Do you know that in the freelancing world, your name is your brand? Neither do I when I first started out as a freelancer.

With bumps in the dark, I begin to realize that the only way to stand out is to build a strong reputation for yourself, not unlike a company promoting its brand. You do the necessary marketing on social media, you set up a website focus on yourself and your services and you try to network yourself around to the right target audience.

Like what many marketing books and websites advises you to do but what if you are still not finding any success in the freelancing world? Here are some of the things I did to get myself a steady stream of freelance income.

Acknowledge Your Differences

Every freelancer is different, even the ones with the same skill sets. Whether you specialized in telemarketing, writing or programming, you should see yourself as unique from others. By identifying and acknowledging the differences, comes the next point….

Different Is Great!

Be a unique individual who offers to freelance. Market yourself proudly. Every product out there has their own unique selling point. Even copies. Even when Xiaomi phones copied iPhones but their USP is that they run on android and much cheaper than Apple. Find your niche market and build your niche clientele.

There are a million Pakistanis who offer writing services but I choose to stand out as a Singaporean writer offering localized articles for my country. That is one of my unique selling points.

Focus, Concentrate And Attention

Focus on what you can give then give it your all. Don’t do half ass job and call it a day. If you produce excellent work, your clients will be begging for your services. And I’m not exaggerating. I have clients who come back requesting for my services, again and again, sometimes I need to turn them away because I have too much workload. Don’t take on more than you can handle otherwise you’ll just rush through your deadlines and produce sloppy work.

Collect High Profile Clients

Collect them as much as you will collect badges and wear them proudly. Whether it is a big corporation or a high profile individual, it is always good to have well-known names under your profile. Stay tuned to MiddleMe as I teach you how to gain those high profile clients under your belt.

Secure Long Term Customers

Another must do in order to gain steady income for yourself. Successful full-time freelancers have their own long term customers that keep coming back to them. Half of my clients are long term customers and I enjoy working with them as much as they trust me to do my job properly. Mutual trust is crucial here. If you ever come across a wonderful client, hold on to him as tightly as possible. He will be one of those who contributes to your regular income. 50% of my clients are regulars who have been around since I started freelancing 2 years ago.

Upgrade Yourself

I have said this and I will say this again and again. Upgrading your skills is very important. It gives you leverage to negotiate higher income for yourself and benefit your clients in the long run. It is not difficult neither is it expensive to upgrade yourself. It boils down to how committed you are to make freelancing work for you.

If you ever need personal tips to help you build a successful long term freelancing career, please reach out to me. I don’t bite. Or if you have more tricks up your sleeves, please do share in the comments below. Remember at MiddleMe, sharing is caring!

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