You Can Make Money As a Freelancer
Making money online is a goal of many, but most don't know where to start. Freelancing is a broad term given to those who sell a service or skill on the internet, or off for that matter. A freelancer is self-employed and takes on clients. He or she performs her skill or service for current customers and then moves on to new clients, occasionally repeating the service for existing patrons.
Becoming a Freelancer
To become a freelancer, you must first identify a service or skill you can market online. Perhaps you know a bit about a particular topic and can write well. You can market yourself as a freelance writer on your topic. Perhaps you spend a great deal of time on forums or blogs and like to participate in discussions. You can sell your posting skills.
The more experience and expertise you have in a given field the more desirable you will be and the more income you can generate. Technical fields such as programming and search engine optimization are always in demand, and more graphic fields such as design are sought out as well. Even taking a class or two in a certain programming language or graphic design may give you the skills you need to launch a freelance career. It is possible to make a freelance career out of almost any field of work imaginable. It simply takes skill and a bit of marketing.
Marketing Yourself as a Freelancer
The most challenging aspect of freelancing is finding a market for your particular skill. Marketing presents little problem for those who specialize in public relations and are selling their marketing skills, but for the rest of us, the ability to effectively market our wares separates those who are successful from those who are not.
To successfully market yourself and your offering, you must go where there is a need. If you are specializing in design, find those who are building websites who need your help. By the same token, if you are a freelance writer, it is not enough to simply maintain a blog demonstrating your skill. You must find readers and eventually clients who find themselves in need of your service.
Establishing a Successful Freelance Career
Finding your skill set and then finding a customer base are the fundamentals of establishing a freelance career. To make that career successful there are many other aspects to consider: You must research and benchmark your service and those of similar professionals. Could you be doing more or offering additional services? What is the competition doing? Find the ideal rate that brings you the maximum amount of profit with a reasonable amount of work. Are you slaving away for pennies or have your price so high you're putting off clients? Does your rate adequately reflect your level of expertise? Maintain professionalism at all times. Being a freelancer does not entitle you to act unprofessionally. Yes, you set the rules, but those rules also reflect you and your service. Act like a professional and your clients will think of you as one. Stay current. The world is constantly changing, and you must stay current. Read the latest material and constantly network. Understand the changes to your industry and stay with or ahead of the times.
Having said that, one of the best website to start-up a freelance career is Freelancer.com, an Australian based company. This site offers the highest amount of free allowable bids per month for basic users. Unlike Elance or Guru, which tend to limit your earning capability as a basic member, Freelancer offer both basis & premium members the equivalent services (the only difference is the commission charge). So, if you're going to start, Freelancer's a good place.
Freelancing Websites List - Get Freelance Jobs
Krop - Predominantly American but there are some UK jobs on there for freelancers, mainly in the creative industry fields.
Freelancer - Freelancer calls itself 'the world's largest outsourcing marketplace' and includes a huge range of freelance opportunities, available for you to browse. All helpfully categorised and you can quickly see project briefs and budgets.
FreelanceUK - Job opportunities posted on this popular UK freelance website. Be sure to check out their 'Running a Business' section for additional tips and advice.
PeoplePerHour - An established site that has been around for a while now, allowing you to register to people can find you and you may also 'bid' for job opportunities with potential clients.
Behance Jobs - A jobs board for creative professionals, offering opportunities from across the globe. This is part of Behance's online portfolio directory and it's always worth a look.
Smashing Jobs - Smashing Magazine's own Jobs Board where you can search for web design and development opportunities, sometimes featuring ones in the UK.
Sensational Jobs - Another freelance jobs board for web professionals. Includes job opportunities from the UK.
CreativesRus.com - A UK leading freelance database, connecting creative industry with independent professionals. Launched in mid-2010, it's about time we saw more of these, so will be keeping an eye on how this develops in 2011.
Scriptlance - Outsource your projects to freelance programmers and designers at cheap prices. Freelancers will compete for your business. Get programming done for your site in php, mysql, xml, perl/cgi, javascript, asp, plus web design, search engine optimization, marketing, writing, job listings and so much more.
Odesk - Offshore outsourcing, Freelancers, India, Russia, Ukraine, php Programmers, Coders, Developers, Writers, Web Designers, Website Design, Technical Writers.
Thank You
Keep Visiting