A frontier that’s boundaries and laws move fast and hot, it’s easy to get discouraged with freelancing before you even begin. There are enough freelancers to fill up the entire internet, so where do you fit in, and how do you start?
Although both obscurity and wage decreases are something that surely all freelancers worry about, it doesn’t have to be this way. The way to choosing a successful and profitable freelancing niche is one of practical simplicity.
With a few simple but crucial guidelines that encompass not just new behaviors, but that job finding etiquette from career changes of yore, finding the right freelance niche that actually earns money is possible. That is, if you’re willing to do some critical, practical soul searching and to take advantage of the excellent software and tech tools available to help you out.
Why Finding A Niche Matters
Identifying how your budding freelance career can ultimately gel with your potential clients’ financial endgame will mean you can ultimately charge higher rates once they see the proof of your labor.
Earning more money, though, is only one aspect of why it’s important to find your niche. A niche provides the context in which you can:
- Increase your professional footprint
- Work with clients that are passionate about the same things you are
- Increase your efficiency
- Create targeted strategies with your business goals and plans
Being able to offer a niche service is like setting the foundation before you begin to build. It allows you to be structured, targeted, specific, concrete, and actionable in your marketing strategy so that you can build your freelancing business in a streamlined fashion.
Capitalize On Your Passions and Expertise
Finding a freelance niche that will actually make you money is about knowing what you want, as well as what other people want. Then you must blend the two in a way that doesn’t compromise either position. For Dialpad, our freelancers draw on past passions and areas of personal expertise, and it's a huge step towards finding a niche that will earn.
Why is this the case? If you have past interests and expertise, and have developed skills that the average person doesn’t have, it’ll make you a more attractive candidate for potential clients. Past areas of expertise that can fit into your freelancing niche will help you to create unique selling propositions which will help you get noticed.
Furthermore, this unique skill set will allow you to charge more for your services. If you can accomplish a task at a high level of expertise, you’re really providing a service that’s one of a kind. And clients, when the need is right, are willing to pay more for a guaranteed excellent job.
Find Your Market
It’s crucial to research potential markets before flinging yourself into this wild freelancing world, and there’s a pretty simple reason for this. It’s so you don’t set yourself up for failure or monetary ruin, and it’ll also help you gain and retain freelance clients.
So, once you have an idea of your niche, investigate the market potential for applying the skills that you can bring to the table.
The fact of the matter is that if there’s no demand for your services, you probably won’t make the money your awesome skill set warrants. A great place to start is, of course, the world wide web.
Someone (well, hopefully many people) has a community or a conversation centered on exactly your niche. Join groups, look through popular online forum websites, and get involved.
It’s not enough to hunt for pain points that neatly correspond with your existing skill set. Take a step back and investigate what kinds of issues arise again and again. Chances are that you’re not a natural whizz at, say, writing blogs that are perfectly optimized. But if you’re a great writer with an eye for marketing, you can adapt your niche to solve a common problem.
Focus On Being Professional
Choosing a niche that will earn money takes a certain level of professionalization. You may decide to focus on writing blogs for legal firms, for example. You’ve done your research and you’ve aligned your passion with a market that earns. But, if you lack personal professionalism, you might not be earning as much as others within the same niche.
A few things you can do to boost your professional presence include:
Make your online presence seen and heard
Boost your credibility as a professional by creating presence. A personal website is a great addition to your online presence, and it’s worth the time. Several free website builders are available to help you build the perfect website from start to finish.
Take tips from successful businesses/sectors
There’s no reason you can’t capitalize on ideas that have been tried and tested. The very same ingenuity that has created the amazing call center service level we expect to encounter in bigger companies, for example, can be translated to suit your freelancing needs. Set your own targets, measure your productivity, and continually improve!
Understand compliance and security measures
With cybercrime on the rise, implementing a development, security, and operations system will make you accountable for security, and this will definitely grow trust between you and clients.
Let tech showcase your professional side
Many freelancers don’t realize that the same tools and software that help large businesses grow can be adapted to suit your needs. Cloud based phone systems, a VoIP headset, or other similar pieces of tech, for example, are great tools. And, with many Zoom Phone alternatives out there, it doesn’t have to be costly, either.
Online scheduling software is another amazing resource that doesn’t just keep you on top of projects, but also provides useful collaborative insight. It allows you to easily share data and graphics, keep on top of progress, and collect feedback.
In The End, Be Proactive!
In the end, being proactive will help you situate your speciality in a way that gives you insight into the potential earnings you can make. So don’t forget to keep a close eye on fast-growing industries, always look for innovative ways to make your freelancing business more professional, and tweak your niche if necessary. Proactive visibility will keep you current, effective, and continually earning.
