How to Successfully Market Your Business as an Independent Contractor

What is an independent contractor?

An independent contractor is a person skilled in a particular field who offers their services in that field for a fee. Freelance writers, photographers, and designers are examples of independent contractors, but so are doctors, lawyers, accountants, and general/subcontractors. Independent contractors are also slightly different from other types of business owners, because they may not have a physical building for clients to come in and receive their services. This is where marketing yourself can get tricky, because you’re literally marketing yourself, as opposed to a company. Here are some ways you can market yourself as an independent contractor.

Create a Portfolio

One way to have people gain interest in your services is to showcase your work, and this is where a portfolio can come in. This can be a traditional, tangible portfolio, such as a book of photos; but it’s much more effective to have an online portfolio. This could be your own website where you show off your work, or it could be a blog or another website related to your field that allows you to post your work. 

If you choose to go the website route, make sure that your website looks as professional as possible, and don’t forget to create an “about” section for future clients to read more information about what kinds of services you provide and what they can expect from you.

Gather Reviews and Testimonials

Pictures are worth a thousand words, but nothing compares to hearing about your great services from people who have experienced them first hand. If you’re able to create a portfolio, this means that you have worked for clients that are able to leave reviews for your work. You can post these testimonials on your website under a “testimonials” or “reviews” tab. Online reviews can also be left on sites, such as LinkedIn. Just be sure to ask for permission from your clients to use them as a review, explaining how you’re trying to expand your business and gain new clients.

Have a Strong Social Media Presence

Billions of people use some form of social media every single day, so you’re bound to find new clients if you know how to market yourself correctly. First of all, you need to be on a variety of social media sites, but not necessarily every single one. Your line of work will determine which sites are best for you to use. Most people will benefit from creating a business page on Facebook because it’s so diverse— and it’s the most used social media platform as of 2021— but if you can take pictures of your work, you’ll also benefit from using Instagram and Pinterest. If you’re a freelance writer you should gravitate more towards Twitter.

Become an Expert in Your Field

There’s always room for improvement and growth, so never stop learning all there is you need to know about the kind of work you’re doing. This will allow you to become very knowledgeable in your niche, and the more you know, the less likely you are to make mistakes and the more satisfied your clients will be. For example, if you come across any continued learning courses online in your area of expertise, consider taking those courses to learn more information about what you do. Accreditation adds prestige to your name, and you’ll be able to attract more clients. An example of this would be a contractor obtaining licensure, even though he or she may live in an area that doesn’t require contractors to be licensed.

The key things to remember are that you want to be highly skilled in and knowledgeable about what you do and you also want to be able to prove your worth and value to potential clients. This proof is best shown in the form of a portfolio, licensure, and client testimonials.

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