Personal Branding - 9 Easy Steps for Freelancers

Personal branding is the process of developing a distinct personality in order to distinguish oneself from the millions of other freelancers.

It is all about focusing on your passions, creating out a niche for yourself, and continually delivering value to others.

It’s not about competition; it’s about you promoting yourself and your services for your clients’ concerns.

This is why freelancers must have a strong personal brand.

You should consider your internet presence and how you can use it to advertise yourself and your services as a professional.

Here’s how:

Table of Contents

1. Be unique

The sense of originality and distinctiveness that a successful brand instills in the minds of others is one of its most enticing attributes.

As a small business owner, you cannot hide behind a giant multinational brand. Your customers will be able to tell you apart from the competition quickly, allowing your brand to stand on its own.

It is vital that you demonstrate that you can provide something that others cannot, therefore pick a niche in which you can demonstrate substantial knowledge and ability.

Clients usually perform a Google search for freelancers before hiring someone.

When they do, your social media accounts’ links will be the first to appear on the Google search results page.

As a result, you must guarantee that your social accounts fulfill the expectations of your clientele.

Here are some pointers to assist you improve your social media profiles:

Add an appropriate profile picture to your account (a photo where you’re smiling is better)
Make an outstanding bio that describes your work and experience.
Make sure you have a complete LinkedIn profile with a career history.
Use customized artwork for your headers and cover images.
Showcase your biggest interests and abilities in a way that benefits you.
Include links to your portfolio website on your social accounts.
Take caution with what you share

Maintain professionalism in your accounts.

It means that you should use caution while posting to your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages.

Clients usually form opinions about you and your personality based on the information you offer.

As a result, you should avoid sharing postings that are contentious or insulting.

This is especially true if you have a social media following.

It doesn’t mean you stop being yourself.

The goal of creating a social media platform is to communicate your opinions on numerous issues.

However, strive to keep your professionalism while expressing your point of view.

Or, at the very least, refrain from revealing them in public.

Most social networking platforms allow you to set your privacy settings so that only your friends can access information.

3. Make a Statement

You will be able to connect with your customers on a more personal level if you include more personality into your brand.

Your true personal identity is deeply embedded in your brand.

Personal branding helps you to be recognized for who you are, what you believe in, and what you do for others.

Consider what distinguishes you.

Determine your best or most memorable qualities for which you want to be remembered, and then work on building your freelance brand around them.

Your personal brand should be an accurate representation of the value you can provide to customers and others in your network, both online and offline.

4. Maintain a Website for Your Professional Portfolio

No one can express enough how important it is to establish a portfolio website to showcase ones work.

We’re not even talking about the websites you create as a CV.

We’re referring to a website where you can legitimately demonstrate your skills.

You will also need to create a website to promote your work.

If you’re a writer, start a blog.

If you’re a web designer, make a website utilizing free templates.

Simply develop your own plan for marketing your skills.

To create websites, you may need to pay for web hosting.

Don’t cut corners and hunt for free hosting.

Consider it an investment in your future.

5. Create Your Very Own Email Signature

You may also advertise your brand via email so that when a consumer receives one of your emails, they understand with whom they are interacting.

Gmail and Outlook, for example, allow you to customize the appearance of your emails.

Colors, fonts, and font sizes may all be changed. Use them with extreme caution.

Don’t use too many color schemes in your emails.

Keep your email design simple and minimalist.

Keep in mind, though, to add an email signature in your emails.

This signature should include your occupation, a photo, and links to your website and social media profiles, if appropriate.

6. Specialize on One Expertise

You should aim to specialize on at least one expertise as a professional.

You’ll become well-known for this ability.

If you strive to be an expert in numerous skills, you will struggle to build a personal brand around yourself.

It is totally okay to study a few secondary abilities to supplement your primary expertise.

For example, web designers may study UX design, while copywriters can learn fundamental graphic design.

Create a service based on your main area of expertise and use it to build your own brand.

7. Continue to Sharpen Your Skills

Maintaining the quality of your work is also essential for building a long-lasting personal brand.

The key to achieving this is to always seek to better yourself and your talents.

If you continue to offer amazing work that is better than the previous, you will quickly become known as one of the best freelancers in your field.

So if you want to improve and grow as a great freelancer, keep reading books, enrolling in new online courses, practicing, and experimenting with new ideas.

8. Increasing your knowledge or becoming a thought leader in your field

Keep your clients happy while seeking to establish name recognition in your field of expertise.

Make sure your name leaves a positive impression that sets you apart from the competition.

To have a successful brand, you must not just be exceptional but also distinct.

Typically, distinguishing yourself comes from focusing on a small niche of your field and totally controlling it.

When your name and personal branding statement are repeated to people in your target audience, you will develop credibility, respect, and even admiration over time.

Maintaining visibility both online and offline will earn you expert status, and your strong brand will help you flourish in your business.

IMAGE CREDIT: Freepik