When it comes to marketing your freelance business, it's important to cast a wide net. Taking an "if you build it, they will come" approach, for example by putting up a website and waiting for the work to start flowing in, is definitely not the way to go. But how wide should that marketing net be? … [Read more...] about Yelp, Craigslist, Upwork: should you be there?
Marketing
“Agencies won’t pay my rates, and I can’t find direct clients”: what to do?
Here's a conundrum that I hear frequently from freelancers at all experience levels: agencies won't pay my rates, and I can't find any direct clients. What should I do? Well, let's see: First, adjust your mindset. Tough love tip: if you truly believe that *zero* agencies will pay your desired … [Read more...] about “Agencies won’t pay my rates, and I can’t find direct clients”: what to do?
Marketing: as a daily effort or toward a specific goal?
Here's a common question from other freelancers: How much time should I spend on marketing? A percentage of my time? A certain amount per day? Should I market even when I have tons of work? The easy answer would be to say: spend 15% of your time on marketing, and you'll always have just the right … [Read more...] about Marketing: as a daily effort or toward a specific goal?
Tips for translators in small languages
There are languages like Spanish (tons of work, lots of translators), and languages like French and German (good amount of work, not a surplus of translators), and then there are languages like Tagalog, Nepali, Bulgarian, Amharic, Icelandic, and so on. What are some pathways to a viable freelance … [Read more...] about Tips for translators in small languages
Sub-optimal rates: "better than nothing," or not?
"The rate isn't ideal, but it's better than nothing." "It's not what I'd like to be earning, but you have to start somewhere." "I wasn't thrilled about the rate, but working is better than not working." Stop me if you've heard this before... But the real question is: is this a valid way of looking … [Read more...] about Sub-optimal rates: "better than nothing," or not?