Being a freelancer can be a huge challenge for us all. A lot of things have to be considered, and it can be tough to come to the point where you’re able to earn enough to cover all of your expenses. There’s always hope though, if you’re prepared to work hard and stay focused.

Today we’ve decided to give you ten great tips that can help you earn more money and succeed in the world of freelancing.

Let’s have a lookp

1. Do your best – always!

It sounds logical and is something you always should aim for, but it can be hard to remember this at all times. By always doing your best you’ll get happy clients. Happy clients come back for a second and third buy, they could give you new clients from talking good about you – and they are great to add in your portfolio.

2. Build a great portfolio

We’ve said it over and over and it can’t be said enough. Taking the time, money and effort to build a great portfolio will definitely help you get more customers and that way help you earn more.

3. Spend money on marketing

A certain amount of what you make should go back into building your business. To have more clients notice you, you have to spend some money in getting your name out there. This could be anything from leaving business-cards with everyone you talk to, making brochures for your services, advertising in a local newspaper, buying ad space on bigger websites and so on. You’ll quickly notice that this is a great way of finding new clients and that way earning more.

4. Stop under-pricing your work

A lot of freelance workers, especially those that are newly started, tend to price themselves too low compared to competitors. This could give you an extra client here and there – but in the long run it’s bad for business. Make sure that you check out the prices of your competitors, keep budgets and keep track of how your time is spent.

5. Don’t be too expensive

Under-pricing your work is more common than being too expensive, but make sure you don’t do either. By asking too much, you’ll get fewer projects and your clients are more likely to be unhappy. Just like in #4 – remember to check out who you’re up against and how much everything costs.

6. Be open to including more products and services

If you’re working with design, it’s very likely that you have a couple of specialties. This is always good. Be aware though, that by including one or two more related products to your repertoire you could look at a potential income boost. This means more products/services that can earn you money, and more things to sell to every client. They’ll see that you have a more complete package to offer, which can be what has them choose you over your competitors.

7. Working with others

By working together with other freelancers on bigger projects, you will be able to serve bigger clients and give more complete packages together. This gives more work and often better prices as well. I’ve seen more and more of these solutions in my area the last years, like logo designers and web designers working together. What I’ve seen and heard so far, witnesses of great possibilities from this.

8. Increase your online presence

New projects and new clients can come from everywhere, all over the world. By making sure you have a portfolio and galleries displaying your work in communities like deviantART, Behance and so on. You should also make sure to be part of social media, like Twitter, Facebook – and so on. This way you’ll get a lot of valuable new contacts, get feedback, become inspired and pick up some tips on how others do things.

9. Contests & crowd-sourcing

I’ve never advised anyone to give prioritize design contests and crowd-sourcing concepts above regular work projects. BUT if you’re short of work for a period, these can be great ways of getting your name out there, possible earning a few bucks, making new contacts and practising your skills. Many websites are available, and especially if you work with web design or logo design, you’ll find plenty of projects to join. This has a potential for you to earn some extra money and is definitely better than just sitting around hoping for projects to appear. Some places to check out if this is of interest would be Crowdspring and 99designs.

10. Write articles

If you’re good at what you do, explain it well and like to write – this can be a great source of extra income. Lots of websites related to design are looking for guest authors all the time and if you’re effective and deliver high quality you can earn a good chunck of money writing about it. Absolutely something to consider, and it gives quick results in form of payment and often a link bank to your website.

Conclusion

These were our 10 tips on how to make more money as a freelance designer. We hope this can be of help to you either all the time or during dry periods. Remember that working hard and looking for options will get you far.

Good luck!

Author – Hilde

who has written 49 posts on [Re]Encoded.com.

Hilde Torbjornsen is a graphic designer from Norway. She loves everything Adobe, photography, freelancing and music. She owns the website Designer77 and you can follow her daily updates on Twitter @Hildy77.
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