Promoting Your Business Online – Effectively and Affordably
Posted by Jessica | Posted in Social Media | Posted on 21-11-2011 | 12
No matter how experienced or capable a freelancer you are, you will never get new work if nobody knows you exist. Promoting your freelancing skills online is the best way to attract new clients and can even help you keep the ones you already have. What’s more— online promotion these days isn’t expensive.
Having a fantastic website showcasing your freelance services is definitely the first step. But that’s only part of the battle won. You still have to get people to view your site, and once they’re there, they still need to actually make use of your services.
Getting people to know what services you offer is a lot easier than you might think. Effectively reaching out to new clients online involves both diligent homework and research – and can even demand an initial outlay of cash. But when you look at your bank balance at the end of the month, you’ll realize that the dividends are worth it.
Ways to Promote Yourself Online
Here are some simple ways to promote yourself and your freelance business that cost almost nothing. Some ideas are so simple you’ll be surprised that you didn’t think of them yourself!
Build a great website. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. An easy rule to follow is that your website must clearly explain your freelance business in fewer than 10 seconds. Keep it simple, and make it visually compelling as well as a good read.
Write your own blog. Make it informative and interesting, but also make it personal—use this opportunity to give your product a personality! Content should be frequently updated (at least once every two weeks) and relevant to your own freelance business to attract potential clients. Create content other than text for your blog as well. Incorporate podcasts or YouTube clips that will distinguish your freelance business from the rest. Sometimes it’s that little personal touch that can really make a difference.
Update your Twitter and LinkedIn profile regularly. Make sure your Twitter profile says all the important things about your freelance business, and ensure that your LinkedIn profile is sprinkled with industry-relevant keywords. Get in some testimonials and recommendations from friends, too.
Advertise yourself for free by offering content related to your business to other sites. Target businesses in a related field that would have a genuine interest in the types of content you can offer. For example, if you are a freelance writer, create an article about writing tips and link your bio to your site. Offer your article to writing communities.
Make sure every email you send goes out with this a signature that includes a link to your website.
Optimize your site for search engines by using SEO best practices. You can read about SEO online or hire someone to help you.
Put yourself on Yahoo Local and other similar directories that offer free listings, then ask satisfied customers or partners to recommend you.
Syndicate your content. Take advantage of organizations that will syndicate your content for free, such as ISnare and EZineArticles. Make sure your bio discusses your freelance business, and that your URL is always included.
Post in business directories that promote services similar to yours – just do an online search to find out what’s on offer. Most of them are free.
Try PPC – or Pay per Click Advertising. This costs money, but if executed correctly, it can drive many qualified visitors to your site.
Offer to give a presentation be a (free) guest speaker at a convention or marketing meeting. Order business cards from an online printing company to pass out after your presentation.
Getting your freelance business off the ground doesn’t have to be difficult, but creating a niche for yourself in today’s competitive market can take a lot of forethought, time and effort.
Freelancers who know how to effectively and affordably promote their business online are well on their way to creating a successful niche for their own freelance business. These ideas are just some ways you can promote yourself without breaking the bank – give them a try!


