3 Ways Social Media is Changing New Age Freelancing

“Social media is the ultimate equalizer”.  It provides a platform as well as a voice to the people willing to engage with each other. Facebook, Twitter or Instagram is not only popular among the youngsters, they are equally popular among your mom or even your grand mom!  You must be fascinated with #Conjuring 2 or what @LeonardoDiCaprio is tweeting. People are increasingly inclined to check the latest updates of their favorite celebrities. Not only celebrities, freelancers are also connecting with their clients. Their interaction can be easily spotted on the social media platforms. You may also bag a project or two by your social networking skills. You may also endorse your completed projects on your favorite social media. In this way, you are busy promoting yourself in social media.

Social Media boon

This is the age of bragging. People love to flaunt themselves on the social media. It is changing the way people communicate with each other. It is also a reflection of the way people are perceived. The perception can be positive as well as negative. But who cares! People update their status or post their favorite snaps. They love to be in the limelight. This gives rise to the creation of a personal brand. You must be extremely happy by creating your “own digital footprint”.

Communication styles in social media

One fine morning, you send a message to one of your clients- “Got any programming work for me?” The next step is – to unfollow, block or disconnect, as per the social networking platform chosen. Not only do you lose the chance to work with the client, but you also gather a negative reputation. You should be careful in your selection of words while communicating at the social networking websites. It is a sensitive platform of communication between the clients and the freelancers. You should never chase the clients or irritate the clients time and again. Stop nagging for projects or else you will be blacklisted.

Social media for freelancers

The most important task of a freelancer is finding suitable projects. This is possible only when you network with people. In this digital age, networking with people is not that difficult. You need not go out and search for clients. You can search for the prospective clients from the comfort of your home. The modern day networking can be done effectively by the adoption of social media. This is because social media comprises of the who’s who of your industry. You can effectively market your skills in the social media sphere. Create your professional portfolio and endorse them in the social networking website. The track records of the freelancer are important. A good track record would fetch you more lucrative projects. The vice-versa also hold true.

3 ways of using social media

Social media is a powerful tool for connecting with a huge customer base. There are some popular social media websites like Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. Let us explore the exciting world of social media and how it can benefit freelancers.

 Charm customers

You can definitely attract new leads in the social network. Be active on social media and customers will surely notice you. You should post subject related topics in your social networking page. If you are a web developer, try posting some topics related to search engine optimization, web engineering, web graphic design and the likes. You should adopt the right approach to engage your audience or clients. Remember that hard selling in social media websites is a strict “no”. You should know your target market and pitch your topics accordingly. If your page is popular among the masses, then it would surely fetch you good projects.

Increase your visibility

A silent person is less likely to be noticed by the customers. If you just create a social media web page and go into hibernation, then it is absolutely worthless. You should be active on the social media website by posting relevant contents. Do not forget to participate in random conversations. Twitter is a creative and open social network website which gives you ample opportunities to share your voice. LinkedIn also helps the freelancers to showcase their work to millions of online professionals. It also helps the freelancers engage in fruitful discussions with industry professionals. You should also try to grow your professional connections. This would lead to more inflow of projects in the future. Also, try to respond to any incoming messages, as soon as possible. This also enhances your brand reputation.

Industry Professionals + Clients = Followers (Users)

You must be delighted by the huge number of followers of your favorite movie star.  The social media is full of industry professionals, dignitaries, executives, senior professionals and prospective clients. They can be your prospective followers! If your Facebook page is followed by some senior industry professionals, then it would automatically increase the brand value of your page. If your post is liked, and responded and commented by the dignitaries, then there is a high probability that the person can be your next prospective client. People respond to posts that trigger their levels of interest. So take the initiative of posting juicy topics and interesting content. You should aim to increase the number of followers in your social networking websites.  More number of followers also builds the credibility of a freelancer.