Online Home Business #4 – Freelancing
I had worked for a consulting company for years, so I know exactly how our expertise in particular area can make money. People are willing to pay for a report or advice provided by an expert. So, if you have some specialized knowledge in online world, you can monetize your skill. If you are specialize in copywriting, graphic design, web design, general writing, transcribing, computer programming, research, typing and editing, accounting, and even computer support, you should consider outsourcing your skills as a freelancer.
There are many ways you can start freelancing from home. You can always freelance work in your town or surrounding communities, but with the nature of online business, you can broaden your market to international online communities. There are many business out there looking to outsource the jobs they can’t or don’t want to do. Many internet marketers prefer to outsource works like graphics, web design, or web support to speed up their product development time.
How you market yourself?
I recommend you to look at the three most popular outsourcing sites (online marketplace):
- http://www.elance.com – including categories outside computer related jobs.
- http://www.rentacoder.com – specialized on computer programming jobs, also in other related areas of graphic design, writing, translation and numerous other services.
- http://www.scriptlance.com – specialized on computer programming jobs.
- http://www.guru.com - broaden categories outside computer related jobs.
You can use these sites to get jobs for the type of projects you want to do by placing bid proposals. To market yourself, you will need a good professional resume including a sample of your portfolio and list of your services, expertise and certifications. It is better if you can provide your personal photograph. People like to see the face of person they deal with.
You can also market yourself with your own company website. With a professional website, you can promote your services, show your project portfolio and provide testimonials by your loyal customers. This way, you may attract more clients outside the outsourcing sites and increase your credibility. Promote your site with PPC marketing, forum marketing, blog advertising or classified ads to get targeted traffic to your site.
How does online marketing place work?
Online market place or outsourcing site is the place where the Buyers and the Service Providers (freelancer) meet. Basically, online marketplace works much like an auction, where you locate and bid on thousands of online projects in different categories from around the world to match your expertise.
The Buyer sets up a project and Freelancers bids on the projects. Once the Buyer picks the Freelancer, the project begins. After the Freelancer finished the job, he will be awarded the bid amount. The role of the outsourcing site is handling all the money collecting to make sure that both parties get their parts. The Buyer gets project done, the Freelancer gets paid. By the time Freelancer has begun work, the Buyer’s money has already been placed into an escrow account, freeing the freelancer from deception. For this service, outsourcing company charges freelancers a share of freelancer’s fee on the project amount. Some outsourcing companies charge monthly membership free.
A good example of freelance job that you might be interested in is web design. Many successful web designers completely communicate with their clients just through email or phone. This type of online business model allows you to have clients anywhere. For example, the main categories of the freelance projects in Elance are:
- Web & Programming
- Design & Multimedia
- Writing & Translation
- Admin Support
- Sales & Marketing
- Finance & Marketing
- Legal
- Engineering & Manufacturing
Before going into online business as freelancer, first things you need to decide are what services you want to offer and set the price. Check in the marketplace, the level of price that may apply to your services. If you work for someone, your hourly rate might be lower than as freelancer because you have to look for your job yourself. Prices is totally up to you though, you can run discounts or special offer if you want extra income. The second thing is getting ready to market yourself and be ready for uncertainty of income level. It may be slow at first, but once you start, with focus and consistent efforts, you will find that you have a successful freelance job.
You know now that online marketplace can give the best opportunity for your online home business if you have expertise in any field. With an internet connection and the desire and ability to work, you can now start your online business as a freelancer.
Good luck with your freelance job!
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