Freelance work is all the rage these days. With everybody and their mother going digital and looking to expand their online footprint, there’s plenty of marketing work to go around. As a result, marketing freelance projects can be a viable way to supplement your income, or even earn a living. Unfortunately, when it comes to marketing, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in the gig economy.

Finding good clients and convincing them that you’re the right person for the job can be quite a task in and of itself. The latter can be a bit tricky to do, but if you know how to write a good CV and present it well, you should have no problems with that.

Assuring your access to a steady stream of customers is another kettle of fish entirely. You will need to use every trick in your arsenal if you want to attract really good online marketing customers. Here are ten ways you could approach this problem.

Check LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn is a good platform – but not in the way most people think. It’s no secret that its job application feature is also of little to no utility. The chances of finding a job through it are minuscule. What’s more, it’s flooded with people looking for digital marketing work – so competition is incredibly fierce. 

Still, it is a good indicator of which companies are on the lookout for talent that can aid them to achieve their marketing goals. Scout out the prospective businesses, Google them, get into contact with them. Send them your portfolio and CV. They may have work for you.

Use Your Linkedin Connections

Connecting with users you’re not personally familiar with on social media doesn’t come naturally to most people. Still, that’s what LinkedIn is all about – widening your web of contacts that may be useful professionally. 

Don’t hesitate to ask prospective connections about their experience as marketing freelancers. Sure, some of them could be reserved, uncooperative, or unable to assist you. However, freelancers, and especially those who work in the online marketing sphere, are well aware of the value of networking. They tend to be more communicative and open to cooperation – so there’s a good chance that some of them may be interested in helping you out. 

Diversify Your Skill Portfolio

Being able to do a little bit of everything makes all the difference when you’re running a one-man show. This is true for every type of freelancer but is especially relevant when it comes to digital marketing. 

Being able to perform a large variety of marketing tasks at a competent level expands the pool of clients that may find your work useful. You don’t need to be a virtuoso in every field – strive to be good enough to get the job done. A company doesn’t want to get a separate writer, digital artist, photographer, and outreach specialist. 

Coordinating a marketing campaign between all these different freelancers is a management nightmare. It’s easier for a company if they could contract one or two digital marketing specialists to do all these tasks. 

This is why you should invest time in developing a wide range of digital marketing skills, and advertising them in your portfolio and CV.

Look Up Companies You Like

Google companies you like and which look promising to you – then submit your freelance CV to their HR system. Yes, really. Using this tactic is a long shot, both when looking for a 9-5 job and potential freelance clients.

Still, once you submit your CV, it gets filed in the company’s database. Even if they’re not looking for a freelance marketing specialist right now, they may well need skills such as yours in the future. When that happens, you’d already been on their list of applicants, without the need to plow through job boards.

If you do this with enough companies there’s every chance that your efforts will pay off at some point. You may be in for a bit of a wait until that happens, however.

Use The Twitter Advanced Search

Don’t underestimate Twitter’s utility for tasks other than brand promotion. You can take advantage of its Advanced Search function to scout for potential digital freelance customers.

Many companies regularly put their job and freelance ads on Twitter. Such posts tend to fly under the radar for the most part, but you can find them if you take a moment to look for them. Once you spot such a post, it’s a matter of reaching out to the company and impressing its HR with your CV and portfolio.

Reach out to An Established Freelancer

Reaching out to a well-known marketing freelancer via social media is also a viable tactic for looking for gigs. Successful marketing professionals can end up with a lot more job offers than they can reasonably handle. As such, online marketing experts have the luxury of being picky about their projects. This means that after a certain point, they inevitably end up turning down a lot of work.

Be direct and friendly with them, and impress them with a good portfolio and CV. If you play your cards right, they may agree to send some of the projects they don’t plan on doing your way. 

Re-visit The Usual Platforms

There are plenty of popular platforms that connect digital marketing freelancers with customers. Unfortunately, waiting on them to deliver satisfactory contacts can be rather frustrating. Still, these platforms could be utilized in an alternative way.

Look for online marketing freelancers in your field and your area. Get in contact with them. Network with them. Ask them about their best clients and if they can share some contacts and know-how. There are many kind and helpful people out there – some may be willing to sort you out, especially if you ask nicely and seem capable.

Look For Relevant Facebook Groups

Facebook is another multi-purpose tool you should take full advantage of. Use it both in your digital marketing efforts and in your searces for freelance projects. There are numerous FB groups that focus on freelance services or online marketing, and more than a few of them have tens of thousands of members. Most are concerned with all sorts of freelance, but there are many that focus on digital marketing in particular.

Search out and find the ones that would be most useful to you. Keep a close eye on them, and be ready to respond to ads and calls for assistance at a moment’s notice. Competition in these groups is incredibly fierce, and customers and projects tend to get snapped up in a heartbeat.

Keep Looking For New Vectors Of Approach

As a digital marketing freelancer, you need to always be on the move and always look for new opportunities. The Internet is rife with opportunities for experienced and flexible specialists. You just have to be persistent and creative in the tactics you employ to find those opportunities. 

Make a habit of getting out of your comfort zone when looking for work. Doing so will bring you a new perspective and experience. Read insightful articles on the subject occasionally. You never know when you’d stumble onto an idea that may work for you. Review and update your freelance CV and portfolio regularly. 

Google Niche Job Boards

Niche and local application platforms may not be as renowned as the more popular international ones – but can get the job done. These specialized sites can produce some very promising job listings, as well as online marketing projects.

Although it may sound simplistic, try googling what you’re looking for. What’s more, don’t despair if your searches don’t produce results right away. Keep looking – there are plenty of people looking for digital marketing freelancers. If you are persistent in your search, it will eventually bear fruit.