Get Better Clients...Get Better Clients with Your Brand Special Report The Secret Success Ingredient Most Freelancers Lack Two nearly identical products both made Forbes list of the

Get Better Clients with Your Brand 8 Steps to Showing Clients Why You’re the Best Choice

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Get Better Clients with Your BrandSpecial Report

The Secret Success Ingredient Most Freelancers Lack

Two nearly identical products both made Forbes list of the world’s most valuable brands in 2016, but one was #4 (Coca-Cola) and the other (Pepsi) was #29. Branding is the reason for the difference. Customers like Coke’s brand better than Pepsi’s.

Benefits of Your Freelance Brand Freelancers (in the same field) aren’t nearly identical, but we are similar. Having a great brand will:

• Help clients, prospects, and colleagues remember you. They’ll think of you first for freelance work, instead of another freelancer.

• Make marketing easier and more effective FOREVER. Since developing your brand forces you to carefully consider your specialty/specialties, target markets, and how you help clients, you’ll be able to market your business more easily and effectively.

Freelancers who have a brand are more successful than those who don’t, say Bill Chiaravalle and Barbara Findlay Schenck, authors of “Branding For Dummies.” And The Creative Group, a marketing and creative staffing agency, says that a freelancer’s brand is “your most important marketing asset.”

I call your freelance brand the secret success ingredient, because most freelancers don’t have one. So when you develop a great brand, you’ll stand out.

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What’s in a Brand? The American Marketing Association defines a brand as:

“A name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller’s good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.”

Let’s say that other freelancers in your field are technically competent and knowledgeable. What makes you stand out is how you position yourself as being different, and better—in your brand.

Elements of a Brand A brand consists of:

• Company name

• Logo: A symbol or other design to identify an organization’s services

• Tagline: A memorable phrase or sentence that captures the essence of your brand

• Print and web design: Colors, fonts, tone, etc., to be used in all marketing materials

• Key messages: From your brand and beyond

While not technically part of a brand, a professional headshot is an important part of your professional image. You need this for your website, LinkedIn profile, and other social media.

Read more about Making a Great First Impression with a professional headshot.

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Which Freelancer Would You Hire?

Read about how I developed my brand, and see more examples of freelance brands, after “8 Steps to Developing a Mighty Freelance Brand.”

8 Steps to Developing a Mighty Freelance Brand 1. Understand Your Target ProspectsFocus your brand on the needs of your prospective clients (prospects) and how you can meet those needs. Consider what:

• Clients generally look for in freelancers

• Your target prospects need.

In general, clients want freelancers who:

• Have the right skills and experience • Are flexible and responsive • Can get the job done on time

• Make life easier.

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OR:

Lori De Milto Freelance medical writer

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Take notes about what your prospective clients need and want based on what you know about them and their industries and web research. Visit the websites of some clients you’d like to work with. Look at the language they use to describe themselves and the qualities that are important to them. Make notes about how you can meet their needs.

2. Study the Competition Find other freelancers in your field through your professional association member directories, LinkedIn groups, and other online communities of freelancers. Review their websites. If the freelancer has a brand, study it. LinkedIn profiles are likely to have some, but not all, aspects of a freelancer’s brand since design and formatting options are limited.

Take notes about what you like and don’t like about other freelancers’ brands. Consider each brand’s:

• Tone (e.g., bold, conservative, or intellectual) • Logo and tagline • Language • Colors and other graphics.

3. Figure out How You’re Different Develop, or start to develop, your USP (unique selling proposition). This doesn’t actually have to be — and probably won’t be — unique. Lots of other freelancers may do what you do.

Your USP is about clearly and concisely explaining what you do so that you stand out from other freelancers. It will help you frame your specialty(ies) in a way that will appeal to your target market and help colleagues remember what you do.

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Entrepreneur Small Business Encyclopedia defines a USP as:

“The factor or consideration presented by a seller as the reason that one product or service is different from and better than that of the competition.”

It takes time and effort to develop your USP but you can develop your brand even if you haven’t fully developed your USP. You can always update your brand later.

What goes into your USP Your USP can include:

• Your specialty(ies) • What your clients need • Your skills, experience, and credentials • Your working style (e.g., fast but expensive or reasonable prices

at a slower pace).

Examples of USPs for freelancers For my freelance writing business, Lori De Milto, Writer for Rent LLC, my USP is:

Targeted medical content. On time. Every time.

Let’s break this down into the parts of a USP:

Targeted medical content.

My specialty: Writing targeted medical content for healthcare marketers and health organizations

Client need: Engage target audiences

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On time. Every time. Client need: Get the job done on time and make life easier.

Other freelancers write content that meets the needs of their clients (the targeted part), and do medical writing, so these things aren’t unique. Other freelancers do the work on time, so delivering “on time, every time” isn’t unique either.

But when I use this language to describe myself and put these things together, I have a USP that appeals to my target market. Combining the words with the target on the bullseye in my logo makes a powerful impression.

Here are a few more sample USPs for freelancers:

Editor:

Helping authors, publishers, and organizations produce error-free, clutter-free copy

Writer:

Bringing together journalism and marketing to help financial services organizations become trusted news sources for individual investors

Writer:

Engaging feature stories on nature and the environment for magazines, newspapers, and websites, backed by 20 years of experience

Web designer:

Amazing websites that help small businesses grow

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4. Name Your CompanySince most freelancers work under their own name, having a company name makes it easier for clients to remember you. It also shows clients that you’re running a business, which enhances your credibility.

Choose a company name that will appeal to prospective clients. Include the type of freelancing you do in your name (e.g., writing, editing, graphic design, web design, or photography).

Develop a tagline—a phrase or sentence that captures the essence of your brand and helps people remember you—to say more about what you do and why clients should choose you. The tagline goes below or near your company name, depending on how you implement your name graphically and use it in a logo. (See Step 5 for information on how to develop your tagline.)

My company name:

Lori De Milto Writer for Rent LLC

is memorable, catchy, and instantly tells people what I do. My tagline:

Targeted medical content. On time. Every time.

provides details about the type of writing I do, and the benefits clients get when working with me.

Develop Your Company Name Start by jotting down any ideas you already have. Then review the names of other freelancers in your field. Find them through your member directories and LinkedIn groups. Visit their websites and LinkedIn profiles. Take notes about what you like.

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Brainstorm a list of ideas, but don't worry about finding a unique company name—because you probably won’t be able to do this. Try combining words or phrases in different ways.

Then put the list down. Over the next few days or weeks, think about possible names as you do other things. Write them down. Even when you’re not actively thinking about a business name, ideas will come to you. Keep reviewing and refining your list.

5. Define Your BrandUse what you’ve learned to start to define your brand:

• What you offer

• Who you offer it to (type of clients) • How your services are different and better—or can be

positioned as different and better—than other freelancers

• The promise(s) you’re making to clients. Choose a tone for your brand (e.g., bold or conservative) that’s appropriate for your clients. The tone covers both the language you use and your design.

Develop your tagline Also start drafting some taglines and thinking about your brand’s tone. Your tagline may be the same as your USP, like mine is, or it may use the essence of your USP but in different words (usually more concise). Make sure the tagline works with your company name and further explains what you do.

Develop your tagline in the same way that you developed (or are developing) your company name. Combine words or phrases that are

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important to your clients in different ways. Brainstorm a list of possible taglines. Review and refine the list.

6. Do Something ElseSet your branding work aside and go on to other things. Think about your company name, tagline, and other parts of your brand now and then over the next few days. Your best ideas will probably come to you when you’re not even thinking about this! Add them to your notes. Keep reviewing and refining your ideas.

7. Get Feedback and Help At this point, you don’t have to know exactly how you’d like your brand to look or be sure that you’ve chosen the perfect company name and tagline.

Get feedback When you have a few good ideas, get feedback from freelance colleagues and hire an expert to help you implement your brand.

If you have clients you know really well, ask them what they think too. You can ask colleagues and clients what they think about your:

• List of ideas • Brand in the draft designs • List of ideas and AGAIN when you have some draft designs.

Get expert help If you’re a writer or editor, hire a graphic designer with branding experience to develop your logo and other graphics that reflect your brand’s language, key messages, and tone.

If you’re a graphic or web designer, photographers, etc., hire a writer to help improve your brand’s key messages, language, and tone.

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8. Make it Perfect Work with your graphic designer or writer until your brand clearly shows clients why you’re the best choice for them. Expect to go back and forth at least a few times. Even if you asked colleagues (and clients) to give you feedback on your ideas, I recommend asking for feedback again when you have the draft designs.

Examples of Mighty Freelance Brands Here are a few examples of powerful freelance brands.

Lori De Milto Writer for Rent LLCFreelance Writer

I know that doing the job right and getting it done on time are very important to clients. So my logo and tagline focus on delivering what they need (targeted content) when they need it (on time, every time).

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My logo alone and in my business card

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I use a bold, conversational tone for my brand, which works for the type of work I do and the clients I work with. Some freelancers will want a more conservative brand. Others might want to be bolder than me.

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Part of my home page (WriterforRent.net) and my email signature

http://writerforrent.net

http://writerforrent.net

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Joy Drohan, Eco-Write, LLC Freelance writer and editor

Joy’s compelling company name—EcoWrite—tells people what she does. Her tagline—“targeted writing and editing in environmental and agricultural sciences”—clearly and concisely defines her business. In Joy’s logo, the pencil and tree, and the water in Eco-Write, all tie into her work.

Joy’s business card clearly says what she does and who she does it for with her logo and tagline. Clients, prospects, and colleagues can easily see her name, website, and contact information. She makes great use of the back of her business card with some client-focused information (“Lightening the load of clients in environmental and agricultural sciences since 1995”) and more information about her services.

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Eva Stabenow, CT (EN-DE), Wordplay Translations, LLC Freelance Translator & Conference Interpreter (MA) - Dipl.-Dolmetscherin

Eva’s company name—Wordplay Translations—is memorable and clearly tells people what she does. Her tagline states the benefit of working with her. And her logo is compelling, client-focused, and fun.

Since few freelancers have a logo, this makes Eva stand out from the competition, especially when she uses it in her email signature, as shown below.

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Your Next Steps Start Showing Clients Why You’re the Best ChoiceOnce you’ve developed your brand, use it on all of your marketing materials, including:

• Website • LinkedIn profile • Business card • Email signature.

Since email is the most common form of business communication, using your logo there gives you lots of positive exposure. In places where you can’t use your full brand, like a LinkedIn profile, use your business name, tagline, and key messages from your brand.

Your freelance brand will make it easier for clients, prospects, and colleagues to remember you, and help you show clients why they should choose you instead of another freelancer—so you can start getting the clients you deserve.

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Copyright 2016, The Mighty Marketer

Documents

Get Better Clients...Get Better Clients with Your Brand Special Report The Secret Success Ingredient Most Freelancers Lack Two nearly identical products both made Forbes list of the