5 Ways to Get Your Freelancing Business to Grow

Many dream of becoming freelancers working on their own terms and entirely for themselves. But most freelancers will tell you that running a freelancing business is not all freedom and glory. The most prominent challenge freelancers face is competition from other freelancers and well-established businesses worldwide. It is easy for clients to find someone who will do the same work for less money. You need to find a way to prove your worth and find clients willing to pay what you need and deserve, and then some. 

Moreover, if you plan on establishing a freelancing business and running it for the long haul as your primary source of income, you need to find a way to make it grow by finding new clients, upgrading your offerings, and upping your marketing game. 

Here are 5 ways to get your freelancing business to grow into a long-term profit-generating business.

Create a solid website for your freelancing business

In order to grow your freelance business, your potential clients should be able to get to know you while researching you online. The first thing they will want to see is your business website. Even if you don’t run your freelance business online, your website acts as the gateway to your work and speaks of your personality and professionalism.

Design-wise, your freelancing business website should be easy to use and aesthetically appealing while vouching for your attention to detail and, in some cases, even your skills. Content-wise, it should have the following:

     A. An About Me page that summarizes your professional and personal journey in an engaging way to allow your clients to learn who you are.

     B. If applicable, a well-presented portfolio showcasing your best work in different categories and for renowned clients.

     C. A Contact Me page with how people can get in touch with you.

     D. A Products and Services page listing everything you offer. 

2. Get the right domain name for your freelancing business website.

Just like you need the perfect company name to establish and brand your freelance business, you need the perfect domain name to draw people’s attention to your business website. Ideally, when deciding upon your company name, you should check to see if it is available for use as a domain name. Together, they should create a powerful and consistent brand for you and your freelancing business. 

At all costs, you should steer clear of free domain names offered by service providers. Your domain name should be customized to reflect you and your brand only. Only then will people take you seriously as a freelancer. 

The domain name for your freelancing business website should be

     A. Short and simple

Avoid using more than three words and, as far as possible, stay away from numbers, special characters, and complicated spellings. The shorter your domain name is, the easier it will be to communicate and remember. Sweet and simple means it will be less prone to being mistyped. 

     B. Branded

Your domain name should be as similar to your freelance business name as possible. That is the only way people will connect your website to your business. For instance, if your freelance company name is The App Tech, your domain name can be theapp.tech.

     C. Relevant

When people see your domain name, they should be able to gauge at once what your freelancing business offers. Get a keyword-rich domain name using a relevant domain extension, such as .Store (if you are running an online store) or .Tech (if you dabble in technology). Even generic new domain extensions can help you acquire a more meaningful domain name, such as learncoding.online or mindtherapy.space.

3. Network to promote yourself and your freelancing business.

Business relations are more than just transactional. Establishing new business relationships and maintaining existing ones requires you to put yourself out there. Your work may speak for itself, but more is needed. Networking with potential clients and professional peers is how freelancers grow their businesses. 

Here are some of the best ways to network to get your freelancing business to grow:

     A. Attend industry events.

Industry meetups, seminars, and trade shows are where you can find clients looking for your products and services.

     B. Social media groups

Join groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to build  rapport with people from your industry who you can collaborate with. People looking for freelancers will often post their requirements on such groups, so check them regularly.

     C. Cold emailing

If you find a client you want to work with, but don’t have a pre-existing connection with them, don’t hesitate to grab their email address from their website and e-introduce yourself. Contacting a stranger can be intimidating, but there is nothing to lose. 

Even though you are networking to get your freelancing business to grow, don’t make it all about business. Be yourself, talk about your life and your interests and not just your professional achievements, and show interest in getting to know the other party. Meaningful connections are the key to a long-lasting professional relationship.

4. Establish your authority to get your freelancing business to grow.

Your freelance business will attract more quality clients if they see you as an expert in their field, someone who commands authority due to their experience and in-depth knowledge. Running a successful business largely depends on reputation management. Finding the proper channels to showcase your expertise is one of the most effective ways to market yourself as a freelancer. 

What are some of the channels that you can use to establish your authority?

     A. Start a blog.

Whether your freelancing business is blogging or not, a blog with posts on current industry trends, guides, how-tos, and other content pieces can be a reference for clients. This not only establishes you as an expert but also as someone who genuinely wants to help people. Moreover, you can use Google Analytics and other SEO tools to ensure you publish high-quality content that people are looking for.

     B. Become a guest contributor.

Find authoritative platforms that publish content related to your industry and author articles for them. This helps establish your credibility and connect with your audience, who can be your next clients. You can also publish your views on topics in groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

     C. Get active on community forums.

In communities on Reddit and Quora, people ask questions about things they want to know or their problems. By answering such questions, you can establish yourself as someone with the knowledge and experience to solve their problems. You can also get new ideas on how you can improve your business.

5. Grow your freelancing business by offering more services.

Today, every field is constantly evolving. New technology replaces existing ones, and new and improved ways of doing the same tasks continue to emerge. As a freelancer, you are the master of your destiny. The success of your freelancing business depends upon your ability and willingness to keep up with the times and continue offering new and existing clients the best products and services in the market. This also involves diversifying your skills and offering additional services. Doing that has two massive benefits:

     A. You can take on more clients.

     B. You can get existing clients to pay more by offering more services. They already know and trust you, so they will be willing to pay you for your new services.

For instance, if you are a freelance writer, you should learn about Analytics and SEO. That way, you can offer your clients content and content topics that will help your clients get more traffic and use the best SEO practices to improve the search engine ranking of that content.

Here are some tried-and-tested ways of adding more services to your freelancing business:

• Stay on top of industry trends by subscribing to content from credible sources, such as reports and case studies from top universities, blogs run by experts, and news.
• Join online courses to upgrade your skill set.
• Get tech-savvy. You should master using the best software and equipment in your field. You should be willing to learn new techniques as and when they emerge.

In conclusion

Growing your freelance business can be a slow and challenging journey. It depends on your skills, but to a larger extent, it depends on your determination to keep going. You can gradually convert your freelance business from a side gig to a full-fledged revenue-making company through experimentation, innovation, constantly learning and upgrading, and reinventing yourself.

Get the right domain name for your freelancing business website

Just like you need the perfect company name to establish and brand your freelance business, you need the perfect domain name to draw people’s attention to your business website. Ideally, when deciding upon your company name, you should check to see if it is available for use as a domain name. Together, they should create a powerful and consistent brand for you and your freelancing business. 

At all costs, you should steer clear of free domain names offered by service providers. Your domain name should be customized to reflect you and your brand only. Only then will people take you seriously as a freelancer. 

The domain name for your freelancing business website should be

     A. Short and simple

Avoid using more than three words and, as far as possible, stay away from numbers, special characters, and complicated spellings. The shorter your domain name is, the easier it will be to communicate and remember. Sweet and simple means it will be less prone to being mistyped. 

     B. Branded

Your domain name should be as similar to your freelance business name as possible. That is the only way people will connect your website to your business. For instance, if your freelance company name is The App Tech, your domain name can be theapp.tech.

     C. Relevant

When people see your domain name, they should be able to gauge at once what your freelancing business offers. Get a keyword-rich domain name using a relevant domain extension, such as .Store (if you are running an online store) or .Tech (if you dabble in technology). Even generic new domain extensions can help you acquire a more meaningful domain name, such as learncoding.online or mindtherapy.space.

Network to promote yourself and your freelancing business

Business relations are more than just transactional. Establishing new business relationships and maintaining existing ones requires you to put yourself out there. Your work may speak for itself, but more is needed. Networking with potential clients and professional peers is how freelancers grow their businesses. 

Here are some of the best ways to network to get your freelancing business to grow:

     A. Attend industry events.

Industry meetups, seminars, and trade shows are where you can find clients looking for your products and services.

     B. Social media groups

Join groups on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to build  rapport with people from your industry who you can collaborate with. People looking for freelancers will often post their requirements on such groups, so check them regularly.

     C. Cold emailing

If you find a client you want to work with, but don’t have a pre-existing connection with them, don’t hesitate to grab their email address from their website and e-introduce yourself. Contacting a stranger can be intimidating, but there is nothing to lose. 

Even though you are networking to get your freelancing business to grow, don’t make it all about business. Be yourself, talk about your life and your interests and not just your professional achievements, and show interest in getting to know the other party. Meaningful connections are the key to a long-lasting professional relationship.

Establish your authority to get your freelancing business to grow

Your freelance business will attract more quality clients if they see you as an expert in their field, someone who commands authority due to their experience and in-depth knowledge. Running a successful business largely depends on reputation management. Finding the proper channels to showcase your expertise is one of the most effective ways to market yourself as a freelancer. 

What are some of the channels that you can use to establish your authority?

     A. Start a blog.

Whether your freelancing business is blogging or not, a blog with posts on current industry trends, guides, how-tos, and other content pieces can be a reference for clients. This not only establishes you as an expert but also as someone who genuinely wants to help people. Moreover, you can use Google Analytics and other SEO tools to ensure you publish high-quality content that people are looking for.

     B. Become a guest contributor.

Find authoritative platforms that publish content related to your industry and author articles for them. This helps establish your credibility and connect with your audience, who can be your next clients. You can also publish your views on topics in groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

     C. Get active on community forums.

In communities on Reddit and Quora, people ask questions about things they want to know or their problems. By answering such questions, you can establish yourself as someone with the knowledge and experience to solve their problems. You can also get new ideas on how you can improve your business.

Grow your freelancing business by offering more services

Today, every field is constantly evolving. New technology replaces existing ones, and new and improved ways of doing the same tasks continue to emerge. As a freelancer, you are the master of your destiny. The success of your freelancing business depends upon your ability and willingness to keep up with the times and continue offering new and existing clients the best products and services in the market. This also involves diversifying your skills and offering additional services. Doing that has two massive benefits:

     A. You can take on more clients.

     B. You can get existing clients to pay more by offering more services. They already know and trust you, so they will be willing to pay you for your new services.

For instance, if you are a freelance writer, you should learn about Analytics and SEO. That way, you can offer your clients content and content topics that will help your clients get more traffic and use the best SEO practices to improve the search engine ranking of that content.

Here are some tried-and-tested ways of adding more services to your freelancing business:

• Stay on top of industry trends by subscribing to content from credible sources, such as reports and case studies from top universities, blogs run by experts, and news.
• Join online courses to upgrade your skill set.
• Get tech-savvy. You should master using the best software and equipment in your field. You should be willing to learn new techniques as and when they emerge.

In conclusion

Growing your freelance business can be a slow and challenging journey. It depends on your skills, but to a larger extent, it depends on your determination to keep going. You can gradually convert your freelance business from a side gig to a full-fledged revenue-making company through experimentation, innovation, constantly learning and upgrading, and reinventing yourself.