9 things you must know to be a successful Freelance Digital Marketer

Learn how to improve your freelance SEO game and gain the rewards of future-proofing your SEO freelancing job.

Freelancing is often romanticised and seen as a means of escaping an obnoxious supervisor who does not recognise your contribution.

However, many individuals who work for themselves rapidly discover that they must 'leave their 9-5 jobs to work 24/7'.

While this might have a negative impact on your self-esteem and mental health, it does not indicate that freelancing is not worthwhile.

It may be a rewarding experience if approached properly.

You'll discover SEO freelancing strategies in this column that will help you attract more (and better) customers, develop a sustainable company, and actually enjoy what you do.

However, let us first examine why so many individuals opt to work independently.

The Advantages Of Working For Yourself

I have discussed some disadvantages of beginning an SEO freelance company. Thus, it is now necessary to weigh the disadvantages of this travel against the advantages.

When you work as a self-employed individual...

You have a greater degree of control over your time and your life.

1. Network with other independent Develpers.

There are individuals who have already been where you are, no matter where you are in the world. They have a wealth of knowledge and insight that you may profit from.

Getting advice from such folks may save you months of frustration and time working things out on your own. 

Here are a few pointers on how to approach individuals and ask for help...

Please be considerate of their time.

Avoid sending a list of questions or anything ambiguous like 'please assist me' in the form of a direct message. People will be eager to assist you if you instead focus on developing connections.

Specific inquiries should be asked.

The answers you get are determined on the questions you ask. So be certain that you ask precise questions that will make a significant difference for you.

You are solely accountable for your choices.

You don't urge individuals to take responsibility for your company; rather, you ask them to seek assistance. So use your common sense and observe what is working and what isn't for you.

2. Establish a web presence for your organisation.

The best SEO in the world might be you. Although it's possible to succeed if no one is aware of it.

Our world is filled with so many voices on social media, and your voice deserves to be heard as well, so please share your thoughts.

In order to increase your visibility, you may use LinkedIn. Using Twitter, starting a newsletter, or doing everything at the same time are all possibilities. Make your decision based on what you want to achieve.

3. Approach yourself as if you were a business.

When you start your own company, you become an accountant, a salesman, an account manager, and a legal department, among other things.

You must take this into consideration when determining the price of your services. It is not sufficient to simply compute the hourly rate you earned in your previous work. You'll need many times as much money to pay all of your other costs.

4. Learn How to Determine the Value of Your Services.

You now understand that you are a company, even if you are the only one who is now employed by it.

Creating a profit is the primary objective of every firm. Consequently, the next most crucial step is to accept it and stop underselling yourself.

Here are a few pointers:

• Stop Giving Free Service.
• Instead of invoicing by the hour, project-based pricing is preferable.
• Improve on a consistent basis and raise your pricing in response.

5. Learn How To Make A Sale.

There is also a frequent assumption that if you are skilled at your job (in our example, SEO), you would instantly have a large number of customers waiting up to work with you. This is not true.

That is not correct. In actuality, selling and search engine optimization are two very distinct abilities. And you'll need both of them if you want to be successful.

I'm not referring about door-to-door sales or sending obnoxious messages to your LinkedIn acquaintances, for example. It's a lot more nuanced than that.

Every time you pick up the phone and speak with a prospective client, you are selling.

Even if you're simply chatting to someone or discussing your prior successes, you're marketing something.

You're selling concepts, outcomes, your expertise as a professional, and your agency. Any discussion with a prospect has the potential to turn into a sale.

The sooner you grasp the concept, the better off you will be.

6. Establish Processes and Systematization

It's OK if you don't have any procedures or systems in place at the moment. However, it is now time to begin constructing them.

Developing procedures will assist you in increasing the efficiency of your freelancing firm and increasing your profit margins. Processes are also useful for delegation at a later point, if you decide to engage someone else to assist you with your workload.

You are not need to design anything elaborate. Starting with a basic checklist, you may build on it over time and make it more complex as your business grows.

7. Develop Your Assets

You begin to perceive audience research in a new light, study copywriting, and get a deeper understanding of your SEO clients.

Furthermore, assets provide passive revenue while also keeping you occupied when there isn't a lot of client work to be done. They could potentially develop into something more substantial in the future.

8. Prepare Yourself for a Long and Difficult Journey

It is not simple to embark on a freelance path. You'll have to find out a lot of stuff very fast. It may also be depressingly lonely.

All of this may lead to chronic overworking as well as mental health difficulties in certain people.

Here are a few pointers:

1. Have a group of people who will encourage you when you are down.
2. Have a recreational activity that is unrelated to your job (and, preferably, does not need the use of a computer).
3. Make a schedule for your spare time.

9. Assist Others Throughout the Process

You're really valuable. No of where you are in your freelance career, you can always assist someone who is only a few steps ahead of you in anything.

You may assist in any method that is convenient for you, such writing a blog post, tweeting your advice, answering a question in a Slack group, and so on.

Just remember that your knowledge and expertise are valuable, and that one day (very soon), you will be the one who is assisting someone who is just getting started.