You need to regularly take steps to get more clients when you’re self employed, otherwise you don’t stay in a good cash flow. Here’s some ideas to keep your career thriving.
Making the decision to be self-employed is somewhat terrifying, but also very exciting.
I know this personally.
I started my career working in New York’s top ad and marketing agencies – rising up quickly to Senior VP. But then I quit in my late twenties (to my parent’s horror) to pursue self employment as a (hoped for) bestselling author – plus as a branding and marketing consultant. Thankfully, my plan/dream worked out – and I now have a range of bestselling books, video courses (etc) and happy business clients I work with.
For example… As a self-employed worker, you technically have no one to answer to. You’ll have clients, and they will have demands. But there isn’t someone standing over you watching your every move. You can work how you like, when you like, where you like, and for whoever you choose.
With that being said, there is a substantial downside to being self-employed that forces a lot of people to give in to the fear and remain full-time employees at a company.
This downside is simple: you have no guarantees of work. It could be days, possibly even weeks before you see your first client.
In a full-time job, you get paid regardless of how much work you do, there will always be a wage packet each month. But that’s not the case if you’re self employed.
There are a couple of reasons you might struggle. But follow the steps below and you will start generating a more regular stream of clients doing your self employed dream gig.
There will be a point below this about signing up for different platforms to find work, but the biggest mistake you can make is solely relying on these platforms.
Why? Because you will only find clients if they use these platforms.
A lot might, but some may look for services the good old-fashioned way, via Google.
As such, you need to create a website to ensure people find you when searching on Google. It doesn’t need to be incredibly fancy, just make a professional one on WordPress to get started – you can always improve it when you get more money.
Optimize your site for SEO relating to search terms that people will likely be typing to find a service like yours. The mere presence of a website improves your professionalism, which can attract more clients.
Yes, you should still do this as it is a great way to find work. You will see countless platforms online where self-employed people can find work. Three of the big ones include:
Platforms like these are designed to be places where you can advertise jobs, but so can clients.
A client can put an advert out there looking for someone to do a project. And you can get in touch and apply for it.
You can find a surprisingly large number of clients via these platforms. And they work even better when combined with the clients you get from your website!
In the nicest way possible, you’re a fool if you think you can be self-employed and get lots of clients without spending a bit of money.
Invest in a few advertisements to get your name and your services out there.
Online and social media ads are the best ones to use here as they rely on cookies and people’s browsing history. Therefore, your ads will be shown to people who have already been searching for services similar to your own.
From here, people can click on your advertisement – and this is where your website becomes essential.
Without a site, you have nowhere to send people when they click on an ad. With one, you can send them directly to your services page where they can view your offerings and request a service or get in touch with you.
Whenever you want to spread the word about anything, social media is the place to go. Millions of people use these platforms every day, and you can use this to your advantage. Create social media profiles and use them to promote your business and generate new followers.
The great thing about social media is you can often use hashtags that ensure the right people see your posts. This can help you draw in clients that can contact you directly via social media. From here, you can privately message them with further details, possibly securing a job in an instant.
Twitter and Instagram both work really well for self-employed individuals, with Facebook less effective nowadays. However, don’t forget the daddy of all social media: LinkedIn. Possibly the least fun social platform, but also the best from a self-employed standpoint. This is an easy way to find and connect with other professionals, and for clients to find you.
Not having clients is a risk you take when you become self-employed. Hopefully, by following these steps, you can increase your clients and establish a regular and happy customer base.
I love working with entrepreneurs, small business, authors and artists of all kinds.
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