freelance Tag

What is the best part of being a freelancer and actually working? Charging of course. Money will not buy you happiness but it will surely make you smile or at least some satisfaction. In this article we will be talking about financing for the self-employed, how to price your services and how to properly manage your money.

Although enjoying money is a pleasant feeling, many times this process is not that simple and some are even having a hard time. We’ll discuss various issues many freelancers face, such as: not getting paid on time, dilemmas about whether to charge by the hour or by the project, ways to get paid, and more.

Establish a pricing system: Time vs. Project

There have been several debates and discussions about which system works best for freelancers, by the hour or by the project. The answer, as you can probably guess, is none.

There is not and never will be an answer as to why you should only charge by the hour or only by the project because each job/project has its own “personality” and details to consider before deciding how to charge.

charge per hour

Some designers just follow their own principles and only charge by the hour regardless of the type of project they are working on. They have found their perfect hourly rate and only charge for it, rejecting any project that does not meet it.

It may seem logical to do so, but this type of upload has some advantages and disadvantages:

advantage

1. It’s simple, without messing around with estimates for multiple projects.
2. Making your client’s rate public will help you save some time, the clients who contact you have basically accepted your selling price.
3. You can calculate the rate that best suits you so that you take advantage of each hour of work properly.

Cons

1. Clients who have no idea how long it takes to work on your project may not approach you.
2. There is a small chance that you are overpricing or underpricing your services in this way.
3. Clients with smaller projects may think your fee is too high for them

charging per/project

The other side of the card is the charge per project. If you are not satisfied with the “pay by the hour” system, you should definitely consider this one. Here are the pros and cons of this method:

advantage

1. You can say exactly how much you would like to be paid to do the specific job.
2. It will be easier to get “small leads” because high hourly rates often scare off clients with smaller projects on their hands.

Cons

1. An incorrect estimate will cause your work to be increased because many times, the agreed rate cannot be changed.
2. There are no constant prices when it comes to projects, which could be considered a scam by some clients.

Deal with pricing issues

There are several problems that freelancers are constantly dealing with. These are only some of them.

I get paid late

One of the most common problems is getting your clients to pay you on time. Of course, we should not generalize and say that not all clients pay on time, but freelancers will more than once have to send reminders to their clients to settle their invoices.

settle for a contract

The best way to prevent customers from delaying payments is to establish a suitable contract. There are several reasons to do it.

After signing the contract, both of you will have legal obligations, and As long as you do your job properly and follow the terms of the contract, you’ll be fine.. You will be protected by law against customers who do not pay their bills on time.

It is also common to set a late payment fee that requires your customers to pay more if they made you wait for your payment. It is a sign of a partial neglect of the contract.

Communication

Another important factor is communication between clients and freelancers. As you may have heard, communication is the key, and that’s true! It’s always nice to send friendly reminders and updates to your customers and politely asking them to pay their bills.

You shouldn’t think the worst, and you never know how easily someone can forget something in the middle of a busy schedule. The delay may not be intentional, so please do not treat it as such.

Taxes

Independent work can be considered a business, and you have to be very careful how you handle your taxes. In case you’re new to freelancing, you should know that the way you handle your taxes as a freelancer is different than when you’re collecting paychecks.

There are different forms and documents to submit and you will need to have good accounting skills or hire an independent accountant to advise you accordingly.

bill them

One great thing about invoices, no matter what service you’re using, is that most of them allow you to send a “friendly” reminder to your customer that it’s time to settle payments. That is very simple to do and it only takes the click of a button.

Tools and services

Actually, there are several tools that will definitely make your life easier. Considering the number of things involved in managing a project, tools like time trackers and automatic billing services are definitely life savers.

FreshBooks

Probably one of the most popular online services for invoicing is FreshBooks. They have a very flexible pricing system and a 30-day free trial for their service.

You can also track your work with their iOS app for iPhone and iPad, and when you run into issues, contact their excellent support team via email and phone support. Paid packages range from $19.95 to $39.95. Until now, the system already has 5 million users.

less accounting

It is a very good web application that promises to save around 80% of your time. They have easy-to-use accounting software that helps you with your accounting, no matter your level of experience in this domain. The user interface is also very easy to use and they have a very good sense of humor about things.

make some time

Here’s a free alternative to FreshBooks that works for keeping track of your time online. It offers some billing and reporting features, but doesn’t support mobile apps, although you can still run it in the browser view from your smartphone.

conclusion

Money management is a tough job, especially when crunching numbers isn’t exactly your thing. But you can always turn to these tools to make things easier. Worst case scenario, just hire a numbers cruncher to help you manage your earnings for a fee.

From now on, digital marketing is a necessity for all companies, whatever their sector, their market or their size. In fact, it’s all about bringing a website to life, securing a social media presence, converting your visitors into customers, or even building your online business. All of this requires skills that few micro-enterprises or SMEs have.

Outsource or internalize your digital marketing?

Every business leader is sooner or later faced with this question: who will I trust with my digital marketing? How can I really develop my Internet presence without breaking the bank? And what budget to devote to it?

Faced with the plethora of experts, consultants, freelancers and agencies, you are probably wondering where to turn. The choice is often dictated by your budget constraints. And the temptation is great, especially at the beginning, to do it all or part by oneself. It is a good idea ?

When should you consider hiring and building an internal team? Who will advise you best? An independent consultant or a versatile agency? So many questions that will have to be answered appropriately and taking into account your particular situation. Here, as in most cases, there is no standard solution. Every business has its strengths and limitations.

Of course, you will find many tips on the Internet. Unfortunately, recommendations are often biased, depending on whether they come from a consultant, a freelance platform, or a web marketing agency.

In the United States, Smartinsights conducted the survey to determine which areas of digital marketing have been outsourced or outsourced. Here are the results of that survey:

In this unbiased article (I don’t have a service to sell), I’ll try to shed some light on it, based on my long-term experience, on both sides of the border (customer and service provider).

Trust your digital marketing to a freelancer

This is the solution I generally recommend for smaller structures, (e-)traders, liberal professions, or any sole proprietorship.

When to use a freelancer?

Going to an expert is always a good idea since digital requires a series of very specialized skills. If you find that your website is not attracting the traffic you want, if you are struggling to get your community off the ground on social media, in this case finding a specialist who can accompany you for a while is certainly a good idea, even if your budget is limited. is limited.

These are the main assets of a (quality) freelancer:

• Flexibility: You can shorten or lengthen the collaboration, depending on the results obtained or your budget restrictions.
• Cost : a freelancer is cheaper than an agency or an internal resource, because you only pay for the work done (virtually no fees, taxes or administrative costs, etc.).
• expertise : often versatile and perfectly autonomous, in addition to his experience, he will bring a new perspective to your activity, nourished by his experiences with other clients.
• Approach: a freelancer concentrates more on your project if he has few clients. On the contrary, the interest that an agency will take you generally depends on your budget.

How to find a freelancer?

• First of all, it is about precisely define your needs and set your budget.
• Then, to find the rare pearl, go to one of the following channels:

• • your own professional network Y mouth to ear
• Compare profiles establish a shortlist (check each other’s technical expertise, but also their achievements and their fit with your own values).
• Contact the selected people to tell them about your project and ask a modular quote for the services sought. Make sure it’s not a standard quote, not a personalized one. I always recommend the modular approach that allows you to prioritize and spread investments over time and stay within your budget as best as possible.

Risks and disadvantages of being self-employed

Working with a freelancer certainly has many advantages, but also limitations:

• Control – the freelancer manages his work as he sees fit. Define together clear criteria (KPI) to be able to evaluate their performance.
• Privacy – If the freelancer is required to handle confidential information, ask them to sign a non-disclosure statement.
• Specialization – have clear ideas before hiring a freelancer. Some freelancers specialize in one or another branch of digital marketing. What experience are you looking for exactly? A creative, a copywriter, a webmaster, a community manager or a strategist to define and plan your digital communications? It is better to find the expert who best meets his expectations.

Source: Hubspot

Work with a digital marketing agency

The main advantage of an agency is to gather complementary knowledge and approach each project in a global way to allocate the necessary resources to succeed in the mission that has been entrusted to it.

When to go to a marketing agency?

Digital marketing is increasingly complex and requires increasingly specialized and diversified skills (SEO, content and video marketing, data analysis and automation, inbound marketing and lead generation, influencer marketing, etc.).

When your company is growing or when you want to outsource a bigger project (the launch of a new product for example), it is better to contact a (good) marketing agency specialized in digital.

A “project manager” will be your primary contact. He will assemble the necessary team in the agency, prioritize and coordinate tasks, and provide you with regular feedback. You will also ensure that deadlines and instructions are respected.

We can summarize the advantages of an agency as follows:

• multidisciplinary experience: the agency selects and coordinates the most relevant profiles to carry out your project. You don’t have to do this tedious research.
• Consistency: agency experts decide together the best strategy. Conversely, if you work with multiple freelancers, you won’t get the same level of consistency, each working independently.
• Project management : the agency has the necessary resources to carry out more complex and longer-lasting projects. And in case of illness or vacation, it will be in charge of replacing the missing profiles to ensure the continuity of the project.
• long term support : A versatile agency has the structure and skills to support you over the long term and vary the resources assigned to your project according to your specific needs.

How to find a digital marketing agency?

• it’s imperative precisely define your needs (we will talk about brief or specifications) and plan the budget allocation.
• For select an agencyyou will use the same channels:
  • Google (search “digital marketing agency + localization”)
  • social networks (LinkedIn or Facebook)
  • the sortlist platform
  • mouth to ear
• Compare agencies is essential (your experience, your values, your achievements and consult the opinions of the clients). Keep a maximum of 2-3 that you will invite to meet.
• Invite selected agencies for a detailed overview and a reciprocal introduction. It is not only the skills that count, it is also necessary that the current passes between the different interlocutors. Collaborating remotely without trust never pays off!

Internalize digital marketing

Of course, bringing your digital marketing in-house gives you full control over your communication and marketing campaigns. But it is an investment that needs careful consideration.

When to internally manage your digital marketing?

Many very small businesses are getting into digital marketing DIY and learning on the job by watching YouTube videos or following niche blogs. Very often, they are disappointed with the result and quickly get discouraged…because it takes a long time to learn and practicing digital marketing is very time consuming, especially if you don’t have effective tools and routines.

Internalizing your digital marketing implies, above all, having reached a certain digital maturity. Recognizing the importance of digital to your business means understanding the impact that fast, targeted and coordinated internet marketing campaigns can have to truly boost your company’s reputation and profitability. Having competent internal resources is, of course, a major asset in terms of speed of execution and reaction.

Among the advantages of internalization, we must especially mention the better governance. Directly involving employees in corporate communication is an excellent way to develop their commitment and sense of belonging.

Other benefits of outsourcing include:

• Better knowledge of products/services : The enormous advantage of an internal team is to be able to consult the experts and the different departments of the company at any time.
• company culture: the cohesion of an internal team can enhance the communication of the company and provide it with a more coherent, close and authentic image.

Towards a hybrid formula

Insourcing or outsourcing your digital marketing is probably not the heart of the problem. Both options have their advantages and limitations. Take the time to weigh the pros and cons and don’t consider budget as the only selection criteria.

The best solution is probably hybrid : internal management with collaborations, possibly occasional, external. The key is to understand the importance of digital marketing for your business: attract and retain new customers, make yourself known and recognized, sell and advise, share your values ​​and develop a community. The resulting competitive advantage is priceless!

Last but not least, do not forget that digital marketing is changing so rapidly that you will have to constantly adapt your practices and actions. This involves train and of stay informed. To take the measure of technological innovations, understand the evolution of consumer behavior or even, anecdotally, learn about changes in algorithms.

In short, whichever option you choose, you will have to invest personally in this digitization process to understand where and how to direct your business. Because, in the end, whether you internalize or outsource your digital marketing, you are the main contractor, you who will have to set the course and the common thread.

Freelance writing is an extraordinary profession that requires diligence, focus, and dedication. Unlike creative writing, where the truth is something that can be twisted and twisted to fit a plot, content writing has to be completely honest and give the reader valuable information that can be used in everyday life.

This is a commitment that is by far more difficult to maintain than any other form of writing. If you’re ready to make that kind of commitment, here are 6 steps you might want to consider to stay true to a craft which will pay fantastic dividends to those who truly I love writing for the public..

1. Write it, keep it, write it again.

The first words you speak should come straight from the heart. Your emotional attachment to any particular topic should flow from you, coloring the page with honest, unbiased, and completely original content. The truest form of self-expression always comes from the heart.

Unfortunately, the sincere expression is almost always the worst type of writing. Unless you’re writing poetry, your true voice always comes from the rewrites. Once you’ve put everything on the line in content writing, walk away.

The idea is put some distance between your heart and what you’re really trying to tell your reader. Give it a day and then it’s fresh again. Cut off at least 20% or more of the sap during the rewrite. What you are left with will be a more concise form of what you were trying to convey. Rewriting is where your true voice resides.

2. Publisher, enemy, friend.

If you can’t separate the candid writing from the actual voice, and you’re lucky enough to have an editor, he or she will do it for you. A good editor is someone who knows how to write from the heart, trim the fat, and leave a light form of true self-expression while following the ultimate goal of value to the reader.

What they do to your writing can bother you – at first – but once you realize that writing self-indulgent is not the goalyou will also realize how valuable it is to have the editor objective forecast from your side.

They usually know how to deliver what they’re really trying to say and please the reader at the same time, making them both happy.

3. Freelancer, creative, autonomous.

Content writing is a lot like truck driving. It’s fun at first, but after a while, it’s very easy to fall asleep at the wheel. If you’re a busy freelance content writer, one who constantly writes to pay the bills and support a family, you might want to stop at a truck stop every once in a while.

Take a day or two every two weeks to write a poem, a story or update your diary. Write in a way that open expression and sincere sentiment means much more than in content writing.

Creative writing for yourself; writing that doesn’t need to be edited or vetted in any way is always refreshing for the hard-working content writer who spend more time in reality than in fantasy and in truth than in whim.

4. Check, check, check.

Writing from the heart is great, especially when you have a good editor or already know how to trim the fat, so to speak. The trick is always make sure your honest writing and your most realistic rewrite stick to the facts as far as the reader is concerned.

Arant going off topic and into the world of guesswork always damages your credibility as a content writer.

Check what you write, and then check the source you get your information from with another trusted source. Honesty in writing is just as important as true voice and factual self-expression. The rule is, be you, but be honest.

5. Deadline, lifeline, deadline.

Deadline writing is a common thing for the freelance content writer. Every site owner I’ve written copy for has had a ridiculous deadline that had to be met at all costs.

If copywriting is your forte as a writer, but you find yourself struggling to meet deadlines, find some clients who just want content, to break the stressful monotony which comes with the writing deadline.

In the end, you’ll be happy for the freedom and grateful for the time spent not having to worry as much about maintaining your shiny reputation.

6. Rent, rent, rent.

In real estate, location is everything. In content writing, the place you give your readers should be the best place for them to get the most out of what you’re trying to say. In other words, leave your reader in real estate that is waterfront property and not head land.

Informative and original content is much more valuable than a post full of facts that does not open doors of opinion. Writing carefully and exploring a variety of avenues and options (all based on facts) is better than giving a fact and letting the reader guess where you were taking him.

At the end, draw your logical conclusion and then let the reader decide for themselves where they stand