With more and more freelance job boards and online resources showing up on the web, freelance web design and graphic design jobs are a lot easier to find than they used to be. Because of this trend, more and more people are considering taking their skills and talents out of the work place in order to work independently as a freelancer. Conversely, the global nature of the Internet has allowed new possibilities for companies and businesses needing workers with targeted skill sets. No longer are companies dependent upon a local pool of web designers. Now companies can reach out to freelance web developers and designers, many of which may have specific skills or experience beyond the local pool of developers in their specific region.
Finding Freelance Jobs
Exactly how do freelancers find enough work to sustain a steady income in a competitive market? Opposed to working at a tradition web or graphic design firm, freelancing requires that you actively look for and obtain new clients. This means that you as the freelancer have to actively take on the role of seeking out new clients and prospects. The key to this is constantly building and growing a client base that will be so happy with your work that they recommend your skills and services to others.
Looking for local clients
Though there are a lot freelance job sites online, I recommend looking for local freelancing opportunities as well. Often there are a lot of small business owners desperately in need of a website makeover or design update, but, given they are a small company, they often can’t afford the fees of a large firm. It’s situations like these that can go along way towards building your clients base and recommendation list. Start your search with friends and family. Ask them if they know of anyone that could use your services. If they don’t have anyone specifically in mind, provide them with a small stack of your business cards and let them know that you will give them a referral bonus or kickback if they refer someone your way. Next you can do some cold calling to local business in your area letting them know about your services and offerings. Often a few local opportunities like this can open the door for more work, especially if you provide exceptional service.
Community Events and User Groups
In an internet age its easy to rely soling on the web for everything from processing client payments to seeking out new leads, but getting involved in local community events and user groups can be a great way to market your services. Meetup.com is a great site for fining local community groups that meet around similar topics. Finding a meet up that allows you to connect with business owners is a great way to get your business-card in the hands of business owners. Craigslist.com is another site that features a calendar with community events. I have found that attending local user groups is a great way to build relationships and obtain new clients. Best of all, these types of events can really be a lot of fun to attend.
Freelance Job Boards
After you have established a few local clients that are willing to give you a referral, it’s time to start broadening your client base as well as seeking more lucrative projects and clients. This is where freelance job boards come into the picture. There are a variety of different job boards online. Some focus on programming and web design while others focus on narrow topics like writing and design. Some freelance job boards have rating systems, and though these can be beneficial to clients seeking proven freelancers, these types of sites have a lot of competition. Often freelance sites with rating systems create an environment where new members have to take on projects at very low rates until they get their rating up. This is why I recommend not focusing on just one or two job boards. To further your reach, it’s good to sign up for as many job boards as you possibly can. Typically this will help get you more prospects, as well as help you identify what job boards are going to be most beneficial for your specific skills and needs.
Updating Your Portfolio
One thing that is often neglected among freelancers is an up-kept portfolio. As you gain more clients, be aware of opportunities to showcase your work. In many cases, just being upfront with a client and asking is enough to get their approval to add a project to your portfolio, especially if the project does not have a huge corporate identity behind it. Not every client is going to want you to add their project to your portfolio, and you should be respectful of those who don’t. There are ways to express to your client the value in giving you permission to showcase your work. The first thing you could do is offer a small discount for permission to showcase the work. Alternatively, you can point out the benefit of an inbound link from your site to theirs. This is especially attractive if your site has good page rank and your client is just launching their site.
There are new possibilities for freelance employment popping up every day. With a well-developed process and a proper plan of attack, one can take advantage of the many resources now available online. Being aware of possibilities both locally and globally can go a long way toward keeping your freelance endeavors rewarding and profitable.
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