Use the Power of Three for Successful Concept Presentations
Use the power of three when you present concepts for websites, ads, and promotional material.
It’s simply presenting three ideas for any concept. Not one, two, or four, but three. Three is the magic number. Make sure they’re all strong concepts and charge for them.
Freelancers: Where do You Find New Clients? (Hint: They’re Close by…)
Ideally, you should be actively targeting the companies you’d like to have as clients. Here’s what worked for me.
Look at your current client list and group them by industry sector. Which sectors are your favorites? Your goal is to find more clients that fit into those sectors.
Here are 9 tips to get you started…
Freelancers: Build Your Confidence, Grow Your Billing
Often freelancers don’t have the confidence to grow their billing and earn more money.
Confidence comes from learning to do things well and then doing them over and over again. That's true for writing, designing, programming… any creative pursuit. How do you build confidence? Let's have a look.
Increase Your Billing with Detailed Estimates
A detailed estimate outlines everything you’re proposing for a project. This ensures the client understands what it takes to create the deliverable. In many cases, it also means a higher estimate.
You’ve likely been giving away a lot of work simply because you didn’t include it. Thorough estimates increase billings.
Make “Business Friends” to Grow Your Client Base
In this post you’ll learn:
How to make “business friends”
Why they’re critical in growing your freelance business or agency
How they can get you into new clients without competition
How to Keep Your Freelance or Agency Startup Costs Low
One of the secrets to profitability is to keep your business startup costs low. After all, your actual income is what you keep after expenses.
This applies whether you’re a solo freelancer, a virtual agency, or a bigger creative agency with employees, contractors, etc.
Here is where you should look for savings…
Best Clients for Freelancers (How to Find Them)
Ideally, you want clients with dedicated budgets for the work you do, and many projects for you. That makes it easier and more profitable for you to work together.
How do you find these clients? You need to have a criteria when you first meet prospects.
How to Become a Successful Freelance Copywriter
How you start depends on where you are now. You may be an absolute beginner or someone with freelance copywriting as a side hustle, or a copywriter employed at an agency or company.
Here’s how to get started with the building blocks you need to get clients—your portfolio, social media presence, and website.
Freelancers: Do You Charge for Scope Definition?
Every project should start with a scope definition phase and you should charge for it.
This ensures that you and your client agree on all details, and the client is comfortable that you understand the requirements of the job.
Make sure you break out scope definition as the first phase of any project.
Freelancing? Create a Virtual Agency to Take on Bigger, Better Projects
Many freelancers are creating virtual agencies to take on bigger projects and clients.
What is a virtual agency? It’s a tight group of freelancers with complementary skills who work together to deliver client projects.
How to Make an Easy Transition From Full-Time to Freelance
This little trick makes the transition to freelance easier while keeping your income flowing.
Here you’ll have to work your connections to find just the right opportunity.
Do it right, and you get the best of both worlds. It worked wonders for me.
Finding a Business Partner (Why You Should Consider It)
Many creators look for a partner when they start their agency.
If you’re thinking about it, here are some things to consider.
What role should your partner play?
What do you expect the partner to bring to the agency?
What are you bringing? Some thoughts…
Freelancers: The Best Pricing Models for Creative Services
Here are the six most common pricing models for creative services:
1. Hourly rate pricing
2. Project-based pricing
3. Billing by retainer
4. Value pricing
5. Performance-based pricing
6. Equity-based payment
All have their place, depending on your level of experience, the project, and the client.
Freelancers: How to Get on Vendor Lists for Corporate and Government Accounts
If you’ve wondered how to get work from big companies or various levels of government, the secret lies in vendor lists.
If you’re not on the vendor list, there’s little chance of you working with them.
Here’s what you need to know to apply and why it’s worth the effort to be there. For us, being an approved vendor doubled and then tripled our billing.