It’s hard for freelancers to maintain a high level of visibility.
For the most part, our clients and prospects think about us only when they need us.
Day-to-day, their attention is more likely to be focused internally, on their own company and colleagues.
How do we get around this? What steps can we take to become more visible? How can we stay top of mind?
The first step is to make yourself worth paying attention to. Many of us, myself included, write e-newsletters and blog posts, hoping to retain the ongoing and long-term attention of our prospects.
That works up to a certain point. There is no doubt in my mind that much of my own freelance work came to me as a result of people reading my newsletters and posts.
But there is something a little monotonous about a constant, predictable flow of newsletters and blog posts. How many newsletters and blogs do you follow consistently? Do you read every newsletter from beginning to end? Do you read every post on a blog?
And even if a prospective client does read every one of your articles, there’s a danger that he or she will start to perceive you more as an author than as a freelancer for hire.
The cure?
Shake things up a little. We need to make a splash from time to time. We need to wake people up so they can take a fresh look at us.
So how can you set about making a splash?
Do something worth talking about, a few times a year.
- If you get a big new client, make a noise about it.
- Create and publish something. A report or ebook. Make it substantial and maybe a little provocative. Announce it everywhere.
- Offer a new service, and give it a noisy launch.
- Speak at an event. And let everyone know about it.
- Launch a high-energy YouTube channel, or Podcast.
- Interview popular influences in your space.
- Reach 1,000 followers on Twitter. And make a big noise about that too.
The idea here is to make the noise.
Sending out e-newsletters and writing blog posts is great. But it is the same note being played in the same way, week after week.
Jazz things up a bit. Make people sit up and notice you, outside of what you normally do and say.
Get noticed. And new work will come.
If you would like help in getting noticed, find out more about my coaching service.
“Thank you for the coaching. I have spent thousands of dollars on programs over the past 5 years – many of them very, very good. However, they didn’t give me the confirmation and direction that I received during the coaching you gave me! I really appreciate it. Even after the introductory call, I knew in my gut that this was finally the help I needed.”
Melissa AuClair