If you’re freelancing, or contracting, you’ll be accustomed to the freedom of managing your own workload, projects, and opportunities, without the looming hierarchy of line managers and company directors.
Along with the freedom comes the opportunity to exercise your creative talents in an unbounded way, which is often the staple to establishing your own, individualistic brand; key for a successful freelancer.
As a flexible worker or ‘gig worker’, you’ll overcome daily challenges such as bridging the gap between jobs, figuring out how to stand out as a modern freelancer, and keeping up with, or even chasing the demand in your sector.
We’ve rounded up three factors that every successful freelancer will most probably have to tackle, in order to reach maximum potential.
1) Surviving social media
Social media can be your friend, if you use it effectively. It’s a free marketing tool, you can analyse consumer habits and pinpoint your target audience through the platform, and you can use it to establish your brand as personal, without spending money on a costly campaign.
Eric Qualman, Author of Socialnomics, once said,
“We don’t have a choice on whether we do social media, the question is how well we do it.”
So, in order to jump over hurdle one – become an active social media user. This can be made simple by scheduling your social posts through a social media management tool, such as Hootsuite or CoSchedule. Social media can allow you to take a more informal tone, which can differentiate you from the crowd of other budding freelancers in your sector.
2) Adaptable skill-set
The world of freelancing can be fast moving, unpredictable, and feel like a whirlwind at times. Between 2008 and 2016, the number of freelancers in the UK has increased by 43%, ramping up the competition, as researched by IPSE.
In a saturated sector, it’s ever-more important to adapt your skill set so ensure that you’re always bringing something extra, and something fresh to the table.
Let’s use an example. At Gorilla Accounting, we don’t use spreadsheets to keep on top of our accountancy records, we used cloud-based bookkeeping software – FreeAgent. This helps us keep on top of demand, and deliver a technology-driven service, which is exactly what Gorilla is all about.
3) ‘Instant Society’
We live an instant society where television is on demand, and customer service advisers can be reached through the click of a button (live chat). That’s what contributes to the instant society that we live in, or if we’re taking a psychological stance, it’s called ‘instant gratification’.
It’s worth putting yourself in the shoes of a prospective client, and drafting all the questions that could be put forward, enquiring about your service offering. Then think – is this information available on demand, which means that it can be accessed immediately, or is it only available on request.
Maximise the information that’s available on your website and marketing materials, it’s a hurdle that can prove affective once passed.
As a freelancer, entrepreneur, or start-up, going it alone can be daunting, but the benefits often outweigh the challenges. IPSE recently released figures showing that freelancers are generally happier than fixed term employees”¦ it must be the freedom, autonomy and control.
At Gorilla Accounting, we offer ourall-inclusive accountancyfor just £85 plus vat per month. If you have any questions, get in touch with a member of our New Business Team by calling 0330 024 0406 or emailinfo@gorillaaccounting.com.
