FreelanceSwitch

Freelance Freedom 315: Reply To All – Part 2

FreelanceSwitch.com — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 14:34:46 +0000

Once a week, we feature a fantastic freelance-themed comic from the talented N.C. Winters. Why not also take a look at our comic archive?

What It Takes to Drive Home a Paid Speaking Gig

FreelanceSwitch.com — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:00:51 +0000

It’s easy enough to land a speaking gig: every organization in your city wants a speaker to come in every once in a while. But that’s not the same as driving home a paid speaking gig.

To actually receive payment, beyond travel expenses or an event ticket, requires a different approach. You need to be more targeted, at the very least, in order to get paid for your talks.

There Has to Be a Budget

The biggest mistake new speakers make when trying to land a paid speaking gig is to approach organizations or events that just don’t have a budget for paid speakers. If there isn’t money, it’s rare that they can magically come up with some just to bring on a new speaker.

Before you even think of approaching an organization with a proposal, you need to do some digging. Have they paid speakers in the past? Is there a budget available for upcoming events? Like any other business, success lies in knowing who has the money and what they’re prepared to spend it on.

If you’re having a hard time finding out if there’s a budget, take a look at the level of event being put on: a small, organizational meeting is far less likely to have a budget than a large corporation putting on an annual event. There aren’t any strict rules; some events (like conferences) will include a mix of paid and unpaid speakers). But making an educated guess can at least reduce the time you might otherwise waste on pitching event planners who can’t afford you.

Knowing who has the money, however, isn’t enough to guarantee you a gig. It’s just the start.

You Have to Be Worth Paying For

If an event planner visits your website, can she immediately tell that you’re an excellent speaker and that everyone who hears you talk loves you? Can she tell that you have something new and interesting to say? Can she tell you’re available for speaking gigs, at a price, and willing to travel? The answer to all of these questions has to be yes. Furthermore, your website is just the starting point of your marketing efforts.

The people who hire paid speakers for conferences and other events base their decisions on past performance.

Until the right people can clearly tell that you’re available, it’s a lot harder to land a paid speaking gig, or even an unpaid opportunity. If you’re relying on your professional site for another career to get you speaking opportunities, make sure that you at least have a page devoted to speaking. List your availability for paid work, as well — otherwise, an event planner may contact you assuming that they can get you to speak for free.

You also need to make your niche clear. There is likely a specific type of audiences who you best connect with and who you have something crucial to tell. It’s practically impossible to land a speaking gig if you’re trying to be an expert in a wide variety of fields at once, so narrow things down. Be obvious about telling event planners your niche, so there can’t be any mistakes.

The people who hire paid speakers for conferences and other events base their decisions on past performance. That’s why you may see the same speakers over and over again in certain circles. You need to be able to show these people a professional speaker’s reel, with examples of past talks you’ve given. That can require investing time in some unpaid speaking gigs and some money in developing a professional reel.

It can take some time to build a reputation as a great speaker. It’s like every other profession in that regard. If you need to sink some resources into building up your appeal as a speaker, do so before spending any resources on trying to land paid speaking gigs.

It’s All About the Network

Like landing any other type of work, having the right network is crucial to a speaker. You need to invest time in networking with the right people: event planners, conference organizers and the like are usually the decision makers when it comes to lining up speakers. However, if you’re looking to offer a very specialized type of public speaking, like motivational talks at colleges, you might be looking at a different group of people to network with. Either way, you need to identify the people who can offer you speaking opportunities.

You’ll want to build as much of a relationship as possible before you send in a proposal for a particular event.

On a broad level, you need to have a long list of connections in the industry who will actively recommend you, as well as call you up with a paid gig every so often. That means attending their meetings and events, as well as plugging into their communities online. Treat event planners and other decision makers like clients — that’s what they really are. You need to reach out to them to build the right connections to land work.

If you take that logic down to a narrower view, you’ll need to make a point to connect with the right individuals. You’ll want to build as much of a relationship as possible before you send in a proposal for a particular event. Provided you can focus your energies on the right people (the ones with budgets, remember?), there’s no reason not to reach out to them directly. Attend the same events, read their blogs, connect on social media: you can often build a solid relationship without ever sending a cold call or email.

You can even prove to an event planner that you’re an amazing speaker before ever asking her about a specific opportunity. Since you should only be approaching those people who are likely to want speakers in your specific niche, you’re in a position to offer anyone local a taste of your work ahead of time. Since you’ll likely wind up taking some unpaid speaking gigs in order to establish yourself, why not invite an event planner or two to each talk you give? They’ll be able to see you in action and you may have done them a favor if it’s an event they wouldn’t have gone to otherwise.

Play the Speaker’s Game

There are directories of speakers, as well as bureaus that help line up speakers for particular types of events. There’s a fair amount of debate about how effective these platforms are for actually landing paid speaking opportunities. But even if someone hiring speakers doesn’t actually find you through such platforms, they may use such tools to gather more information. Essentially, making use of such tools can help establish you as a professional. Since it’s possible that someone can find you online and won’t have a clear idea of your reliability, your inclusion in the proper directories or organizations can make you more trustworthy.

While you don’t need to be a member of every website out there that promises to help you land speaking gigs, it’s worth picking a few to help cement your status as a top-notch speaker. Do the research to find out what sources are considered reliable in your niche and sign up with those sites.

Make a point of asking anyone who hires you about what convinced them to do so, as well as for any other feedback you can. That information can be invaluable at the end of the year when you’re deciding whether to renew your listing in a particular directory or your membership in an organization.

Never Stop Marketing

Speaking is one of those professions that requires you to regularly fill the marketing tank; otherwise, people can forget about you. Appearing as a speaker isn’t enough to guarantee that you can keep landing more paying gigs. Event planners want to make sure that every event they organize is unique. That doesn’t mean they can’t have the same speakers over and over again, but those speakers need to be saying new things.

It’s common for speakers to pair their work with writing: articles, books and anything else that can get your name out there will do double-duty. It can convince the people you’ve worked with in the past that you have something new to share, as well as get your name in front of people. To be an effective speaker, you have to be an expert, so make use of that fact.

Keep a close eye on the rest of your marketing, as well. Keep updating your website and your speaking reel on a fairly regular basis. Maintain your relationships with your network and build new ones. Keep pushing to make sure that you know who needs a speaker and how much they can pay. The time that you can invest in your speaking career will pay off.

How To Clean Up Data in a CSV File

FreelanceSwitch.com — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 12:00:06 +0000

Regardless of the size of your business, there are growing expectations that you will be data proficient. While big data gets hyped at an enterprise level, the reality for freelancers and micro businesses owners is that you will need to get your hands dirty playing with data at some stage of your client work.

Whether it be from transferring keywords into a spreadsheet, scheduling tweets, syncing data between business apps, managing contact lists, or importing data into an infographic, you will need to know how to clean data from a spreadsheet and organize it into a format that any online app or software can read.

The good news is that being able to manage data and move it between apps is a marketable skill in itself and with a few tricks up your sleeve, you can also save a lot of time: time that you could be spending on more profitable work.

Tutorial Assets

To complete this tutorial, you will need:

an internet connection
an email account
a Google account (free)
Microsoft Excel (optional)
data that you want to clean up (see below for more examples)

What is a CSV File?

A CSV file is a “Comma Separated Value” file. This sort of file takes all your data and puts the headers of each column in the first row, then lists all your data in subsequent rows, with all non-numerical data enclosed in inverted commas (“like this”), followed by a comma.

A CSV file can be read in many types of apps and software programs. At its most basic it is a text file. It takes all your data and parses it (i.e. breaks it down into its units of data), so that you can then feed the data back into another app.

For example, here’s the data from Google’s Keyword tool for the keyword “CSV file”:

And here’s a sample of how it looks in a CSV format:

Why Clean Up Your Data?

Increasingly, clients are expecting you to be able to manage data when you work with them. For example, a freelancer working on writing SEO content for a client may be expected to show a list of which long-tail keywords are being used in each blog article scheduled for production, and to have these keywords added to a spreadsheet or content calendar. As a freelance content producer, you will be expected to produce compelling visuals to go with your articles. You can add simple infographics to your content by cleaning up a CSV file of your research statistics and then import this into a diagram or infographic tool.

As big data and opendata continue to become more commonplace, you can quickly increase the value of your business service offerings and reduce your workload by knowing how to move data around.

If you run a micro business that provides social media services, you may be expected to show your client a week’s worth of tweets in advance, and then be able to schedule these to be tweeted at regular intervals throughout the week. Or you may be able to develop a business service where you help a client keep their contact data in sync between their email, marketing campaigns and customer relationship management (CRM) software.

Maybe your business has grown big enough that you want to start using an invoicing and accounting app rather than a spreadsheet. You can clean up a CSV file of all your old financial data so it is imported easily into your invoicing app without having a heap of data re-entry to do.

As big data and opendata continue to become more commonplace, you can quickly increase the value of your business service offerings and reduce your workload by knowing how to move data around. Being data proficient is a skill in great demand and can help you carve out a unique value proposition. Cleaning up CSV files is central to making the most of all of these opportunities.

1. Creating a CSV File From a Spreadsheet

Step 1: Open Your Spreadsheet File

A CSV file is simply a spreadsheet file saved in a text format so it can be moved to another software program or cloud-based app or tool. So first, you will need to open it in your spreadsheet software.

If you are using Excel, open the file of data you want to move around (File > Open…). If you do not have Excel, you can signup to Google Drive with your Google account details. Google Drive offers an online cloud-based toolset which includes a spreadsheet tool. After you have signed up, open your spreadsheet in Google Drive.

The same spreadsheet in Excel (left) and Google Drive (right).

Step 2: Check Your File Basics

In Excel, make sure you only have one worksheet in your spreadsheet. Worksheets are shown at the bottom of Excel. They are normally named Sheet1, Sheet2, etc. Make sure there is only one sheet. If there is more than one sheet in the Workbook, click on the tab for each additional sheet and make sure there is no data on these pages. Then right-click on the tabs for Sheet 2 and so on and delete each additional sheet.

Step 3: Save as a CSV File

In Excel, now select File > Save As…. Choose a name for your file and select Comma Separated Values under the Format drop-down menu.

In Google Drive, select File > Download as…. Select Comma Separated Values from the second menu box and save to your hard drive.

2. Creating a CSV File From Data in an Online App or Webtool

When data is stored in an online app (such as FreshBooks, the invoicing and book-keeping app for small businesses) or website tool (such as the Google AdWords Keyword tool), it is necessary to use the app or tool’s import functions to save the data in a CSV file format.

Step 1: In Your Online App, Look for a Data Export Option

If you are wanting to create a CSV file using data in an online app, look for a menu option that lets you export the data from the app.

In FreshBooks, for example, this is located under the My Account menu. After you click on My Account a second level menu appears, where you can select Import & Export.

Now select Comma Separated File (CSV) next to Export Clients, Invoices, Staff and Timesheets.

Other cloud-based apps may arrange their options differently. If there is not an option under “Account”, look for a “Settings” menu, or a “Data” menu option. You should be able to locate a similar menu option that allows you to save the data stored online into a CSV file.

Step 2: In a Web-Based Tool, Look For a “Save as CSV” Menu Option

For a webtool, look for a “save” menu option. For example, in the Google Adwords Keyword tool, there is a Save All button above the list of keyword ideas. Click on Save All to save a copy of all keywords from your search.

Now click the Download button. Select All search results. A dialog box will pop up, offering you the choice to save in CSV format. Click Download to confirm. Depending on the size of the file, it may take a little time for this to be prepared.

Finally, you will be offered a dialog box to indicate where you would like to save the file.

Other online tools work in a similar fashion.

3. Cleaning a CSV File

Now that you have a CSV file, you will need to clean it up and make sure it is readable to wherever you want to send it. In some cases, you may just be wanting to use it in a spreadsheet.

In other cases, you may need to clean up the CSV file so that you can then import it into another cloud-based app or online tool.

Step 1. Excel: Import Your CSV file into a Spreadsheet

In Excel, create a new workbook. Then select the Import option from the File menu.

A dialog box will pop up. Make sure CSV file is selected and click the Import button.

You can now select your CSV file from where you have saved it.

Step 2. Excel: Confirm Your Data is ‘Delimited’

In Excel, you will now be asked to confirm that your data is delimited. That is, your CSV file is filled with data separated only by a comma. Excel should be able to automatically tell that this is correct. Now click the Next button.

Step 3. Excel: Confirm Your Data Columns

In Excel, you will now be shown a preview of how your data will be sorted into columns, based on the fact that your data is separated by commas, and text items may be enclosed in “inverted commas”. Check the data preview, and select or deselect delimiter options and text qualifier options until the preview reflects how you expect the data to look. In most of these cases, this will be chosen for you automatically. For example, Excel will know that all text data has a text qualifier of inverted commas, so it will let you know it plans to remove the inverted commas when it imports the data. When you are happy with how the data will be imported, click the Next button.

Step 4. Excel: Confirm Data Types

In Excel, you will now be asked to select what type of data is in each row. Select General for all columns now (we will customize each column of data after it is imported). Double-check the advanced setting to ensure your data reflects standard conventions for numbers in their thousands and for decimal places.

For example, if you are using a US data source, a comma is generally used to separate thousands,(e.g. “1,000”) and a full stop represents decimal points. It’s the other way around in Europe! So depending on your original data source, you may need to change these settings.

Now click the Finish button to import the CSV data into your Excel spreadsheet.

Step 5. Excel: Choose Where to Import Your Data

Finally in Excel, you will be asked where you want to import the data. If you opened a new workbook at Step 1 above, select the Existing sheet already chosen for you, then click OK.

Step 6. Google Drive: Import Your CSV File into a New Spreadsheet

In Google Drive, you can do the above steps 1 – 5 in the one dialog box. First, create a new spreadsheet from the File menu. Now choose Import from the File menu.

A dialog box will appear. Select your CSV file from your hard drive.

Now select Replace spreadsheet, as we have already opened a new spreadsheet.

Check that the preview shows how you want your data distributed in columns. In most cases, this will automatically be set up correctly. If not, change the “separator character” to “tab” or “comma” to see if the data is now shown correctly in columns.

Click the Import button to proceed.

Step 7. Tidy Up Columns

As we will be cleaning your data spreadsheets, it will be easier to do so if you can see all your data in neat columns. Adjust the width of columns to better show the data. Move your cursor between the column letters at the top of either Excel or Google Drive until the cursor turns into a width movement symbol and stretch the column width so that your data is easier to read.

Step 8. Check Your Header Row

Now check that your first row has the correct column headings. When you import some data from some sources, you may have the dates down the left column (the y-axis) and the values along the rest of the row, starting from the second column (the x-axis). So the very first column on the x-axis will be left blank.

For example:

If that’s the case, enter a description (for now) for the first column, for example “Date” or “Month”.

If you are using your CSV data in a spreadsheet, you can also set the first row as your column headings. This is useful if you are working with large sets of data where you may scroll down and not be able to see the headings row.

In Excel, click on Page Layout under the File menu. Choose Sheet from the menu in the popup dialog box and click on the row in your spreadsheet for the column headings. It should now be indicated in the box rows to repeat at top usually as $1:$1.

In Google Drive, select Freeze row from the View menu and select Freeze 1 row to indicate the header row.

Step 9. Confirm What Data You Need

If you are cleaning up this data because you will be moving it into another online tool or app, check the requirements for importing data into your destination app (see the Use Case examples under Section 3. Moving Data, below).

If you are cleaning your CSV file to share it in a spreadsheet, confirm with your client what data they want you to be able to show.

Step 10. Delete Unnecessary Data

Note: You may want to save a copy of your spreadsheet before you start deleting any data, just in case you change your mind or need it later on.

Now remove any columns you will not need. For example, if you want to import your keyword research into a content calendar, you may only be interested in the keyword and local monthly search volume columns.

You can delete the columns you don’t need by clicking on the column header letter until the whole column is shaded. Now choose Delete from the Edit menu (in Excel) or Delete column from the Edit menu (in Google Drive).

Step 11. Make Sure Date Columns are in the Right Date Format

Again, check where you will be importing the data for any requirements (see section 3 user cases below).

If your CSV file data includes dates, select the column with the dates.

In Excel, select Cells… from the Format menu. Now select Number from the top row menu, and Date from the lefthand side menu. Choose the date menu that corresponds with the import requirements, or select the most readable version for you and your client, if you are just importing the data into your own spreadsheets.

In Google Drive, select the column and the click on the button that reads 123 in the toolbar. Choose a date format from the list, or select more formats to see an additional menu of date format options.

If your CSV file requires times to be included with the dates, make sure they are in the right format (hh:mm or hh:mm:ss).

If your CSV file requires dates and times to be in separate columns, copy the whole column, then format the first column to be in date only format, and the second column to be in time only format. The rest of the data will be automatically removed.

Step 12. Make Sure All Numbers are Uniform

Any columns with numerical data are best formatted by removing the thousand separators so numbers appear as 23000 for example and not 23,000.

In Excel, select the column, and again choose Cells… from the Format menu. Choose Number from the horizontal menu, and Number from the lefthand menu. Make sure Use 1000 separator is unchecked.

Google Drive insists on using thousand separators. This will not affect your CSV imports, but may be confusing if your clients are European. Click on the column to select it, select the Format menu option and click on Number, then select Normal.

Step 13. Add Columns You Do Need

Check the list of data you need that you created at Step 9. Add columns to your spreadsheet for each of these. Some online tools also require that data be ordered in a particular way (for example, scheduling tweets may require a specific order for your CSV file data). If that’s the case, move the columns now to match the preferred import order where you will be sending the data.

Now make sure the column headings are an exact match for what your importing destination is expecting. Do not use inverted commas at this stage for headings or any text data in your columns.

Step 14. Incorporate Cleaned Data into Your Working Spreadsheets

In some cases, such as cleaning your keyword data, you may not be looking to add it to any destination source, other than a content calendar. Save a copy of your spreadsheet as a backup file, and then select the columns you want to move into your content calendar. Copy these columns now and paste them into their destination spreadsheet.

Step 15. Save Cleaned Data as a CSV File Ready to Import into an Online Tool

If the final destination for your cleaned data is to add it to another program, you are now ready to save this spreadsheet as a CSV file so you can import it into an online app or webtool.

Repeat Section 1 Creating a CSV file from a spreadsheet again.

4. Moving Data from a CSV File into an Online App or Web Tool

In many cases, you will need to move your data into another online app or webtool to complete your work.

To make sure your data will be able to be read by the app you are adding it to, check any requirements for what columns and data need to be included.

Look for a menu option like “Account”, “Settings”, or “Data” and review the import data information. Alternatively, check the help section of the app/web tool. Look for what column headings you need to use and the required format for each column of data. For example, if you are adding data to a Google Calendar, you would need columns for Start Date, Start Time, End Date, End Time, Subject and (as an option) Venue.

On the other hand, if you were importing data on your project work into a time tracking app like Toggl, they want a column for Start Time, but instead of End Time, you need to have a column for Task Duration, in which you indicate how much time was spent on the task rather than it’s end time.

Each online app and webtool may be slightly different, so being able to clean data in CSV files means getting acquainted with user documentation and online guides to importing data.

What are Your Data Needs?

What are your current data needs? Have you used CSV formatted files to move important data for your business from one application to another? Let us know about your data projects in the comments below.

Freelance Freedom 314: Reply To All – Part 1

FreelanceSwitch.com — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 12:00:08 +0000

Once a week, we feature a fantastic freelance-themed comic from the talented N.C. Winters. Why not also take a look at our comic archive?

Top Freelance Jobs from Job Board – Week 1, June

FreelanceSwitch.com — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 15:20:48 +0000

Looking for a new client? The FreelanceSwitch job board is a great resource of freelance gigs and opportunities. These opportunities are in various fields, from development to writing to design, and come from a wide range of potential clients. The job board is hand-moderated by dedicated staff and volunteers from the freelance community.

Each week, we’ll feature a selection of the best job opportunities posted for the week. This week, we’re featuring jobs in Mobile Phone App Development, Web Design, Web Development and more!

To apply for any of these jobs, simply pick up a FreelanceSwitch membership for an affordable $7 a month. See something you like? Join now!

Freelance Phonegap App Builder – WordPress

Budget: $1,000 to $2,500

We are looking for a freelancer with Phonegap and WordPress experience to design a mobile application that will link to properties listed on a WordPress website to display within native iOS and Android applications.

Learn more & apply!

Talented and Creative Web Designer

Budget: $100 to $500

Looking for a Talented and Creative web designer for a long term work and able to create a clean and modern looks.

It is very important to bring some idea, with someone who is familiar with HTML or WordPress is a plus.

We’re a theme club which we’ll code the design to a CMS theme and resell them.

Project Description:

We need 5pages standard website in Business category like company profile, education, insurance company, travel, etc.(with Dummy images included for display purpose).
Since we need to fill up our category, we will need few designers working on different category at the same time.
It’s going to be a long term work for someone who is qualified in working on this project.

Learn more & apply!

Bachelorette Business: Talented designer and developer required

Budget: $10,000+

We are a team of four women who are dedicated to revolutionizing bachelorette party planning. Incubated at Harvard Business School, our company, Project Bachelorette, is working to become the premier online destination for women planning and attending bachelorette parties. We offer integrated planning tools that make party coordination easy and enjoyable, fun and spunky content to inspire and assist, and irresistible travel packages that simplify the party planning process.

Our initial prototype received strong interest from users and investors and we are now looking to take our product to the next level with the help of a dedicated web designer and developer. You can watch a video about the first version of our product here. The ideal candidate will be excited about our mission and have a strong background in both design and development. Compensation may include equity.

Learn more & apply!

iOS developer

Budget: $2,500 to $5,000

We’re looking for an experienced iOS developer that is highly skilled in writing native iOS apps.
Must be available in US timezone and be able to follow instructions. Delivery of work is expected on time without excuses. No chance takers.

Learn more & apply!

eCommerce with custom data (PHP)

Budget: $1,000 to $2,500

I’m looking for a PHP developer to build a custom e-commerce. The data comes in flat text files and needs to be imported on demand to the store using a script. The clients then can login, browse the categories. The item display contains unique set of data. Client can print out the display and add to cart and continue shopping. The cart execution will not charge the client but rather send the information back to request the quote. Client can see what quotes iit has requested and we can see that quotes has been requested. Historical data.

This can be possible be done in CakePHP, Lvarel, CodeIngiter, and maybe even Foxycart. Layout design to the bear minimum bootstrap should be fine and enough for this.

Learn more & apply!

How to Create an Email Newsletter with MailChimp for Free

FreelanceSwitch.com — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 12:00:32 +0000

MailChimp offers a high quality email service, and you don’t pay a cent until you hit more than 2,000 subscribers. MailChimp calls it “Forever Free”.

If you’re planning to sell products online, other email newsletter providers, such as Aweber, offer more options for segmenting your lists and targeting particular subscribers.

MailChimp, however, is charming, quirky, and perfect for freelancers looking to stay in touch with clients and prospects once or twice a month. In fact, it powers our FreelanceSwitch newsletter and is a quality service we highly recommend. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to get started with MailChimp for $0.00.

Tutorial Assets

For this tutorial, you will need:

A website or blog
An email address

The Power of Email Marketing

Email became part of our world in the early 90′s. This was a time when kids played SuperMario on the SNES, when if you wanted to “download” a music track your only option was to record it off the radio (or buy the CD or cassette), and when Bill Clinton had just been sworn in as President.

Email has stood by and watched the rise and fall of numerous web technologies and empires – from MySpace to Napster to AOL.

If you’ve got a website or blog, setting up an email list should be the next step in your marketing strategy.

Email is here to stay. If you want to build long-term relationships with your clients and prospects, email should be your tool of choice.

Still not convinced? The stats should win you over.

Back in 2010, research by Exact Target found 62% of internet users start their online day with email. With the rise of smartphones, email has become an even more intimate part of our lives, carried with us everywhere in our pockets.

According to research published this year, 93% of consumers subscribe to at least one brand’s email, and 49% of consumers have made a purchase as a direct result of an email marketing message.

If you’ve got a website or blog, setting up an email list should be the next step in your marketing strategy.

Creating a list doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. In fact, with MailChimp, you can start your email list for free.

1. Sign Up For MailChimp

Step 1: Visit the Chimp

Head over to MailChimp.com and click Sign Up Free.

Step 2: Create Your Account

Enter your email address, and choose a username and password.

When you click Create My Account, you agree to MailChimp’s terms. The main things to note are that MailChimp reserve the right to view and review your emails. You’re also not allowed to send out spam. (Find out what spam really means here) .

Step 3: Welcome to the Party

Once you’ve signed up you’ll be sent an email filled with typical MailChimp charm.

Click the red button to get things going! You’ll be asked to enter a reCAPTCHA phrase to prove you’re human and not a spammer.

Step 4: Fill Out Your Details

Now, go to the login page and enter your username and password.

You’ll be asked for your name and physical address. You must enter these before you can continue.

You’ll also be asked for your website address and industry. MailChimp visits your website and uses it to automagically create a color palette for your newsletter. Entering your industry allows you to see how your newsletter performs compared to others in your sector. Professional Services or Creative Services are good choices for most web-based freelancers.

When you’re done, click Save And Get Started.

Step 5: Understand The Lingo

Next, MailChimp introduces you to its jargon. In short:

A form is where people sign up to your email list on your website. If you’ve ever signed up to receive an email newsletter by entering your name and email address, you used a form.
A list is the group of people who’ve filled in your form to receive emails from you. You can have more than one list.
Templates are the design of your emails. Once you’ve created a template, you can use it for as many emails as you like.
Every time you send out an email to your list it’s called a campaign.

Click Let’s Go to move on.

2. Get Subscribers

Step 1: Create a List

Before you can create a form to put on your website, you first need to create a list.

In the MailChimp dashboard, click Create a List.

You’ll be asked for several details about your list.

The List Name is what you’ll use in MailChimp when you’re deciding who to send your emails to. If you’re only collecting one list of emails, the name doesn’t matter too much. “Client Newsletter” would be a good choice.
Default From Name is the name that will show up in the inbox of everyone on the list who receives your email.
Default Reply-To Email is where emails will be sent if anyone hits reply when you send out an email.
Remind People How They Got On Your List. This will show up in the footer of every email you send to the list. For example, “You are receiving this email because you signed up at our website.”

After filling out these details, check that your company address is correct.

Under Notifications, you can opt to receive updates whenever your list has a new subscriber.

Finally, you choose whether subscribers can pick between HTML and Plain Text emails. I recommend not selecting this option, as it can confuse potential subscribers who don’t understand what it means and put them off from subscribing.

When you’re done, click Save.

Step 2: Create a Sign Up Form

Go back to the MailChimp Dashboard, and head to the Lists – it’s the third option in the top menu.

Next, click Design Signup Forms – it’s the green button in the right hand column.

As you only have one list, MailChimp will assume the form you’re creating is for that list.

Creating a sign up form has two stages.

In the Build It stage, you choose which components to include in your form, for example email address, first name, phone number, address, zip code. Drag and drop the components you need on the form.

Hint: The fewer components you choose, the more people will sign up for your list. Unless you’ve got a good reason to ask for lots of details, I recommend just asking for an email address and first name.

In the Design It stage, you choose the colors for your form. Make sure the background color is a good fit for your website.

Step 3: Share Your Sign Up Form

Once your form is designed, you’re ready to share it with the world. In MailChimp’s “Create Forms” page, click the Share It tab.

On the right hand side, you’ll see a Subscribe Form URL. You can share this URL on your social media accounts. Anyone who clicks the URL will be taken to your sign up form.

One the left hand side, you’re given the option to Create Form HTML. This lets you create a sign up form on the sidebar of your website. Click the grey button Create HTML Code For a Small Subscribe Form.

On the next page, you can choose your form type (Super Slim, Classic or Naked).

Click the Options button beside the form type to change the title of the form. The default title is “Subscribe to our mailing list”.

When you’re done, click Create Embed Code. You can copy and paste the code that appears into a sidebar widget on your blog.

Now anyone who visits your blog can sign up to your email newsletter. Once you’ve got a few subscribers, you’re ready to send your first email.

3. Send Out Your First Email

Step 1: Create Campaign

On the MailChimp Dashboard head to the Campaigns Page – it’s the second option in the top menu.

Then click the red button Create Campaign. Select “Regular Ol’ Campaign”.

On the next page, you’ll be asked to choose which list to send the campaign to. Select your list, then click Next Step.

Step 2: Name Your Campaign

Give your campaign a name. If you’re sending out a monthly newsletter, you might simply call it “June 2013 Newsletter”. Your subscribers don’t see the name of the campaign.

You’re also asked for an email subject. Your subscribers do see this. Write a subject that will entice them to open the email.

Leave all the other options selected. You want to personalize the To: field, Track Opens and Track Clicks.

Click Next Step.

Step 3: Choose Your Template

You’re now given a range of options for designing your email template. You can create your own if you like using the drag and drop editor.

For this tutorial, we’ll choose a basic template.

Step 4: Write Your Newsletter

MailChimp’s editor is simple to use. To edit a section, simply double click it.

After you’ve written your newsletter, you’re given the option to edit the plain text version. If you’ve given subscribers the option to receive plain text emails, check that everything looks okay, then click next.

Step 5: Send!

You can send your email immediately, or schedule when you’d like to send it. Now sit back and relax. If you want to see how your Campaign is doing, you can go to the Reports Page on the MailChimp dashboard.

Using Speaking to Market the Products and Services You Sell

FreelanceSwitch.com — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 12:00:16 +0000

While many speakers earn money for each speaking engagement they land, the real money is often in using your speaking engagements to sell the products and services you offer. That’s because you have attendees who already know on some level that you’re an expert — otherwise they wouldn’t be coming to hear you.

You don’t have to be overtly ‘salesy’ either — if you’re offering a product or a service that is a logical extension of your topic as a speaker, a brief mention can be enough to land you a sale.

1. Examine the Audience You’re Trying to Reach

Step 1

Look at the audience who is most likely to buy your products or services. Hopefully, you’ve considered potential customers as you’ve developed your offerings, in order to plan out your marketing. Those same potential customers are who you want to make sure you’re speaking to, so that you can effectively sell to them.

Plan to talk about topics that make the benefits of your product or service clear — even if you never mention your company’s name.

Step 2

Choose speaking gigs where you’ll get to address your ideal audience. Whether you’re pitching proposals to conference organizers or you’re being sought out to speak, make sure that you’re getting in front of the right people. Of course, if you really want to speak to a group of folks who aren’t likely to purchase anything from you, that’s your perogative — but categorize the work that goes into such presentations as something other than marketing.

Ask for extra information about the type of people attending an event if you need to. While not all event organizers can give you lots of details, many will be happy to help you make sure that your talk is spot on for their audience.

Step 3

Plan to talk about topics that make the benefits of your product or service clear — even if you never mention your company’s name. Focus on the problems you can solve for your audience, as well as for your customers.

2. Plan an Offer Just for the Event

Step 1

Look over the products or services that you offer to find one that fits particularly well not only with the audience who you’re speaking to, but also fits with the topic you are talking about.

Step 2

Create an offer specifically for the event. Your offer doesn’t actually have to be all that unique: unless you’re seeing the same audience over and over again, no one is really going to know. It can even be something that you normally offer to customers, but put into the context of the talk you’re going to give.

Step 3

Develop a physical manifestation of your product, if it’s not something that you can just take with you to the event. Even if you have the most amazing ebook or website theme in the world, very few people will remember to look you up after the fact, just based on notes they may have taken as you talk.

If they have a postcard, perhaps with a coupon code, there’s a physical reminder that they plan to take action. Having a piece that audience members can take away is doubly important if you’re asking them to make a big commitment — the sort that they’re going to go away and think about before committing to.

Step 4

Plan how to measure your sales resulting from your speech. Especially if what you’re offering is the sort of thing that a potential customer won’t immediately act on, making sure that you’re correctly attributing your sales to the marketing work you’ve done is necessary. Otherwise, it’s hard to tweak your marketing to sell more in the long run.

Step 5

Line up a way to get your marketing materials, or even a sample of your product, into the hands of attendees. Preferably, you can find an option beyond handing it out yourself, although that’s also a necessary part of marketing your products or services. If you can arrange to have your materials included in a swag bag or available on a table for attendees, you can make sure that more people have access to what you’re offering.

3. Arrange to Sell Your Products at the Event

Step 1

Check what sales are permitted at the event. Not all conferences or other events allow speakers to set up a table for their products or to offer a service to attendees. The logic behind that requirement is that if a speaker is good enough that an audience member wants to make a purchase, she can find the speaker after the event.

Even if the event doesn’t allow direct sales, check what other options you have: if you are creating a special deal just for attendees, many event organizers are willing to be a little more flexible.

Step 2

Even if the event doesn’t allow direct sales, check what other options you have: if you are creating a special deal just for attendees, many event organizers are willing to be a little more flexible. You may need to pay for an exhibit hall table or for a sponsorship to be able to sell your product or services.

Step 3

Prepare your presentation based on the guidelines of the event organizer. If you are not allowed to pitch your product or service during your talk, don’t. Make sure you’re giving your all at such events, though, to ensure that people come up to speak to you afterwards.

Step 4

Prepare statements that you can use in conversation after your talk or at your booth. While you can’t script out a conversation in advance, you can make sure that you have facts and numbers at hand and you’re prepared to talk about them. These conversations are often when you can close a deal that you started on stage.

4. Make Your Offer

Step 1

Share your background during your talk. You need to win over your audience from the very beginning of any talk you give. Doing so is actually part of your sales pitch, albeit a very subtle part. But by talking about the experiences your clients and customers have had, particularly in addressing a problem that members of your audience face, you’re establishing yourself as the person with the solution.

Step 2

Show — don’t tell — what you can do. You can’t get up on stage and tell everyone you know what you’re doing. Rather, you need to be two steps ahead of your audience: you might tell them about a problem that they don’t even know they have, a trend that’s coming soon or another factor that they can’t easily deal with, unless they have your help.

Step 3

Mention any special offer that you’ve brought for your audience — but just mention it. Repeating what a great deal it is or trying to make a hard sell is rarely appealing to an audience, so keep your pitch brief.

Step 4

Make yourself available after your talk to address questions and concerns from the audience. Even if you’ve added your information to a swag bag or you’ve got a table where you’re handing out information, make sure that you can hand something out — preferably more than just a business card — while you’re talking.

5. Make Yourself Easy to Find After the Event

Step 1

Include all of your relevant contact information in your presentation. It’s often best to have an introductory slide, giving your name and company, and then using the last slide to offer up all of your contact details — that’s the slide that will stay up the longest if you take questions.

By asking your audience to contact you about a specific question, a survey or some other detail, you’re making it more likely that they’ll contact you after the event.

Step 2

Create opportunities for follow up. By asking your audience to contact you about a specific question, a survey or some other detail, you’re making it more likely that they’ll contact you after the event. Integrate such a request into your presentation.

Step 3

Mention your talk on social media, both before and after. Make sure that you use any event hashtag or the specific forums where your audience may be, so that you can remind your audience of what they found valuable about your talk.

Step 4

Post your slides online. It’s so easy to share slides after a presentation, as well as make it clear that those slides are part of a particular event, that you should do so every time, unless there is a very specific reason not to.

Speak, Market, and Repeat

If you’re selling a product or service, marketing is a constant process. Speaking can be a practical strategy for including in your overall marketing plan, because it can be possible to make a sale on the spot — not just once, but to multiple members of your audience.

Provided you’re offering interesting presentations, you’ll be able to use the same strategies for marketing your products or services within your speeches, over and over again.

Becoming Popular and Profitable on Microlancer

FreelanceSwitch.com — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 11:00:21 +0000

In a previous post on FreelanceSwitch, ‘How to Unlock a New Source of Design Income‘, we explained how Microlancer allows freelancers to spend more time doing what they love and less time on admin, marketing and pitching for gigs.

In a more recent post, ‘Giving Yourself the Best Chance of Success on Microlancer‘, you learned how to create a high quality service listing.

If your service listings made it through the review process, it shouldn’t be too long before jobs start coming through. But there are a few things you can do to kick-start your success on Microlancer.

Sell as Many Services as Possible

It’s worth exploring all the categories on Microlancer to make sure you’re making yourself available to perform as many types of services as possible, as long as you have the skills to do so.

More services on the site means more visibility to buyers and more jobs coming through. This is the simplest way to increase the number of times your services are purchased on Microlancer.

Improve Your Service Listing Previews

When prospective buyers browse Microlancer, they see shorter, preview versions of your service listings. These feature the service title, an image of the first service thumbnail, turnaround time, revisions and the price. For many buyers, the decision whether to click through to your full listing will be determined by these factors alone, so it’s very important to get them right.

First, make sure the title of each service is professional, with good grammar and spelling. It should be descriptive, but also capture something unique about your service.

Next, make sure the first thumbnail preview for your service is the best available. Buyers will be making assumptions about your style and skill based on this single image, so make sure that it’s an image you are happy to represent you.

Promote Your Microlancer Profile Page

Your Microlancer profile page is a place to sell yourself, as well as providing a list of all your services. It’s a great way to have buyers browse what you offer without the competition of other service providers. You should link to it from every web property you own; from your blog, your Twitter account, Facebook page, GitHub account, etc.

Collect Business Data

By collecting data about your work on Microlancer, you’ll be able to optimize your services for maximum sales. Ask yourself a set of data relevant questions, such as:

Do you make more sales when you offer 3 revisions instead of 1?
Do jobs with a 2 day turnaround time outperform those with 3?
Which categories are most of your profits coming from?
What happens if you increase your prices by 10%?

All these questions can be answered with data kept in a simple spreadsheet. This will help to ensure the business choices you make are based on buyer behavior rather than guesswork.

Test your assumptions, and optimize based on the results.

Write Good, Pre-Written Responses

As you complete more jobs on Microlancer, you’ll notice yourself sending similar messages to different buyers throughout the job completion process. For example, when presenting a concept for approval, when turning in a revision, or when concluding a job. You can save a few minutes for each job by creating templates for warm, friendly and professional replies you can use over and over. You can then use software like TextExpander (Mac) or PhraseExpress (PC) to save even more time by making these pre-written responses accessible with just a few keystrokes.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Though the vast majority of jobs on Microlancer go smoothly, some result in a disagreement between buyer and service provider. In almost all such cases these are caused by poor or unacceptably slow communication from one or both parties.

As the service provider, you have the opportunity to set the tone of your communication with the buyer. A good, simple process is to:

Respond quickly to buyer comments and questions, ideally within 12 hours or less where possible
Make an effort to walk the buyer through your working process, and what they should expect from you
Read over your messages to the buyer to make sure they’re friendly and clear
Remember that while you may be very familiar with how the Microlancer process works, buyers may not be. It can’t hurt to walk them through each step in detail, preferably with the help of some of the pre-written responses mentioned above

It’s important to remember that on Microlancer, buyers pay upfront. Frequent communication will reassure your buyers that their money is being turned into good creative work while they wait.

Be Plugged-in

When new features or new categories are launched on Microlancer they will always be announced on the official Twitter (@microlancerbeta) or Facebook. Stay abreast of new developments and, where appropriate, use them to boost your Microlancer business.

Learn From Other Service Providers

Microlancer is new, still in beta, and service providers are all experimenting to learn what works, and what doesn’t. Though also your competition at times, your fellow service providers are an excellent place to learn and observe new strategies to be more popular and profitable on Microlancer. Browse the profiles and services of other service providers, and interact with them on our Facebook page.

Spread the Word About Microlancer

As more people learn about Microlancer and how special it is, more buyers will begin to find their way to the site via word of mouth, which means more sales for you. Contribute to the movement by spreading the word about Microlancer in whatever way works best for you.

Good Luck!

That concludes our series on becoming a successful service provider on Microlancer. In the coming weeks and months the site will be going through a variety of changes and additions as we work hard to release new features and generate new opportunities for both buyers and service providers.

Jump on Microlancer to become a service provider. We hope you enjoy the journey!

How to Promote Your Kindle eBook With KDP Select

FreelanceSwitch.com — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 12:00:05 +0000

For most self-published writers, Amazon is the first port of call when it comes to selling their books. There’s a good reason for this: Amazon is where the readers are.

Another reason is Amazon’s KDP Select program, which gives self-published writers an opportunity to punch above their weight when it comes to marketing their books.

In this tutorial, I’ll give you the lowdown on how KDP Select works, and tips and tricks on how to use it to give your book the best chance possible of finding readers and sales.

Tutorial Assets

To complete this tutorial, you will need:

an eBook, self-published using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)

Optional extras:

social media accounts
an email list

1. Understand How KDP Select Works

KDP Select is Amazon’s promotional tool for indie-publishers. It includes four key components:

Exclusivity: While ebooks are enrolled in KDP Select, Amazon demands exclusive publishing rights. Ebooks enrolled in KDP Select must not be for sale or given away anywhere else online or offline. Amazon is really strict on this – you can’t even give away review copies.
A ninety-day cycle: Ebooks are enrolled to KDP Select for 90 days. After 90 days, you choose whether or not to re-enroll for another 90 days.
A lending library: Amazon Prime customers can borrow one ebook a month for free. If you enroll in KDP Select, your eBook is one of the titles Prime customers can borrow. You get paid when someone borrows your book. The amount varies, but it’s typically around one or two dollars.
Free promotions: For each 90 day cycle, you have up to five days where you can give away your eBook for free. You control which five days these are.

2. Know the Marketing Benefits (and drawbacks) of KDP Select

The option to give away books for free is what makes KDP Select so attractive to writers.

When giving away books using KDP Select, you can typically expect 100-200 downloads a day.

Many authors who’ve made a name for themselves self-publishing credit their success to KDP Select’s promotional tool. Hugh Howey, writer of the bestselling Wool series, believes giving away free books to Kindle readers is one of the reasons he developed such a wide following. Sean Platt and David Wright, co-writers of Yesterday’s Gone, used free ebooks to create a new business model. They wrote Yesterday’s Gone in episodes, each episode published as a single ebook, and ending in a cliffhanger. The first episode is free, pulling readers into the story so they want to buy the full season.

When giving away books using KDP Select, you can typically expect 100-200 downloads a day. If your giveaway is widely promoted, or if your book ends up in the bestseller list for free books, then you can hit the thousands of downloads a day.

Perhaps you’re wondering what’s so great about giving away books. Don’t people write books to make money?

The main reason for giving away books is to help you sell more copies. This is because:

If your book is inspiring, entertaining, informative or provocative, people who download your book will tell their friends about it. Some of their friends will check out your book and make a purchase.
Savvy authors use their free eBooks as a lead magnet, by encouraging readers to sign up to their email list. That way, they can promote their other eBooks to readers who picked up a copy of their free book.
Reviews are hard won, especially when you’re struggling to sell your first few copies (because you don’t have any reviews!). Giving away your book gives you a better chance of picking up much needed reviews.
The more people who download your book for free, the more “weighting” Amazon’s algorithms gives your eBook when deciding whether to recommend it. Recommendations come up in the “People who bought this also bought…” section. Recommendations can give you a big boost to sales.
People who download your free eBook are more likely to check out your other books.
Amazon has a bestsellers list for free books. As I mentioned earlier, getting on this list will boost your downloads and help with all of the above.

When Amazon first launched KDP Select, these benefits were gigantic. Authors who jumped onto the bandwagon early saw their sales skyrocket. Giving away a book for free was an easy way to turn on the tap to new readers and get flooded with sales.

More recently, things have changed. With more and more authors signing up to KDP Select, competition is hot. Free books are so abundant that readers just download them to read later, and most eBooks end up gathering virtual dust on the shelves of their Kindle, never getting read or reviewed.

What’s more, Amazon has started hiding away the list of free bestsellers to encourage paid sales. Amazon has also reduced the weighting it gives to free downloads. Whereas previously, a free download was the equivalent of a full price sale to Amazon’s recommendations engine, now a free download counts for very little.

Is KDP Select still worth it, given that Amazon demands exclusivity to be part of the program? For new authors making a name for themselves, very much so. On its own, KDP Select is no longer enough. But combined with other marketing strategies, it will give you the edge over other self-published writers.

3. Enroll Your Book In KDP Select

Step 1: Prepare Your Book For Kindle Publication

If you haven’t done so already, make sure your book is formatted for the Kindle. Once you’re good to go, head over to the KDP Website.

Step 2: Create Your Book

In the KDP dashboard, click Add new title. You’ll be taken to a page called Your book, and asked to enter the details of your book, including title, author, and book description.

Step 3: Enroll in KDP Select

At the top of the Your book page, you’ll be given the option to enroll your book in KDP Select. It looks like this:

Check the box “Enroll this book in KDP Select”. Fill out the rest of your book details, and add a cover. Hit “Save and continue.”

On the next page, you’ll be asked to price your book. Depending on the price you choose, Amazon will pay you a 35% or a 70% royalty.

Go ahead and choose your pricing options, then publish your book. Your book will go live in around 12 hours.

Step 4: Choose Your Giveaway Days

When your book is published, you’re ready to choose the days when your book will be free. You can choose for your book to be free on up to five days in the next 90 days.

To do this, go to the Bookshelf on the KDP Dashboard. Then click the title you want to make free.

Again, you’ll be taken to the Your book Page. However, this time you’ll be told “This book is enrolled in KDP Select”, as here:

Click Promotions Manager. It looks like this:

Click New. You’ll be asked to enter a Name, Start Date and End Date for your promotion, as here:

When you’ve entered the dates you want to make your book free, click Save.

You can organize your free days however you want. You can have five separate single day promotions, or a single promotion of five consecutive days, or any combination you like, as long as the total number of days is five or fewer.

4. Tips for Making the Most of Your Free Days

Because your free days are a limited resource, you should do everything you can to maximize the number of people who download your book while it’s free.

Step 1: Get Onto Social Media

Don’t be shy! Shout about your free promotion on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Plus. In general, it’s a good idea to avoid shouting about your books on social media. However, your book being free is a great excuse to bring it up.

Step 2: Send Out an Email

Let your email list know about your promotion, even if that’s only your friends and family. If you’ve built up a list through a sign-up form on your website, even better.

Remember, the more people who already know you that download your book, the more people who don’t yet know you will discover your book is free, because downloads push you up the bestsellers list.

Step 3: Ask for Reviews

While telling your followers and your friends about your book being free, let them know you’d be grateful for an honest review if they download your book.

Step 4: Monitor Your Progress

Keep track of how your free book is “selling” on Amazon.

Consider extending your promotion if your book hits the bestseller list. If your book makes it into the top 100 for its category, you’ll see downloads skyrocket. Make the most of this by extending your promotion for an extra day or two.

5. Rinse and Repeat

The most effective way to make the most of KDP Select is to write more than one book. This is a long-term strategy. However, long-term can mean weeks rather than months or years. Ebooks don’t need to be 200 pages. The general trend in self-published non-fiction is towards shorter books. They’re quicker to write, and readers appreciate the writer getting to the point.

Good luck in finding readers and developing your career as a writer and indie publisher!

Points for discussion: What do you think about giving away books for free? Would you feel comfortable asking for reviews? If you already use KDP Select, what strategies have you found the most effective for promoting your ebooks?

Giving Yourself the Best Chance of Success on Microlancer

FreelanceSwitch.com — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:11:37 +0000

As we recently announced, Envato (the company behind FreelanceSwitch) has launched Microlancer, a new source of jobs and income for freelance designers. In a previous post on FreelanceSwitch, How to Unlock a New Source of Design Income, we explained how Microlancer allows freelancers to spend more time doing what they love and less time on admin, marketing and pitching for gigs.

If you read that article and are interested in becoming a service provider, this post will explain how to create service listings that will pass the review process and go on to attract enthusiastic buyers.

Check Your Service List

In the previous post in this series we explained that the first place to start when preparing to become a service provider on Microlancer is to write down a list of services you may be able to provide. Once you have this list, it’s important to cross-check it with the categories and existing services on Microlancer to make sure your services are a good fit.

A Unique, Descriptive Title

Once you’re confident that your services fit with the categories currently offered on Microlancer, you’ll need to choose a descriptive title for each service. Here are some great examples below:

The most effective service titles on Microlancer are those that accurately and succinctly describe the service without hype or embellishment. If there’s something about your service that makes it unique compared to other, similar services on the site, it’s a good idea to try to fit it in the title if you can. For example, ‘Detailed Manga Robot Illustration’ is a better title than ‘Character Illustration’ if all you want to draw is manga robots. ‘Hand-lettered Typographic Logos’ is a better title than ‘Logo Design’ because you will appeal to buyers who are looking for the type of logos you’re good at creating, and who use keywords like ‘hand lettered’ and ‘typographic’ in searches.

The more generic your service title, the more competition you will have against other Microlancer service providers.

A Description That Will Sell

Each service offered on Microlancer needs to include a text description. This doesn’t have to be long or flowery. The best descriptions describe exactly what the service is, exactly how you will complete the job, what makes your service unique, and why buyers should choose to work with you.

Most buyers will consider multiple service providers for any given job on Microlancer, and the choice will often come down to which service provider has the best presented services. Though visual examples of previous work are important, every diligent buyer will read the description for your service and it will help to inform their choice.

Here’s a simple, easy template to follow for a great service description:

A few sentences describing the service, for example:

I will design a customer email newsletter template featuring your logo, headers, content and breakout areas. I will include one alternate version designed to showcase a single promotional message or article.

A sentence or two describing what makes the service unique, for example:

My designs are minimalist and elegant, mainly black and white. Color can be used on request to match your branding. My designs aim to make your customers feel like they are dealing with a high-end, quality, boutique brand.

A few sentences describing how the job will be conducted, for example:

Final files will be delivered in a layered, well-organized PSD format, as well as PNG for previewing. Revisions will be delivered quickly and efficiently, if any are needed.

A few sentences describing why buyers should choose to work with you, for example:

I’m friendly, responsive, detail-oriented and would love to work with you to create an email newsletter design that you are overjoyed with.

Choosing Visual Examples that Buyers Will Love

Microlancer is currently focused on graphic design services. As such, every service needs some visual examples to demonstrate the skill of the service provider, and the kind of work that will be done.

It goes without saying that you should choose examples of some of your best work, since prospective buyers will be judging your skills based on these examples. It’s also important that the visual examples accurately demonstrate the work you will be doing for buyers who purchase your service. For example, a flyer template that took you several weeks to perfect may not accurately represent the flyer designs you plan to complete for clients in just a few hours. Though stunning work examples may net you more jobs, there’s a risk of buyers raising a dispute if they feel like the quality of your visual examples were significantly higher than the work you actually did. It’s best to represent the services you will offer as accurately as possible.

Finally, you should aim to strike a balance between the number of visual examples you upload with your service listing, and the quality of each. The more visual examples you have, the greater the chances that the client will see something they really like. But if the quality of your examples begins to vary, there’s a higher chance buyers will see something they don’t like. Just one work example that the buyer dislikes can make them afraid that you might do similar work for them. It’s best to include as many examples as you can while keeping the quality of each one high.

Selecting a Price

Service providers have the freedom to price each of their services individually, in increments of $5. When pricing each service, it can be helpful to consider your usual freelance rate, as well as the number of hours you want to spend providing each service. There are a couple of factors you should consider when pricing your Microlancer services:

Microlancer takes care of marketing, pitching is unnecessary, and payment is automatic if the job is successfully completed. There is less unbillable time involved in completing a Microlancer job vs. a regular freelance job.
Microlancer charges a platform fee of 30% to cover the cost of the staff, technology and marketing expenses required to run Microlancer and connect buyers with service providers.

Because of these factors, a possible model for pricing your services is as follows:

How long you expect to take to complete each job for a particular service.
Your usual freelance hourly rate for this kind of work.
Add a further 10 – 15% to help cover the platform fee. Remember that buyers are also saving valuable time by using Microlancer to get work done.
Because providing services on Microlancer involves fewer unbillable hours than regular freelancing, this model is likely to result in good compensation for each job you complete.

An example:

An avg. of 3 hours per digital portrait painted (remember to include time spent on revisions).
An hourly rate of $35 an hour.
An additional 15%.

Total in $5 increments: A service fee of $120.

Passing the Review Process

It’s important that Microlancer is a place buyers trust to get quality work done by reliable and honest service providers. For this reason, every service is thoroughly reviewed before it is allowed to be sold on the site.

Reviewers will look at the service’s title, description and visual examples. They need to verify that your work samples are good quality and that your service listings are descriptive, accurate and carefully presented (well-written without errors and mistakes).

Here are a few examples of well-presented service listings on Microlancer:

Take the Plunge

By this point, you know what it takes to create an effective Microlancer service listing. I wish you the best of luck throughout the review process. If your service is appropriate, your work is good and your listing is professional, there’s no reason why your services would not be accepted to the site.

In the final article in this series I’ll share tips for how to join the ranks of Microlancer’s most popular and profitable service providers.