Based on current trends, by the year 2020, freelancers will grow by 45%, according to this study.
People go with freelance careers for several reasons. Some choose it due to the recession, some are stay-at-home parents, and some realize that the freelancing field has vastly grown and offers a ton of opportunities in their respective fields that they’d be daft to pass up.
To continue to grow and never even dream of retiring, it takes a lot to be able to “stay in the game” and be seen as an expert in your field. There’s a complete science behind freelancing and to have your name right on top of clients’ lists, you’ll need to hone your business acumen and make use of technology to “stay in the game” and continue to generate revenue.
By the way, did you know:
- People who freelance contribute an estimated $715 billion in freelance earnings to the US economy.
- 80% of non-freelancers say they would be willing to do work outside their primary job to make more money.
- 69% of freelancers said technology has made it easier to find freelance work.
- 65% said freelancing as a career path is more respected today than it was three years ago.
Let’s cut to the chase: you’re not going to find any tips here that you’d typically find in “How to be a successful freelancer” articles such as being a good listener, providing great customer service or working hard to meet deadlines, etc. Instead, we’re going to focus on unconventional and often overlooked ways of cementing your freelancing career and keeping it going headstrong.
How to be That Expert in Your Field.
Traditional marketing techniques no longer cut it. What you need to do is focus on creating specific content for people who are seeking expertise in your area of specialization. Nowadays, there are all sorts of options to help you stand out in a competitive pool of freelancers.
For example, if you’re working as a freelance accountant offering tax solutions for SMEs, you could create a blog that specifically addresses those tax solutions. That’s how you get discovered and have people approaching you to get their solution, time and time again.
You might even transform that content into the shape of a detailed eBook, a series of YouTube videos or podcasts. So, instead of trying to sell your skills, sell your problem-solving abilities and solutions.
Another great way to attain high credibility is by using HARO – Help a Reporter Out. This is a platform that helps writers look for highly relevant interview content for their pieces. It happens to be an excellent way of having your name mentioned as an expert in the press. You see, writers are constantly on the lookout for interview content, and being featured in an article this way will get you noticed by prospective clients.
Make the Most of Modern Technology.
Making use of the right tech-tools can really make your freelance venture successful. Whether you’re working solo or have a team of freelancers under your wing, embracing technology is the way to go.
Top freelancing tools can greatly help you in a number of ways from effective time and project management to helping you write better or make the most of social media. Here’s a list of 30 of the best tools to help you be more productive and successful as a freelancer.
Today, you can easily run your entire freelance gig from your laptop or any other portable device with an internet connection. From writing to virtual assistant support and legal services, apps running on portable devices are capable of fueling entire businesses.
Also, ask a digital marketing expert to work on your social media page and actively promote it to easily allow people to find you.
It’s interesting to observe that more than one-third of Millennials are independent workers. Furthermore, 87 percent of Millennials say their smartphone never leaves their side, night or day while 80 percent use social media as a means of finding work.
Take Wall Street by Storm – Freelance Trading.
The days of keeping yourself limited to one type of freelancing gig are starting to erode.
There are many freelancing opportunities to be had in finance, which also includes stock trading. Be wary though; this is not for the faint hearted. If you’re comfortable taking a certain level of risk, willing to arm yourself with the education and resilient mindset required to be good at this kind of thing, trading stocks can be a freelancer’s dream come true.
You can stir up a storm at Wall Street by becoming a binary options trader, for example.
Binary options trading – explained in this infographic – is based on a simple yes/no proposition trading system. For instance, is the price of gold going to be above $1,200 ounce at noon today or not? You can choose a yes or no depending on what you believe the value will be at a given time, and that sells the binary option.
The concept may seem rather simple to grasp though there are a multitude of strategies, signals and tools that help you make the right decisions.
Closing Thoughts.
Go down the unconventional route and take advantage of what technology has to offer. With a few clever and business-oriented tactics, you can easily stay on top of your game and see to it that you won’t have to retire anytime soon.
