How A Blog Can Kick Start Your Freelance Business

Alex — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:34:56 +0000

Freelancing has become the dream job anywhere. With the economy still stinking and good jobs become harder to find, many have turned over to freelancing to keep their income streams flowing.

But just because you can declare yourself as a freelancer doesn’t mean it will work out for you. You have to be able to do a lot of things and make some tough decisions. Freelancing is a great job, but it requires more effort at first so you can get your name out there.

How does one get their name out there on the Internet? You can either make an embarrassing YouTube video that goes viral (not an ideal move for a freelancer), or learn how to market themselves. Not everyone can market, I know I still have ways to go before I call myself an “Internet marketer.” But I do know one great marketing plan for my freelance business that has gotten me a steady stream of clients since April 2008. And that one little technique is having a blog.

I will bet you didn’t know that your blog and your readers are the key to starting your freelance business. I had no idea myself, until I started Blogussion. Usually when making money from blogs are in mind, you think of selling advertisements, doing paid review or something else crazy.

If you can get clients to see your blog and want to work with you, then you will be earning money indirectly from your blog. I talked about this topic back in May, creating a reputation to earn money from your blog.

Setting goals on your blog that tie into freelancing

We all have goals for ourselves on our blog. To get 1,000 pageviews a day, or 100 comments on a post for example. These are all goals that effect the future of your blog. These are not goals that have an underlying impact on your business.

To really get where you want your business to be, like your blog, you need to set goals for yourself. Whether you set long term goals, or short term goals, have a clear vision where you want your freelance business to be.

These are a few goals I set for my freelance business, and I have made them all come true so far:

Earn high $xxx a week
Earn mid $xxxx a month
Create recurring clients
Set a fair rate for work, and always deliver my best

There are so many other things that you need to do for your business, but these are a few highlights from my experience.

Goals are set to motivate you and give you a great sense of accomplishment when you complete a goal. Keep these goals for your freelance business in mind always. I write mine down somewhere, and every time I look at them, I really feel motivated to get to work and earn my money for the day.

Setting up a freelancer friendly blog

Now that the basic ideas for how a blog can set you up for freelancing, I want to get into the fun stuff and talk about how to set your blog up for freelancing.

It’s harder than it seems to make your readers aware that you are a freelancer and blogger without getting too intrusive. But follow these tips I am about to talk about below. These are the ones I use, and I am earning pretty well for my age!

Introduce yourself

This is standard for any blog to have an about page introducing yourself. The trick here is to really go in-depth and be as open as you can be, within your own limits. Usually clients will want to know who they are working with, and if they can find information about you easily, they may be more inclined to work with you. Provided you don’t go too far and tell about your embarrassing moments in grade school.

Get your name out there

Again, just sticking to the regular blogging routine. Market your blog, and let your blog do all of the talking for you. Be as consistent as possible and never stop blogging. If you have been reading this blog for a while, then you will know that I say all the time to never give up on your blog.

Make your blog your best work

This is the part where having a blog really will make or break your freelance business. When you start your blog, whatever your talent is – make it show! If you design, make your blog your best work. If you are an SEO Consultant, get your blog at the top of all your keywords!

In about 90% of the emails I get for freelance design, the first sentence is always something like “I love the work you have done for Blogussion, and I want to get a design like it.” My client base has been so consistent to the point where I am creating a career for myself. All because I had a blog portraying my best work.

I have made some pretty great designs for people in these last few months, some that I didn’t want to give away! But, I still think none of them top the design here on Blogussion.

Show off your work, and even brag about it

Basically, create a portfolio. Some people actually start a whole other blog to display their portfolio, and others will do things a little differently. I have done this method in this post already, and that’s bragging about my business. I want you guys to know that I am having a successful freelance journey, and I don’t feel egotistical for doing it. If I can prove to you that I am really doing a good job with my freelancing business, then maybe one day we will work together on a project.

Don’t be afraid to do this on your own blog either. It can make a different just wait and see.

Promote yourself non-intrusively

Most of my promotion for my business is done at my other blog, and that’s where most of my emails get sent off. However, I do show off my talent a little bit at the end of each post here. Here are a couple examples:

A simple little message in the header is shown that I am available for freelance work

Find spots on your blog that will be noticed if you advertised your service on your blog. But don’t lose focus, your blog is still meant for blogging, don’t go overboard with promoting yourself as a freelancer.

What do you say?

So, I have gone over ways in this article to help you start a freelance business on an existing blog. What do you think of this topic, and how has your blog effected you as a freelancer? Let me know, I would love to hear from people in different freelance fields!

I am very excited as this is my 100th post on Blogussion. I have never hit this milestone before, and I want to thank all of you for sticking with the blog and reading my posts for all this time!

Blogussion » freelancing blogging

How A Blog Can Kick Start Your Freelance Business

Setting goals on your blog that tie into freelancing

Setting up a freelancer friendly blog

What do you say?

Photo by “Evil” Erin