Selling services or products as a freelancer means that one doesn’t have the reputation of an established company to lean on. The success of major companies that have developed into worldwide brands, where their logo, font, or color scheme is enough to be recognized, have shown the power of visual branding and the impact of visual memory. While no freelancer is required to have an advanced marketing and branding campaign that competes with a multinational corporation, utilizing some of the essential tools from these business strategies allows freelancers to establish consistency within their business, a cohesive reputation, brand recognition, and a level of professionalism that will increase client trust.
The wonderful thing about freelancing is that one doesn’t have to decide to be a lawyer, go to law school, and then stay in that same profession for their entire life. Freelancing, financial freedom, and being one’s own boss allows individuals to pick their passion, or multiple passions, and pursue those. With freelance work, there is always room to change, adapt, and grow. With that understanding, the first step necessary when developing branding for oneself as a freelancer is focusing on a niche or set of specialties. Clients won’t know to use an individual’s services for their marketing needs if that individual isn’t selling themselves within that niche. In order to gain clients, freelancers have to pick a set of skills they will focus on.
When it comes to creating a visually compelling brand, color schemes and simple graphics can go a long way. With websites like coolors.co that generate color schemes, AI services like Tailor Brands that automatically create a logo for one’s business after answering a questionnaire, or sites like Canva that have endless free templates for branding and design elements, it is easy and fast to develop a branding kit for a freelance business. These assets can then be used across social media, websites, email newsletters, and more.
When becoming one’s own brand, it is important that potential customers can get a sense of who the freelancer is, before they hire them to complete the work. The best way to do this? Pictures. There is no better way to earn the trust of clients and prospective customers than to give them a clear sense of who you are and who they will be working with. By seeing the face behind the services, clients will gain confidence by knowing that there is a real person behind the work. Hire a professional photographer to ensure the pictures are of high quality and depict a professional yet personalized tone.
With all of these branding assets and a defined niche, promote yourself! Develop a presence across multiple platforms and use sites like RitersBlock to drive traffic to your services. The potential reach available through social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest have launched thousands of people into freelancing success. Keep the visual branding consistent across these platforms to develop a recognizable image to clients and potential customers.
