FREELANCERS, SMALL & HOME-BASED BUSINESSES: HOW TO CREATE A WINNING PROFILE

Did you create a freelance profile that isn't generating any leads? Well look no further than this article for a few techniques to help boost your profile to the top of the list.

CREATE A WINNING FREELANCER PROFILE #1. KEYWORDS

To create an effective profile you need to use a little backwards thinking. Pretend that you are the client. How would you go about searching for a freelancer in your profession? What keywords would you use to search for yourself? Do yourself a favor . search for "graphic designer", "technical writer", "cartoonist", or whatever profession you are in. Look at the top five profiles. What keywords did these individuals use in their descriptions? Don't copy, but definitely try to imitate what these professionals wrote. Next . Brainstorm! Brainstorm! And then brainstorm some more. Think of all of the keywords that match your skills and put them in your profile. Yes . The more keywords the better, but your profile needs to make sense, so don't just stick all of your keywords in a jumbled mess. You won't get any responses if you do this.

CREATE A WINNING FREELANCER PROFILE #2. ATTENTION TO DETAIL

With hundreds of experts in your field listed on the freelance sites you will need to explain your talents in detail. If you are a designer of Flash pages, but you don't want to design HTML pages, state this clearly in your description and title. Otherwise, you will get leads not matching your skills. Although it would be wise to broaden your skills and accept HTML and Flash projects if you are in need of work.

Think of your profile as a standard cover letter that you send out with your resume. You would not send out a cover letter without thinking over what you are writing. Think of this profile in the same fashion. Don't leave any blanks in the profile form that you fill out. Believe me, this will lose you many a potential client. When you leave blanks, you leave the client wondering what you are hiding. And, Don't forget to USE KEYWORDS every chance that you get.

CREATE A WINNING FREELANCER PROFILE #3. WHAT DO I HAVE TO OFFER

If you are new to freelancing, this part might be a little tough. Think these questions over and try to find the right answers. What do you have to offer clients? How can you solve potential clients' problems? How are you better than other experts in your field? Write to impress!

Again, look at other individual's profiles. What do you like about the profiles that you see? Incorporate these good qualities into your writing style. And be VERY SPECIFIC! Give examples of specific gigs that you have completed. Explain the way that you worked with these clients. How did you solve past problems? What works are you most proud of?

If you are new in your field, and you are looking for your first gig then you should offer your service for free or for a minimal charge to get some experience under your belt. If this is your case then you will need to concentrate more on your education and skills when you are writing your profile.

CREATE A WINNING FREELANCER PROFILE #4. DON'T RULE OUT CRITERIA

Keep in mind that the criteria that you choose in your profile determines a good match when a client searches. This includes variables that you have control over like rate, timing, hours per week, and onsite or offsite work. Don't rule out changing any of these variables in order to get a gig. For example, if you prefer to work offsite, consider choosing both "onsite" and "offsite" to get more matches. Also, do some research to see what others in your profession are charging per hour. If your hourly rate is too high, you can potentially lose clients.

CREATE A WINNING FREELANCER PROFILE #5. NO BLANKS

Don't leave any blanks on the profile form. Leaving questions blank creates concern in prospective clients. They might wonder "what is this person trying to hide?" or they might just go on to the next expert.

CREATE A WINNING FREELANCER PROFILE #6. DESCRIPTIVE TITLES

Why blend in with everyone else when you can be the one who stands out? Doesn't "Expert Flash Designer/Developer with 5+ years Experience" stand out in the crowd of "Flash Designer" titles? Most of the freelance job sites allow you to have very long titles. Take advantage of this fact. Clients sift thru titles after they do a search. If you have a catchy title they will definitely take a look at your profile!

CREATE A WINNING FREELANCER PROFILE #7. REFERENCES

Take some time and gather references. Without references, your profile might get totally passed by. Hiring a freelancer is risky business. If you don't have people who can vouch for you that you are responsible, how can a client be sure that you are reliable? If you have to, use old co-workers or friends from college as a referral.

CREATE A WINNING FREELANCER PROFILE #8. WORK EXPERIENCE

Collect all of your past "real" jobs and gigs. Make sure to place your most impressive examples of your work at the top of the list. When you describe each job you had make sure to explain in detail what the result of your work was. What problems did you solve? Did you leave the client happy? Don't leave any of your work experience out of this list. Place your least impressive example at the bottom of the list.