Getting clients as a freelancer

Well, this is more of a general question to help starting out freelancers get clients by marketing and etc.

I'm a new freelancer specializing in Web Page Design and Coding; I started early September, but I've worked with Photoshop for 4 years and basic xHTML/CSS for 4 years as well. I started off with a good amount of clients, but since early November I have been in a slum and I've been wondering some marketing ways of getting myself out there.

I have only this site and another site that is web page design related that I post on and I've advertised on 2 sites that I personally know the webmasters. I haven't done much advertising because I don't have much money to work with due to this slump and due to I don't know many sites I can advertise my services on.

Anyone have any tips for me and maybe other people with the same question?

 

Here's 5 cheap ways to do it:

1. You could start literally knocking on doors, always a good thing, visiting companies, or, failing that, cold calling.

2. You could hand out flyers/biz cards

3. You could offer mad "recession busting" discounts for services, just to pick up clients.

4. Join up with local business groups and networks, meet with them - word of mouth is the best way, I think.

5. Sign up with Rentacoder, domystuff, and all those sorts of sites, not to mention here, it's not exactly huge money, but you can make a steady trickle out of it.

 

Try getafreelancer.com, elance.com and rentacoder.com.

You can bid on jobs that fit your expertise.

 

What you need to do is get business cards, a great looking website with your portfolio (almost like a resume), call local businesses and ask if they need a website (and then set up a FACE TO FACE meeting), and one thing that I know really helped a few local web designers is to create 2-3 websites for free and they encrypted their websites links in the footer as the designer which helped them gain 5-6 referrals.

 

Thank you guys for the tips so far, any other suggestions?

 

guru.com is best upcoming portal for bidding

 

freelancing sites are the best option?

Let me know even we keep outsourcing stuff on freelance basis.. PM me your contact info

 

I have never actually used an outsourcing website but I know many who use these and do it full time. The main thing is you have to be very good at what you do and be very professional.

 

There are so many freelance sites on the internet. You can find hundreds of website development, coding etc jobs posted at these freelance sites. I suggest you join few freelance sites and try to build some good reputation there so that you can get work for good rates.

 

When I first started I got most of my clients from craigslist, now they come to me via word of mouth.

 

I had no idea you could post up services on Craigslist, I have to try that

 

work at low prices on free lance sites for first few prices and get good feedback.. you will start getting good projects

 

I highly doubt you will get decent jobs on freelance sites, even with greatest feedback. Prices very low there, okay maybe elance is good, rest - cheap shit.

Try offline marketing if you can. Especially since you are in new york you will not make a living from this sites.

for example guys in top 10 in Rentacoder get $16k/month in average on a team of 4. That's $4k/month per person and they are in top 10 !!!! from about 240000 others!!! go figure! Since they are not in USA that's great, but usually those sites suck, you will get twice than that over time in NYC !

So elance or nothing.

 

And they have go there 4+ years starting from $xx/month

 

Last week, Tadeusz Szewczyk published a very nice article about getting and keeping SEO clients as as freelancer. Otherwise, I am with the others as far as the suggested websites for freelance jobs are concerned.

 

quote low rates on freelancing site. many sites are there where you can quote.

 

Bid, bid and bid on freelance websites!

One day, you'll hit your first job, and from then it'll be a lot easier! The more jobs you've done with a high rating, the even more that will be available to you.

 

last 2 dudes, have you read my reply above yours or you 100% retards ?

 

try to build your rapport by coming up of good promos