As independent workers, freelancers don't really have the luxury of just having work given to them. Instead, you have to earn it. A crucial part of that earning process is to find ways for potential customers to see what services you offer.

So, how can you grab the attention of these pending purchasers?

media update's Lara Smit explores four different ways that freelancers can put the spotlight on their services right here:

1. Become a blogging boffin

Blogs are a great way for professionals to flex their knowledge in their field and build up their credibility as thought leaders. It is an excellent tool for freelancers to boost their visibility too.

By creating content like blogs on a regular basis, you create more opportunities for potential customers to hear about you and learn about the services that you offer. This is because a variety of blog posts will help your website — or whichever platform you use to blog — to appear in more search engine results.

Additionally, blogs are extremely shareable and can be distributed via links through social media posts and mentions with just a click of a button.

You can also try your hand at writing content for a variety of blogging sites as a guest blogger. This will spread the word about your expertise and help you gain a following — all while boosting your credibility, we might add.

So, not only will your name be seen, but it will be viewed as trustworthy with the support of the various platforms that publish your blogs.

2. Be seen in the social network scene

Nowadays, social media is everyone's favourite people-finding tool. Therefore, it shouldn't come as a surprise that potential customers might seek freelancers on these platforms.

By sharing content and networking with users in these spaces, you can attract and build relationships with prospective clients. This is because social media has an enormous reach; it allows freelancing individuals to showcase their work to the right people through the groups they join, feeds that they contribute to and connections they make.

This may all seem rather easy, but it requires a bit of effort from your side. To increase your visibility on these platforms, you have to:
  • ensure that you post often
  • engage with your followers and other professionals in their industry, and
  • join groups and actively take part in relating or trending conversations.
What's more is that social media platforms each provide unique marketing tools that allow freelancers to create and manage their own adverts on these sites. This then helps you to be seen by various social media users — even those who don't follow you.

3. Get views from reviews

Ask any marketer and they will tell you that word-of-mouth is still one of the most effective forms of marketing.

One of the best ways for you to kick off some word-of-mouth for your services is by encouraging your clients to leave reviews on the various platforms that they are active on. These could be:
  • your website
  • any freelancing websites that you may be signed up to, and
  • your social media platforms.
These reviews will act as your referrals to new customers and recommend your services to any potential client that comes across them. Additionally, reviews are proven to be an effective way of boosting an individual's credibility as it shows buyers that previous clients have been satisfied with their services.

Furthermore, reviews are seen as a more authentic way to boost visibility because clients have no ulterior motives when endorsing a product or service that does not belong to them. Therefore, a review is an unbiased perspective by prospective clients.

It's also important to note that, while reviews are a great way to increase your visibility, they also portray you as a more relevant freelancer because your services have become an object of discussion. This is a great added bonus of reviews as they give an added desirability to your offerings (because — let's be frank — people want what other people want).

4. Run with the wolves

A surefire way to get seen in the freelancing space is to join freelancing platforms. Why? These platforms usually have an established following, which means that you will already have a customer pool that you can tap into if you join them.

Additionally, having a profile on freelancing websites increases your searchability, making you easy to be found online.

If these reasons aren't enough, joining reputable freelancing platforms is another guaranteed way to up your credibility in the eyes of potential clients. This is likely because they'll believe that sourcing freelancers from these platforms are safer than finding them through other means due to the standards that are upheld by these websites.

Popular freelancing platforms include:
Another way that you can increase their visibility is through in-person networking. Meeting people in person by attending events, seminars and workshops not only gets you seen but it makes you memorable. This is because people are more likely to remember you if they have met you and had a discussion with you.

Furthermore, in-person interactions allow you to build more genuine relationships with customers, as your offering comes across as more authentic when addressed in conversation in real life.

This is fantastic for freelancers who don't have a steady income, as building relationships and loyalty with clients will guarantee that they will use you again in future — giving you a consistent source of work.

What other ways do you think freelancers can get themselves seen? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Freelancers, now that you know how you can boost your visibility, how about boosting your income? Find out how you can increase your earnings in our article, Freelancers, this is how you can earn the big bucks.
*Image courtesy of Canva