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When you embark on your freelance career, it can be a pretty daunting experience. After all, your competition is already established and out there in the marketplace, going after the same clients as you. You want to give the best impression of your business to potential clients, even if it is only you working from your kitchen table.
Here are some simple ways to give your freelance business a professional edge.
Get a professional email address
Most communication is done via email these days. Having a Gmail address or something similar isn’t the best idea if you’re trying to give a professional outlook. An email with your preferred domain name isn’t very expensive and can make a huge difference.
To make your business appear even bigger, create an email address for your finance emails or sales.
Don’t use a PO BOX number
You probably want to avoid having your home address on any official documents or online sites. Many people try a PO Box number but this can also give out an amateur vibe when it comes to your business. There are other options, including using a company such as physicaladdress.com to solve your problem. They provide you with a valid registered office address to use on all of your correspondence and website. It can also be a good option if you want an address in a different city.
A professional website
As part of your contract, you could also use mail forwarding services as well as having a call answering service too. That way you don’t have to miss a call or be interrupted during work or meetings.
You can produce a professional-looking website with virtually no technical knowledge. Platforms such as WordPress and Squarespace can give your a polished online presence that can help you wow your customers. Use good imagery too. You can now get amazing free photos on sites like Unsplash and Pexels that will bring the quality of your marketing materials up.
Use curated content
When you’re working for yourself there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all of the things you should be to promote your business. One way of looking more active than you are on social media and email is to share curated content from your sector. So rather than having to write and distribute your content, you can share and still create engagement.
Collect testimonials
Good reviews go a long way towards cementing your reputation and attracting new clients. Every time you complete a project for someone, ask them to write a testimonial that you can share on LinkedIn, social media, and your website.
Look the part
Another thing that you can do if you want to look more professional when meeting clients in person, is invest in your appearance. Try and buy a lanyard, or shop around to see if there is anything that you can do to try and rocket your brand overall. This will help you to stand out from the crowd, and it will help you to appear more professional as a working freelancer.
Takeaways
Making the jump to freelance can be hard, especially if you’ve come from a background where you’ve had all of the corporate resources and technology behind you. Not that it’s just you, you have to strike a balance between looking as professional as possible but staying authentic.
By utilizing a few tools and technologies, you can give the impression that you’re a professional business.