How to Build Your Own Brand as a Freelancer

You have the expertise required to go out on your own and work as a freelancer. So do a lot of other people. In fact, so do a lot of other people who do exactly what you do. Some may even do it better than you. That seems like a problem but it doesn’t need to be. You can build a brand that sets you apart from your competitors and helps potential clients understand exactly what you have to offer.

Why Does a Freelancer Need a Brand?

A freelancer needs a brand in order to distinguish themselves from everyone who does the same thing that they do. Think about grocery stores. All grocery stores sell food and household products but they aren’t interchangeable. Someone who wants a ‘Whole Foods’ experience isn’t going to find shopping at the local discount grocer to be the same thing at all.

The people behind both Whole Foods and your local discount grocer have worked hard to create their brands, and they attract the right customers because of those efforts. You can and should do the same thing. Branding makes you memorable, and it helps you ensure that you bring in the customers most likely to hire you.

Great Branding Tips For Freelancers

All freelancers need to build a brand in order to guarantee better success. That’s not something that happens automatically. You have to make a conscious effort to build your brand. The following tips will help you do that.

Incorporate your personality into your brand

no, you don’t have to create some over-the-top persona to build a successful brand as a freelancer. Still, personality does matter, and given the choice between two people with similar skill sets, even the most objective person is going to be influenced by your reputation and the personality you project.

When your Target customer feels as if they know you and they understand your values, you become relatable to them. It can help to create a list of personality traits that you want to highlight the most. Then use that list as a bit of a touchstone. As you work to create your online presence you can ask yourself if you’re presenting the personality traits that you want to.

Find a unique and valuable angle

What is it about your services that makes you stand out? Is there a specific niche that you specialize in? Maybe you provide upscale service to a more elite client base. Some freelancers specialize in taking on particular very difficult problems that their peers will not.

This is the unique angle then allows you to stand out from your competitors. Keep in mind that it does not have to be 100 percent unique. It’s very rare to do something that absolutely nobody else does, the key is to present a combination of personality and unique skills that allow you to stand out rather than blend in with others in your field.

Build a social media presence that works with your audience

It is virtually to create a brand without having a social media presence. When you create your social media presence oh, you make it easier for people to find you online. This leads to the next, more important part. Your social media pages are where you will be able to showcase your personality and your skills.

there are several social media platforms for you to choose from. The best choices for you are the ones where your target audience is already active and where you confessed to showcase your talents.

For example, if you plan to work largely with other businesses, you should absolutely focus on LinkedIn. It’s great for professional networking and they place where you can create business-oriented content to share. In fact, even if you don’t plan to be very active on that platform you should complete each profile there regardless. If your focus is on business-to-consumer then you might choose to emphasize your Facebook presence. Like LinkedIn, even if you don’t plan on being very active on Facebook oh, you should still create an account there and maintain some level of activity.

Now it’s time to consider the other social media platforms and how you can use them to build your brand. Platforms like Instagram, Tumblr, and Pinterest are very visual. If you are in a creative field you could use one of these platforms as a space to show your work. Twitter is great for sharing your opinions, giving updates, and engaging in conversation about industry-relevant topics. It’s a great place to establish yourself as an expert and build your thought leadership.

Finally, you might consider creating a blog. You can host it on your own website, or publish your post somewhere else. Your blog is your wholly-owned spot on the internet where you can share your insights, answer questions that your target audience might have and share important things about yourself and your business. This is where your personality and unique professional viewpoints can really come out. To succeed at this though, you will need to write consistent, keyword-based, high-quality posts. Try using tools and resources like The Hemingway App, AHREFS, Pick The Writer, BuzzSumo.

Don’t forget about visuals

Visual recall is an important thing. It’s why different brands stick with specific color schemes, and why people spend good money on professional logo design. Your website, business cards, and any other visual aspects associated with your freelancing business should be consistent. It may be worthwhile to bring on a professional to create your logo and at least the basic look and feel of your website. Your brand will be more memorable to people if they have a visual association they connect with your name.

Tell your story

How did you get into your field and what makes you passionate about what you do for a living? What are your values and what things are most important to you? Ultimately people higher other people. They don’t hire other businesses. By telling your story, you let potential customers get to know you and you allow your likable personality to shine through.

Ideally, you’re sharing your story already on your social media pages in bits and pieces. You can also do this by creating an about me page on your website and some sort of a mission statement.

Read your own press

Elissa Abbott, a translator for PickWriters, understands the importance of online reputation for a brand. She says, “In a perfect world, the brand you create is the same as the brand your target audience perceives. Unfortunately, there can be a disconnect. This is why it’s important to be aware of your reputation online and the way in which you are perceived. Knowledge is power. It can be painful to find negative things about your business or yourself online but learning about these things is the only way you can understand what you need to rectify.”

For example, you may have decided to build your brand around offering budget-friendly services to businesses that have just gotten started. Later you might find that there’s a concern that a freelancer offering low prices like you do couldn’t possibly do quality work. Once you find that the problem oh, you can use your social media presence and website to counteract that with content that emphasizes your skills and professionalism.

Final thoughts

What do you want potential clients and business associates to think when they hear your name? The answer to that question is the best description of your ideal branding. Once you know this, use the tips above to create a professional presence that embodies that.