There are decisions you need to make to determine how you move forward in your freelance career. If you’re already established but haven’t given much thought to your brand, now is the time. If you’re just getting started and haven’t done anything, now is the time.
First, think about who your target customers are. “Everyone” is not the right answer. Give this some thought so that you can focus on the people you want to have as clients.
At a minimum, you want people who live in the radius you’re willing to travel, who will come to you, or who will meet with you online. You also need people who are willing and able to pay the rate you are charging for your service. And finally, you want people who you like enough to have as clients.
You can start getting more specific beyond that depending on your service. If you’re a dog walker, your target customers are people who have one or more dogs, who don’t feel their dog gets enough exercise, and who cannot or will not walk the dog themselves.
Once you know who your target customers are, consider what they value in the service you offer. This will help you determine the tone of your profile picture and bio. If you’re a fitness instructor, a profile photo that demonstrates you are fit and caring will go a long way to attracting more customers. If you’re a make-up artist, showing a creative flair and tasteful make-up will help people understand your approach. Whatever you choose, invest in a professional photographer. It will help customers gain confidence in your skills and help you make a better first impression.
When you craft your one-liner title and your bio continue to consider your target audience. A math tutor uses Help-With-Math-123 as her one-liner with a sympathetic toned bio that appeals to parents of struggling kids. The most important thing about your bio is that it clearly explains what you do in a way that makes you sound like you, a real person. While you can get creative and have some fun with it, you don’t want to use jargon or clichés.
Finally, think about where you want to show up online. “Everywhere” is not the right answer. It may seem counterintuitive, but you’ll want to avoid freelancer marketplaces. You’re going to put a lot of thought into your rate, and you don’t want a marketplace to skim 30-40% off each booking. If you consider a platform like Motil, you’ll have access to the solutions you need, but only pay a monthly subscription instead of a huge percentage every time you work. Another benefit to Motil is that you’ll be able to send potential customers from your social media pages to your Motil profile to check availability and book your service. Easy for you, and easy for your clients.
Using social media can be very powerful but keep your posts professional and relevant to the customers you want to attract. No one wants a house sitter who posts photos of them doing shots at parties every weekend.
The main thread through everything you do to build your brand – from your photo to your profile to your social media posts – is to let your authentic self shine through. This is the thing that will make you stand out and draw people to you.
