Three Must-Haves for Growing A Freelance Business
What happens when you want to freelance but don’t have any clients yet? You build the backend. Of your business, I don’t mean going to the gym.
When I was starting out, I didn’t know where to start to find clients so, I dedicated my time towards creating promotional materials I knew I would use on a future client.
It’s understandable that clients' top questions would be about services, pricing and prior work experience. So, I started creating marketing material that would answer those questions.
First, I started with a portfolio
The portfolio was a Canva Powerpoint template. I used colors that I liked (which are now my business’ official colors).
The portfolio included:
A table of contents.
A slide introducing myself, my experience, why I was interested in marketing and how I started freelancing.
Marketing projects I had worked on.
Most of the projects featured were from when I worked at 9-5. I had only freelanced with two clients at that time. I didn’t feel confident enough to include that work in the portfolio. As I reflect on that decision now, anything I could have included would have worked.
There were several sections that I created to feature my different skills: social media marketing, videography and photography and copywriting and blog writing.
Each slide featured a brief (the what) and a solution (the how) to better explain the thought behind each project.
This took about nine hours to make, including the design.
From there, I had a working portfolio to share with clients when they asked.
Second, I created an Introduction Flyer
The introduction flyer focused on sharing background information related to my expertise and how I started freelancing. Many of the clients I have given this flyer to didn’t know anything about me and it was a great first step towards introducing myself. Hence the name, “introduction flyer.”
The introduction flyer I created helped answer questions like:
Who is she?
Why is she freelancing?
Does she even have any experience or is she just that good?
I’ve actually sent the introduction flyer to people who know someone that might be interested. So, I include a little picture of me too to help further my business’ credibility. Let them know I’m not some rando.
The third thing every freelancers needs is a services and price list
This flyer went through several revision processes. The foundation of the flyer was researched through other freelancers who were willing to share what services they were offering and how much they charged.
Over time, I changed it to best reflect my expertise and my location. But, I am constantly revising this flyer because it changes as I gain more experience.
The biggest focus of the flyer is addressing potential clients’ two basic needs: social media account management and content creation.
I chose to price services by a monthly package. The Bronze, Silver and Gold packages featured a measured amount of reels, static images, and stories. Carousels don’t cost any more. Then there’s add-ons like client customer management (responding to DMs and comments), engagement 5x a week, and more.
Keep up with me on social media! Follow @thesocialnicole on LinkedIn and Instagram.
