Story: Advertising myself
Past 3 years, I have struggled with my freelance project. My cashflow was not stable every month. I could not expect next month. However, luckily I got new projects each time.
In 2020, I am building mulch revenue sources in my business. I have a confidence in contributing to small businesses. How can I reach them? I don’t have any optimistic expectations, but I looked for some online sources. Then, I decided to post some advertising for my service on UpWork and Craigslist.
Medium: How I earned $15,000 last month from freelance design
In the real life situation, you don’t get anything when you try to sell. You will be just an annoyed person to others. You know that. We have to sell service to the right person who look for your service. Therefore, I use these websites below even pros and cons.
UpWork
Upwork, formerly Elance-oDesk, is a global freelancing platform where businesses and independent professionals connect and collaborate remotely. In 2015, Elance-oDesk was rebranded as Upwork. It is based in Santa Clara and San Francisco, California. The full name is Upwork Global Inc. – Wikipedia
A few years ago, I was rejected to create an account at UpWork. I was so upset at that time. I tried to it in January 2020. I was accepted. I don’t know how different before and now, but I have started.
I submitted a proposal for some projects. First 5 projects, I didn’t get any response. Therefore, I changed strategy. I picked up low budget works, around $50. Then, I got an inquiry of estimate. It’s small steps.
Basic keys:
– Write a profile about how can you help your clients.
– Keep profile simple and concise.
– Be consistent with your strongest skills.
Tips:
– Avoid India, Pakistan or other similar countries as client. I saw some jobs, but it’s too low budget. Almost insult to a designer who lives in the northern US.
– Attached PDF which relates to a job post. It works for me.
– Short cover letter. Focus on requirement. Reply about the job description.
Lastly, I had some bad experiences during 2 months. Client asks me job without official job offer. I submitted PDF(with password security). Then, they have never replied after that. From the designer standpoint, we cannot argue with the client. Because we want to keep good rates on profile. UpWork doesn’t help the designer at all.
Just don’t take a job without official offer. No fruits.
Craigslist
Service category > Computer or Creative
I am trying it. $5 per post. I received a few inquiries in 1.5 months. It has worked to increase awareness online. Save the coffee in 2 days and invest in Craigslist for traffic. Not bad.
Fiverr
Relatively famous and there are many creators who live in the east and south Asia in my image. I saw Fiverr’s ads often on YouTube and I don’t like their communication style & tone. It’s not my taste.
I don’t necessary to compete at the lowest price on Fiverr. Therefore, I don’t use it right now.
Freelancer
Sounds it’s okay. I don’t want to extend the platform where I work right now. I focus on 1 service and achieve a certain borderline in 2020.
99designs
To be checked.
Toptal
Counterparts of low price competition. I prefer to work for clients who need quality rather than affordability. I may join Toptal in 6 months later.
How to Sell Anything to Anybody (Keynote Presentation)
©️Derek Halpern
Conclusion: How people find us?
When I use an online platform for a short term project, I don’t have to talk with clients each time. Often a project’s brief is provided by a just message. It helps for me to save time, but I really have to care about what a client sais. I have to ask the right questions to enhance design quality. At the results, I am given 5 stars for my service.
I am enjoying to use UpWork right now. I am going to leave a sertain result in 2020.
