For Freelance Success, Visibility Must Be a No. 1 Priority

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In recent years, the freelance economy has redefined the way we approach work. The likes of Uber, Fiverr, and TaskRabbit have given freelancers more visibility and more access to work than ever before. As a result, many workers are turning away from traditional work and choosing to embrace the freedom and flexibility of freelancing instead. There are now more than 53 million freelancers working in the US. That’s 34 percent of the nations’s workforce.

As with anything, there are pros and cons to the freelance lifestyle, with the aforementioned freedom and flex being the top pros. As for cons: Not having backup when there is too much work to do can be tough, as can finding new clients and revenue streams when the money starts to dry up.

Another con: Many freelancers end up competing on price to win work. Platforms like Fiverr encourage freelancers to work for as little compensation as possible in order to land clients.

It doesn’t have to be that way. As a freelancer, you can find the “sweet spot” where you work for clients you enjoy that value your work and pay you your worth.

The key to hitting the sweet spot is building what I call your “know/like/trust” factor. Potential clients need to know who you are, like what they hear about you, and trustin you and your work. The more clients know about you and the more they like what they see, the more they will trust in you and the value you will bring to their business.

Building the Know/Like/Trust Factor

Start at the beginning with the “know” aspect of it all. Get your name out there! Start writing and talking about your area of expertise. Write blogs and articles you can publish on LinkedIn. Seek out speaking opportunities; start small with local networking groups and build up to bigger events, like conferences. In no time, you will start emerging as the go-to person in your industry.

You can use LinkedIn to your advantage here; there are so many ways to leverage the site to get your name out in your target marketplace. Use LinkedIn to build your personal brand as a thought-leader in your niche. Join and publish articles in groups with members who fit your target profile. You can also search out existing connections to see if they can introduce you to potential clients.

Of course, if you are going to put all of this effort into driving people to your profile, you must have a killer profile! Get yourself “all-star” status by following LinkedIn’s directions and filling out the necessary information on your profile. Ask for recommendations. Make sure your profile represents the best possible version of you.

Once you have established yourself as an all-important guru in the industry, the requests from new clients will start pouring in.

I know this works because this is the method I use. My No. 1 priority is being visible in my network — and my career success has flowed from there.

Susan Burke is an award-winning global careers coach. You can connect with Susan via LinkedIn  and grab a complimentary copy of her book, Get Companies Chasing You, directly from her website.

By Susan Burke