How to Establish a Brand as a Freelancer

Statista estimates that there are nearly 60 million self-employed people in the United States alone.

Because there are so many freelancers competing for the same clients, you must stand out from the crowd and establish yourself as the best. Get the clients you deserve as a freelancer by adhering to these guidelines.

Use Social Media to Establish a Public Presence

Once people forget about you, even if you're an excellent freelancer, it's impossible to get your name back in front of them. As an independent creative, you have a lot of options when it comes to promoting your work, and social media is your best bet.

Linkedin

If you're looking for work or trying to build a network, this is where you should concentrate your efforts. To put it another way, if you've never used it, think of it as Facebook for business (if that makes sense). An atmosphere of professionalism and seriousness permeates the place, where everyone understands that business is the primary objective.

Twitter

Despite Facebook's constant restrictions on how we can communicate with our audience, Twitter is still the most important social media platform for gaining attention. Get people to follow you if you are interesting, creative, and/or amusing.

Instead of using tacky methods like buying followers or following a large number of people in the hopes of receiving a follow-back, stick to the proven methods that work. These figures mean nothing unless they're backed up by real people.

Behance

Creating an account here is a breeze, and you can begin sharing your work with the world right away. Behance also gives you the option of using Prosite to build your own slick portfolio on the platform.

Identify a Distinctive Personal Style That You Can Use to Distinguish Yourself

Being unique is a lot more difficult than it first appears. This isn't the first time I've ever asked you to do something nearly impossible, so I'd rather suggest you use a distinct style in your work instead. If you want your designs to be perceived as consistent, then you should use the same design approach across all of your projects.

Invest in Quality Visuals

Making your personal brand memorable is easy when you use eye-catching visual elements such as your headshot, portfolio screens and images, targeted videos, and website images. However, you should have a clear idea of the visual style you want to employ before you begin creating them.

A minimum of three high-resolution images, graphics, or screenshots should accompany each piece of work in your portfolio. An app for athletes with physical disabilities is featured in Diego Mancilla's portfolio. On top of that, there is a photo of his UX development process and a screenshot from an image of the app being used on a smartphone.

• If you're going to have a logo, keep it simple and true to your brand's identity.
• To make your blog posts (or articles on Medium) more appealing to readers, include images and screenshots. If an article has an image, it is more likely to be shared than one that does not.
• Use a headshot that isn't a selfie or one with a safe expression across all of your social media profiles. For example, if you're a web developer selling your software to B2B companies, you may want to experiment with a combination of professionalism and nerdiness in your headshot.
• Complement your online brand with print. Business cards, branded swag, branded event stands, and print ads still have a huge impact in the digital era. Printed materials leave a longer-lasting impression. And, if a prospect puts your business card in their purse, or use that cool branded keychain you gave them, you will be at the front of their mind all the time. But, make sure all of your printed material has a QR code(Which can be made using a QR code generator) that leads to your website.”
• Make sure that the colour palette for your website, business cards, and other branding materials has no more than three colours.

Give Back to the Community

In the past, I've relied heavily on the work of others, and I've always been grateful for the people who put their time and effort into creating these freebies.

Additionally, I post Photoshop tutorials on my YouTube channel for those who want to brush up on their skills quickly. This is how I choose to give back, and it also helps to raise public awareness and build a positive image for myself and my company.

Keep Your Portfolio and Blog Up to Date

A freelancer's online portfolio serves as their lifeblood. You're dead if it's not fresh. Keep it up-to-date and only show off your best work on it. Spend at least as much time and effort on your website as you did on your logo.

Sharing your thoughts with the world through a blog is an excellent way to do so. Maintaining a presence on a blog is not like Facebook or your high school yearbook; you have to keep in mind that these posts will be read by potential clients.

Show Off Your Unique Personality

It's hard to resist a good story. Let the world know if you have one. If you don't already have one, start now. Having a sense of humour and personality is important, as is demonstrating that you are a unique individual with a set of core values. It's important for clients to know that they're dealing with someone who isn't a mindless zombie who doesn't have anything interesting to say. As always, keep it brief and to the point. '