|
|
|
Keys to be a Successful Freelancer by Javier Sossa
|
|
|
Keys to be a Successful Freelancer |
|
|
|
Business,Online Shopping,Advertising
|
|
Nowadays there are so many ways of making money on the side. Especially platforms where third party sellers could sell or present a service that a possible buyer will buy from them. They key in the freelance word is “free”. Freelancer can accept projects with a particular organization for the same amount of time, and one day say no thank you – again, with no consequences. Of course, the buyer can said goodbye just as easily, but freedom goes both ways. Of course, it is unprofessional to act in such a fashion, and I can’t imagine who would do such a thing. But the point is that there are no contracts, nothing binding a freelancers to one company over another. Freelancers can (and usually do) work with more than one company, often while running their own sites at the same time, and their employers cannot say anything about it. As long as deadlines are met and quality is good, freelancers can work in whatever way they want. One of the most important things to work on is the personal banding. I mean that when you are selling your services, you are actually selling yourself. So how you come across on or offline is reflective of your success, your ability, and your professionalism. Your personality counts. Big time. If people don’t like you, they won’t buy what you’re selling. Asking and answering questions is the easiest way to get people involved and invested in what you do, and while you could meet 15 people during a night out, you could meet 100 online. And perhaps yes, the contact is “shallower” but you can be lot more targeted. So I recommend starting online, understanding who’s important for you, pre-empting offline events by connecting with people via Twitter, and leveraging LinkedIn connections into meetings for coffee. Another important point in the freelancer world is the reviews of your listing or product. User reviews are proven sales drivers, and something the majority of customers will want to see before deciding to make a purchase. Here are some compelling stats on user reviews, why they are great for SEO, why bad reviews are valuable, and how to use reviews in navigation and on product pages. There have been so many positive recommendations of the value of reviews for ecommerce that the case doesn't really need to be made anymore, though I'll make it again anyway. User reviews increase conversions. They can eliminate any doubts potential customers may have about a product, or can help product selection. According to Reevoo stats, 50 or more reviews per product can mean a 4.6% increase in conversion rates. 63% of customers are more likely to make a purchase from a web site, which has user reviews. (iPerceptions, 2011). Site visitors who interact with both reviews and customer questions and answers are 105% more likely to purchase while visiting, and spend 11% more than visitors who don’t interact with UGC. (Bazaarvoice Conversation Index, Q2 2011). Consumer reviews are significantly more trusted (nearly 12 times more) than descriptions that come from manufacturers, according to a survey of US internet users by online video review site EXPO. (eMarketer, February 2010). The benefits of bad reviews very much depends on the proportion of good to bad ones. The negative reviews make the positive ones more believable, but there is a point at which they ring alarm bells for consumers. If, for instance, a product page contains 15 reviews, and two are negative, then the other 13 look trustworthy. If that proportion changes, it's a different matter. Recent research from Lightspeed found that between one and three bad online reviews would be enough to deter the majority (67%) of shoppers from purchasing a product or service. The tolerance of bad reviews varies depending on age groups. For example, 28% of the 45-54 age group and 33% of 55-64 year olds would be deterred after reading two bad reviews, compared with just 10% of 18 to 24s. It also depends on the type of product on offer. A book, game or film will often divide opinion, but reviews of electrical products, which highlight flaws, will be more likely to deter others. Much depends on the context and the way reviews are displayed, which I'll look at elsewhere in this post. There are multiple ways of getting reviews but the most used are: Use a reviews provider third party reviews provider, such as Reevoo or Bazaarvoice. Email customers post-purchase. Sending an email after a customer has purchased an item to ask for a review is a good idea, but the timing is a key issue here. Ask for reviews on product pages. There are plenty of product pages that have yet to attract customer reviews, perhaps because the products are niche, or newly released. Offer incentives for leaving reviews. If a customer has purchased an item, one way to get them to take the time to write a review is to offer an incentive. All of these key factors will add value to your freelancer experience. However, the most important thing about freelancing is to be clear on what you expect from this experience. You should ask yourself how serious you are going to be, as a part time or full time freelancer. In this case, you will not have false hopes.
Related Articles -
Keys, to, be, a, Successful, Freelancer,
|
Rate This Article |
|
|
|
Do you Agree or Disagree? Have a Comment? POST IT!
Reader Opinions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Author Login |
|
|
Advertiser Login
ADVERTISE HERE NOW!
Limited Time $60 Offer!
90 Days-1.5 Million Views
|
|
TIM FAY
After 60-plus years of living, I am just trying to pass down some of the information that I have lea...more
|
|
|
|
|
LAURA JEEVES
At LeadGenerators, we specialise in content-led Online Marketing Strategies for our clients in the t...more
|
|
|
|
|
ALEX BELSEY
I am the editor of QUAY Magazine, a B2B publication based in the South West of the UK. I am also the...more
|
|
|
|
|
GENE MYERS
Author of four books and two screenplays; frequent magazine contributor. I have four other books "in...more
|
|
|
|
|
SUSAN FRIESEN
Located in the lower mainland of B.C., Susan Friesen is a visionary brand strategist, entrepreneur, ...more
|
|
|
|
|
STEPHEN BYE
Steve Bye is currently a fiction writer, who published his first novel, ‘Looking Forward Through the...more
|
|
|
|
|
SHALINI MITTAL
A postgraduate in Fashion Technology. Shalini is a writer at heart! Writing for her is an expression...more
|
|
|
|
|
ADRIAN JOELE
I have been involved in nutrition and weight management for over 12 years and I like to share my kn...more
|
|
|
|
|
JAMES KENNY
James is a Research Enthusiast that focuses on the understanding of how things work and can be impro...more
|
|
|
|