Being a freelancer can be a blessing as you can decide where and when you want to work, which projects you want to work for and most importantly, you are your own boss. On the flip side, you need to keep hunting for new work.

However, if you plan carefully, you can turn your passion into a really successful venture. Here are some tips on how to kick-start a prosperous online freelance business:

Planning

If you have a passion in a particular field, survey the market to see if there’s a need for the services you’re offering. Remember, there will always be competition regardless of the field that you choose.

However, as long as you have a clear unique selling point and you’re confident in your skills and are determined to succeed, it’ll work out. After that, the first thing you need to do is to create a business plan, paying particular attention to your brand and how you are going to market it to your audience.

Establish a strong online presence

If you want to launch a business, your customers have to know about it. The best way for you to do so is to have a website where people can access and find all the essential information. Give potential clients a one-stop shop to see your work, be impressed and contact you right away.

Platforms such as Wix.com have combined website design with artificial intelligence to make it easy and quick to build your site, just by answering a few initial questions. The technology learns about your business, your style, and your current online presence to create a tailored website.

Your website is a demonstration of your expertise, so show it off to the best of your abilities. It should portray your strength, your skills, and examples of previous work you’ve completed.

Rather than using all the work you’ve done, pick out a selection of the best pieces to display on your website and let your potential clients know the names and types of brands you’ve previously worked with. This will give them confidence that you’ll be able to manage their project.

For example, if you’re a videographer and have worked with several top-notch design brands, ensure that you name the specific brands and display the work you’ve done for them. Also, ensure that you request your previous clients for testimonials that you can showcase on your website.

Once you have your website, it’s equally important for it to be seen; therefore it needs to be optimised so others can find it when they search it on any web engine. You can have a look here for some further tips and advice.

Get Social

Social media platforms are great as information hubs, to find potential leads and to promote yourself. As a freelancer you should have a social media presence, making sure it’s in line with your brand personality and your tone of voice.

Think about what your business goals are and choose the platform which is right for you. If you’re a skilled presenter, YouTube or Vimeo may work for you; alternatively, if you want to showcase your photography or fashion designing skills, Instagram would be perfect for you to display your work.

Facebook and Twitter are two of the most recognisable social media platforms

Focus only on the platforms that will be relevant to you as quality is always better than quantity.

Word of mouth is one of the best methods to market yourself, and LinkedIn is one of the most powerful tools as you can use to gather endorsements from previous clients and show them off here. LinkedIn is also a great social media platform to connect with potential clients.

Keep your profile active with new posts and update your skills and work experience when needed.

Promote Yourself

Make sure that your name is included in every digital directory related to your field so that if someone is searching for a freelancer through a specific portal, they’ll be able to find you easily.

Sign-up to get newsletters from industry influencers and stay up-to-date with the news and trends. Moreover, there are plenty of publications and message boards for every field where you can engage with other freelancers and colleagues in your field.

Start a newsletter or a blog

Find your inner writer and start writing a newsletter or a blog. Get your message out there and sound like the expert you are. For those who are less linguistically inclined, you can create other opportunities such as doing an interview as either interviewer or interviewee for a relevant publication.

At the end of the day, you want published and shareable content that shows you off.

Embrace networking

Use your online tools to reach out to relevant members of the community and social influencers for a one-on-one meet.

Face-to-face encounters make all the difference between occasional interactions and valuable relationships. Moreover, networking can open up plenty of doors for future job opportunities, potential projects or client leads.

If you follow these tips you will be on the right path to set up yourself as a successful freelancer.