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Online advertising has a unique place in the business world. Advertising, regardless of the type of company, is critical to its growth.
There are several ways to promote your business, and in today’s world, as the internet is becoming a more dominant medium. Online advertising is an efficient way to promote your business and attract more customers.
It wouldn’t be incorrect to suggest that advertising is the most important way to get clients, particularly for freelancers.
If you work as a freelancer, it is your responsibility to find enough clients to make a living. When it comes to freelancing, this is the most difficult task. One of the most effective ways to broaden your customer base is through online ads.
You can market your freelance company online using a variety of methods. All you have to do is pursue them to see a rise in your client base.
11 online advertising tricks to get more clients
1) Networking events
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Getting acquainted with others in your business or niche is often a good idea. It’s a cost-effective method of online advertising.
When you’re a freelancer, networking with other people will help you find more clients. Various networking activities take place on a regular basis.
When you go to a networking function, don’t go with the intention of finding clients. Always keep in mind that you’re going there as a freelancer to meet other people in your field.
People may or may not be your clients, but don’t dismiss anybody. This is because you never know who may be a connector who can help you meet potential clients.
It is your duty to search online for networking activities and attend them. This is one of the easiest ways for a freelancer to advertise online.
So, you can simply search for networking activities on different event boards. You will look for the same on the following websites:
Eventbrite.com- You can learn about various types of events that are taking place in your region. This site also has a filter in its search feature that allows you to scan for events that are specifically relevant to your niche.
Meetup.com- This is a well-known site for searching about networking activities and fun gatherings. So, you can do online advertising through this platform.
Facebook– Who these days doesn’t have a Facebook account? Almost everybody has a Facebook account. And, there isn’t a single industry that doesn’t have a Facebook community.
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Whatever industry you work in, you can always find a community of people who work in the same field. You can also learn about upcoming networking events through these groups.
2) Referrals
When you work as a freelancer, you must always be on the lookout for new clients while never abandoning your current ones. It’s always a good idea to keep your current customers, regardless of industry.
This is because they’re the ones that will introduce you to new ones. This is another great way of online advertising.
Having referrals from current clients is a smart way to get more clients. It is your duty as a freelancer to please your clients with your work so that they can recommend you to others.
You’ll get more work and be more competitive this way. You may also ask for referrals from your existing customers.
Your clients can also exchange information about you online with others. This allows them to learn more about you and your work, resulting in new clients. Since referrals work so well, this is a very powerful method of online advertising.
A rise in price– Many freelancers maintain the same rate or price for their work. This is one of the major roadblocks to their success. As current clients refer you to others, they are, in a sense, adding value to your work.
Always remember to reflect this by maintaining higher rates for new clients.
Increases income– When you gain new clients and charge a higher price, your profits will almost certainly increase.
Encourages you to do good work– It motivates you to do good work and keep your clients satisfied. Eventually, you understand the benefits of referrals from current clients.
Only when you treat your customers well would they recommend you to others. This is an intriguing method of online advertising. That’s because keeping the customers satisfied leads to referrals both online and offline.
3) Sending cold emails
This is a method of online advertising that some freelancers may find intimidating or challenging. You may be afraid to send cold emails as a new freelancer, but it can be a smart idea to send cold emails to your future customers.
When sending cold emails, keep in mind that you do not have to send them to everybody. Just send cold emails to people who are in your business or niche and maybe future clients.
To get more clients, you just need to use the right tactics when sending cold emails for online ads. Once you succeed, you will find out that this is a good method for online advertising.
If you’re sending out cold emails, make sure they’re appealing to the people who will be receiving them. The following characteristics should be present in a strong cold email:
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It must seem like you know the recipient– Make them believe you know a lot about them and their company if you send a cold email for online ads. There’s nothing wrong with complimenting others, so go ahead and do it.
Who doesn’t like being praised? When you compliment the individual who will receive the email, it helps you. When you express your interest in working with them, they will almost certainly give you a chance.
Make them give it a thought– Always remember to provide details that are important to the recipient. Only then can that person, or your potential client, read your email and consider it.
If you have some kind of relationship with that guy, make sure to mention it. This is because it will improve your chances of having clients.
Attract the potential clients’ attention– It depends upon you to make your email attractive. This way it makes the people say yes and become your client. When you select this method for online advertising, do it the right way.
4) Industry-specific Job Boards
It’s a smart idea to do online ads at places where you can find potential clients while you’re searching for more clients as a freelancer. Clients are best found on industry-specific work boards because they know exactly what they want.
These job boards are a great platform for online advertising if you are a freelancer.
There are work boards dedicated to specific sectors. As a result, you must locate the appropriate job boards for your industry or niche. You will be able to get a lot of clients if you do a lot of research and advertise on different work boards online.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the best industry-specific websites and work boards for online advertising:
For Developers or engineers– Toptal.com, iCrunchData.com, Engineering.com, SmashingMagazine.com
Illustrators/designers– 99designs.com, Designs.net
Media/publishing– MediaBistro.com, JournalismJobs.com
Healthcare/pharmaceuticals– allpharmacyjobs.com, healthcarejobsite.com
Non-profit– Encore.com, Idealist.com
5) Testimonials
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This is one of the best ways of doing online advertising. People trust public feedback as much as personal decisions and advice in today’s world. When you work as a freelancer, testimonials are a great way to promote yourself online.
That’s because prospective customers often look for what your former clients and audience have to say.
Client testimonials must be shown on your website and social media accounts if you want to attract more customers. It’s a smart way to draw new customers through online advertising, but you’ll need good feedback to do so.
Always aim to make the most of your testimonials in order to create a solid client base.
If you want to attract more customers by showing testimonials, you must ensure that the feedback is from actual people. Analyzing your testimonials is a good practice to get into if you want to better your job.
All you have to do now is copy and paste the testimonials widget code onto your website and social media accounts.
To show testimonials, you must first obtain feedback from your current customers. It is your duty as a freelancer to request testimonials from your clients.
If you have a sufficient number of positive reviews, you can simply show them on your website to attract new customers. This is one of the most straightforward ways to increase your client base through online advertisements.
6) Social media platform
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Social media has developed into a dominant medium in today’s world. Nowadays, almost everyone uses social media, and there are a plethora of social media sites to choose from. This is a great method of online advertising.
As a freelancer, you can do online advertising using social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Make sure you have accounts on all of the different sites so that people can find you. Also, on all channels, try to keep your personal details, bio, and profile picture consistent so that your future clients can remember you.
LinkedIn is a perfect place to find customers for a freelancer when it comes to business and online advertising. There are a number of trustworthy groups where you can engage in discussions and network with others, including:
Advertising freelance- Consultants who work in the field of communication should join this community. Media, digital, production, strategy, creative,
etc. are the fields for which this group is good.
Freelance professionals– This group is for IT, animators, 3D Modellers, editors, and art directors, etc.
7) Freelance Marketplace
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Joining the Freelance platform for online advertising as a freelancer is a brilliant idea. When you enter the Freelance marketplace, you have a great chance of finding new clients.
Getting in contact with people in your industry or niche is often beneficial and successful. Treat everybody well when you meet people on the Freelance marketplace. You never know who might introduce you to potential clients or who might become your new client.
We’ve compiled a list of a few freelancing marketplaces where you can advertise online and gain more clients:
Freelancer– It provides freelancers with a wide range of assignments. It also allows them to compete with others and demonstrate their abilities. This is a perfect place to highlight your talents and draw new customers if you are confident in your skills and experience.
Upwork– It has millions of clients and offers both short-term as well as long-term projects.
Toptal– This is particularly for freelance designers and developers. Once you pass Toptal’s screening process, you will be able to get projects with good clients.
8) Optimize your website
Your website is one thing that says a lot about your work and helps you draw more clients. If you’re a company owner or a freelancer, it’s one of the most important factors that affect your business. When it comes to online ads, the website is also important.
Your website still takes precedence over your social media pages and other products. So, its design and content must be professional enough to catch the attention of potential customers. Hence, this is one of the most important ways to do online advertising.
Always remember to keep your website updated as a freelancer by reflecting on your work and the results you produce for clients.
You can also keep updating your website with pictures and videos related to your work and accomplishments. This helps prospective customers learn more about your expertise.
Not only that but make sure to configure your website so that it loads faster. Make it easy for people to use your website. That’s because it is an effective tool for online ads and attracting new customers.
9) Guest posts
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What is a decent way to do online advertising? Well, whether it’s online or offline, having a strong sample of our work to demonstrate often helps to draw more clients.
Writing papers for reputable companies will help you reach a larger audience and gain more clients.
You can give editors emails directly informing them of the articles you’d like to contribute and asking if they welcome contributions.
Always try to get the editor ready to publish your article before you start writing to avoid wasting your time. Before you begin writing, read a few of the company’s previous articles.
It’s always good to try to learn and copy its style and tone to make it more appealing. People reading your articles will serve as good online ads for you and can help you gain new clients.
10) Starting YouTube channel and blogging
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Nowadays, every business owner has a YouTube channel. When you’re a freelancer, a YouTube channel can be a great way of online advertising. To start a YouTube channel, you don’t need anything.
When potential clients watch it, they will learn more about you and your website. And, if they like it, they will contact you.
Not only that, but blogging is also a good way of online advertising. You can write blogs about your niche and post them on your website and social media accounts, among other places.
You would be able to draw the interest of potential clients and become a profitable freelancer in this manner.
11) Join groups
If you’re a freelancer, you can join a variety of groups focused on your industry. On different social networking sites, there are a plethora of online communities. There, you can interact with people in your niche and find new clients.
Joining a community dedicated to a particular industry provides you with opportunities for online advertisement. Not just this, it also allows you to learn about local networking activities.
Additionally, you will be able to obtain projects and be introduced to potential clients.
Well, are you a freelancer? Are you looking forward to getting more clients through online advertising? This guide has genuine tricks that can help you get more work and clients.
You just have to follow the given techniques and you will be able to attract more people to your work.