback and client referrals. Be flexible with your fees, but make sure that you are earning enough to make your efforts worthwhile. -
Be Timely
Tardiness is a deal breaker in any business relationship. Once you agree to a work schedule, keep your promise and meet all target dates. It is even better if you can finish work ahead of time. Most clients are busy individuals who, like you, have deadlines. If you are late in submitting work, your clients miss their deadlines too. -
Deliver Quality Work
Give your best in any job whether it involves freelance writing, freelance design or freelance web programming. Quality work will make your clients happy, and happy clients usually come back for repeat projects! As you build your name and business, you can charge higher fees for your services. -
Work with Escrow
To prevent unscrupulous buyers from taking off with your articles, web design and other work without paying for them, require payment via escrow. Alternatively, you can require a full or partial payment before handing in any project deliverable.
Escrow is a payment arrangement wherein clients pay for services ahead of time. The payment, however, is placed in an account controlled by an escrow agent. The payment is released to the freelancer only after work is performed. Escrow assures clients that work will be done. At the same time, it assures freelancers that they will be paid for rendered services. -
Be Professional
Always handle clients in a professional manner. Once in a while, you will encounter clients that are difficult to deal with. You will make problems worse if you lose your temper.
To prevent misunderstandings, be clear in your communications and frequently update your clients about the status of their projects. If your clients have questions, reply promptly -- within one business day if possible. -
Be Sensible
Use common sense at all times. You should never have to pay anyone so they can hire you. If a job requires custom-made samples, take steps to protect your copyrights. If you are a freelance designer, submit low resolution pictures or watermark your images. If you happen to be a freelance writer, publish your writing samples before submitting them.
Important!
It will take you some time to build your freelance career. With these tips to guide you, however, you can market your skills more effectively and achieve success faster! The information presented in this website is of a general nature for the public and should not be relied on as personal advice. The reader should seek personal paid advice from their accountant, legal advisor, financial planner or insurance advisor in relation to their personal circumstances..
Want more tips on how to succeed as a freelancer?
Visit FreelanceYourSkills.com Today!
BLOGGING
How to Be an Expert Blogger
There are basically two types of bloggers in the world - reporters and experts - and some people perform both roles (usually the experts, it's hard for reporters to become experts, but it's easy for experts to report).
If you have ever taken an Internet marketing course or attended a seminar specifically for beginners, you have probably heard about the two different methodologies. Whenever the business model is based on content, and if you blog for money then the model is based on content, people are taught to either start as reporters, or if possible step up as experts.
I'll be frank; you want to be the expert.
Reporters leverage the content of the experts and in most cases people start off as reporters because they haven't established expertise. Experts enjoy the perks of preeminence, higher conversion rates because of perceived value, it's easier to get publicity, people are more likely to seek you out rather than you having to seek others out, joint ventures come easier, etc. experts in most cases simply make more money and attract more attention.
The thing with expertise is that it requires something - experience. No person becomes an expert without doing things and learning. Bloggers usually start out without expertise and as a result begin their blogging journey by talking about everything going on in their niche (reporting) and by interviewing and talking about other experts (reporting again).
There's nothing wrong with reporting of course and for many people it's a necessity at first until you build up some expertise. Unfortunately the ratios are pretty skewed when it comes to reporters and experts - there are a lot more reporters than there are experts, hence reporters tend to struggle to gain attention and when they do, they often just enhance the reputation of the expert they are reporting on.
If you have ever spent some time browsing products in the learn Internet marketing niche you will notice a pattern. Many people first study Internet marketing from a "guru" (for lack of a better term). The guru teaches how he or she is able to make money online, and very often the view that the student gleams is that in order to make money online you have to teach others how to make money online.
The end result of this process is a huge army of amateurs attempting to replicate what their teacher does in the same industry - the Internet marketing industry - not realizing that without expert status based on a proven record and all the perks that come with it, it's next to impossible to succeed.
Even people, who enjoy marginal success, say for example growing an email list of 1,000 people, then go out and launch a product about how to grow an email list of 1,000 people. Now I have no problems with that, I think it's fine to teach beginners and leverage whatever achievements you have, the problem is that people gravitate to the same niche - Internet marketing - and rarely have any key points of differentiation.
How many products out there do you know of that all claim to teach the same things - email marketing, SEO, pay per click, affiliate marketing, and all the sub-niches that fall under the category of Internet marketing. It's a saturated market, yet when you see your teachers and other gurus making money teaching others how to make money (and let's face it - making money as a subject is one of the most compelling) - your natural inclination is to follow in their footsteps.
If the key is to become an expert and you haven't spent the last 5-10 years making money online, I suggest you look for another niche to establish expertise in.
The secret to progress from reporter to expert is not to focus on other experts and instead report on your own journey. When you are learning how to do something and implementing things day by day, or studying other people's work, you need to take your process and what you do as a result of what you learn, and use it as content for your blog.
It's okay to talk about experts when you learn something from them, but always relate it to what you are doing. If you learn a technique from an expert it's fine to state you learned it from them (and affiliate link to their product too!) but you should then take that technique, apply it to what you are doing and then report back YOUR results, not there's. Frame things using your opinion - your stories - and don't regurgitate what the expert said. The key is differentiation and personality, not replication.
Expertise comes from doing things most people don't do and then talking about it. If you do this often enough you wake up one day as an expert, possibly without even realizing how it happened, simply because you were so good at reporting what you did.
Most people fail to become experts (or perceived as experts) because they don't leverage what they already know. Every person who lives a life learns things as they go, takes action every day and knows something about something. The reason why they never become an expert is because they choose not to (which is fine for some, not everyone wants to be an expert), but if your goal is to blog your way to expertise and leave the world of reporting behind you have to start teaching and doing so by leveraging real experience.
Experience can come from what you do today and what you have done previously; you just need to take enough steps to demonstrate what you already know and what you are presently learning along your journey. I know so many people in my life, who are experts simply by virtue of the life they have lived, yet they are so insecure about what they know, they never commit their knowledge to words for fear of, well, fear.
Blogs and the Web in general, are amazing resources when you leverage them as a communication tool to spread your expertise because of the sheer scope of people they can reach. If all you ever do is talk to people in person and share your experience using limited communication mediums, you haven't much hope of becoming an expert. Take what you know and show other people through blogging, and you might be surprised how people change their perception of you in time.
If your previous experience and expertise is from an area you want to leave behind or you are starting from scratch, then reporting is the path you must walk, at least for the short term.
Reporting is a lot of fun. Interviewing experts, talking about what other people are doing and just being part of a community is not a bad way to blog. In many cases people make a career of reporting (journalism is about just that), but if you truly want success and exponential results, at some point you will have to stand up and proclaim yourself as someone unusually good at something and then proceed to demonstrate it over and over again.
Have patience and focus on what you do to learn and then translate that experience into lessons for others, and remember, it's okay to be a big fish in a small pond, that's all most experts really are.
This blogging article was written by Yaro Starak, a professional blogger and my blog mentor. He is the leader of the Blog Mastermind mentoring program designed to teach bloggers how to earn a full time income blogging part time.
If you have ever taken an Internet marketing course or attended a seminar specifically for beginners, you have probably heard about the two different methodologies. Whenever the business model is based on content, and if you blog for money then the model is based on content, people are taught to either start as reporters, or if possible step up as experts.
I'll be frank; you want to be the expert.
Reporters leverage the content of the experts and in most cases people start off as reporters because they haven't established expertise. Experts enjoy the perks of preeminence, higher conversion rates because of perceived value, it's easier to get publicity, people are more likely to seek you out rather than you having to seek others out, joint ventures come easier, etc. experts in most cases simply make more money and attract more attention.
Most Bloggers Are Reporters
The thing with expertise is that it requires something - experience. No person becomes an expert without doing things and learning. Bloggers usually start out without expertise and as a result begin their blogging journey by talking about everything going on in their niche (reporting) and by interviewing and talking about other experts (reporting again).There's nothing wrong with reporting of course and for many people it's a necessity at first until you build up some expertise. Unfortunately the ratios are pretty skewed when it comes to reporters and experts - there are a lot more reporters than there are experts, hence reporters tend to struggle to gain attention and when they do, they often just enhance the reputation of the expert they are reporting on.
Don't Replicate Your Teacher
If you have ever spent some time browsing products in the learn Internet marketing niche you will notice a pattern. Many people first study Internet marketing from a "guru" (for lack of a better term). The guru teaches how he or she is able to make money online, and very often the view that the student gleams is that in order to make money online you have to teach others how to make money online.
The end result of this process is a huge army of amateurs attempting to replicate what their teacher does in the same industry - the Internet marketing industry - not realizing that without expert status based on a proven record and all the perks that come with it, it's next to impossible to succeed.
Even people, who enjoy marginal success, say for example growing an email list of 1,000 people, then go out and launch a product about how to grow an email list of 1,000 people. Now I have no problems with that, I think it's fine to teach beginners and leverage whatever achievements you have, the problem is that people gravitate to the same niche - Internet marketing - and rarely have any key points of differentiation.
How many products out there do you know of that all claim to teach the same things - email marketing, SEO, pay per click, affiliate marketing, and all the sub-niches that fall under the category of Internet marketing. It's a saturated market, yet when you see your teachers and other gurus making money teaching others how to make money (and let's face it - making money as a subject is one of the most compelling) - your natural inclination is to follow in their footsteps.
If the key is to become an expert and you haven't spent the last 5-10 years making money online, I suggest you look for another niche to establish expertise in.
31 Days to Build a Better Blog
Build a better blog in 31 days with the help of expert blogger, Darren Rowse!
Click here for more details.
Report on Your Process, Not Others
The secret to progress from reporter to expert is not to focus on other experts and instead report on your own journey. When you are learning how to do something and implementing things day by day, or studying other people's work, you need to take your process and what you do as a result of what you learn, and use it as content for your blog.
It's okay to talk about experts when you learn something from them, but always relate it to what you are doing. If you learn a technique from an expert it's fine to state you learned it from them (and affiliate link to their product too!) but you should then take that technique, apply it to what you are doing and then report back YOUR results, not there's. Frame things using your opinion - your stories - and don't regurgitate what the expert said. The key is differentiation and personality, not replication.
Expertise comes from doing things most people don't do and then talking about it. If you do this often enough you wake up one day as an expert, possibly without even realizing how it happened, simply because you were so good at reporting what you did.
You are Already an Expert
Most people fail to become experts (or perceived as experts) because they don't leverage what they already know. Every person who lives a life learns things as they go, takes action every day and knows something about something. The reason why they never become an expert is because they choose not to (which is fine for some, not everyone wants to be an expert), but if your goal is to blog your way to expertise and leave the world of reporting behind you have to start teaching and doing so by leveraging real experience.
Experience can come from what you do today and what you have done previously; you just need to take enough steps to demonstrate what you already know and what you are presently learning along your journey. I know so many people in my life, who are experts simply by virtue of the life they have lived, yet they are so insecure about what they know, they never commit their knowledge to words for fear of, well, fear.
Blogs and the Web in general, are amazing resources when you leverage them as a communication tool to spread your expertise because of the sheer scope of people they can reach. If all you ever do is talk to people in person and share your experience using limited communication mediums, you haven't much hope of becoming an expert. Take what you know and show other people through blogging, and you might be surprised how people change their perception of you in time.
Reporting Is a Stepping Stone
If your previous experience and expertise is from an area you want to leave behind or you are starting from scratch, then reporting is the path you must walk, at least for the short term.
Reporting is a lot of fun. Interviewing experts, talking about what other people are doing and just being part of a community is not a bad way to blog. In many cases people make a career of reporting (journalism is about just that), but if you truly want success and exponential results, at some point you will have to stand up and proclaim yourself as someone unusually good at something and then proceed to demonstrate it over and over again.Have patience and focus on what you do to learn and then translate that experience into lessons for others, and remember, it's okay to be a big fish in a small pond, that's all most experts really are.
This blogging article was written by Yaro Starak, a professional blogger and my blog mentor. He is the leader of the Blog Mastermind mentoring program designed to teach bloggers how to earn a full time income blogging part time.
Click this link to get more information about the Blog Mastermind!
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