Using a website to market yourself is one of the easiest and more cost-effective methods of getting your name and talents out on the Web. It can also be greatly beneficial when you think about the local community. The Internet is everywhere and providing potential clients with relevant information regarding your skills could entice them to contact you. Adding your website on business cards is a good example of continued marketing. The website is an essential part of marketing yourself well and needs more than a simple “Contact Me” page.
1. Information – A business card can only tell the potential client so much about you. However, a website can be developed to show off your talents in detailed ways. With a website, you are able to delve deeper into what your abilities are and how they can help the client. You can provide detailed explanations of your processes, what tools are used, and how you can deliver what needs to be done.
2. Portfolio – Images and videos depicting your talents can sell your skills to a potential client. As these can be easily be added to website pages, your portfolio can grow quite extensively. These can include samples of your work, testimonials from previous clients, and more. There is no limit to the kind of portfolio you can create online. With today’s technology, the online portfolio can go with you anywhere as you show clients your portfolio in person using any mobile device.
3. Social Media – Widgets and coding of all kinds are provided for website developers to add social networking to the website. This can help spread the word of your content to various potential clients to peak their interest to find out more about your abilities. Essentially, you are using the same methods that millions of website developers have been using in order to market business websites. It is a proven method as it can vastly increase your exposure.
4. No Programming Needed – Content management systems such as Joomla and WordPress allow you to make robust websites without learning how to code HTML. To add content to these CMS solutions, you simple create a new article or post. Before long, you have a full website with a variety of information regarding your skills to help clients determine if you’re the right fit for their campaign.
5. Low Cost – A website shouldn’t cost you more than $130 per year to operate. If you add as much information as you can about yourself and your abilities, the investment will be well worth it. In fact, starting your own blog with free blogging sites could provide a wealth of knowledge for your potential clients and it wouldn’t cost you a single cent for maintenance. It is the cheapest method of marketing your freelance skills you’ll ever come across. Just advise local clients to visit your site and keep the content rolling and you’ll have visitors from all over the place curious about your abilities. You could even turn the potential traffic into money using various advertising methods such as Adsense or affiliate marketing.
6. Content – Like any website, you can increase your exposure in search engines by providing constant quality relevant content. The more content relevant to your abilities you have on your site, the easier it will be for clients to find you. The more content available for a client to read about you, the more likely he or she will hire you for the task.
7. eCommerce – Tangible products aren’t the only thing that can be governed by eCommerce. You can simply add a payment method to your site for clients to pay you directly such as PayPal. Of course, the kinds of eCommerce you offer on your site are dependent on your freelancing talents. However, the payment method is still a wise addition for it allows clients to pay you in a variety of ways.
Your website can work for you in more ways than you may realize. The more content about your specific niche you provide, the greater are your chances of being viewed by clients from all over the globe. This can also create a basis to make money on the side using various marketing opportunities. It’s a worthwhile investment that can become your greatest asset if it’s well developed.
Author bio:
Ken Myers is the founder of http://www.longhornleads.com/ & has learned over the years the importance of focusing on what the customer is looking for and literally serving it to them. He doesn’t try to create a need; instead he tries to satisfy the existing demand for information on products and services.
1 thoughts on “Using a Website to Market Yourself as a Freelancer”