Hajra Naz
Don’t allow competition to discourage you!
Freelancing has numerous advantages, such as flexible work schedules and the autonomy to choose projects that align with your preferences. Additionally, the field has relatively low entry barriers, so it’s no wonder it’s highly saturated.
Coping with a surplus of competition may appear daunting, but you can readily distinguish yourself by addressing a few key areas. From enhancing your portfolio to cultivating your brand, here are the primary methods to deal with competition as a freelancer.
1. Choose Specialization in a Niche
Sometimes, it could appear to be a good plan to do many freelance tasks to get more work. But if you do that, you won’t become good at one thing and won’t have a strong advantage.
A better idea is to find a niche. Picking a specific area of work to focus on. For instance, if you’re a writer, you can specialize in making interesting YouTube scripts.
If you keep learning all about this area and work on projects related to it, you’ll probably get really good at it. Then, you can ask for more money for your work.
In the event that you don’t know which region to zero in on, you can do some research. Figure out what’s well known at this moment and what individuals need. You can peruse stuff from specialists, look on sites where freelancers secure positions, see what others are doing, and converse with different freelancers.
You can likewise check Google Trends to see which niches are truly well-known. Look at which one matches what you like and are good at, and then make your services special for that group.
2. Upsell Your Brand
In the freelance world, you are like a brand, and your work is like what a company sells. Just like regular businesses, you must tell people about your brand to stand out from others.
There are multiple ways of doing this while searching for a job online. Having a site and utilizing social media to definitely stand out from potential employers is a strong methodology.
Before you start portraying yourself to the individuals who need to recruit you, it’s urgent to comprehend their expectations. Look at job listings on websites where people hire freelancers. See what problems those job posters have and what they want from someone they hire to solve those problems.
Next, determine what makes you special based on how to solve these problems. For example, if people who want graphic design help need someone who answers quickly because slow responses can cause problems, you’re fast at finishing the work and making changes.
Once you decide what makes you special, keep doing that well and tell people about it.
3. Improve Your Proposal Writing Skills
Writing a great proposal is important when you want a freelance job. Imagine that clients get many proposals for just one job, and you need yours to be the best.
So, keep your proposal short and include all the important stuff. A good way to start is by quickly greeting and saying you’re interested in the job. That should only take one line.
Then, in the following section, go over how you may assist the client with their issue. Explaining how you intend to tackle the problem is a good approach.
In your conclusion, discuss your experience in this area in a paragraph. Make it pertinent to the client’s requirements and incorporate a pertinent sample to aid the buyer in deciding.
4. Build an Impressive Portfolio
Consider your portfolio a tool to highlight your abilities as a freelancer. By comparing you to others, it enables clients to determine whether you are the best candidate for the position they are offering.
A good portfolio should have info about you, like your education, work experience, and freelancing jobs you’ve done before. It should also have recommendations from people you’ve worked with, examples of your work, and ways for people to contact you.
There are different places online where you can put your portfolio. You can use websites like Behance and Dribble or freelance sites like Upwork and Freelancer. Or, you can make your website to show your best work.
For your portfolio, go with a simple, eye-catching design that complements your work, brand, and personality. Remember to sprinkle your content with calls to action and attractive copy to boost conversion.
5. Expand Your Network
Network is your net worth.
Making friends and talking to people in your work is important for freelancers, just like regular job folks. Doing this lets you learn about what’s new in your field, find helpful stuff, get chances to do more work, and even get people to recommend you to others.
There are many ways to make these work friends. On social media, you can locate other freelancers with whom you might strike up a friendship or discuss potential collaborative projects.
You can likewise join online groups, go to occasions where individuals in your profession get together, and visit web-based spots where individuals discuss your work. A decent spot to begin is LinkedIn.
6. Provide Outstanding Customer Service
You must be excellent at supporting your clients if you want to succeed as a freelancer. That entails completing your assignment promptly and producing top-notch work each time.
Talk to your clients frequently so they are aware of the task’s status.
Sum Up
There are various ways to differentiate yourself from the competition and establish enduring connections with independent freelancers. Choose a specialty and promote yourself by defining your USP. Create sharp proposals, assemble an outstanding portfolio, and gradually advance through networking.
Keep up with industry changes and connect with your clients effectively. Patience is easy to lose when you need help finding work in this oversaturated market. You may not be looking at the correct positions.
