As a freelancer you do most of your personal branding and outreach yourself. In order to establish yourself, building a personal brand sets yourself apart from others in the same marketplace. The longevity and success of your career depends on how you present your skills and yourself to prospective clients. Your personal brand is a base for you to build your personal online image that will evidently be your prospective clients’ first impression of you. This first impression is basically the reputation that is created through the services you are providing as a freelancer, your online presence, and the way you are perceived by your clients.
Working as a freelancer means taking advantage of the virtual tools that you have at hand and building a personal brand that will set you apart from competitors. A personal brand establishes the first form of communication between yourself and your clients and having a strong, unique brand will be key to your success as a freelancer. Here are three branding tips for freelancers to use to leave a positive impression on clients and prospective clients. .
1. Create a unique personality for your brand
What you want to first identify is your personal brand that will set you apart from the rest of the crowd. Discover what makes you different and why your skills should be requested. Be authentic and transparent when figuring this out because clients are drawn to a clear and credible image. Your personal brand, as mentioned before, is the first impression that prospective clients will have of you and as freelancers, you want it to be a good and strong first impression. Being unique and authentic and conveying that through branding will serve only to elevate the way you are seen and contribute to your success.
2. Become an expert in your field and establish that
This is a very obvious point but as a reminder, ensure you are an expert in your field and establish it clearly to your clients what specific skills that you are an expert in. Doing this allows you to be transparent about what skills you are offering to your clients and will establish what services you do offer. Being an expert in your field means knowing what to do, the specific vernacular that is attached to the job, and knowing clearly what your clients are expecting. Successful freelancers know what clients expect and exceed those expectation so make sure you do the extra research and learning necessary for the job.
3. Use social media platforms to bring awareness to your services
Social media will be your default when figuring out how to reach your targeted audience. Additionally, social media platforms allow you to easily communicate your brand identity so personalize your social media accounts according to which platform you are using. LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook are fantastic social media platforms to use when bringing awareness to your services.
A personal brand will create a virtual identity that communicates an accurate image of your skills and personal character to your targeted audience. Building a brand as freelancers lead to success so make sure that you use these branding tips as you go forward.
