Listing Your Business
Episode #2 of the course Starting a freelance business: Ten essential tips by K.C. Finn
Many people who want to start a business think that having a personal website is all they’ll need. But setting up a site and expecting people to come to it in the big, wide world of the internet is a big mistake. Proactivity is the key, so today, we’re going to look at how and where to get yourself listed, no matter what your skillset entails.
Per-Job Sites
Per-job sites like Upwork, Guru, and SolidGigs can be a great way to interact with clients and compete for jobs. These types of sites usually have a built-in system so you can build a reputation with star ratings, which in turn, will raise your profile and your hireability for future work at bigger price points. Creatives, Critics, and Content-Producing Teachers are all likely to find gigs to suit their talents, and those who build good relationships with clients may find that they are hired for repeated gigs and more guaranteed future work.
The pros of these types of listings include easy access to talk to clients and ways to see precisely what they want and expect for different jobs. You can also see the average price of hire for different types of work, which gives you a good idea of what you can charge based on your skill level. On the downside, these per-job companies will almost always take a portion of your fee away as a commission for helping you to find work, so you need to price yourself accordingly to account for those deductions.
Agencies and Direct Sites
Agencies like First Tutors and direct sites like Readers Favorite are more specific sites that are looking to hire freelancers to do the tasks that they require. In-Person teachers will almost always have to rely on some kind of agency to find an initial client base, although word of mouth from receiving recommendations after that will usually gain them additional clientele. It’s advisable to check out what different agencies can offer and how their tier systems work, because there will often be higher rewards for workers as they complete a certain number of jobs for the site.
The pros of seeking direct site work include the fact that there will be less competition than a wider per-job situation because these sites require specific types of reviewers, critics, or creators, and the public coming to the sites are already looking for the type of work or service that you are offering. Downsides vary in this field, as many agencies charge the client the commission for connection fees to a freelancer, which can mean no fees on your side. But some agencies will charge both ways or expect a minimum number of hours per week in order to keep you listed.
Social Media Platforms and Self-Pub Sites
Platforms like YouTube, Bandcamp, and Udemy can offer you the chance to create content on your own terms and either sell it or make royalties when people interact with it. This is perhaps the most lengthy and time-consuming way to reach a client base because it requires you, as a freelancer, to build your social media outreach and find clients yourself, advertising them to come to your platform. If, however, you already have a sizable network of contacts or a large social media following from a previous venture, then launching your business to an established audience could be a fantastic way to begin.
Pros from this approach include the likelihood of royalties and ambient income from the products you have created, which means that you will slowly build up a baseline of income from projects you have already finished and are still making money from. The flipside to this is the fact that you will have to spend unpaid time creating the content before it is ready to sell, and freelancers in these areas have to advertise repeatedly to keep bringing clients back to their platform.
Tomorrow, we’ll start work on your personal profile as a freelance professional, and explore the best ways that you can appeal to clients from the very first click.
Until then, think about which approach best suits your skills and the business you’d like to have!
K.C.
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To explore even more opportunities for listing your business than those mentioned here, check out these top 18 freelance listing sites that are active and rising in the year 2020.
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