Freelancer Lead Gen Ebook - New Intro and Outro

This transcription is about the importance of marketing for freelancers and how lead generation sites like Upwork and Fiverr can help them find clients. The author, Tim Picciarello, shares his own experiences in various businesses and emphasizes the need for a steady stream of prospects. He also discusses the shift from traditional marketing to online methods, such as social media and email marketing. The online world is constantly evolving, but it provides an opportunity to reach a wider audience. Overall, the transcription highlights the importance of marketing and adapting to the digital age. This is Freelancing Mastery, Strategies for Success on Upwork, Fiverr, and other freelancer sites, written by Tim Picciarello and read by Tim Picciarello. Introduction. You've most likely never heard of me. I haven't created any big AI product or written a groundbreaking new perspective on marketing or developed new software. You're probably wondering who is this guy that sold me an e-book to teach me a different way to make money in my business without the traditional grunt work of marketing and advertising and without doing the regular stuff we used to have to do to market our business, like mailing brochures and postcards, cold calling on the phone and other traditional forms of marketing. And then there's the online world where marketing can be very confusing with a multitude of options to get the word out about your business. Social media, email marketing, sales funnels, and the list goes on and on. Well, I'm just a regular guy who grew up as a small town boy in a very rural area of Pennsylvania with the nearest cities, Buffalo, New York to the north and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to the south, being at least 125 miles from me. I didn't have access to in-person marketers or business manners. I learned marketing and customer acquisition largely by reading and studying books and programs by marketing experts like Dan Kennedy, Ted Nicholas, Bob Bly, and a host of others. I also had an edge over most other business owners in the niches I chose in general, particularly in the entertainment business. Now, most entertainers despise the business end of show business. I recognized at an early age that marketing is the highest leverage activity I can do in my business. And thankfully, I fell in love with marketing. But the vast majority of business owners I've met either don't like marketing, don't have time for it, or do it begrudgingly. I get it. They prefer to stick with their strengths and what they're good at. But I can still say with a degree of candidness that these businesses usually suffered or didn't grow or maximize their potential because of this. Granted, marketing can be tedious and sometimes time consuming, but it's truly where the money is. Without a steady stream of prospects lined up, raising their hand, interested in what you sell, you have no business. Marketing is not sales. It gets people interested in what you offer and thus starts the sales process. Lead generation sites like Upwork, Fiverr, Thumbtack, Bark, and a multitude of others have made getting customers easier for freelancers if you know how to leverage them correctly. These sites are designed to bring buyers in need of particular service together with people who can fulfill that service. Currently, I run three diverse businesses and have used lead generation sites as one of the main ways of getting new business for each one. The three businesses I own include a digital marketing agency which provides boutique services to small business owners. I'm also a direct response copywriter who writes in a variety of niches. And lastly, I'm a comedy magician. There are lead generation sites for just about any type of freelance business out there. The people who use these sites are freelancers who are typically experts in a particular task or area of business. For example, Upwork.com has literally millions of freelancers registered on their site available for tasks related to business needs. These include marketing, sales, copywriting, ghostwriting, clerical and VA services, graphic design, web design, and hundreds of other categories. Other lead gen brands cater to specific niches of service providers. For example, Angie's List started out by catering primarily to construction and home remodeling contractors. Since the original company was bought, they've expanded to other service businesses and doctors. Digital freelancers. Freelancing has been around for decades. Prior to the digital age, a freelancer was anyone who didn't work for a particular person or company exclusively. This includes not going to the same workplace every day. A freelancer could be a plumber, a lawyer, a magician, or anyone who worked for themselves. For the purposes of this ebook, I'm going to focus primarily on freelancers with business skills like copywriting, website or graphic design, virtual assistants, and other business services that allow people to live the digital nomad lifestyle where they work from wherever they want and set their own schedule. Freelancing has gotten into spotlight more and more in the last few years because the workforce in the United States and globally is changing. It was predicted well before the pandemic that the majority of the workforce in the country would be freelancers within the next decade. The pandemic sped up this trajectory and we're seeing this happen much more quickly. Lead generation sites typically have two different business models. One is a pay-as-you-go model where you pay a certain amount of money to bid on a particular job. The other model is where you pay a monthly or quarterly or yearly subscription with unlimited bidding for your subscription fee. There are upsides and downsides to each and I'll be going into detail about each model later on in this audio program. Because I love marketing, I was hungry to learn all I could about it. I knew that it was a crucial element for success in any business. You can have the best product or service in the world to sell, have your standard operating procedures finely tuned and everything else in place. But if you don't have a steady stream of prospects interested in what you sell, you'll be out of business very quickly. I wanted to get really good at this and help others grow their business through the power of marketing. As a result, I became a digital marketing consultant and copywriter, which I continue to do to this day simply because I enjoy it so much. Don't get me wrong about putting the proverbial cart before the horse on what's important in your business. The foundation of any business is the product or service you're offering. Meaning your product service has to be sellable. Notice I didn't say great or the best. It simply has to be good enough that people will pay you money for it. And believe me, you don't have to have a luxury brand to make a lot of money. So stay with me and know that you can learn a new way of getting more customers if you're willing to keep learning and working on your product service, as well as learning basic marketing techniques. Then versus now. The pre-internet world was a completely different era, so to speak. It was a time when traditional marketing was the norm and thriving. Just about every business and industry used many of the same marketing methods. Direct mail that included brochures and postcards, cold calling on the phone, newspaper ads and other traditional forms of marketing. I built and grew an entertainment agency from the ground up in Pennsylvania many years ago. Business at that time was conducted almost completely by phone. Being able to sell on the phone will always be a valuable skill. But prior to the mid 90s, it was even more crucial. If I couldn't sell on the phone, I wasn't going to eat. Desperation as a way of motivating you to pay attention to what you're doing right and when you make a sale over a phone call. This enables you to sharpen those selling skills and do more of what works when talking on the phone to prospects and customers. Today, much of the traditional advertising has taken a backseat to online methods and techniques. Prior to the internet, there was no social media, Facebook ads, Google business profiles or email marketing. These are all new mediums that can be used as marketing channels for any business. And each of these mediums are unique, have their own way of doing things as well as their own learning curve. And the online world continually changes and evolves. Remember MySpace? I can only assume some of you, depending on your age, are nodding with a smile at this. For those of you who may be too young or don't remember, MySpace was one of the very first social media platforms. It was hugely popular with millions of subscribers. Then boom, Facebook came on the scene and MySpace was now irrelevant within a few short years of starting. Today, about one third of the world's population are active monthly users on Facebook. When Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion in 2012, it became the hottest social media platform around for the next few years. It's primarily image and video based content. Now Instagram's platform is maturing and although it's still very relevant as a social media channel, you can see that it's dominated by bikini clad women and other influencers whose only talent is they won the genetic lottery and look really pleasing to the eye. This may seem snarky, but it's not intended to be. It's actually true. Influencer marketing is a very viable form of marketing where a brand has their product represented in a social media post by the influencer. Cost for such, for just one post can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars for a brand, depending on the influencer's follower numbers. Enter TikTok. Nobody saw that this would become a huge platform with short video clips called Reels where people could post everything from political opinions to daredevil stunts and everything in between. Reels are a relatively new thing that have crossed over to Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and other platforms. My point in all this is that things constantly involve and change in the online world. But here's the most important point. Online is where your prospects and future customers are and it's never been easier to reach them than now. Although there are downsides to the online world, like anything else, the internet has made it extremely easy to reach your audience directly and offer them your service. Many brands and businesses get a lot of customers and business from their tribe on social media platforms. I have a friend who's a personal trainer and runs her entire business from her Instagram account. I do not recommend this. Having your business and tribe on one social media platform is a recipe for disaster. If a platform goes down and you have no way to communicate with your tribe, what do you do? Case in point, a while ago, Facebook had some technical problems and went down for about eight hours on one particular day. Nobody could access their account. Now remember, Facebook is a platform that has almost one third of the world's population having active accounts with them. People panicked, particularly people who ran their business from a Facebook group. A collective sigh of relief could almost be heard when Facebook came online later that day. Running business from a Facebook group is hugely popular as I write this. I used to do copywriting coaching for an online consultant who teaches other coaches and consultants how to create high ticket offers for the coaching programs. I continually tell these coaches that there is a definite danger in putting all your eggs in one basket online. If you don't have multiple ways of reaching your target audience with your products or services, how are you going to get more customers and grow your business? In this audio book, I'm going to show you how to make money bypassing traditional marketing methods and most online methods like email marketing, Facebook and Google ads and creating sales funnels. I'm going to focus on teaching you how to leverage lead generation sites to get more customers and grow your business. An easier way to get work and acquire customers. Lead generation websites for all kinds of industries have been around for decades. The first one I remember is Angie's List, nowangie.com, A-N-G-I.com, which was founded in 1995. When it started out, it was primarily designed to bring home remodeling contractors together with people looking for help with home renovation and improvements. It expanded nationally fairly quickly from its roots in Columbus, Ohio. Although it's had some controversy surrounding it, it's one of the first websites of this type to bring buyers and service providers together in one place. In the business world, regarding hiring freelance talent for various services, particularly for digital marketing, the main players are Upwork and Fiverr. These two sites bring freelancers and buyers together for practically any business service you can imagine. Some estimates for Upwork alone suggest there are 4,000 different freelance categories on the site, offering everything from website design to writing services and everything in between. Sites like Bark and Thumbtack are more generic and have a multitude of services listed that includes home remodeling contractors, DJs, entertainers, writers, and various digital skills. From plumbers to marketing consultants to massage therapists and shoe cobblers, you'll find just about anything you want or need in a service on these sites. At this writing, Bark alone has 1,500 different services available in dozens of categories and they're adding new ones all the time. There are many more lead generation sites online with many being specialized for a particular niche or service area. Now is a good time for me to address the most common misconception I frequently hear about these sites. There are still freelancers who either don't know about these sites or have heard through the grapevine that they don't work or certain ones are good and others aren't. Although there are several variables to take into account with each site, overall, they're a great passive way to get new customers and clients, even in rural areas with a limited population. I grew up in a very rural area of Pennsylvania. At the time, I was a professional magician and used the only one lead generation site that was available for entertainers at the time, Gigmasters, now called The Bash, to great advantage. And this was over 25 years ago. Full disclosure, some lead generation sites are better than others. I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you that some sites are simply better to deal with than others. And this can be for several reasons, where you live, how much competition you have, how much marketing money they put into your area, how much their credits cost and your ROI, just to name a few, which I'll disclose as we get to the sites and how they work, et cetera. However, I'll also say that with all of them, you have an opportunity to get results for the most part. What I'm going to show you in this audio book is how to navigate lead generation sites to get business as a freelancer. And particularly, if you don't have a lot of time to market your business in other ways, like sending out brochures or postcards or advertising online using Facebook or Google ads. These sites are designed to bring business owners and others wanting certain services and freelancers who can deliver that service together. They're designed to generate warm and hot leads for you. Then it's up to you to sell the client on your service and win the contract. So what I'll be sharing in this audio book regarding landing contracts on lead gen sites like Upwork, Fiverr, Bark, Thumbtack and others boils down to a few crucial things. One, determining which sites are best for you and your business. Two, setting up a profile that gets attention. Three, differentiating yourself from others who provide the same service. Four, determining if you want a specialty in your niche you want to focus on attracting. Five, sending compelling proposals that win the contract. Six, pricing your service for maximum results. Seven, getting reviews for work done and why it's crucial to do this. And finally, eight, protecting your success rating from bad reviews. This is what I refer to as the big eight. If you take care of these eight crucial things and take care of them well on each platform that you list your services on, you'll build your business much faster than newbies on there who don't really know what's important in persuading people to hire you. Here's another misconception. When I started out, I remember seeing in many articles explaining the 60-40 rule for freelancing. This is in essence, you'll spend 40% of your time looking for work and only 60% of your time doing the actual work or fulfillment. I never like to make broad generalizations because all freelancers have different hunting versus fulfilling percentages. As a distribution of time can fluctuate based on an individual freelancer circumstances. Some freelancers may dedicate a substantial amount of time to marketing and networking, especially when they're starting out or during slower business periods. On the other hand, established freelancers with a consistent and reliable base may spend more time on project fulfillment. Using lead generation sites is the easiest and least time-consuming way to get client work. If your service is a side hustle and you have a regular job and maybe a family, this is a great way to make extra money without spending a ton of time on marketing. It's also the perfect way to help you transition from part-time to full-time if that's your goal. And if you're already a full-time freelancer, this is a great way to increase your revenue with clients coming directly to you. Setting up a great profile that gets noticed on the lead generation site is largely a passive method of getting new contracts aside from having to respond to requests and send out proposals. These sites have changed the game on marketing your services. They've made it easier than ever to get work and acquire new customers without doing any outbound marketing. No matter what freelance service you offer, you'll find mastering lead generation sites will be well worth the effort and time to set up profiles on one or more of them. I'll be using examples from both my magic business as well as my marketing consulting and copywriting business which uses different lead generation sites. Going forward, as you listen, I ask you to keep an open mind and not be turned off by hearsay or the negative experiences others have had with these sites. Granted, there's good and bad to any new lead generation methodology, but contrary to this negativity, learning how to leverage these sites to your advantage can not only put more money in your pocket every month, but give you a real edge over your competition in general. These sites can help you build a customer base and be a great source of referral business too. Okay, let's get into it. Chapter two, lead generation sites and overview. Lead generation websites have made it very easy to get freelance work without doing any outbound marketing. When I moved to Tampa Bay six years ago, I started my magic show business with just four lead generation sites in my Google business profile. For the most part, other than an occasional postcard mailing, I still do very little outbound marketing and stay very busy with this part of my business without taking up too much of my time to find performing opportunities. If you're only doing your freelancing part-time, these sites are a great way to get work without having to set up online sales funnel, social media profile posting, sending out postcards or direct mail pieces or using even email marketing. And if you're already a full-time freelancer, they're a great way to expand and grow your business without doing any outbound marketing. Personally, these sites have allowed me to grow all three of my businesses exponentially without expensive paid online advertising, continual posting on social media or offline media spending. Lead generation websites have been around for a number of years for various niches. Some platforms like thumbtack.com are more generic and catered to just about any business you can think of, while others cater to specialized services. GigSalad and The Bash, for example, only cater to entertainers and buyers of entertainment. Well, as I noted before, Angie.com primarily caters to home improvement contractors. The sites I currently use or have used in the past for my magic shows include bark.com, gigsalad.com, thebash.com and entertainersworldwide.com. For my marketing agency and copywriting business, I use or have used fiverr.com, upwork.com, freelancer.com, business models for lead generation sites. As I stated earlier, there are essentially three business models for these sites. The subscription model, the credit or pay-as-you-go model and a hybrid model that combines both a subscription and credits needed to bid on jobs. There's no right or wrong with each. Every website has their own way of doing things. You need to decide which ones are worth your time and budget. The subscription model. In this model, you pay a monthly, quarterly or yearly fee for using the service with no additional charges. This is a great model because you know exactly what your costs are from month to month with no surprises. Plus you can bid on unlimited jobs with this model. You'll be able to bid on any jobs that come in that need your skillset. This is a big help if you're paying close attention to your marketing dollars and have a limited budget. It's also great because it gives you unlimited opportunities to bid on whatever jobs come in that you're interested in. In my magic business, I use gigsalad.com and The Bash which use this model. The credit business model. Sites that use this business model include bark.com, fiber.com and thumbdack.com among others. In this model, you pay-as-you-go by buying a certain number of credits depending on the type of job listed. The credit system, a number of credits required for each particular gig is set up by each individual site but there are certain commonalities they share. The hybrid business model. Some sites like Upwork and Angie.com charge a monthly subscription. In addition, you have to pay to bid on the jobs posted. As an example, according to Jobber, on Angie.com you can expect to pay about $300 a month in leads between the subscription and bidding on individual jobs. The average cost per lead can range from anywhere from $15 to $85. But for contractors with an average kitchen remodel ranging from $14,000 to $40,000 this is a fairly small price to pay with a very good ROI. Another example is my experience on Upwork. I pay a $15 a month subscription fee to be listed on their platform and I use anywhere on average from four to 16 connects, that's their name for credits as they call them, to bid on jobs. At the time of this writing, the cost for one connect ranges from about six cents to 15 cents which is pretty reasonable. And in my own case, I bid on different types of jobs within my expertise on Upwork. I may bid on someone wanting copy for a landing page, an email sequence or even a request for marketing strategy. Each of these jobs require a different number of connects. Other considerations. You need to get familiar with each lead gen website you choose. They all have different features and ways of doing things. For example, thumbtack.com doesn't charge a subscription fee and has a credit business model. And like many of these sites, they also have a calendar so you can keep track of your schedule, the jobs you're bidding on, days you are and aren't available, et cetera. But they also have a direct lead feature. This is a feature that allows the buyer of the service to reach out directly to the service provider. And when they do this, the service provider, you, is automatically charged the number of credits for that particular job classification. This shows you how important it is to update your calendar and make sure your schedule is straight so you're not billed for requests for days when you're unavailable. For example, in my magic show business on thumbtack.com, a children's birthday party costs me on average eight credits. A corporate job is 16 to 25 credits because it's a corporate gig, which they know will pay very well. These lead gen platforms know what each service costs as a whole and prices their credits accordingly. Know thy numbers. In order to maximize your profit from lead generation sites, you need to know your costs and how much you're willing to spend every month on these platforms for your service. I'm going to use my magic show bookings from lead generation sites for purposes of illustrating what I mean. As I've written earlier, lead generation sites are essentially the same, no matter what type of business you have. The reason I use this illustration is because I purposely track my credit spend for my magic shows over a three month period when I first entered the Tampa Bay market and wasn't known. I wanted to get an idea of what I spent and the result in ROI. In this three month period, I spent approximately $375 on credits between Bark and Thumbtack. This comes out to about $125 a month in lead gen costs. Gig Salad has a subscription fee of $139 per quarter. You can pay yearly and save money, but some people prefer the three month commitment option, particularly when first joining, due to not knowing whether they'll actually get work on the site or not. In my case, I prefer the three month membership, which comes out to $46 a month. The Bash has a basic annual fee of $149, which is reasonable. And that breaks down to about $12 a month. The Bash is also considerably less expensive than its predecessor, Gig Masters, who sold the business to them. I remember when I first heard about Gig Masters in the 90s, it was a bit pricey to be listed with them. Now bear in mind, this was about 30 years ago and the pricing was about the same as what Gig Salad is today. Gig Masters was also very crowded with lots of acts listed in my area at the time. And that told me two things. Number one, if it's crowded, they must be getting results. And number two, also if it's that crowded, the competition will be more fierce, therefore my success ratio when bidding may be lower. Assessing the competition in your market is always a good idea. My total cost for lead generation for all platforms for those three months totaled approximately $550 or $183 per month, between subscription and credit costs. In that period, I grossed $2,944 from these sites in that period. The breakdown from revenue generated from these sites is gross sales, $2,944. Marketing costs, $550. Net profit, $2,394 or $798 per month in profit. Return on investment, 82%, not bad. Now those aren't earth shattering numbers, but bear in mind, I hadn't been in business very long at that point. But what can $800 in profit in one month buy? Okay, you may not quit your job over it, but isn't that a nice little supplement if you're choosing to do freelancing part time and earning it doing something you enjoy? This is just a sampling of what a three month period may look like getting work from lead gen sites. Between both of my businesses, I've had months where I made a lot of money and then some slow months where I made less, but I've never had a month go by that I didn't win contracts from one of these sites. I use the $800 figure for a three month period as an illustration. Depending on the markets you work and your marketing and sales jobs, you can make much more than the $800 I did initially during this particular three month period. I remember reading an article by another copywriter who worked exclusively on Upwork and made a comfortable six figure income just getting clients on the Upwork platform. So buyers come to the site and post the job and service they need and want. It's then up to you to sell them on your service and beat out the competition for the contract. The only thing you really need to do once you win the contract is provide excellent work. But like anything else, several variables can change the numbers, sometimes drastically. The factors that might determine your income on these sites include the area in which you live. If you have to show up physically to perform a job and you're in a busy market like I used to be when I lived near Orlando, Florida, competition may be a bit stiffer. On the flip side, if you live in a rural area, the opportunities may be more sparse. If you're a digital freelancer, where you live won't affect you at all. The markets and types of jobs you want to work. Personally, I prefer working with small businesses and entrepreneurs in my marketing business as opposed to medium size and bigger brands. You'll have to determine this for yourself. The number of freelancers in your niche. This isn't as much of an issue as you would think. For example, in the niche of copywriters, there are a ton of them out in the marketplace. But I've also found that most of them aren't that good or are aspiring copywriters so they're actually easy to beat for contracts. In addition, there is so much work in the freelance space currently with this trajectory expected to continue to trend upward. I also understand that we will all have to start somewhere. This is where differentiating yourself in the marketplace can come in handy. And here's a real kicker. Because I'm involved in three very busy businesses, my time is limited. The numbers I showed you are very real for my magic business. And remember, that's for the gigs that I booked. I did no follow-up at all on the jobs I did on. And this is for all three businesses. Read, listen to that again. Yes, I didn't do any follow-ups simply because of time constraints. I don't recommend this. Imagine if I followed up with these prospects, providing value, giving advice on how to make their project better based on my past experience, et cetera. I could have increased those numbers significantly. So I don't recommend you do what I do and not follow up. You should follow up every lead with at least a second message and a third if necessary. And if you're good at phone sales, by all means, use the phone for follow-up. I made my living as a talent agent and magician in Pennsylvania years ago, pre-internet, and did everything by phone, including responding to leads. I rarely call anyone now in any of my businesses. Cold calling can still work, but I don't want to do it. It's too time consuming for the return I get. Recently, for better paying gigs and projects, I'll do some follow-up and keep in close touch with the buyer. The many events and projects I bid on in any of my businesses, I simply rely on the strength of my profile and the proposal I send to land the contract. The pitfalls. Yes, there are always at least a couple of downsides to anything in life, but regarding lead gen sites, these are mostly annoyances for the most part. There are a couple of things to recognize that can really frustrate you when being listed on these sites. First, you may get a job request and you're too busy to send a bid right away. A couple of these sites send a note with every gig request saying something to the effect of, reply to this request now. Many times, the first to apply gets the job. And in my own experience, I found that this is largely true. Some people who post a job just want to get the task of hiring a freelancer out of the way and off their to-do list. These folks, many times, will book the first freelancer who's got decent, notice I didn't say good or the best, marketing materials and at least some sort of track record. Just last night, I was doing a show at a resort and a lead came in that I really wanted. I didn't get a chance to send a bid until after I got home. That was about three hours later. It was too late. The job request had been taken down because it had been filled that fast. This doesn't always happen that quickly, but it does happen. This is why being the first to bid isn't necessarily a bad idea and it's actually something you want to strive for. Once in a while, you'll get a fake job request on a lead gen site. Again, it doesn't happen often, but it does happen. It could be a competitor doing market research to see what other freelancers are charging, or it may simply be a hacker or disgruntled person trying to stir up trouble for lack of anything better to do. Overall, there are actually very few downsides to these websites other than what I mentioned above, and these are not the fault of the platforms themselves. On which sites should you list your services? There are a lot of options to choose from for online lead generation sites today, with more popping up all the time. Which ones should you choose and which ones will perform the best for you? Start with one or two platforms and see how they do for you. Once you get accustomed to a particular platform, you'll find it easier to get work as you learn to navigate it. For example, for my marketing and writing business, my go-to lead gen site is Upwork. I've worked hard to attain and maintain an over 90% success score on there. Because of this, Upwork lets top-rated freelancers set up other profiles related to their core competency. Here's a dirty little secret. After being on these sites for a number of years, I found that the lead gen sites that have the biggest marketing budgets are the ones on which you should list your profile. Upwork is my go-to for copywriting and marketing consulting. And although there are many other sites for freelancers out there, Upwork and Fiverr are the two top sites for the digital space and the most well-known. Chapter three, your website, the foundation of all your marketing. You may be scratching your head wondering why I included a chapter on your website in an audio book on lead generation sites. Let me explain. In today's business world, particularly after the pandemic, more and more businesses have moved online. We're moving more and more into a connected world, and I predicted this would happen almost a decade ago. The pandemic simply speeded up that trajectory. I'm assuming if you're working at your freelance skill and getting paid for it, have at least some sort of website or portfolio site up. It may be a simple one you build in GoDaddy or Wix, or you may have one with a lot of bells and whistles. It's no longer a matter of conjecture today whether you need a website or not for your freelance business. You definitely need it in any business. A good website shows you're credible in the marketplace. I strongly suggest you don't cheap out on this foundational key to your marketing unless you're just starting out. I see many freelancers try to use a Facebook business page or their LinkedIn profile, and even use their Upwork or Fiverr profile as a website. These aren't websites, and if you don't have at least a bare bones one, most buyers won't take you seriously. Your website is a foundation of your marketing, and you need to have one even if it's a simple one pager. You may want to use social media also, but the foundation for your online platform is always your website. The six elements of an effective website. Most websites are a work in progress, meaning you should be continually updating them, adding new pics, videos, links, or additional content on a regular basis, or at least as often as you can. I'm guilty of not updating enough, but I have a better solution or tool that works in conjunction with my website. It's Google's free tool, Google Business Profile. I'll be covering this in the bonus chapter at the end of this audio book. Google prefers websites that are updated regularly. Static or inactive websites won't do well in Google search. Adding content and updating with keywords in your specialty or niche, at least periodically should be a marketing goal for you. Doing this in addition to setting up and managing your Google Business Profile will help you in getting ranked higher. Keywords. When building your website, you'll want to write the text, the copy, using SEO. SEO stands for search engine optimization and is based on keywords and phrases people use when searching for products or services. At Assessants, doing keyword research and incorporating the most popular ones into your copy and meta tags on your site boils down to simply communicating with Google about what you do so that when people search for someone with your skillset, they can find you. Try to figure out which keywords people would use when searching for your particular service in your area. In the Tampa Bay area where I live, I use keywords and phrases like direct response copywriter, sales copywriter, digital marketing consultant, et cetera. These are the most likely keywords that people would be searching for when looking for a marketing consultant or a copywriter, particularly a direct response one in my niche. If SEO is new to you, I highly recommend using a web designer who is versed in at least basic SEO. Your homepage headline. Your copy is what will get people to stay on your site and read about you and your service. Copy is the text you use for your website, social media posts, emails, et cetera. Whether writing website copy, emails, or video scripts, it's the words you use and how you use them that determines whether people will keep reading and buy from you. Your headline is a starting point and is actually responsible for 75% of the success on your website and whether people are interested in learning more about you. Reading your social media posts and just wanting to consume more of your content. Your headline is the ad for the ad. It should be written to do one thing only, get people to keep reading. A good headline communicates your offer as a freelancer and what differentiates you in the marketplace. Having a subhead below it goes deeper into what you do and is an option too. Here's the headline and subheadline I use on the homepage of my website. The headline reads, the future of marketing your business is online. The subheadline is no matter what industry you're in, the eyes of your audience are in the online world. I'll help you reach them with the right message and on the right online platforms. This headline communicates to business owners what my site is about, online marketing, and the subhead goes deeper and explains how I do it. The headline teases the fact that online marketing is what you need to do now to compete. The idea is for the reader to want to see exactly how I help them do this in a general way. The subhead then goes a bit deeper and explains this. I'll help them develop their marketing message and put it on the right platforms for their particular business or industry. Now, here's a pro tip. Headlines should be used in every marketing post or piece you put out. This includes opt-in pages, landing and sales pages, email subject lines, yes, these are also headlines that entice people to open the email, social media posts, and even video scripts. The very first line spoken in an introductory or explainer video should be considered a headline designed to grab the reader's attention and get them to keep watching. And speaking of that, let's talk about the video demo. Although having an introductory video is not required, I strongly suggest you do one. I'm a firm believer that an intro video could be a nice differentiator and make the difference between getting a particular job and not winning the contract. Why? Because most freelancers don't do it and for various reasons. Putting an intro video on your homepage gives buyers an idea of your personality, what you know and your level of experience, as well as anything else you want to tell them. Many clients of mine on Upwork mentioned my video when hiring me for a job, with a few hiring me because of the video. Doing a video demo is easier now than it's ever been before. Video is the most consumed type of content on the web right now, with 80% of content consumed being in this format. You don't need a super slickly produced video in the beginning. I'll explain that in a bit, but first here's what your video should show. Number one, who you are. Your video will show what type of personality you have and how you come across. This is important to buyers and businesses who want to work with a freelancer who is easy to collaborate with. Number two, what you do. Explain your service or services, relevant training and anyone of note you've done work or projects for. Number three, have a call to action. This is the most important part of the video. It tells the viewer what you want them to do next, such as hire me now for your copywriting project, or the next time you need a web designer with a blah, blah, blah, right? Asking for the sale right in the video leaves no doubt in the viewer's mind that you're a professional ready to work for them. If you're just starting out, the easiest way to get a demo is to simply record this on your smartphone. The quality of smartphone cameras continues to rise, and you can get a video editor on Fiverr or Upwork to edit your video down to about two to four minutes, which is sufficient. You can either order a cheap smartphone tripod on Amazon or stand the phone on a table somewhere. Pictures and images. A picture is worth a thousand words. That's an old saying. This is still true when it comes to websites. You should have at least a few pictures and images on your website without getting crazy. Your web designer can help you with this. A headshot and at least one or two images to support the service you provide is sufficient. And make sure you're smiling in your pictures. Studies have shown that pics with someone smiling get more attention than if they're not smiling. People look longer at expressive faces, so having a big smile in your pic is a plus. Your bio or about page. This is hugely important. Your bio showcases who you are, what training you've had, and who you work for. Spend time on this. If you can't do it yourself, hire a professional copywriter to help you. If you need help with this, message me. Again, you'll want a good headshot for this in addition to the copy. You also want to frame yourself as the freelancer to hire for the market you want to work. Your bio should address the following areas for those who hire freelancers. One, how long you've been practicing your skill or service. Now, if you're just starting, you can leave this out. Number two, any other tasks and services related to your core service. Number three, who you work with. Big brands, small businesses, everybody. Number four, what kinds of projects you've completed with samples. Number five, some of the notable clients you work for. And number six, your contact info. Make sure it includes all ways to contact you, including phone, email, and social media profile links. Your services page. Your services page spells out exactly what you do and who and what market you work. You'll want to showcase every service you can provide. I have a freelancer I contract with who has worked for me for years and pretty much does it all as far as digital marketing goes. She writes blogs for me. She can write landing pages and email sequences as well as manage social media. Now, some people would protest and say, but Tim, I don't want to confuse my buyer with all these services. To this, I say, as long as all the services you provide are related, like the freelancer I mentioned above, you can and should list all of them on your website. My marketing agency, www.timpicciarillo.com, that's www.t-i-m-p-i-c-c-i-r-i-l-l-o.com, is a boutique agency which offers only select services for my small business clients. The services listed are all related to marketing, but I'm not a small business online. I don't muddy my marketing message online by offering my magic shows on the same site or even under the same name. Would you hire a copywriter who's also a magician? Probably not. This is a branding issue. The online world is extremely cluttered and standing out is important, but offering two completely unrelated services will hurt you because we're in the age of specialization. This is why I took a stage name for my magic shows and branded myself Timothy Pitch Comedy Magician, which is also my website URL, www.timothypitch.com. Although there is some overlap, for the most part, my businesses aren't confusing to people simply because Tim Picciarillo and Timothy Pitch are completely different brands. Your website can be a powerful marketing tool and should reflect and represent what you do in the best possible light. If you're starting out or trying to transition from part-time to full-time, building websites should always be a work in progress. I had my first website built 25 years ago and although I've had it redone numerous times, I need to add to it more regularly, including adding blogs, additional pages, and updated videos and pictures. Again, this is the foundation for your brand as a freelancer and time should be spent making it the best it can be. The marketing and sales mindset. Your mindset in getting work on lead generation sites is extremely important in being successful. These sites are set up to bring buyers and freelancers of all kinds together so that every vendor has a fair shot at proposing their skills to the buyer. So your job is already half done by the platform bringing buyers to you. You don't have to send out direct mail campaigns or postcards, you don't need to do any email marketing or pay for Facebook or Google ads to get leads. Although these are still good ideas, you do however need to sharpen your marketing and sales skills. Your marketing materials like videos, pictures, and copy you write for your profile should put you in the best light possible. I've heard some freelancers say how they hate the business side of freelancing to which I normally reply, great, more work for me. And I'm not kidding. If you're setting yourself up to work as a freelancer either full-time or part-time, then you need to take care of business and start thinking of freelancing as a business. Thinking this way can give you a real competitive advantage no matter what market you're in. Again, the two elements you want to get good at are sales and marketing. Many people still confuse these two very distinct elements of business. So I'll explain the difference. Marketing is a process in which you get your ideal prospect interested in whatever it is you're selling. Your ads and marketing materials give people enough information so that they raise their hand wanting more information about the product or service. This is where the sales process kicks in. Knowing how to close clients either by email or on the phone can be learned. And it's crucial that you're good at this. I'll tip my hat here and say I almost never call a prospect on these sites to book a gig. I do meet with someone on a Zoom call as an introduction for interviews or to discuss a project. Could I close more people if I did? Most likely. But my method of getting work on lead gen sites is something I kind of fell into due to time constraints and other factors. Too much competition. The common complaint for freelancers is there's too much competition to win contracts consistently. Not true. Not even a bit. There, I said it. It's just another mindset stumbling block. Why is this not true? Well, let's imagine a scenario. When I first listed my services on Upwork, as I stated in the last chapter, my fee was a measly $10 an hour. Why so low? That fee allowed me to get my foot in the door and start getting a track record with my copywriting. And then once I finished that job, got a good review, then I got another job and then another. You get where I'm going with this. Most freelance sites have freelancers with wide ranging skill levels and pricing. There's room for everyone on these sites. And if you're a US citizen and fluent in English, the opportunities are even more abundant. According to the Small Business Administration, there are over 33 million businesses in the US and everyone all over the globe wants to do business in America. The US has the largest economy in the world and more and more businesses all over the world are using these sites instead of hiring employees. Imposter syndrome. I had this when I first started out. I Googled the phrase and this is the definition that came up. The persistent inability to believe that one's success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one's own efforts or skills. With all the competition in virtually every freelance niche being at an all time high, it's easy to fall into the trap of feeling you're not good enough at your particular skill and that other freelancers are more talented or skilled than you. Not true, by a long shot. There is no one cause for imposter syndrome. It's usually a combination of culture, environment, how you were raised and other factors. Doesn't matter what causes it. If it's keeping you from realizing your potential as a freelancer, you need to address it. First, recognize the skill levels on freelance sites are all over the place from aspiring to seasoned freelancers. Here's a good piece of advice regarding this concept that I learned from one of my business mentors years ago. Let the market decide whether your product or service is any good. The only real determinant of whether your service or anything for that matter will sell is whether people want it or not. Secondly, you need to get to a point where you don't care what others think. This is actually the real reason for imposter syndrome, particularly in the online world where putting yourself out there can make you feel vulnerable. It's a common challenge of worrying about how you'll be perceived by buyers and other freelancers. And what if you can't do the work correctly or finish by the deadline given, or, or, or, I think you get the point here. If you reread what I just said above or re-listen to it, you'll see that most of the time imposter syndrome is simply your own perception of how you feel about yourself and your skills. Make no mistake. You need to have a good enough skill set at your service so you can comfortably ask for money for it. There are freelancers out there who have no business hanging out a shingle for their service before they're ready, but it does happen. At the other end of the spectrum is the myth of the best, which I explained earlier. The remedy is simple. Just put your profile up and start sending out proposals without caring what your competition, the haters, the trolls, your mother-in-law, or anybody else for that matter, thinks about it. You'll find that like anything else, you'll get better at it and more comfortable the more you do it. In large part, using freelancer sites is just like any other type of sales. It's essentially a numbers game. You need to send out proposals consistently to get work and get your foot in the door. Once you do this, you'll start building confidence and the all-important track record. And here's the best part about this. These sites do the marketing for you to bring leads, people wanting, needing what you provide directly to you. You simply need to convince the buyer, AKA sell yourself, that you are the best choice for the role, job, or project. I'll be devoting an entire chapter to explain how to do this, but there's a bit of work still to be done prior to doing this. You need to show your uniqueness in your niche, and you can do this in a number of ways. As I'll point out in the next chapter. Chapter four, your USP. How are you different? The first thing I ask a new prospect or client when I'm doing a marketing consulting for them is the same thing every potential customer or client asks a business when considering purchasing from them. Why should I buy from you as opposed to everyone else who does what you do? You should be able to answer this question in one or no more than two sentences. It's essentially your marketing hook to separate you from the pack when competing with other freelancers. This is called your unique selling proposition, or USP, and is what separates you from others who do what you do. Here's a good place to address another psychological hurdle some people face when entering the freelance game, another form of the not measuring up mental block that some freelancers face. It is the myth of the best. I found through hard-won experience and teachings from some of the best marketers on the planet, a wisdom nugget that was a game changer for me, and that is something that's called the myth of the best. This myth assumes that the best insert whatever job or profession here you want automatically gets the lion's share of words when people are looking for a product or service. Now, here's a pro tip. If you don't take anything else away from this e-book, the following tip I'm going to share regarding winning contracts as a freelancer will serve you well, and it's simply this. The best freelancer doesn't usually get the contract. The best marketer does. Marketing and selling are all about perceived value in the minds of your prospects and customers, and marketing is simply a battle of perceptions, not products, according to Al Ries and Jack Trout in their book, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing. And don't get me wrong. You have to have a sellable skill to compete and get paid for your work, but you certainly don't have to be the best at what you do. I continue to study and work with the craft of copywriting and marketing and magic in my entertainment business, and I stay very busy with all the work I can handle as a result. Your skills are continually a work of progress, and you're never done learning and growing, if you're doing it right. When I learned that I could get ahead of the competition by learning how to out-market them, this gave me more of an edge. I learned a long time ago a quote from business and life philosopher, Earl Nightingale, who said, don't compete, create. This means don't do what everyone else does, create something new. From this simple statement, I knew I had to differentiate myself no matter what business I was in. So how do you do it? Well, there are various angles to use when differentiating yourself. The first thing people usually think of is price. If I quote a lower fee than my competition, I'll get more work, is the thinking here. The problem is it isn't a good strategy for the long-term. Many consultants will tell you that you shouldn't brand yourself right out of the gate as the bargain basement freelancer, because it may be tough to get out of that positioning once you're in it. I used to agree with that, but don't anymore, because starting at a low fee does work initially as I found out, and here's why. Here's why starting with a low fee is a good idea. When I first listed my copywriting service on Upwork in 2017, I listed myself as a direct response copywriter. My starting fee, $10 an hour. Now, just about any copywriter worth his salt would have completely scoffed or fell off their chair laughing at the low fee, and I couldn't blame them. It's an absurdly low fee in a business where even a rank amateur junior copywriter can make three to four times that hourly fee, but I was thinking strategically and long-term. I wanted to get my foot in the door of a new industry I had only dabbled in before, and to do that, I had to get a track record of success behind me, so I went at a fee that essentially people couldn't refuse. I remember my very first Upwork client was another marketer from Australia who was a Facebook ads guru. He kept telling me he couldn't believe my fee was so low for the quality of work I was doing for him. It was nice to hear because it was my first time writing for someone else. This can inflate the ego, but I needed to hear it from him to know if my work was any good or not. I had never written for anyone other than myself and didn't actually know if I was any good. Although his business was aligned with mine, online marketing, writing in a different quote-unquote voice was very foreign to me. I wasn't sure if I'd be any good at writing for others, and this was a good way of finding out. Thankfully, I found out I was pretty good at it, and I rose in the ranks on the site fairly quickly and in under a year. I'll explain how I did that later. Pro tip, an old adage in business is that the market will determine whether your product or service is any good or not. Constant study and practice to improve at whatever freelance service you provide will help ensure your success as an independent freelancer for years to come. Different countries, different fee structures. When you're competing on sites like Upwork or Fiverr, these are global platforms. Upwork alone has over 18 million freelancers on there, and this was as of 2017. They stopped reporting how many freelancers use a platform after that year. I'll assume one reason is not to scare off newbies in the field who would think they wouldn't be able to compete with so many others. Another reason may be that the pandemic inflated the number of freelancers entering the space. Also, a percentage of employees who worked remotely for their organizations during the pandemic and then went out on their own as freelancers inflated the number of freelancers out there actively pursuing work. That means you're competing with freelancers from all over the world, where the cost of living varies, and sometimes enormously, depending on the country and region you're dealing with. I use several freelancers from the Philippines in my marketing agency for recurring monthly tasks. They're very talented, and their hourly rate is extremely affordable for me because the cost of living is about one quarter of ours here in the US. In other words, it's 75% cheaper to live in the Philippines than here in the United States. Because of this, freelancer fees are lower. Currently, I pay my VAs from there about $6 an hour for the work they do. This is a good rate for them for where they live. It's a win-win scenario. As an agency owner, I get freelancers who are talented but cheap by US standards because of where they live. In return, my freelancers have consistent income, and as I grow and acquire more clients, their income increases as a result. Ways to differentiate your freelance business. Differentiating yourself as a freelancer in the digital space is crucial in a competitive market. Here are some strategies to help you stand out. One, specialize. Instead of being a generalist, consider specializing in a niche. Whether it's web design for a specific industry, social media marketing for a particular target audience, or programming in a unique technology stack, specialization can sometimes make you more attractive to clients looking for expertise. Number two, build a strong portfolio. Showcase your best work in a portfolio that is easy to navigate and visually appealing. Include case studies that highlight your problem-solving skills and the impact of your work on the client's business. There are many portfolio websites online where you can showcase your work. Here are some free sites. One, Behance. Two, Adobe Portfolio. Three, Writer's Residence. Four, Journo Portfolio, that's J-O-U-R-N-O Portfolio. And the last one, Muckrack, M-U-C-K-R-A-C-K. Here's another one, develop a personal brand. Create a personal brand that reflects your value, style, and expertise. This includes a professional logo, consistent branding across your social media profiles, Google business profile, and maybe a specialty within your niche that sets you apart. How about networking effectively? Attending industry events, joining relevant online communities, and engaging with potential clients and fellow freelancers can lead to referrals and collaborations and enhance your reputation. Provide outstanding customer service. Go above and beyond in client interactions. The customer experience, which is providing a five-star experience for your clients every time they deal with you at every touchpoint, is a huge business trend that's only going to get bigger. Timely communication, meeting deadlines, and exceeding your client's expectations can lead to positive reviews and repeat business, as well as give you a real competitive edge. Staying updated. In the fast-evolving digital landscape, it's crucial to stay current with industry trends, tools, and technologies. Are you using AI in your service? How about video? These are business trends that are continually evolving, and continuous learning and adaptation shows clients that you are committed to delivering the best solutions for them. Showcase any relevant training or certifications on your website or portfolio. Show your personality. Let your personality shine through in your communication and branding. Clients often appreciate working with freelancers who are not only skilled, but also easy to work with. I'm an outgoing guy, so I learned to leverage my personality early on. This has helped me immensely over the years in gaining trust and referrals, too. And here's another one. Offer a unique service or product. Do you offer something other freelancers in your niche don't? Identify gaps in the market or common pain points for clients, and tailor your services to address those needs. Providing something unique can make you more attractive to potential clients. I do something for my copywriting client really separates me from the pack of other copywriters. I make a video for my client showing and explaining the psychology of why I wrote what I wrote for them, and my clients just love this. Collect and showcase testimonials. Positive testimonials from satisfied clients can be powerful social proof. The more you have, the better. Third-party testimonials will sell you more than anything else. Always ask for a review or testimonial right after you complete a job, and then put them prominently on your website or portfolio. The freelance sites will include them on their site, but make sure your client places the same testimonial on your Google business profile. Use them in social media posts, email, just about anywhere. Flexible pricing models. Consider offering flexible pricing models such as project-based pricing, hourly rates, or even retainer options. This flexibility can make your services more accessible to a variety of clients. A major differentiator. There's an observation I've made in the last few years regarding freelancers and their online presence that to me is extremely noticeable. In a nutshell, is that most freelancers don't use video in their business to let buyers get to know them, their personality, services, et cetera. This is a huge missed opportunity. Many people aren't comfortable in front of a camera and don't like to record themselves. I'm just going to say this, and at the risk of sounding like a complete curmudgeon, if you want to get an edge, start talking to your customers through video, whether you like it or not. You don't need to set up your own YouTube channel, although that's not a bad idea. You don't need to invest in a lot of expensive video equipment. Your smartphone will do just fine for now. You can post it on social media profiles, giving viewers tips on your specialty, put an introductory video on your website, as I mentioned in a previous chapter, and even on your freelance profiles, if the site allows it. I know Upwork does. I put up an intro video on Upwork shortly after I got on the platform, and to this day, clients still comment on how this video sent them over the edge to hire me. This is the power a good video has to engender trust in you and your ability from prospects who can hire you directly. Doing video is like learning anything else. It's extremely uncomfortable at first, but gets easier the more you do it. I strongly urge you to start using video on all your marketing, especially on freelance platforms. This alone will have you standing out to buyers because you can show your personality, your ability to communicate, how easy it is to work with you, and other variables. Remember that differentiating yourself is an ongoing process. Regularly assess your skills, market demands, and your competition to stay relevant and maintain a competitive edge in your particular freelancing niche. Which sites are the best? Where to list your services? As I mentioned earlier, there are dozens of lead generation sites online. Some are generic, some are job-specific, meaning the sites serve certain freelance niches such as only web developers or only writers as examples. The best thing to do is to do a Google search and input key phrases like lead generation websites for freelancers and freelancer websites. You can also type in industry-specific terms like copywriters for the technology industry. It's probably best to try listing your freelance service on the bigger sites first. If you're a writer, designer, or any type of remote worker, Upwork and Fiverr are the two biggest lead generation sites to consider first as a freelancer. They are by far the most used and visible freelancer platforms. Estimates of the number of freelancers on there, as well as businesses looking for them, number in the millions each year. And this trajectory is expected to grow at between 20 and 25% over the next several years each year. Although there's a lot of competition on these bigger sites, it's pretty easy to get traction on them fairly quickly if you know what to do. It essentially boils down to the formula for any other lead generation site, putting up a compelling profile and submitting winning proposals. Which business model is best? Now, depending on which sites you decide to list your services on, you'll want to consider your budget and how much you're willing to spend on lead generation every month. If you have a ceiling on what you can spend each month, sites that have a subscription fee with no limit on the number of proposals you can send is a good option. You'll know exactly what you're spending each month with no surprises. If you have a little wiggle room with your marketing budget, you can use sites that have a membership fee plus credits you need to purchase for each job. Here are my favorite lead generation sites. The following sites listed and opinions are based on my personal experience with each site and should be taken as such. Opinions. Everybody has an opinion is an old phrase, but so true. I remember the first time I heard someone refer to Upwork as having only low quality clients on its site. As I use a platform more and more, I saw how very untrue this was. As of 2017, there were five and a half million businesses listed as clients on Upwork. Upwork brought the co-founder of one of the biggest online learning platforms to me. He actually reached out to me directly on Upwork through the messaging platform. I've also worked with several enterprise clients on there and did a writing project for the biggest marketing association in the world. So when other freelancers say there aren't good clients on Upwork, I always think to myself, I'm glad you think that way. Again, less competition for me because nothing could be further from the truth. Now the following are my thoughts on the two biggest freelancer sites I've used as a freelancer, both as a copywriter and marketing consultant. Upwork.com. In the freelancing world, this is the gold standard for freelance sites and where I got my start when I got serious about copywriting and wanting to ramp up. If you're a freelancer in the digital space, actually a freelancer of any type that serves other businesses, you need to be on this platform. The job postings are plentiful and there's work for entry level, intermediate and expert skill levels. They've changed their business model over the years but their current model has two options. One, a basic plan that is free and gives you a few credits called connects every month to bid on jobs. Number two, a plus plan for $15 a month that gives you a larger allotment of connects, membership perks and visibility of others' bids on a given project. Both plans give you connects which are essentially credits you use to bid on jobs and Upwork takes a 10% commission on any job or project a freelancer does. Their site has several filters where you can get fairly granular with what you're looking for in job postings. For example, you can input copywriter into the search bar and usually several hundred and sometimes a couple thousand jobs come up. However, type in email specialist or email marketing and there will be less job postings. This is where having a specialty with your service comes in handy. A few years ago, Upwork added US-based freelancers only filter to address the problems inherent in working with offshore freelancers and the attendant challenges like language barrier which could be a problem for US-based business owners who only speak English. Although some freelancers speak English very well and sometimes fluently, it can still be a problem in finding and vetting freelancers. Upwork is where I currently get clients on demand. When I have a slow period, I'll go into Upwork, search for jobs in the area of direct response copywriter, copywriter or lead generation and send a few proposals. My closing rate is about one out of every three to four proposals I send. Now, 25 to 33% closing rate isn't too bad considering the competition and how many freelancers are on the platform. I found out early there was enough work for everyone on Upwork and other sites like it. It's largely a numbers game like any other thing you're selling. The more proposals you send, the better your chances of winning contracts if your proposal is compelling enough. If you're interested in learning everything you need to know how to leverage Upwork to win contracts and gain clients, you need to read my friend Mike Volkin's book, Mastering Upwork, The Ultimate Guide to Attracting, Converting and Keeping Excellent Clients on Upwork. This ebook will show you everything you need to know to be successful on the biggest freelancer platform in the world. This ebook is worth its weight in gold and you can get it at this URL, winonupwork.com. That's all one word, triple W-W-I-N-O-N-U-P-W-O-R-K.com, winonupwork.com. You need that book if you're gonna be on Upwork for sure. Fiverr.com, Fiverr has been around since 2010 and it was started with the hook of a $5 asking price for most jobs on there. This has since changed with pricing varying widely and many times much higher than $5 since Fiverr's inception. This is a true gig economy platform. Fiverr services are called gigs and sellers set the initial price for a gig. Fiverr takes a 20% commission for each job or project. For example, if a buyer purchases a video design service for $100 from a seller, then the seller will receive $80 and Fiverr receives 20. Fiverr is second only to Upwork in terms of number of contracts closed in a year. They're a bit different in that freelancers can set up profiles for specific gigs or tasks that are one-off projects or simple to complete. For example, there's a category on Fiverr where freelancers make one minute long videos for a business just using their phone. I also know a freelancer who set up a profile to do voiceover work from his home as a side hustle. He literally only spends two hours a day doing voiceovers for clients and at the time made 6,000 in side income per month. That's $6,000. Fiverr is a good platform for new freelancers to get their feet wet and set up multiple gigs depending on your niche or specialty. You can get valuable experience and make money on Fiverr at the same time. These are just some brief thoughts on the two biggest freelancer sites online today. Again, there are many, many other lead generation sites out there with their own business model, price structure, and varying quality of work leads. And the fact that you bought this audio book, I'm going to give you a freebie. All you have to do is reach out and email me at timpic.com, T-I-M at T-I-M-P-I-C.com, and I'll send you a PDF download of 63 other freelance websites that are online, that are active. And some of them are very specialized just for designers or writers, but there are 63 other ones and I'll be glad to give that to you. Again, just email me at T-I-M at T-I-M-P-I-C.com, timpic.com, and I'll send it right out to you. For digital freelancers, just set up a profile on each of these sites if you're just starting out and start sending proposals. I'll show you how to do this in coming chapters, starting with setting up your profile and what to include in it. Chapter five, set up your profile for maximum impact. The first step after joining any lead generation site is to set up your profile. You'll have a much easier time winning contracts if you have a good profile with all the information someone would need to make a decision on whether or not to hire you. In this chapter, I'll break down the crucial elements you need to make your profile a magnet for people wanting the service you provide. Your profile can actually make or break you getting a gig if it comes down to you and another freelancer. Perception is reality in the mind of the prospect. In other words, if a freelancer has experience in a certain industry or market and the testimonials to back it up, a buyer will see that that freelancer is perfectly suited for their job or project. This makes it easier for the buyer to choose you. Case in point, my very first client on Upwork told me how impressed he was with how I wrote my bio on my profile. I got told time and again by clients on Upwork that what sent them over the edge to book me was my profile and intro video. Although it makes me feel good and I love the accolades for a good profile that wins me work, I put ego aside and I'm just happy that my profile bio and video work well enough to stand out to people. I learned a long time ago that only results matter. One of my business mentors asked me at one time, would you rather feed your ego or your bank account? Definitely my bank account and truer words were never spoken. Now the areas of your profile, which I'm gonna discuss are basically the same as the elements your website should have. So I'm gonna go a little bit deeper into each element. Sizzling copy. You don't have to be a professional copywriter to write great marketing copy for your profile, but it doesn't hurt either. In my business as a professional copywriter, writing copy that persuades a reader to hire me is something I learned to do early on. But here's the thing, writing good copy to promote yourself and your service isn't mystical. You just need to learn how to do it. And I'm convinced just about anyone can learn to write good copy for themselves. Granted, some are better writers than others. And if you're not confident in your abilities or simply don't wanna do it, you can always outsource it to professionals like me. The best way to start is to model other freelancers, websites or portfolio sites, social media profiles and other marketing materials. Notice I didn't say copy them. I said to use them as a model. Modeling what they do and then adapting it to your tone and personality is your best bet. Find the best freelancers with the most jobs and highest success ranking on the platform to model. There's a reason these folks are tops in their particular service area. So it would be good to study what they do and attempt to learn why they're so successful. Each platform has its own way of asking you for information regarding your service and other information that will help a buyer make a decision on whether you'll get hired or not. They have templates and you just have to fill in your information. This is where persuasive copywriting can help. You want to write your profile in a way that makes you stand out and shows that you are the logical choice for them when it comes to hiring a freelancer for a particular job or project. Here's where you want to use your differentiation, your USP to your best advantage. One of the things I do in my Upwork profile bio as a direct response copywriter is tell my story of having Tourette's syndrome and how I became a magician, a marketing consultant and copywriter despite it. It makes for, I hope, an interesting story while explaining why they should hire me as opposed to another direct response copywriter. Your bio. Your bio is a place where you can really shine. So take the time you need to get this right. You'll want to include your experience in the types of services you offer, any clients you've worked for who are well-known or prestigious in some way, as well as your general background. If you have a special story to tell that relates to your freelancing, that you can spice up your bio. Just make sure the content in your bio is relevant to the reader and what you do as a freelancer. If you have no experience. Since I wrote this ebook primarily for newer freelancers and people who are currently employed and want to strike out on their own as a freelancer, I get asked a very common question by freelancers that new high school or college graduates ask when applying for a job where the employer wants someone with experience. And they always say, how am I supposed to get experience if I can't even get my foot in the door to work with my skills? Great response, because it's true. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks like I do. I see hiring someone with no experience as an opportunity for a win-win scenario. When I'm looking for a new freelancer for certain tasks, I'm looking for the best freelancers who also have the best fees. Notice I didn't say lowest fees, I said best fees. I have to know what the average pay is for a particular freelance niche to know where to start. Here's the four things I look for in a freelancer. Number one, they have a strong desire to work for me in their specialty. Number two, they're willing to take direction and feedback. Three, they can meet deadlines. And four, they have a reasonable hourly rate. If they demonstrated in a simple 15-minute interview that they can do those four things and are affordable, I'm willing to give them a shot. Reviews. After every job or project, make sure you ask for a review of your work. Reviews can make or break you online today. Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and all the lead generation sites have review sections. So protecting your online reputation by making sure you only get good reviews and minimizing the number of lackluster or out-and-out bad reviews is crucial today. Gradually, you'll build a track record, and you can do this at your own pace also. Again, this is like any other sales game in that the more proposals you put in, the more contracts you win if you know how to close sales. Your proposal is the first step in this process. Once a prospective client shows interest in hiring you, they will most likely want a Zoom interview to check you out. It's here where the sale is made. You'll need to make sure you can sell yourself, but here's the good news. A Zoom interview on a lead gen platform like Upwork is the same as any virtual job interview. Only difference, it's virtual, but that's the only difference. So don't let Zoom calls intimidate you. And here's a quote. As a new freelancer, you may want to see if you check all these boxes while putting out the highest quality work you can do. Your services. Explaining exactly what you do as a freelance is one of the most important sections of your profile, and you'll want to put some thought into it. What kind of services do you offer? Who is your ideal client? What size business do you prefer working for? Solopreneurs, SMBs, that's small and medium-sized businesses, Fortune 500 companies? To niche or not to niche, that is the question. Is your skill niche specific? For example, I know copywriters who only write in the fitness and wellness space, or they specialize in email marketing. I have a separate profile for this on Upwork. In some cases, you may be limiting yourself by narrowing your niche on your profile. What if you're a web designer for SaaS brands? You list that as a specialty in that space and have done many, many websites for SaaS startups on your profile. Then in the future, you see a job posting in an industry like accounting, and because it's not in the SaaS niche, and even though you're perfect for the job, a potential client in the accounting world may think otherwise and take it that you're not a good fit for their job. This is a chance you take in being industry-specific with your skillset. Now, before you start slamming me with emails, crying, Tim, I'm a micro-niche specialist. I'm a copywriter who only writes emails for left-handed people who work at mortgage brokerage. Now, that's only half a joke, and to that, I would say my apologies. Why would I apologize? Because today, we're actually in the micro-niche world of specialization. I'll admit the writing for left-handed people who work at mortgage brokerages is a bit extreme. I don't have any way to target left-handed people for finding work at this point, but as far as drilling down to small segment where you can specialize, in this case, mortgage brokers, this type of specialization is a very viable thing today. So there are exceptions to the rule, but overall, if you don't have a true specialty that you can back up with numbers and data or there aren't enough clients in the niche to make it worthwhile, it's better to be generic in your profile. List each service. Your profile is a place to list the types of services you offer. Now, here I want to point out that I'm a big fan of the Steve Jobs quote, people don't know what they need until you tell them. You may be wondering how this translates to your services page. If you're a copywriter, list what types of things you write. These can include, but not limited to, sales pages, email sequences, blogs and articles, Facebook ads. If a prospect goes to your profile after you send them a proposal, having lists like this may offer you the opportunity to do more work for them after the initial job is completed. For example, a business owner is looking for someone to revise their website content. They check out your profile and hire you. You revise the content and they're happy. They also saw the right email sequences on your profile. They then ask you to write an email drip for them. In this case, another reason you list all the types of writing you do is to show that you're not just a one trick pony and only write one type of marketing piece. This shows you have experience in different areas of writing. The same holds true if you're a web designer, virtual assistant and many other freelance niches. Virtual assistants can specialize in a certain task for sure. I've had several VAs on retainer for years doing specific tasks for my agency. One VA just writes blogs for my clients. Another handles only LinkedIn lead generation campaigns for my clients. And the third just manages my client's Google business profiles. These are all tasks that each VA specializes in. So there are definitely ways to knit your freelance service down and get work. Photos. The phrase, a picture is worth a thousand words is very true. For the most part, all you'll really need is a good headshot for your profile pic. You don't need to go to a professional photographer and do a full studio sheet either. Although that's not a bad idea. You can simply take a selfie with your smartphone. Just make sure there is plenty of lighting in front of you and you're wearing a solid color shirt. And make sure you smile. And remember to smile and show those pearly whites. Videos. At this writing in the online world, video is king. It's estimated that 80% of content consumed online today is video. This trajectory has held steady for years because video is very interactive and engages the reader in a way that text or audio can't. I told you in previous chapters why you should use video so I won't go further here. Other than to say, use it, awards or honors. Here you'll put any awards or contests you won. Personally, I've never been in any competitions or gotten any special awards for any of my work, but there are a lot of freelancers who have. Your profile is a place to note this for potential buyers. Although, remember you don't need awards and honors to get work. Conclusion. Just about all the platforms that I currently use will show you any gaps you may need to fill in as far as info on your profile. Some have a percentage systems such as your profile is 70% complete and will suggest things you need to add. The whole idea here is for your profile to shine. More proof that shows you're experienced in your particular freelance niche along with stellar reviews, the better chance you'll have of beating your competition and getting hired. This is a good place to start. To reiterate the fact that you don't always have to be the best freelancer to get the job, you simply need to out-market your competition and your profile is a good place to start. Chapter six, how to write proposals that win contracts. Once you have your profile set up and looking good, you can start bidding on jobs that come in. You'll want to leverage sending great proposals as this is what will grab your prospect and get their attention. They'll more than likely look at your profile and possibly your website or portfolio site and make a decision to contact you based on that. I always tell them to check out my profile and website with every proposal I send. Here's the key, never send a generic proposal. I cannot stress this enough. This is a death knell for freelancers. Sending a generic proposal makes you look lazy and gives the buyer the appearance that you don't care. Sad but true. I get them all the time when I put out job requests for my agency. Most buyers today won't look at a proposal if they think it's generic. And you'd be very surprised at the number of freelancers who still do this. Don't do this and you'll gain another edge. Here's another tip, being the first to bid. I mentioned this earlier, but want to reiterate it because it's so important. Just about every lead gen site will continually tell you to bid on a request right away because they claim, quote unquote, many times the first one to bid gets the job. And this is largely true. In a perfect world, it would be great if you were always the first. But in reality, not only is this hard to do, but many times it doesn't even matter. Sometimes the lead comes from an underling who will wait and gather the information of every freelancer who bid on the job or project and then meet with their supervisor or CEO to make a decision. Bidding on your specialty. If you set up your profile to specialize in a particular service, as I said in an earlier chapter, when these requests come up, you'll be able to tell the buyer this is your specialty. Upwork gives top performing freelancers the ability to set up multiple profiles on their platform. In fact, today you can set up with a basic plan two profiles. Now I have profiles geared for marketing strategy, email specialist, and direct response copywriter. This enables me to bid on diverse jobs within each of these job ditches, thus expanding my ability to earn more. I also have my profile set up to be attractive to business owners and solopreneurs for business coaching, particularly in the area of marketing. And I send proposals out for this service as well, even though my profile isn't set up specifically for it. Develop proposal templates. Templates are time savers. Having a basic template for certain jobs that can be customized for each proposal saves you time and enables you to send out more proposals. I have several proposal templates that I developed for the markets I work. These proposals tell people what I do, my unique differentiation that may or may not change depending on the job or project, and why I'm the guy to hire, but can also be customized for each client's needs. I have templates for email marketing, marketing strategy, LinkedIn lead generation, and other copywriting niche areas. These templates make sending a proposal much easier as I can use a template and customize it as needed for each particular client so it doesn't sound generic. Let's go a little bit deeper in customizing proposals. You should never send a generic proposal unless it speaks directly to the exact request the buyer wants. Many freelancers still send boilerplate proposals that are obviously generic. This turns off buyers quicker than anything. The thinking from the buyer's perspective is, if you can't even take the time to send me a custom proposal written just for the job I posted and how you can help me with my specific request, then you're probably not very concerned about the quality of your work, communication with me, or any of several other traits I look for in a freelancer. The reason I can say this with a degree of certainty is because I'm also a client on Upwork and Fiverr, and I've seen this done over and over when I post a job looking for some specific task that I need done. Don't do this and you'll be ahead of the crowd, I promise. Even though I may use a template for a particular job type, I still add at least a little customized text to the proposal so that the proposal is relevant to the prospect's particular needs and they know I wrote it just for them. This usually doesn't go unnoticed by the prospect I found. There's always something to be said about the power of the personal touch. Stress the benefits. Many freelancers will tell the buyer all about themselves, who they work for and how many jobs they've done. Although you should certainly list your credentials, background, and why you're a good fit for what they're looking for, you also need to focus on the benefits to the buyer if they hire you. These benefits can go far beyond just doing quality work. Here are some things buyers look for when hiring a freelancer. One, are you easy to work with and communicate with? Not every freelancer is, I found. If there's a language barrier or any barrier to effective communication, this can turn off some buyers and hurt your reputation. Number two, do you meet deadlines or get jobs done earlier than required? This shows you're committed to your client and value their time and schedule for their task. Three, do you go above and beyond? After doing a copywriting job, I always make a video for my client going over what I wrote and the sales psychology behind it. My clients just love this extra touch. Or sometimes when I'm writing an email sequence for a client, I'll include an extra email as a bonus. Again, my clients appreciate it, even if it's a small gesture. So what can you do as a value add for your client on a particular job? Pricing your services for maximum revenue. This is a topic that probably has more opinion than Jeff Bezos has money, but I'm going to address it anyway. And please bear in mind, these are only my opinions born out of my experience. Pricing for any freelance service boils down to not just what the market will bear, but also what your individual preferences are for your skillset, what jobs you want to do, and what you're willing to work for. I know for me in the early days, I would take any gig that was offered to me. I was smart enough to know that I needed to take just about any job I could land to get a track record. I didn't haggle too much over fees in those days because of this. You want to do a little market research before setting your fees. Seeing what others are charging in your particular niche for the types of jobs you want to do is always a good idea. Conventional wisdom says that you should see who's the highest priced and the lowest priced freelancers in a given platform, and then set your fees somewhere in the middle. Again, that may or may not be a good idea, but it's a starting point that you may want to try. As I talked about earlier, I started at an absurdly low fee simply so I could get starting some testimonials and a few clients under my belt. And if you're just starting out, you may want to have a low fee to get experience and some jobs under your belt. Once you get experience and feel comfortable, you can set your fees wherever you want. Freelancing, whether copywriting, web design, graphic design, VA services, or any other skill set have a wide range of pricing. And on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, with freelancers from all over the globe having profiles, you'll see vast differences in fees. Again, much of this has to do with where the freelancer lives and the cost of living in his or her country. I use a graphic designer who lives in Pakistan. Her fee is considerably less than in the U.S. This is because the cost of living is 75% less in Pakistan than in the U.S. Pricing your services is largely a personal thing, so you're going to have to test pricing out for yourself and see what the market will bear for you. Every freelancer goes through this in their first year or so until they find out what works. Bonus chapter, Google Business Profile, your secret weapon for local business. Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business, is a free tool offered by Google for local businesses. Google Business Profile allows you to take charge of the way your business appears on Google and Google Maps. With GBP, that's what I'm going to call it, you can connect with customers, post updates, list your services, and much more. If you do any local business at all, this free tool can help you exponentially. This tool is huge in bringing the people interested in both my magic shows and my consulting and copywriting businesses, and it's completely free. I just needed to set up separate GBP profiles, optimize them, and then manage them by posting regularly, similar to a social media profile. The only difference is that this free platform gets your business noticed by the people who are specifically searching online for your particular product or service. People use Google for 90% of online searches, so this free tool is invaluable to you and your business if you optimize and manage it correctly. With the Google Business Profile, you can, one, maintain accurate information about your business online, two, interact with customers, and three, attract new customers. This is how it works. Google Business Profile is based on geography and SEO, search engine optimization, and was designed specifically for local businesses. It was set up to help these businesses reach customers within a 20-mile radius of their physical location, but Google's reach extends beyond that, I found. For managing my own profile, I've been found up to 4 1⁄2 hours away from where I live, so having a GBP profile obviously helps with your overall presence on Google, as long as you feed it info that's accurate about your business. A fellow magician I know, who's also an expert in SEO, gets daily inquiries from all over the country from his school show website. SEO is still a very valid marketing tool online today, and not just for local business, contrary to what many may say. In my digital marketing agency, I set up, optimize, and manage Google Business Profiles for clients. After offering this service for five years and managing several accounts, I can tell you that for a free platform, it's worth its weight in gold. A couple of my clients run the majority of their business from the leads they get with their Google Business Profile, and they aren't even paying for Google Ads. Yes, it's that powerful, and it's free, and for my magic business, it's been a huge help. I get almost as much business from this as I do from lead generation sites. So essentially, there are four components to a good Google Business Profile. First, profile optimization. The first thing you need to do is input the information for your business the way Google prefers it. There are limited primary categories to choose from to list your business. Knowing what category to place your business is crucial, as well as the secondary category, if needed. Your profile includes general information about your address, contact info, et cetera. Google also allows you to input keywords that relate to your business when explaining your services. Optimizing your profile the way Google prefers it is crucial in getting the most benefit out of this tool. And once you have your profile filled out completely, you'll need to verify your business. Verification is necessary to confirm you're the rightful owner of your business and authorized to manage your business profile. Your business security is very important to Google, and they want to make certain that only you and your approved managers can make changes and updates to your profile. The verification process is done by letting Google know once you've completed your profile setup. They then mail a physical postcard through Snail Mail with a verification code to your business address within 7 to 10 days. You'll then put this code into Google, and voila, your business is now officially verified on Google. Reviews. The second component of maximizing the potential of your Google business profile is getting consistent reviews. Reviews are what drive local businesses today. Studies show that fully 95% of people search for and look at reviews before purchasing something from a business. And like lead generation sites, this is a crucial part of being successful. In any business, particularly when you do business locally, you want to establish and maintain a stellar online reputation. The way you do this is to continually get five-star reviews. This also helps you get ranked higher in Google Search. As far as getting reviews for your Google business profile is concerned, here's the important thing to recognize. It's not the number of reviews that matter the most, although more reviews will help your ranking for sure. It's the consistency of the reviews coming in that matters to Google. You want to ask for a review from every customer you work for. Online reviews can actually make or break your reputation, both on Google and lead gen sites. So don't ignore this very important component to your follow-up. Citations. There are literally hundreds of online directories, like Yelp, Yellow Pages, et cetera, on the web that list businesses along with ads, with some being free and others being free but having paid versions that give your business more visibility. When setting up and optimizing your Google business profile, getting listed in other directories will help your ranking with Google, which holds about 90% of online search. The key is to get listed on them with the exact same information that's on your Google business profile. Some directories will pick you up automatically. You won't even have to register with them. But you can actually proactively search out directories, and it helps to be in as many as possible, particularly those related to your freelance niche. Regular management. Now once you set up and optimize your Google business profile, you'll want to treat it like a social media platform and post on it regularly. The key here is to geotag the images and use the keywords you use for your profile in your posts. There are companies and software available that do this for you. You simply run the image through the software, and it automatically geotags the image. Remember that a successful Google business profile is based on keywords and geographic area. You don't need to get overly creative with your images. As long as the images are related to your freelance business and the service you offer, you don't need to fuss a lot about what they look like. Just make sure the image is recognized by people as it relates to your business. What's most important is the geotagging of the images and a text post using a keyword relevant to your service. This is what Google's algorithm reads and largely bases your ranking on. If you want to dominate your local market as a leading freelancer in your niche, a Google business profile is a must-have for your business. It's free, and it can bring you more customers depending on where you live if managed right. Now I'll just tell you right now, if you want any help, either setting up a Google business profile from scratch or optimizing and managing your existing profile, I can help. My agency provides end-to-end service for Google business profile optimization and management, along with additional services to make your Google business profile even more powerful for you. You can check out my services at www.timpicciaro.com. That is www.t-i-m-p-i-c-c-i-r-o. That's www.t-i-m-p-i-c-c-i-r-i-l-l-o.com. Or you can email me at timpic.com. That can be for Google business profile optimization and management, copywriting, or LinkedIn lead generation services. I appreciate you listening to this program. I hope you get a lot out of it so you can skyrocket your freelance business into the stratosphere. Strategies for success on Upwork, Fiverr, and other freelancer sites, written by Tim Picciarello and read by the author. To contact Tim Picciarello, you can reach him by email at timpic.com. That's t-i-m-p-i-c-i-r-o.com. Thanks for listening.