Now Available: The Freelance Marketing Plan

Now Available: The Freelance Marketing Plan

The one thing we creative entrepreneurs dread is having zero clients. 

Nada. No payments coming in, no work to keep us busy, no solution to the bills that loom over our heads.

This is an especially big fear for new freelancers or side hustlers who want to start freelancing full-time. They're used to their steady income each month, so the prospect of worrying about money when they begin freelancing scares them to death.

The fear of 0 clients also hits experienced business owners-- hard. When you've been working for yourself for years and suddenly hit a slow stage where clients are hard to come by, imposter syndrome sets in and you start to feel like you're not good enough to run a business.

The No.1 Reason You're Not Booking Any Clients

The No.1 Reason You're Not Booking Any Clients

Is your business going through a slow stage? 

Maybe you've just started out, set up your website, created your packages, got yourself on social media aaaaand.... crickets. No one is inquiring about working with you. 

Or maybe you've been freelancing for a while and you've survived until now on referrals- but you suddenly have no clients booked for next month onward. Relying on referrals has always worked for you. How come it isn't working now??

I've been there; I know how you feel. 

You're worrying about how you're going to pay your bills next month.

You're looking at the freelancers around you and you're burning with envy because they're booked six months in advance and they seem like they're always in demand. What are they doing that you're not?

You're wondering if there's something wrong with your website, your services or your portfolio. You're thinking, 'Is there something that's putting clients off??'

There is one major reason why most freelancers struggle to find clients: they don't have a marketing plan.

3 reasons why freelancers need a marketing plan

3 reasons why freelancers need a marketing plan

When you first started your business, you were probably excited about the prospect of doing something you love every day, right? I know I was. In my dreams, I saw myself designing all day, every day. I saw myself working on pretty colour palettes and beautiful logos for hours at a time, totally lost in my creative work. 

In reality, I quickly realized that I'd only be designing 30% of the time. The other 70% of my time had to go on marketing and admin. 

But here's the thing: I didn't like marketing very much.

When I heard the word 'marketing', I thought of sleazy salesmen. I thought I'd have to brag about my work and badger people to hire me.

It just didn't feel right to me. 

5 Things You Should Do Before You Become A Freelance Designer

5 Things You Should Do Before You Become A Freelance Designer

Remember a while ago when I wrote 5 ugly truths about being a freelance designer?

Well, today's email follows on from that. If you read those truths and thought "I can take that! I can push through those!" then HURRAY- freelancing is the right path for you. (I'm so excited for you!!)

You now know you're cut out to do this freelancing thing. But where do you go from here? How do you get started?

A lot of creatives who want to become freelance designers ask me:

What should be the first thing I do to kickstart my freelance journey?

What should I do before I start freelancing full-time?

How can I prepare to freelance full-time?

How can I give myself the best chance of succeeding at running my own business?

These are the kind of questions I love because it shows me that (A) you're serious about freelancing, and (B) you're SO serious, you want to make sure you have the best possible start.