In the 21st century, the quest for digital jobs has been on the rise. Although digital jobs has been in existence since the inception of the internet, but it gained more popularity in the post Covid-19 era. Covid-19 drew the attention of several individuals and organization on the possibility of having work from home jobs. With this, freelancing has come to stay as it has lots of opportunities for freelancers. In this post, I will teach you everything you need to know about freelancing and how to become a successful freelancer.
What is freelancing?
Freelancing means committing to a particular work without been involved in it full time. Most times, people who are into freelancing business are referred to as self employed. This is because they do not have any particular organization or company that pays them salaries on monthly basis. Rather, they render some form of service and charge their fee for the service. Freelancing actually began in the 19th century referred to a medieval mercenary were hired to fight for whichever nation or person paid them highest. Their services were available, but depended on who is willing to pay higher. This is the simple principle behind the freelancing business. It is called free because the person is not tied to anything at all, such that after delivering the gig, he becomes free to accept more. Though, the freelancer can accept more than one gig at a time, depending on his ability to deliver as at when needed. A research conducted by upwork showed that about 59 million American were involved in freelancing. This shows that the freelancing industry is massive and could be among the highest employers of labour globally. With this figure for USA only, it could be guessed that there are more than 500 million freelancers globally.
What are the basic freelancing skills?
In the world of freelancing, every skill is important and relevant. I have compiled a content on best high income skills, go through it and know more. But then, as the need increases, there will be more provision for expansion and increase. As such, here as some of the skills you can learn as a freelancer or intending freelancer
#1 Graphic design
Graphic design is in high and daily demand and as such, getting a skill around it will be a move in the right direction. There are lots of occasion that needs the service of graphic designers to give color to the event. The service of graphic designers are needed in making Logo, banners, posters, programmes and lots more. Ceremonies, celebrations and other occasions take place on a weekly bases in many locations. As such, the graphic design skill cannot be underrated. Get familiar with tools like Corel draw, Photoshop, Canva etc
#2 Coding
Coding or programming is very relevant in the era on internet explosion. Everything on the internet and even your mobile devices is a product of coding. From the Operating system to the application and other proprietary software on your device are product of coding. To be a successful programmer, you may not need to be a professional in every programming language. Choose few and become a professional and then, you will be good to go. Python, C++, C, Java, Vue and so on are lists of languages you can choose from. Although in recent time, Python has been in higher demand. For the fact that programming is very complex, the pay is mouth-watering. ย
#3 Website development
There are currently more than 200 million websites on the internet. Companies, schools, religious organizations, political organization, businesses and NGOs needs websites. Also, with the proliferation of blogs, the job for website developers cannot be scarce. Therefore, getting a skill in website development will help you a great deal. Learn languages like HTML and CSS. You can also learn to use tools like Dreamweaver and Sublime text editors. Better still, you can learn to become a professional in using the Content Management Systems like WordPress, Jumla, Wix etc. Any of these will give you a professional career in your website development journey.
#4 Copywriting
When you see product review contents on websites, you will appreciate the role of copywriters. Several organizations need the services of copywriters to help them develop good and quality contents on a particular product. As such, if you have a writing skill, then you can develop it more and advance to copywriting.
#5 Content Creation
Content creation is a bit different from copy writing. Several bloggers have become too busy that they really need someone to help in developing contents for their blogs. This is where content creators will be highly demanded. As such, getting a writing skill will help you a lot. Also the pay is amazing. Some people charge up to $5 per 1000 words. With this, you can do the mathematics and know how much to expect per week if you remain consistent. This is one of the major sources of revenue for those of us at Infoducation. As such, we can write for you.
#6 Forex
Forex trading has also exploded and expanded in recent time. A lot of things are been traded in the forex market and as such the returns are amazing. Although, forex is not one of those businesses you should carelessly venture into, else you may lose a whole life saving in a twinkling of an eye. If you want to develop a skill in this area, pay attention to learning it. It may take you time to do that but the reward will be awesome. ย
#7 Blogging
More than 40% of the websites on the internet are blogs. Blogging has turn many people into millionaires in their local currency. The world of blogging remains vast and there is room for anybody who wants to delve into it. I have several contents on blogging that will help you take the right decision. Go through them and have a clear picture. But to throw a little light, start by choosing a niche, then get a domain name. Having gotten your domain name, build your website. The next thing will be to start creating contents for the website. When you have created a handful of contents (a minimum of 15), you can then monetize. Here is a master guideline on how to grow a blog from scratch. Yet, it is important I let you know that blogging can be very challenging
#8 Domaining
The name domaining may be strange but it is another oil well on its own. Domaining simply talks about buying domain names and reselling. Today, almost every 3-6 letter words are no longer available for purchase in the domaining world. This is because of the high need for professional domain names. As such, you can do a meaningful combination of words and get some salable domain names. Depending on the company you choose to buy, you can get a domain name for less than $10 per year. Having gotten these domain names, you can resell them on several platforms like SEDO, Flippa, Namecheap etc. In reselling them, you could make more than 100 times of what you spent in buying it. Here is a guide on how to choose a good domain name.
#9 Animation
Animation is a highly demanded skill, especially in the first world countries like USA, Canada, Russia, China etc. Countries that have advanced in technology are in high demand for those with relevant skills in animation. Those who produce cartoons or use cartoons to promote a particular product needs people with this skill. Among all the skills listed in this content, animation is the one that has fewer people in it. This is why the demand is massive.
#10 Data analysis
Individuals, Companies and Government want to make accurate decisions and predictions about certain subject matters. As such, the need for those who can analyze data cannot be over emphasizes. From students writing their project work to industries rolling out new products into the market to government taking serious decisions or introducing new policies needs data analysts to help them with accurate facts and figures. No organization can make progress when they lack data analysis skills. As such, getting a skill in data analysis will both prepare you for more employment opportunities and also help you land some freelancing jobs. ย
#11 Digital marketing
We are in a world where social media has taken over everywhere. Seeing that more than 70% of the worldโs population makes use of social media, the need for companies and people to advertise their products on social media has increased. Everyone wants to bring his/her products before clients in order to drive more sales. This is where digital marketing skills becomes relevant. Every professional digital marketer cannot be out of job for any reason.
#12 Photography
You see the world of photography, it has greatly evolved overtime and has become highly demanded. As much as we all have our smartphones with us and can snap as many pictures as possible, yet the need for photographers can still not be relegated. As such, getting a photography skill will also enhance your financial freedom.
#13 Affiliate marketing
Do you know what affiliate marketing is? In a laymanโs way, affiliate marketing means helping someone to sell a product in order to earn some commission. You can become an affiliate marketer with several affiliate agencies like Jumia, Amazon, Commision Junction, Rakuten, Namecheap and so on. Companies wants to drive more sales for their products in order to make more profits. As such, they achieve this by using affiliate programs, which people subscribe to and become their affiliates. As such, you can choose to build a skill in affiliate marketing. The commission for products sold is determined by the companyโs commission percentage and price of the particular product sold through your affiliate link.
#14 Crypto currency
The future of monetary exchange is crypto currency. Several companies and countries have introduced their own crypto currencies. Crypto currencies are digital currencies that can be used for transaction purposes. People buy crypto currencies at a cheap rate and resell when the currency has gotten more value. Although, this may not be the kind of skill that will give you immediate money, but with time, you investment into the crypto market will pay off. ย
#15 Video editing
Video production is beyond recording. Editing the video is where the bulk of the work lies. As such video editing skills is highly needed. Every movie, music video or video adverts were compiled by professional video editors. With this, you see that video editors are much needed on daily basis. According ti a statistics on Earthweb, YouTubers upload about 720,000 hours of fresh video content per day. This figure transcends to more than 50,000 videos daily. This means that about 50,000 jobs for video editors are made available daily. Also, bear in mind that there are also some videos that are not uploaded on YouTube. The point here is that the job for video editors are relatively available.
#16 SEO
SEO means Search Engine Optimization. This is the process of help websites rank on search engines. Owning and running a website is beyond content creation. There are thousands of quality contents that never make it to the first 10 pages of Google. But then, for your contents to rank well on search engine you need professional SEO experts. SEO drives organic traffic to websites. In the blogging industry, organic websites remains the best.
#17 Android App Development
Android has taken over the mobile phone market. As such, becoming an Android app developer will make sense. This is because most businesses want to have their mobile applications. Games are been developed on daily basis and other Android applications are been introduced. As such, this will make sense for your successful freelancing business.
#18 Database management system
Database is beyond creating a record for information in your register. Ecommerce websites, Religious organizations, schools, government and so on needs database for their services. As such, database developers and administrators will be highly needed.
#19 Mentorship and Coaching
Several people live and survive on proceeds made from their coaching activities. We have lots of events and people are invited as speakers. As such, this can also be an angle where your freelancing activity can land you into. YouTube can help you achieve massive success if this is what you choose to do. The most important thing for success in this field is to be a professional. There are lots of coaching and mentorship opportunities out there and your chances of making huge profit is massive.
#20 Dropshipping
You may have heard of dropshipping without knowing what it means. Dropshipping simply means buying a product from a seller and then reselling it to the buyer. Here, you can advertise and promote a product you donโt have in stock. The model for this type of business is a bit similar to affiliate marketing but the difference is that you charge an extra fee which will be your profit. In affiliate marketing, the company pays you commission based on what you sold. As such, dropshipping business may be very easy and simple to set up. Several of the business adverts you see on social media are dropshipping, especially the fashion aspect. Those products may not be in the store of the advertiser, but once an order is made, the advertiser contacts a store that has it for delivery. If you successfully learn this business, you will enjoy its profitability. The point is this, in dropshipping, you do not need to have a particular product in stock for you to sell. In 2020, the market capitation for the dropshipping industry was valued at $128 billion with a projected 30% increase in the next 5 years.
Having outlines these freelancing services you can offer, it is also important to let you know that they are work-from-home activities. You can either choose to venture into any of them as a full-time endeavor or part-time. Ensure you are a professional and you will appreciate every aspect of your journey.
How do I become a freelancer?
Having stated the above freelancing skills, the next thing is to teach you practical steps you should take in becoming a successful freelancer. Freelancing is a practical oriented venture that you must be a professional in something before you can succeed. Here are the steps you should take to become a freelancer.
#1 Choose a niche
To become a successful freelancer, the first thing you should do is to choose a niche for yourself. You can focus on more than one thing but ensure that you do not attempt to do everything at a time. I have listed some of the areas of opportunity for your consideration. Although, there are other areas that are not mentioned here, you can go outside the box and craft a niche for yourself and you will not regret it.
#2 Develop a skill
Having chosen a niche to pitch your tent on, ensure you develop relevant skills around it. The reason why people leverage the services of freelancers is to enhance professionalism. As such, when you have not attained professionalism, instead of looking for clients, pay attention to developing yourself more and more. If you choose to code, learn more than one programming language and become a pro in it.
#3 Be consistent
The key to the top is consistency. The major reason why several people never succeed in their freelancing career is the fact that they lack consistency. You must ensure to remain consistent in whatsoever you do. The journey to become a successful freelancer may not be smooth at the beginning. For example, as a blogger, you may run your blog for 18 months without earning a single dime. At this point, quitting should not be an option for you. Several people, in a bid to make quick money quit when the outcome is not as expected. Thus, ensure you are consistent with what you have chosen to do. With consistency, clients will begin to locate you gradually, your blog will begin to attract more readers, your YouTube channel will begin to get more subscribers and so on.
#4 Promote yourself
When you have become a professional in a niche, then it becomes your duty to promote yourself. As a beginners, it may not be wise to begin to run adverts for yourself, most especially, considering that fact that you may not be able to afford it. But then, leverage all the social media platforms you belong to. With this, your immediate friends will begin to see what you do. They may start to patronize you or even recommend you to some clients. This should be the first and most important promotion strategy for you.
Where do I learn a freelancing skill?
The next question that comes up in our journey to effective and successful freelancing is, โWhere do I learn a freelancing skill?โ There are various platforms where you can learn a freelancing skill and become a professional as soon as possible. Some of the platforms are;
In 2015, Google introduced the Google Digital Garage also known as Grow With Google. This platform has become a knowledge repository for lots of skill set for interested people. The mission behind the establishment of this platform is to help people find a job and grow their career or business. Through this platform, Google offers course on Digital marketing, Data analysis and Career development. Some of these courses are certificated while some are not Some are free while others are paid. You have the privilege of choosing the duration of the course you have chosen to learn.
#2 Udemy
Udemy is a for-profit learning hub where you can learn anything at all. It is a platform that allows instructors to build online courses on their preferred topics. On itโs course development tools, instructors can upload videos,PDFs, Audio files, Zip files, PowerPoint presentations, source code for developers and any other content that learners might find helpful. Instructors can also engage and interact with users via online discussion board. There are thousands of course materials in form of video or book. As of May 2022, the Udemy has more than 52 million students, 196,000 courses, and 68,000 instructors teaching courses in over 75 languages. Therefore, consider Udemy as a platform for you. There are lots of things you can learn from it.
#3 Coursera
Similar to Udemy, Coursera is another awesome learning hub for learners across the globe. It collaborates with more than 200 universities and companies to provide relevant knowledge and certifications to students. On coursera, there are thousand of free courses which you ca learn, yet there are several paid courses as well. Courses on this platform ranges from Data science, Information Technology, Health, Business, Computer Science, Mathematics, Languages etc. Currently, about 87 million people have enrolled for courses on Coursera. Beyond the ones listed here, Coursera also has several other courses it provided for learners. As such, it can also be a platform where you can develop knowledge for you freelancing business.
#4 Udacity
The name Udacity comes from the companyโs desire to be โaudacious for you, the studentโ. At inception, it focused on offering university-style but in recent time, it offers vocational courses for professionals. The instructors in Udacity comes from Fortune 500 and Global 2000 companies and have demonstrated leadership and expertise in their professions. As such, in learning from Udacity, you are sure to get value for the money you pay. It follows a learn-by-doing approach incorporates projects based on real-world scenarios.
#5 W3schools
Unlike the platforms listed above, W3school focuses mainly on coding courses. It is an educational website for learning coding online. Remember that from the suggested freelancing skills above, I listed Programming, Database and Web development. This platform is the best place to learn them for free. Also, unlike the other platforms, learning on W3schools is totally free. This is why adverts are served on the website in order to generate revenue for the continuous running of the platform.
#6 Youtube
There is nothing you cannot learn on YouTube. YouTube will teach you in practical terms, how to do something. As such, this is one of the most important knowledge repositories on the internet. Leverage on this platform for everything you want to learn. The most important part of it is the fact that it is free. If you have a device and data subscription, then you are good to go. You have the privilege of learning from more than one tutor at a time. This will enhance your professionalism in the chosen niche.
#7 Alison
ALISON is short for Advanced Learning Interactive Systems Online. It is a for-profit online education platform for teaching skills that are relevant fothe workplace. Currently, it has 23 million registered learners from 195 countries and about 3,500 courses.
LinkedIn learning was formerly known as Lynda.com until both LinkedIn and Lynda were acquired by Microsoft. After acquisition, Lynda was renamed LinkedIn learning. On linkedIn learning, you can learn courses and skills in Engineering, Analytical, Finance, Operations Management, Construction, Continuous Improvement and lots more. But then, you can learn almost everything through the LinkedIn learning platform
How do I promote my freelancing skill?
Now that you are a freelancer, the next thing is to guide you on how to promote yourself in order to get more clients. This is very important because there are many other people out there that renders the me service like you do. As such, if you make no effort, you may lose out to them in the end.
#1 Create a blog/website
The first way to promote your skill is to create a professional website for the service you render. If you choose digital marketing, you can create a website for all the services you render as a digital marketer. Same thing applies to any other skill you may have chosen. A professional website will become an awesome selling point for you. Also, it will contain a portfolio of all the jobs you have done. With this, clients will build confidence in your services and will be assured of your professionalism.
#2 Leverage social media
As much as having a website for your service is advised, yet social media should be your first port of call in promoting what you do. There are billions of people in the social media space. Almost all your friends are on social media. As such, leverage on it to build publicity for your brand. The advantage social media has over a website is that it is totally free. To get a website, you need a domain name and hosting which will cost you money. But social media needs no money to set up. Every social media platform is unique in its own way. Therefore leverage a combination of them to achieve results. Some of the social media platforms that will help you in this regards includes; Linkedin, Facebook, Medium, Quora, Tiktok, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp etc. Instead of whiling away precious time on these platforms, you can convert them into your selling hub. Stock up your social media profile with every necessary information about you. If you have chosen to create a website, then the link should be on all of the media platforms you use.
#3 Attend events and volunteer
The next thing is to learn to attend events and volunteer your services. For example, if you are a video editor, you could volunteer your services for a TEDx event. Although this will require a lot of sacrifice on your own side, but then, the reward may be more than anticipated.
#4 Render professional services
The best marketing strategy in business is recommendation. When a client recommends you to another client, he has done the best thing for you. But no one will recommend you when your services are not professional. As such, when you get a client, give them the best of services they can ever get. ย
What are the available freelancing websites for me to sell my skill?
There are tons of websites where you can leverage to turn your skill into profit. Few of them include
#1 Writersgig
As the name implies, Writersgig is a freelancing platform for writers. If you have developed a freelancing skill in any form of writing, then this is the best place to land some gigs for yourself. Some of the types of writing that are served on this platform includes, Blog writing, UX writing, Copy writing, Technical writing, Artistic writing, Script writing and Ghost writing. Thus, if you have developed a skill in any of these forms of writing, the move straight to writers gig and land some projects for yourself.
#2 Upwork
Upwork aims at helping businesses find more flexibility and connecting talent with more opportunities. This is achieved by been a link between people with relevant skills and those needing the skills. Upworkโs business philosophy makes work more rewarding. Upwork is more vast than the aforementioned writersgig in that it has more opportunities for freelancers with various skill sets. Whereas writersgig is for writers only, upwork is for almost every kind of freelancing services.
#3 Fiverr
Fiverr is a world class online marketplace for freelancers. It connects freelancers to people or businesses looking to hire their services. Currently, it stands as the world largest market for freelancing services. This is because it makes provision for all categories of freelancing services, no matter how small it may be. On fiverr, the highest-paying jobs include website design, social media manager, proofreading and copywriting, and resume writing. When the company was founded, a $5 asking price was attached to all tasks, that was how the name came about. Fiverr services are currently available in about 160 countries, therefore, this is the right place to sell your services.
#4 Freelancer
Freelancer is a marketplace where employers and employees are able to find each other. The site allows employers to post work for site members who place bids in a competitive tender process. It takes a 10% fee, which can be reduced with paid monthly membership, with a minimum fee of $5. Although the company is located in Australia and most of its users come from India, the United States, Philippines, Pakistan and the United Kingdom, yet its services are available in about 247 countries. The top three job categories that most frequently get job requests are IT and software, 34%; design, media and architecture, 31%; and writing and content, 13%.
#5 Flexjobs
Flexjobs is another amazing platform where you can market your skill to a wider audience and land some amazing gigs in return. The commission charged by this platform is considerable enough and as such, you can proceed to leverage their service and grow.
#6 Toptal
Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world. Top companies hire Toptal freelancers for their most important projects.
#7 Freelance
Freelance help companies manage their transformation by connecting them with the best freelance experts or highly-specialised SMEs. The company goes as far as following up on all projects carried out by external talents. This service is basically available in 6 countries which are, UK, France, Germany, Morocco, Switzerland and Singapore. It has a philosophy which offers a return within 48 hours of your request.
Conclusion
To conclude on this article, our team at infoducation has done amazing research to put up this awesome piece for every intending and already practicing freelancers. Everything clearly stated here will take you from a starter to a professional in your freelancing journey. We have successfully answered the question, โwhat is freelancingโ and also stated in detail, other things surrounding the freelancing world. We therefore wish you success in your freelancing journey
