The Nitty Gritty of Social Influence for Every Freelancer

Perhaps, you don’t even have to go to the length of stealing customers from your competition if you will only invest in your social influence.  As defined by Wikipedia, Social influence occurs when one’s emotions, opinions, or behaviors are affected by others.  In short, it will be your ability to influence others to take a specific action and for freelancers, that can mean your influence to get clients hire your services as an expert in your niche.  You may think that this is a popularity contest, but there’s more to numbers than meet the eye, and social influence can simply mean:

Being a Specialist

If you want to develop your influence and be known in an industry, you have to focus on one area and stop being a jack (or jane ) of all trades.  By demonstrating your expertise in a specific field, you will get the respect that helps you gain high profile clients in the long run.  Take note: You don’t simply declare that you’re an expert.  You have to walk the walk, and you can do this through content marketing – by regularly creating content that’s authentic and compelling, which can be shared through various social networks across the Web.

Sharing More, Selling Less

Gone were the days when businesses chase customers by bombarding them with annoying sales pitches.  If you want to earn your social influence right, you can’t simply buy it – no matter how shady sites out there are offering you hundreds to thousands of dummy fans or followers.  There is a big difference between sharing and shilling.  If you find a way to offer genuine help that matters to your target market, you will reap the rewards of not only being seen as a real expert in your niche, but someone they can trust.  And we all know that trust is the final push that makes someone buy a product or service.

Social Partnerships

There’s a wisdom in getting to know everyone worth knowing in your niche.  Who are the influential people in your industry?  Key influencers move people, no doubt, and if they like what you have to offer – they can be a great source of publicity for your personal brand.  This is not an easy fete though and it takes you back to sharing quality content to getting noticed.  Imagine this: An influencer retweets your blog post to thousands of followers that you don’t even have access to.  This means, you have to keep your sharing buttons easily accessible so people can share your brand’s juice, or you may create a bond that builds reciprocation through..

Meaningful Dialogues

It may be tough, especially for freelancers working 40++ hours in a week to monitor conversations about his/her brand on social networks – but if you can spare at least an hour each week, do so.  You may miss opportunities for collaboration and queries from future clients.  Sometimes, they don’t really know what they want to achieve in a project and if you’re quick enough to spot the one-liner question that can lead to a discussion on how you can be of help, you may just land a sweet deal.  The key here is using social media platforms as a communication channel, an engagement tool, and not as an automated mass marketing outlet.

Being Genuine

There are online tools like Klout and PeerIndex that help you know your influence score and other stats.  Still, you must go beyond the numbers that can be gamed and aim for quality leads that can be converted into another freelancing gig.  Keep in mind that the Social Web is not about self-promotion, but the value of community built on relationships.  Yes, there’s no shortcut here and even social media experts will have to agree with me that it’s all about building value on a consistent pace.  This may simply mean being the best that you can be, loving what you do, and spending time to share that passion with your online community.  There’s no need to be someone you’re not.

Social influence may be another buzzword that defines your visibility on the Social Web.  If you want to win in this social media age, you’ve got to be social!  It’s not enough anymore to simply show off your professional credibility. Are you ready to build that bridge between you and your community?

Your Thoughts

Do you think that social influence is important for freelancers today?

Something Interesting:

How Do You Increase Social Influence? Don’t Think About the Score
How to Win Clients and Influence People
The 10 Best Books for Freelancers about Social Media
The New Klout: Cyber Influence Made Flesh?

How to Compete When Others are Cutting Down Prices

Everyone’s into the discount mindset and there’s pressure to stay even that causes freelancing burnout in the end.  When you see customers crowd around products with a 70% off price tag on your favorite store, can you still earn a decent living if you will give in to the same pricing strategy?  If you want to win over your rivals,  you can:

Think of Your Value Proposition

Don’t simply know your numbers and cut down prices, whenever you feel like it’s needed.  You may not notice, but giving discounts can label your services as ‘cheap’ and the next time you want a better rate, it will be tougher to negotiate.  Instead, offer value by having a bundled option or package, or even a better customer experience.  Your clients will be glad to pay more for better service and a peace of mind.

Be Discount-Selective

What we mean here is to be picky of who you’re going to give discount to.  Now, the question is: Who is truly worthy of a discount?  There’s no right or wrong answer here.  You can even do ‘pro bono’ work anytime you want.  You may give discounts based on the size of business as well.  No matter who you choose, the goal is to gain customer loyalty – and not to give an impression that you can produce great results for less.  For present customers, you may give discounts as a token of appreciation; not for retention.  Are they paying you on time?  How many years have you been working with them?

Go Seasonal

There will always be times when business is slow for any freelancers and you can use discounts here to your advantage.  You may even offer holiday or seasonal discounts.  The goal here is to entice them to this limited-time offer, and not to market yourself as a cheaper solution out there.. or, you may just be treated as such!

Add Flavor to Your Marketing Mix

Perhaps, you don’t even have to give discounts in the first place, only if you did your homework right – which means, checking out your competitors’ rates and adding spice to how you market your business on the World Wide Web. Is your blog current?  Do you have a clear call-to-action message? Do you send out newsletters to your current and previous clients? Do you even have your own portfolio website running on your branded domain name?  Personal branding is a must here and if you answered ‘No’ to these questions.. it’s never too late to revamp!

Dump the Discount Mindset

The major factor in giving discounts is FEAR – that if you don’t, you will lose clients. Get out of it and instead, find creative ways in growing your business at a higher price point that you deserve.  You can always encounter those who are shopping around, looking for a bargain, and if this is becoming an obnoxious pattern, it’s time to reassess your value as a freelancer. Have a price schedule at hand and analyze the market in your niche so you can play your cards right without devaluing your work and reputation.

The real deal here is to establish your worth in the freelancing world and build long term relationships – to keep clients happy, not cranky!  Think of discounts as a means for motivation, an option; not a permanent solution… and give it sparingly, please.

Your Turn

Do you think that giving discounts is good or bad for your freelancing business?  Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

When NOT to Cut Your Fee — And What to Do Instead

Something Interesting:

To Discount Or Not To Discount (Your Freelancing Fees)
Why Bulk Discounts are a Bad Idea for Freelancers
5 Practices Your Clients Will Love

How Freelancers Can Ethically Steal Business from Their Competition

Stealing is bad… and it’s a no-brainer either! The economy may just be slightly recovering and businesses are looking to cut down costs – BUT.. having a nice break doesn’t mean breaking down your freelancing rate.  Think of it this way:  Lower your value now at the first point of contact and your customer will always ask for your ‘discounted rate’ whenever s/he does business with you.  So, how can you win clients over from the other side of the fence, without devaluing your weight in gold?

Know Your Competition

It helps to identify just who your competitors are, so you can benchmark your services with theirs.  Who are their client base?  Plenty of freelancers have public profiles in many freelancing sites and professional networking sites like Linkedin.  It’ very easy for you to take a quick look that’s totally harmless.  You may even learn a few tricks on how they are selling themselves on the Web. That doesn’t mean you have every right to copy their profile, verbatim. It’s not only plagiarism; it’s tasteless..

Flaunt It!

What’s the use of ratings and testimonials if you are not showing it for the whole world to see?  If you’re new to freelancing, you can ask reviews from your previous employers who are connected with you in social networks.  Word-of-mouth is still a powerful tool these days and peer recommendations can come in handy if you’d like to attract your competitors’ clients.  Again, it’s not really a numbers game, but of relevancy and quality – it’s what people write about you that will win trust; not the number of stars or ratings you get.

Sell Something Better

Now that you’ve got an intel on who your competitors are, where they get their clients, and how they present themselves – you can simply sell on the benefits of your service… and sell something better than what your competitors are currently offering.  Yes, sneaky, but as long as you do it without stepping over anyone else’s shoes, you will just create that winning bid that meets the needs of your customers.. and did I even mention ‘going beyond their expectations’?

Create a Buzz

Freelancers are always in the business of marketing themselves these days on social media platforms.  It is not enough anymore to have a brochure website.  Are you current?  Are you recognizable?  Can you make it easy for potential customers to find you on the Web?  If you haven’t blogged, perhaps, now is the time to consider doing so.  Whether you wish to participate in online forums about your niche, answer questions that showcase your expertise in Q&A sites, join real-time twitter chats in your industry, keep a brand page in social networks like Facebook or Google+, upload a vlog on YouTube ( and the list goes on ) – it’s all about widening your reach.

Bank on Trust

If you are running a freelancing business with a physical location, you may have yourself accredited and listed in trusted review sites like Yelp and BBB (Better Business Bureau).  If there’s one truth I have learned from freelancing is that pushy sales tactics are the thing of the past.  Creating trust may simply mean genuine interest in your client’s business, so you can focus on listening to their needs and be confident enough to help them win.

Attracting new customers and convincing them to hire you is a tough job and this is why it’s important to keep your communication channels open.  Stealing your competitors’ clients may just mean learning from your competition and continuously improving yourself.  Set your goals right then and snag the right kind of clients ( and for heaven’s sake, don’t just go about stealing for fun ).

What About You?

What gives you a competitive edge in freelancing these days?  Share your thoughts!

The Battle Between Your Present and Future Self

Something Interesting:

How to Handle Competitors Asking for Inside Information
Freelancing Competition–Friends or Foes?
How to Secretly Find Out What Your Competitors Charge
How to Freelance Your Expertise

Best Practices on How Freelancers Can Become a Lead Magnet

Welcome to the age of digital word-of-mouth!  Like it or not, influence and trust need to be earned these days.  You may have a beautiful website, a professional profile in social networks, a blog, a vlog… and the list goes on.  Still, you’re not getting quality visitors or converting them into customers.  You can fix this by:

Redefining Your Brand Message

Personal branding is a hit-or-miss deal with many freelancers, especially those who are just starting out.  You have to understand what and who your target market is, so you can clearly define what solutions you can offer to your prospects.  It’s not about the “me” mentality these days.  What benefits will your prospects get in doing business with you?  Answer this, clear and simple.

Taking a Stand

Never underestimate the power of words in writing your website copy, your blog, your professional profile, or even in writing your cover letter.  If you sound like everyone else, the chance for you to standout will be next to impossible.  Context rules these days, so try to come up with creative ways that will elicit a “Wow” moment from your prospects.

Have a strong Call-to-Action

You’ve got great content.  Now, what?  Don’t just leave people hanging in the dark; get them to hire you.  For example, you can try offering free reports or trials in exchange of their names and email addresses.  This way, you can save them in your mailing list for future service offerings that you may have.  Make sure that you use simple and straightforward language to guide people on what to do next, like “View Testimonials” or “Hire Me”.  A simple website navigation will also do the trick.

Being Relevant

Gone were the days when brochure-style websites are useful for freelancers.  Are you offering valuable content that resonates with the needs of your target clients?  Is your website updated with the latest info in your niche?  Being current may also mean optimizing your website so people can find you in the searches and the trick is to offer quality, consistent content – minus keyword stuffing.  Besides, keyword density is pretty much dead these days.

Being Likeable

In this age of sharing, being likeable can mean offering value-added service that’s enough to earn you not only trust, but customer testimonials too.  Whether you’re offering discounts, a loyalty program, a free report or ebook, a weekly podcast, a money-back guarantee, a VIP membership to your monthly newsletter and a bonus for early payments – it will come down to customer satisfaction.. and a happy customer can spread the goodwill about you like a plague on the Social Web.

This is just the icing of the freelancing cake, and the key to becoming a lead magnet will always be up to you.  Whatever media you plan to use for capturing and converting leads, it will all come down to doing your research well, testing your call-to-action messages, and building relationships that are meant to last.  Are you ready to create value and capitalize on it?

Your Thoughts

Do you think that it is harder to get new clients than keeping your existing ones?  Or, is it the other way around?

How to Improve Website Conversions

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Finding Freelance Work: How to Generate Client Leads

Freelancing Predictions for 2012:  A Brighter Outlook

The freelance market may have been stagnant in 2011, but online hiring has hit a record high last year – up by over 100% from 2010.  As the demand for talent and flexibility to run an office increases, more businesses will hop in the rising trend of hiring remote workers or independent professionals.  It’s what you can call a freelancing wave – and it can also mean rise in newer technologies or tools to make online collaboration seamless.  Freelancers, brace yourself to another year that will be defined by:

Global Mindset

Work is not anymore defined by a physical office and freelancers must be able to adapt to different cultural settings in order to stay on top this year.  There will be a paradigm shift in how people view work – far from the traditional set-up many have been used to for many years.

Innovation Meets Excellence

You probably have encountered this word the nth time, but in order to stay on top of the freelancing game, you have to know that it takes openness to innovation and creativity which will set you apart from those who are merely doing what was asked of them – where you have the chance to exceed work expectations by focusing on quality, not on quantity.

Social Partnerships

Social networking is on the rise and we’ve seen how quick changes are last year, when Google+ entered the social media scene.  Because more collaboration tools are on the making, we are more likely to see combined forces among freelancers, as well as building relationships beyond the tip of the iceberg – where freelancers will break the ice between their brand-customer relationship.

Virtual Teams

By being open to working across multiple online platforms with various persons across the globe, we’ll definitely see more virtual teams formed.  Contrary to popular belief, we’ll see them work more productively as they collaborate to succeed on their projects.  This will also include a much deeper engagement level and sense of responsibility among the team.

Outsourcing

Businesses, large or small, will outsource work to experts who can fill in their needs.  From rural sourcing to offshore outsourcing, this can only mean good news for freelancers who want to find new prospects and capitalize on plenty of freelance portals on the Web.  Cost will always be the number one driver for companies to consider outsourcing, but there are also other factors involved, like the speed of service and the ‘hire it when you need it’ mentality.

These are predictions based on freelancing news and events from last year.  No, we are not playing it like Nostradamus – just the sort of predictive analytics anyone can use and it’s not a rocket science either.  If there’s only one thing we can agree on, it’s that 2012 is a promising year for freelancers and career shifters out there.  Perhaps, we can look back to this post sometime near 2013 and say, “Hey, we’ve told you so!”  Are you excited to work in this age of hyper-specialization?

What’s In Your Mind?

What do you think will freelancing look like this year?  Share your own predictions on the comment below.

The Future of Work 2.0

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What are Your Predictions for 2012?
Give Yourself a Raise in 2012

If you can’t even start to map out your goals for the new year because of all these holiday rush, have no fear.  I’m sharing with you a list of resources that can inspire you to come up with your top X list for 2012.

Whatever your goals are, may you be blessed with inspiration, hope and optimism to become successful in your niche.  All of us from Ajeva is wishing all freelancers in the world a bountiful new year to come… and all of the good freelancing stuff!

Here’s a list of buzz-worthy resources to help you succeed in your goals for 2012:

Ajeva’s Hot Pick:  Top 10 Sites Worth a Freelancer’s Visit

Freelance Folder
Freelance Switch
Men With Pens
The Savvy Freelancer
Freelance Advisor
Guerrilla Freelancing
Escape from Cubicle Nation
International Freelancers Day
Freelance Zone
The Urban Muse

Ajeva’s Hot Pick: Top 10 Freelancing Books Worth Reading

The Principles of Successful Freelancing
Creative, Inc.: The Ultimate Guide to Running a Successful Freelance Business
Six-Figure Freelancing: The Writer’s Guide to Making More Money
My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire
The Wealthy Freelancer: 12 Secrets to a Great Income and an Enviable Lifestyle
Freelancing For Dummies
Freelancing – The First 30 Days – 2010 Edition
The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Commercial Freelancer in Six Months or Less
The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube
The Renegade Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success (The Renegade Writer’s Freelance Writing series)

Ajeva’s Hot Pick: Our Top 10 Blogs for Year 2011

The New Rules of Marketing Yourself as a Freelancer
Steve Jobs: A Freelancer’s Inspiration
10 Cool Infographics for the Savvy Freelancer
How Freelancers Can Have a Global Mindset for Success
50 Freelancing Tips in 140 Characters or Less
How to Survive the Recession While Freelancing
How Freelancers Can Stop Doing Too Much With Too Little Time
If Freelancing is a Game, These are the Rules
Why Freelancers Work Hard But Earn a Little
Freelance Writing: How to Get Hired if You Have No Clients?

That’s all!  And as Oprah Winfrey said, ” Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right! ”

Your Turn

Anything we’ve missed?  Please feel free to share your discoveries in the comment below, thanks!

Seth Godin Challenges You To Fail

Something Interesting:

Here’s Your 2012 Marketing Plan
New Year Goals Got You Paralyzed? Tiny Steps Win the Race
10 New Guidelines for Web Designers for 2012

The Hot Twelve (12) Freelancer’s Tool List

Duolingo

Want to learn a new language and help translate the Web as well?  Featured at TED’s, this free language-learning website is for English speakers who wish to learn Spanish and German.. and there are future plans to include French, Italian and Chinese.  The beauty of this site is that you can learn for free and your time helps in the translation of websites and documents online, in return.

The Interviewr

Still on beta, this site helps you schedule, manage and record interviews.  This is not only great for conducting interviews with prospects, but also a nice tool to have for those in the journalism or blogging field.  You can even add notes on each interview, and get reminders in just a push of a button.

Spider Scribe

Working on a remote team can be quite a nightmare, especially when it comes to sharing ideas.  This online mind mapping and brainstorming tool removes all the fuss by helping you collect notes, files, calendar events – in free-from maps, where you get to share them online.

Sniget

This free business platform is a relief for freelancers looking to perform their daily tasks efficiently.  This cloud-based platfom hepls users communicate, collaborate and manage projects – with bundle of features like a to-do list, a spreadsheet, survey app, question and answer app, communication app, and more.

A Blogger’s Cheat Sheet from CopyBlogger.com

After having read this 55-page free content, bloggers will have to agree that this concise read is such a great help, especially for those wanting to get their content go viral through super-savvy headlines.  Great for newbies and seasoned writers alike, this template can kick-start your writing prowess.

Dropbox

Freelancers on-the-go know how crucial it is to access their files anytime, anywhere.  Dropbox isn’t only a backup for everything you save online, but it can also be a place to transfer big files.  While it offers a free account of up to 2GB, what’s great about it is you can quickly share files with a click of a button.

Nimble

If you’re a social freelancer who’s looking for a combo of social media monitoring and productivity tools, this platform is just right for you.  This is also great for following up with your leads, managing contacts, calendars and conversations you’ve got with your social connections – all within the same platform.

Zemanta

Bloggers and non-bloggers alike will appreciate this WordPress plugin that recommends outbound links to articles, images and videos for your post.  This simply saves you time from all that research by making it easier for you to find cool stuff to link to.  This free tool also helps you get more traffic to your blogs.

WeVideo

Shoot, Shape and Share – it’s as simple as it is when you want to create a video for your site, be it an interview or a Vlog.  This cloud-based video editing platform makes it easier for people who are clueless about video editing software out there.  You can simply edit anytime, anyplace – without having to download or update.  This service comes with a free and pro versions.

New Media Rights

Freelancers often find themselves in the middle of IP battle and this site is great for individuals, non-profits and small businesses seeking free legal help.  Do you have social media issues?  Need a web citizen’s guide to the law?  Want to know where to find free content to use for your blog?  All this and more.

Pixlr

Want to edit your images, but don’t want to download an image editing software?  This powerful online image editing app is a great, free alternative to Adobe Photoshop.  Although it can’t do everything that a Photoshop can, given that it’s available in 13 languages and free for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices – it’s definitely worth a try for those wanting to have the most of editing tools anytime, anywhere.

webdoc

We hear the popular adage, that Content Rules! on the Web.  This platform helps you achieve just that by doing away with the usual, boring update – and turning your content into a visually-rich and interactive experience that you can share in your blog or social media sites.  Think of it as a digital scrap book that’s clickable, so you can inspire rich social conversations in your online community.

We know that there are other awesome tools out there so why not give us a shoutout @ajevacom or add your discovery in the comment section below.  Thanks!

Something Interesting:

The 10 Key Skills for the Future of Work
Have Internet, Will Travel: A Freelancer Case Study
Best and Worst Freelancing Advice of 2011

How Freelancers Can Determine Their Real Worth

Is it about credibility these days? Or, are you simply clueless in the art of negotiation when it comes to your freelance contract?  Last time, we blogged about Why Freelancers Work Hard But Earn a Little, and if this somehow rings an alarm to your freelance career, then, it’s high time to consider:

Counting Numbers

If you’re freelancing full-time, it’s too easy to get lost in your projects that you let time pass, without counting the years of experience you have in your field.  Use this number as your selling point so you can negotiate your pay.  Think of it as how much a client is willing to pay for your experience, which will benefit their business in return.

Salary Sleuthing

There are plenty of websites out there like payscale.com or salary.com which gives you a glimpse on how much you should be charging for your skills.  Use this to your competitive advantage the next time you deal with a potential client, or when you ask for a raise.

Disruptive Innovation

Perhaps, this is the first time you have encountered this word.  Did you know that businesses pay top dollars or premium to disruptive innovation?  In terms of freelancing, this means focusing on your distinct or specialized skills rather than the generic ones out there. Simply, don’t be a jack of all trades.  When you offer something that’s rare in the skills market, you have just shifted the scale into your favor, where low supply for high demand means naming your own price.

Benchmarking

Frenemies, as I call it, can help you balance just how much rate you should be charging.  Take a look at your competitor’s rate and service offerings.  It may be sneaky, but some freelancers would disguise as a potential client inquiring for services from their competitors just to see how they can do better.  In the end, it’s all about healthy competition and how you can compete with others offering the same services to yours.

Keeping Your Emotions in a Stash Box

Women are more inclined to get emotional than men and sadly, business and emotions don’t mix perfectly well.  Don’t let your feelings get in the way when you’re negotiating a freelance contract and make sure you spell out expectations from the start.  Don’t get too excited to work on a project without a proper contract.

Making a fair assessment of yourself may be tough as there’s always a room for overvaluing or undervaluing your skills.  Talking about money may feel dirty as we are raised to be prudent about it, but when it’s already affecting your daily living – you might as well take a step back and reconsider:  What exactly is your value proposition?  Muster up the courage and believe in the value of your freelancing skills.  Ask openly and ask directly. You hold the reins to your success and the next step is always up to you.

“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.” -Malcom Forbes

Your Turn

Do you think that you are making a fair wage that is consistent with the rate in your niche?

Salary Negotiation Ideas

Something Interesting:

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Market Research: The Value Of Freelancing
How to Get Paid What You’re Worth

How Freelancers Can Make the Most Out of the Holiday Season

You may have carved out your own philosophy of not working a lot this Holiday season, and we all have our reasons – no doubt.  What if you can turn this month into a season of making your ideas work for your freelancing business, without sacrificing quality time?  That would be supercalifragilistic… and here’s how:

Shop, Swap and Rise Early

Shopping for the Holidays is not an ordinary feat, and you can find yourself in long lines that will drain you of energy ( and sanity ).  The advantage of being a freelancer is you can set your own hours so try swapping your workday and shop during hours when crowds are thin.  Some shops do open early, or you may support Small Business Saturdays and buy items from your local store.  Of course, you can do it online so long as you set a time limit doing so.  In this way, you don’t feel too tired when it’s time for you to focus on work.

Client Appreciation Day

Relearn the art of appreciation this Holiday season and be inspired to come up with a token of appreciation for your clients.  You don’t have to buy something very expensive though.  Not all clients may feel like celebrating this time of the year, by choice or by tradition.  To avoid making an awkward move, you may simply call it an ‘end-of-the-year’ gift to show your gratitude.  Besides, it’s the thought that counts… and your creativity counts as well!  A simple ‘thank you’ can go a very long way, I’d say!

Retreat.. then Conquer

If you’re finding it hard to get things done, then, take a break.  Schedule a retreat that won’t last for more than three days, and this time, take the time off – as in, switch off from the online world.  You’ll be grateful that you did, trust me, and use this as a time to come up with fresh ideas to boost your freelancing brand for the coming year.  Are you ready to plan and play?

Change Your Outlook

It’s always empowering to tell yourself to focus on what you can do NOW, not tomorrow.  No matter how stressed you are, having a positive outlook is like running on jet fuel that charges your imagination to work on your tasks, no matter the number or the difficulty.  Keep positive thoughts to help you soar on high-octane fuel, making you succeed in accomplishing your projects on time.  Besides, you want to make your clients happy, so they will keep coming back for more.

Connect the Dots

I’m not talking about the game, but finding time to connect with qualified leads for your freelancing biz.  Try to connect with your existing or potential clients in a personal way, minus the need to spam them with generic emails that spell L-A-Z-Y.  This is a wonderful season to share with people your perspective, to meet up in real-time during social events, or to partner with other freelancers who complement your services.

Slowing down during the Holidays doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your productivity.  If you find yourself stuck this time of the year, use your extra time to organize your office and reassess your business goals for next year.  Tradition dictates to enjoy the merry season and you have every right to do so; Just do it mindfully.

Your Turn

Do you work on the Holidays?  If yes, how do you  break it to your loved ones? If no, how do you break it to your clients?  Feel free to share your thoughts.

Top 5 Ecommerce Tips for a Profitable Holiday Season

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12 Days of Indie Merchant Gifts: Day 1
An Ideal Holiday Gift List for Freelance Writers
The Freelancer’s Holiday and Year-end Dilemmas Revisited

How Google Plus Brand Pages Can Potentially Benefit Freelancers

We all know that Google is the mother search engine of them all, and it currently owns 68% of market share on the searches.  In fact, when you try to ‘google’ terms, you’ll see that Google+ icon is an integral part of the results, where recommending content can be as simple as a click of a button.  If you’re into content marketing, this is great news, as people can now +1 quality content they encounter online… and get the chance to share it with their peers as well.  Just how can you benefit from creating a Google+ brand page then?

Sassier Portfolio

If you’re a creative freelancer, you’ll love the variations that Google+ allows you as you can set a photo strip of your best five portfolio pieces at the top of your page profile.  Tweak it, make a comic strip, or a creative banner for your brand.

Better Branding

There’s no doubt that G+ gives you more visibility which can be great for building your brand as a freelancer.  Doing business on the Web means that others should easily find your products and services online.  Google+ is a better system for people looking for talent, and freelancers looking for prospects, thanks to the ‘Circles’ that allows you to organize everyone into specific groups that matter to you most.

Traffic Driver

Most freelancers own their portfolio websites and blogs.  No, Google Plus can’t replace your home base, but it can help drive traffic there, as more people join this new social networking platform on the block.  All you have to do is add your sites to your brand page.

Professional Crowd

What’s great about Google+ is that it’s attracting a more professional crowd, which is great if you’re looking to make more business with one.  The clutter and noise is much reduced and users can control the content they want to see.  The Zen-like design is cleaner, which adds a touch of professionalism to it.

Goldmine of Data

If you’re a blogger, you’ll truly appreciate the conversations happening at Google Plus as it gives you ideas on which you can build your next blog on.  Other social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin can give you the same thing, but what’s different is that on G+, you can segment your targeted group of people (via Circles) and it’s much easier to check out what they’re sharing about.  You can even share updates with a circle of your choice, so you can gain feedback about it… or just mute all that noise.  Neat, I’d say!

The Google Plus Potential

If there’s one thing I’m raving about, it’s the Google+ Hangouts that adds spice to the boring collaboration sessions over a project.  But from a branding perspective, just imagine sharing content and getting recommendations (+1) about it; it’s like hitting two birds with a single shot.  There’s enough evidence that we’ll see integration with other Google products and services sooner, and this means that things may get easier for the rest of us who hate all the fuss about the social web.

Google Plus is a freelancer’s best friend, no doubt, if only you will learn that engaging with folks like you would do in real-time is the key to making it work!  Besides, what you want to aim for is building not only a presence, but a conversation about your freelancing brand… and make sure this conversation burns like Greek fire.

Your Turn

Will you create a Google Plus brand page?  Do you think it will benefit you as a freelancer? Share your thoughts in the comment below.

Google+ for Business: What You Need to Know

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