Michael Rose | Editor's Blog,Lifestyle & Time out
At Freelance Advisor we’ve spent a lot of time sharing advice on how you can effectively use Twitter and social. As a tool for finding more friends, colleagues clients and work. We’ve discussed how to use it for Marketing your personal brand and for PR for your own company.
This cheeky little site has a different view…
Jon Aizlewood | Managing Business,Marketing Yourself
The Longtail rule, the Zipf law, the Power law or (easily the most dramatic) ‘The law of the vital few’. It might have many names, but ultimately all forms of the 80/20 rule amount to the same thing – that 80% of effects come from 20% of causes.
The same applies to freelancers: you can gain new business simply by offering great service to your clients.
Michael Rose | News,Starting Out
Despite cuts across the board, overall, UK business is seeing a positive change thanks to the new Government. Tax breaks, including extended relief on the increase in Capital Gains Tax and National Insurance have been introduced and support for SMEs has been very positive.
To mark the importance of SMEs, The Startups Awards 2010 have added a Home Business of the Year category to their annual awards.
Emma Jones | Managing Business,Starting Out
Emma Jones believes in starting a business and then finding and focusing on your niche.
But what happens when you feel the niche audience you’ve chosen could be restricting in view of its size? Then it’s time to expand your product range, as opposed to extending your niche.
Emma explains how…
Michael Rose | Marketing Yourself
If you care about your personal brand, how you are showing up online and what people are saying about you and your business then this new app from award-winning filmmaker and iPhone app developer Garrett Murray is just what you need.
Check your referrers in Mint and Google Analytics, browse your Tumblr Dashboard, reply to mentions on Twitter, all from within Ego!
As a freelancer there is an opportunity to create a working lifestyle to suit you, but without enough work or clients you may not achieve this, or end up always trying to. Some freelancers are lucky enough not to need to market themselves in the beginning, but at some point they will need to in order to find more work.
Mark Bowley of Creative Agency Freelancing shares his advice on gettings started and finding work.
Michael Rose | Editor's Blog,Technology
A few years ago getting heard on Twitter was easy. When I first joined there were less than a million users and it was easy to find friends with common interests and it was even possible for a couple of friend to create a trending topic.
Now with 70m+ users (sending 50m tweets a day) the story is a little different…
If you need to quote for a job and want to get a slick proposal back to the client before the end of the day then Quote Robot is your fantastic, futuristic, proposal-producing pal!
Sinead Mac Manus | Marketing Yourself
As a freelancer, getting out from behind the desk (or kitchen table) and out into the real world is crucial for building relationships and winning new business. The pervasive nature of social media means that we are increasingly connected online. We tweet about our day on Twitter post news on Facebook, and share our location on Foursquare.
Social Entrepreneur Sinead Mac Manus shares 4 ways to use digital tools and social media to make the most of networking opportunities.
Andy talks to Web and Social Media Developer John O’Nolan and Darren Fell of Crunch about the power of personal branding. Choosing your brand Using Twitter to create a conversation Facebook, following and fans Social media as customer service Social media strategy and setup Listen to the podcast:
Podcast 24: Personal Branding for Freelancers & Contractors [29:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
Janette Whitney | Managing Business
As the saying goes ‘it’s not what you know but who you know’ so how can you widen your network of contacts to create the network that is important to your freelance business?
Business Growth Strategist Janette Whitney shows us how…
Leif Kendall | Marketing Yourself
Think networking is where people go because they want to sell more stuff?
You’re a little bit right, and a big bit wrong.
Freelance Advisor and copywriter Leif Kendall shares four reasons why getting to know your peers will make you a better, happier freelancer.
Anthony Hewson | Managing Business
Relationships are more important for a freelancer than for any other individual.
That’s a pretty bold statement and I’m bracing myself for a wave of incredulity articulated by examples of people going through any sort of emotional or physical trauma. Ok, leaving that probably overwhelming group aside… here’s why
Michael Rose | Marketing Yourself
This is smart. Really smart.
Watching this quick, two-minute video gave me a few quick ideas about how to go about getting the attention of the right people. This guy spent just $6 on advertising and managed to land a plum job in a top US design agency.
Emma Jones | Managing Business
Whether you are selling knowledge from your head or products crafted by your own hands, there are online platforms to help you reach an audience of customers and make sales. Emma Jones of Enterprise Nation offers a top ten listing.
One thing has been obvious to me since I began freelancing: people buy from people, so to be a successful freelancer you need to know lots of people.
You may be lucky enough to have a huge family or a thriving social group, perhaps assisted by a drama group or rugby club. But most of us don’t know all the people we need to know to be good freelancers.
Darren Fell | Starting Out,Training
Digital veteran Darren Fell, founder of Pure360.com and the ground breaking online accountancy service Crunch.co.uk, shares his experience in Personal Branding for freelancers – marketing YOU to generate leads
This interactive lecture is now over, however slide of the event are available below.
Emma Jones | Managing Business
Do you have content you would like to share with an interested audience of existing and potential customers? It’s never been so easy to package your content in a stylish way, and distribute it in a cost-effective way.
Enter the age of home publishing with Emma Jones.
Alick Mighall | Guides,Starting Out,Technology
If you want a website for your small business or to show off your freelancing work AND know what you want then you are almost ready to contact the designers but thinking clearly, focusing on objectives and writing a good, clear brief can make a world of different when it comes to getting a quote.
You’ll not only save yourself time and money but you’ll also make developers and designers like Alick Mighall really happy.
Emma Jones | Managing Business
Whether you’re selling beaded jewelery or your time as an expert in finance, it’s good for business to develop a community around you. Bonding customers to each other, will bond them ever closer to you.
In this feature, reviews two free community building tools.
Daryl Close, a business performance coach, discusses why freelancing success is not directly related to your specific freelancing talent. Whilst personal branding is not a new term, it is a term that has come back to the forefront of success as a professional freelancer. He explains that your actual talent is only a small part of the overall personal branding concept and freelancers need to refine and develop their professional brands in order to thrive in an ever increasingly competitive world.
It’s the start of a new year and a new decade and like many self-employed people you’ve probably been thinking about how to have a good year despite the sluggish economy.
Read on for the one thing you must do this year for your work to take off…
Courageous conversations: How to say what you mean and get what you want. As a freelancer without a secretary the buck stops (and starts) with you. If you are a designer, developer or a gentle creative type you may not have the hard-nosed confidence and business clout you need to succeed.
Freelance advisor Dianne Bown-Wilson gives some simple confidence boosting tips.
Michael Rose | Managing Business
Steven Hearsum, change consultant and chairman for our National Freelancers Day event has written a blogpost about one of the key issues that arose during the debate: ‘How to Build Trust as a Freelancer’.
Dianne Bown-Wilson | Managing Business
Isolation and winning new clients are two of the biggest problems for freelancers. Marketing consultant and freelance advisor Dianne Bown-Wilson offers some simple tips for what to do when you – and your business – need to get out more.
Enterprise Thursdays are back this week with the diverse Freelancers Panel chaired by Darren Fell founder of Pure, Crunch and Freelance Adviser.
The panel includes Paul Bunkham an Internet Application Specialist, Leon Trigg a Documentary and Filmmaker, Jo Moore and Artist and Illustrator, Paul Silver a Web Development and SEO Specialist and Ellen De Vries a Writer and Creative Copywriter.
Rob Watson | Guides,Technology
Part three of our guide to Google AdWords for beginners:
Yesterday Rob explained how to set up your first Google AdWords campaign. Today he looks at some of the best practices you should follow.
Rob Watson | Guides,Technology
Part two of our guide to Google AdWords for beginners:
Yesterday Rob explained the basics of GoogleAdwords. Today he looks at setting up your first AdWords campaign and some of the most common mistakes in setting up.
Rob Watson | Guides,Technology
Whatever it is that you (or your clients) do, you can always find new customers over the internet – even if you’re a niche business or you only work in a specific area or region. In this 3-part guide to AdWords Marketing Manager Rob Watson tells us how to increase our clicks
Marketing yourself with an excellent CV or resume is not easy. Malvolio has found that there are not only technical issues to deal with but often several layers of audience from recruitment agencies, to human resources, departmental heads and senior management.
Can you help Malvolio unpick this particular puzzle?
How to get ahead in film-making. Brighton-based film-maker Tom Hickmore from Nice Media gives his top tips for getting noticed and getting a job in the film and media industries.
Find out what you need to do to impress, from CVs and portfolios to selling yourself and outright flattery!
It is competitive out there, the freelancing market is growing every day and now more than ever it is important that we make the most out of every opportunity. So how can we improve the quality of our client interaction?
Let’s look at a simple sales formula for calls/meetings to get us started…
Andy talks to Hannah Keep, author of Fight Back!
Topics include
* Fighting Back; Building your bounce-back-ability.
* Generating and maintaining a Positive Mental Attitude
* The exploding freelance market
When you’re a freelancer, stupidity can be expensive. It’s better to learn from the mistakes of others in order to avoid common pitfalls. Leif shares a few of the stupid things he’s done (or seen others do) so that you might avoid the same fate.
Build Better Business Cards, with 25% off from Moo.com.
Starting today we’re looking for the most impressive, creative or cunning uses for business cards.
Got a great idea, or a card you’re already particularly proud of? Show us what you’ve got and the best will win a complete set of cards.
How do you present your work? What do agencies look for in a portfolio? Wouldn’t it be great if you could sit with a few digital media agencies and ask them what they thought of your work and what you could do to improve?
What you need is the i-design 09 Portfolio Clinic!
Michael Rose | Lifestyle & Time out
Web freelancer and email marketing consultant Jon Aizlewood has posed an interesting question and twitter-poll today. Click below to add to the poll and twitter a reply if you’d like to explain your reasons.
Hannah Keep, Freelance Advisor Training director, shows us how to build upon our natural resilience to overcome our daily obstacles.
Her new book explains how to deal with the blocks and make the most out of the good times and the practical, gentle advice is an invaluable tool for anyone wishing to push themselves and their business to new highs. Here Hannah gives us a great overview of everything you can do to make the most out your life and work.
Emma Jones | Managing Business,Training
Without a sale we’re not in business and ongoing sales will spur the business to grow.
Emma Jones offers five steps on how to make a sale and keep the cash flowing.
Hannah Keep | Events,Starting Out,Training
It’s a tough climate out there. If you are looking for a permanent job then you are up against lots of candidates who are all fighting for the same job. If you are freelance/contract then you have to ensure your skills are leading edge, have the confidence to hit the ground running as well as [...]
Whether you are looking for your first freelance job or have been in the market a while you will know how important it is to be able to promote your services to ensure you aren’t out of work for long.
Whether you have sales experience or not, things are different now. Why? Because you are the product. You are selling YOU. Easy right? Think again, even the most experienced sales person who can sell snow to the Eskimos finds selling themselves a challenge and sometimes even embarrassing.
Freelance Coach and Trainer Hannah Keep show us how promoting yourself needn’t be painful and how building your confidence is key.
Leif Kendall | Managing Business
Are You Giving Your Clients Squid Eyes? (The Second Secret of an Awesomitised Freelance Life)
Bad-ass kung-fu copywriter Leif Kendall continues to reveal the secrets of an awesomitised freelance career.. Awesomitisation Part 2 explores the importance of understanding clients’ briefs.
How did you decide what to wear today? Did you base your decision on what was clean, comfortable or whether you were seeing a client? If you were seeing a client did you tailor your appearance to their industry or just put on your lucky ‘selling suit’?
Freelance Training director Hannah Keep explains why your clothes are more important than your PowerPoint slides!
As freelancers we know you have absolute passion and pride in your skill set. We know it takes a lot of confidence to break out on your own. We also know that it takes more than just talent to succeed in this tough and competitive economic climate.
How well you sell, market and manage your product, product YOU, is critical. If the thought of cold calling brings you out in a cold sweat or the thought of creating a business strategy gives you a headache then we’re here to help with soft skills and freelancer focused training and coaching.
Finding freelance work and getting more clients is vital for your success as a freelancer. Killer copywriter Leif Kendall outlines his bold new marketing method.
Join the revolution!
Emma Jones | Managing Business
Freelance Advisor and Home Business diva Emma Jones explains why now is a perfect time to spruce up your business development and pursue opportunities that will mean new work from existing customers and new work from new customers.
Here’s three things you can do to keep the contracts coming in…
Andy White talks to freelance Art Director and Conceptual Designer, and winner of The Xchange Team Freelancer of the Year award, Anna Cowie. In this interview, Annie gives us some tips and reveals her modus operandi.
Emma Jones | Managing Business
Whether it is networking, meetings, clients or conferences, marketing yourself is an essential skill for any freelancer or contractor. Freelance Advisor and author Emma Jones offers seven quick tips to help you shine Starting on the right foot: 7 steps to creating the right impression You only get one chance to create a first impression. [...]
Kasey Brunt | Managing Business
Freelancers benefit from online social networking MORE and more freelancers are using social networking sites to promote their services, a survey has found. The BT Tradespace survey found 15 per cent of small businesses promote themselves on sites such as Facebook, compared to just seven per cent this time last year. But the survey also [...]
Darren Fell | Managing Business
Freelance Advisor founder Darren Fell is a successful entrepreneur and all over the first page of results when you Google his name. We asked him to share the secrets of his success and he responded with this guide to marketing yourself. Marketing yourself for free, a guide. The big question running through everybody’s mind when [...]
Rosie Sherry | Managing Business
Look who’s talking: Monitoring buzz on the web As a freelance community builder and co-director of TheWerks web-socialite Rosie Sherry offers advice on monitoring your brand and filtering out the noise. Five sites for monitoring your brand online There’s no denying that the web holds huge amount of information. Most of it irrelevant to you [...]
Michael Rose | Managing Business
The death of the CV? Are curriculum vitae a thing of the past? Guest blogger Greg Coley, Creative Director of the integrated agency VGroup, gives an insider’s view on what freelance designers can do to get noticed. Marketing yourself as a freelance designer So you’re a budding young designer straight out of university, a middleweight, [...]
Kath Burke | Managing Business
Create compelling content your clients will crave In this 2-part series freelance copywriter and content consultant Kath Burke says the secret of writing great web marketing copy is in the preparation. Before you put pen to paper, you need to explore your clients’ deeper concerns and needs. Ah. If only you could magic up the [...]
Michael Rose | Managing Business
Find freelancing advice and support by joining our community of freelancers and contractors on Facebook. By becoming a fan of Freelance Advisor you’ll get all the latest articles and advice, alerts when new content is added to the site, and you can help build the community by connecting with other freelancers and contractors in your [...]
Michael Rose | Managing Business
If you’re a freelance designer or programmer then attending the i-design 08 Portfolio Clinic Wednesday 17 September in London is a no brainer. First it’s FREE and secondly if you’re currently looking for work or to expand your future client base then you’ll be able to meet 15 of the capital’s most respected and successful [...]
Michael Rose | Managing Business
Talking Shop – overcoming the fear of public speaking A new event aims to give confidence, talking techniques and a chance to practise communication skills for freelancers who need to get up and talk in front of an audience. Freelancers and contractors can live rather solitary lives, working from home or, head-down, coding away until [...]
In Part One of this series, Bill Faust talks about how important it is to understand basic marketing principles in learning how to Pitch Yourself. The question he asks now is do we know why we are employed? Deciphering the needs of the buyer Most of us think it is because of our experience, this [...]
Leif Kendall | Managing Business
One of the joys of freelancing is that you get to do everything. But this omnipotence means you can’t hate the sales team for not bringing in new clients, because you are the sales team. Become CEO of YouCorp You can’t have a spat with Maureen in accounts because she hasn’t sorted your expenses, because [...]
Andy White | Managing Business
What’s personal branding all about? Is it important? What does it mean? Where do I start? Do I really need a strong identity or even a logo for my freelancing business? Is it really necessary to make ME stand out from the competition? Expert, Al Welsh, has had years of experience within some of London’s [...]
You can think of your website as the modern-day equivalent of the Victorian calling card. Before your prospective client decides whether you’re worth talking to, they’ll have a good nose around your site. And they might be asking themselves: How professional is this organisation? Do they have the products or expertise I’m looking for? Will [...]
Paul Silver | Managing Business
If you’re going to be networking to drum up business, or just meet people who might want to use your services (that is, potentially everyone you meet) you should get some business cards so they have an easy reminder of who you are and what you do. On your card you should have: Your business’s [...]
Darren Fell | Managing Business
In the age we live in having a website as a business is critical. I’m not sure about you but it’s literally the first thing I do when I want to vet a supplier out and in my old days at Pure360.com I’d even do that for customers. No site and to be honest I [...]
