Maintaining a network of contacts and clients is crucial after you begin working as a freelancer or service provider so that you can cultivate those connections and perhaps get a continuous flow of work from them.
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Potential Customers
The opportunity to collaborate with new people is one of the best things about new ventures. Don’t undervalue the value of past and present clients, though; they might be prepared to offer you ongoing work that will keep your business afloat.
Self-promotion can take a lot of time. The same goes for applying for new employment on platforms that connect freelancers with employers. If you put all of your effort into creating fantastic ideas but still receive no work, it can be really disheartening.
Even if you do land gigs, they might only last a short period, so you’ll still need to seek for new tasks in addition to doing your current work. If you’re not well organized, this quickly turns into a difficult juggling act.
A satisfied client is your best marketer.
Many business owners make the error of concentrating on new customers so much that they forget about their present and past customers. This may be a serious error. Your best sources for word-of-mouth advertising and recommendations are satisfied past customers. Don’t be afraid to ask them to serve as a reference or testimonial for your job.
Current customers
You need to make an impression on your present clientele by demonstrating your professionalism and effectiveness. Being an excellent freelancer or service provider is about delivering your best work despite short deadlines.
You may find yourself with dependable clientele that truly value what you do if you communicate effectively and are approachable but courteous.
Former clients
According to the Pareto principle, 20% of your clients will account for 80% of your revenue. If you have done a good job, it is simpler to persuade someone of your value once they have previously utilized your services rather than attempting to win over complete strangers.
Personal Portfolio
It can be simple to forget to maintain your portfolio to display your greatest work while dealing with so many clients, but new clients will want to see that.
Your portfolio website need to include links to your best work samples, such as articles and website designs, as well as all of your contact information.
To allow visitors to see everything you have to offer, each item should have a title and a hyperlink to it. Include this URL in all of your promotional materials.
Email Promotion
Maintaining email marketing lists is one of the simplest ways to stay in touch with past, current, and future customers.
It shouldn’t be difficult for you to build three distinct lists to look after these various relationships as a provider like AWeber.com allows you to create up to 1000 lists in your account.
You may publish a newsletter once a month for previous and current customers that includes helpful niche-related articles and any new services your company may have launched.
The URL of your portfolio Treat them with respect—they deserve it, of course—and think about providing them with special service packages that combine your various offerings along with discounts and coupons.
For instance, you might be a WordPress-focused virtual assistant. Think about providing niche-specific content for their website in addition to your uploading and scheduling efforts.
Offer a free, useful item connected to your niche to potential clients to get them on your list. It might be a checklist, cheat sheet, or other resource that demonstrates your level of expertise and can assist clients in working more efficiently. Send them more information about the services you offer after that.
You may increase your revenue while putting up less effort by taking care of your current and former customers as well as seeking out new ones.
