3 Ways Freelancers Can Use Social Media To Boost Business

Social media is now an integral part of our daily lives. Started off as a medium for catching up with old friends, it now has a serious impact on business, careers and reputation if not done in the right spirit. At the same time, it has led to newer career opportunities and changed the way hiring was done.

For freelancers also, Social Media is a vital instrument which, if done right, can lead to long lasting results and a great brand. 

Here, we write some actionable ways how freelancers can use Social Media to give a strong push to their business.

1. Showcasing talent and Expertise

In today’s world, barriers to entry are decreasing,leading to high competition. Building a personal brand is inevitable to run a successful freelance business. Maintaining a powerful social media presence is a key ingredient of a personal brand. If you don’t have a website to showcase your work, your social media handle can be a good alternative to do the same. And if you have a website, then Social Media is the way to promote your website. Try to promote your website with schedule facebook posts feature to make sue your website stand out on amongst the crowd. Practise these 2 kinds of updates on social media platforms:

• Talk about the nuances of your latest project. This should be done to demonstrate your expertise. You will gain respect from your peers and also from be noticed by future prospective clients. 
• Talk about new things you learnt. Tweet about blogs you read. Become a source of knowledge about your domain. This will again help you create authority in your domain. 

2. To network and engage with old and prospective clients.

Imagine the time when there was no social media, once you did work for a client, there was no way to engage without work. Courtesy calls are limited to pleasantries and they are not an “engagement” per se. Now, engagement is far more easy and focussed:

1. Based on your social media updates, they might engage with you leading to work.
2. Knowing their problems, you can pitch your solutions to engage. And if they like, you might land your next gig sooner than you thought.
3. Talk about your clients’ activities and showcase pride in their progress as if they were your employers. 

3.  Helps build and demonstrate reputation

It is also a great tool for the client to verify your claims. Everyone checks reviews before making a purchase decision. A client will do multiple checks before engaging. The checks will not be limited to the cost or quality of work only, but also about the discipline, timeliness etc. If you are an active freelancer, chances that people leave good (or bad) comments on social media is very high. They might write about your professionalism, discipline etc. If a new client lands up on your online profile and finds good feedback about you, then the gap between the deal and you is almost nil.

So, don’t think much. Make or Revamp your Social Media Profile, add your work, engage with your clients and who knows you could find your next client sooner than ever. By the way, if you want to know how to generate quality leads, read here.

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