According to expert predictions, over 50% of American workers will be freelancing by 2027.
Naturally, there are several ways to look at this data. On the one hand, the popularization of the freelance work model may open up more opportunities for qualified specialists. On the other hand, an expanding freelance job market could also mean increased competition, making it even more difficult for freelancers to win contracts than it currently is.
Of course, experienced professionals with high-value skill sets might not be impacted by such shifts. But those operating in more popular niches could end up feeling the effects of general industry developments.
The answer to these challenges is simple. In addition to lifelong learning and skill development, independent professionals also have to learn to market their skills and communicate their value. And the best way to do so is through personal branding.
By using messaging to better communicate value — whether on their websites, social media, or in direct client communication — freelancers can ensure they stand out (even in competitive niches), cementing their business’s expansion and unlocking more opportunities for profitable work.
Build a Homepage That Instantly Builds Trust
Your ability to convert new clients as a freelancer is directly dependent on the attractiveness and credibility of your online presence.
And even though there are many platforms that independent professionals can use to compete for contracts, the ideal way of securing new jobs is always to let clients find you. That way, you don’t have to spend your limited resources on developing marketing campaigns. Instead, you can have your reputation generate brand awareness, then focus your valuable time on convincing new leads to invest in your services.
Naturally, to accomplish this goal, you need a personal brand website.
In theory, a simple, clean-looking site that summarizes your area of expertise and presents prospects with ways to get in touch could be sufficient to drive the growth of your business.
But the simple fact is that converting customers is never truly simple.
One reason is that web users form immediate brand perceptions upon landing on a site.
Their impressions — which take less than a blink of an eye to come into fruition — directly determine their level of brand trust and purchase intent.
So, if a prospect sees your homepage and is unimpressed by its appearance, they’re far less likely to turn into a customer than someone who instantly perceives you as a trustworthy, dependable expert.
That’s why you need to build a homepage that quickly reassures visitors and establishes confidence.
Use a professional design, clear messaging, strong visuals, and powerful trust signals. These will make your company feel established and reliable right away.
For example, the Pergola Kits USA homepage is an excellent example of what this looks like in real life. The design is visually simple, the copy is highly professional, and there are several user-centric trust signals showing web visitors they can have confidence in this brand to resolve their pain points.
As a freelancer, explore opportunities to implement this same approach on your site.
Prioritize professional-looking visual design over impressive yet complex visuals. And be very straightforward with your ideal customers about why they should feel confident while hiring you.
Sure, earning customer trust is not easy. But it’s crucial for acquiring customers and retaining existing clients. So don’t take it lightly.
Keep Your Website Copy and CTAs Focused on Your Core Value Proposition
Whether they’re buying physical products or hiring professionals to provide specialized services, today’s consumers want highly-tailored customer experiences.
And while the modern definition of next-level CX may envelop multiple factors — including convenience, value for money, reliability, and much more — the primary way for you to convert new clients is to make web visitors instantly recognize the unique value you bring to the table.
The best way to do this as a freelancer is to keep your website copy and CTAs focused on your core value proposition.
Address your ideal customers’ pain points. State how your services remove those pain points. And highlight a few unique qualities that make your offer stand out from other options in your niche.
For instance, Adham Dannaway’s portfolio site is an exceptional example of what this can look like for freelancers. This expert uses the hero section of his homepage to communicate the two types of services he offers: product design with a strong focus on UI and front-end development that prioritizes clean, efficient code.
Source: adhamdannaway.com
One of the best ways to describe this method of communicating value is to say that the website IS the social proof and portfolio.
And, sure, you may not be able to copy this approach directly. Nevertheless, explore all available opportunities to emphasize the unique value you offer clients.
Some ways to accomplish this include through examples of your work, messaging that resonates with your target audience, or a website user experience that reflects the quality of customer care you can provide.
Focus on Results Instead of Just Listing Services
Showing your target audience that your offer is relevant to their experience is an exceptional start.
After all, research indicates that 8 out of 10 people ignore marketing messages that don’t seem relevant or connected to their needs.
However, while prioritizing relevance in your messaging can be a great way to attract and engage your prospects’ attention, it’s not always enough to guide leads through to the bottom stages of the sales funnel.
To reach the sales phase of the buyer’s journey, you need to convince potential clients that your freelance work is the key to them receiving the outcomes they’re after.
Now, you could try to achieve this effect by listing your services in a way that resonates with your ideal customers. But there’s a catch.
Consumers aren’t interested in simply discovering (and buying) solutions that are related to their needs. Instead, they’re looking for solutions that solve their unique pain points and generate the precise outcomes they’re after.
So, if you wish to improve how you communicate your value, focus your website messaging on results instead of merely on your offer.
If you check out Golf Cart Tire Supply, you’ll see a great example of messaging that prioritizes customer outcomes. This brand doesn’t overwhelm shoppers with product specs. Instead, it connects each product feature to performance upgrades and real-world benefits, making it far easier for shoppers to make a confident buying decision.
As a freelancer, you can use this same tactic by making minor adjustments.
Move away from merely listing your deliverables or skills. Instead, describe the results clients get from working with you.
Ultimately, it might seem counterproductive not to focus on your expertise. But by shifting the focus to your clients’ needs, you’ll create a marketing tactic that prioritizes end over the means, which is, ultimately, what shoppers prefer in the first place.
Create Service Pages Around Client Problems and Goals
Many design and messaging strategies can help your business convert new customers.
However, while it may seem like a good idea to describe all of your services on your homepage, this design choice might be preventing you from engaging web visitors. And the reason lies in common web user behavior.
According to research, 80% of people don’t read webpage content word-for-word. Instead, consumers scan website content until their eyes land on a word or design element that aligns with their needs.
In practice, this means that filling a site with too much content may prevent prospects from discovering the value that could convert them into customers.
Or, worse yet, too much copy could overwhelm your web visitors — an effect that regularly leads to buyer frustration and abandonment.
The smarter web design choice for freelancers offering multiple services is to create separate pages for each area of your expertise. And to guarantee these pages attract web visitors’ attention? Center each resource around client problems and goals.
For instance, photographer Peter McKinnon does this beautifully. This artist lists three distinct service types on his portfolio site: people, places, and things.
Source: petermckinnon.com
This approach may indeed seem minimalistic or inadequate at communicating the value of the artists’ work, but it actually works perfectly well.
For people merely browsing the site, these ‘service’ categories provide guidance. But for potential clients, they’re an instant way to see and evaluate the photographer’s work — precisely what they need to decide whether to hire the creator.
Simplify Your Messaging So Clients Quickly Understand Your Services
Accommodating web users who tend to skim online content is a great strategy to ensure your potential customers recognize the relevance of your offer.
But to guarantee they enter your sales funnel (and move toward a conversion), it’s equally crucial to ensure your potential customers understand your services and how they work.
In fact, if you look at consumer behavior research, you’ll find that most shoppers need a high level of product/service understanding before they’re ready to spend their hard-earned money.
So, you’ll want to do your best to help your clients comprehend the value you deliver.
In some industries, this is easier said than done.
After all, if you provide highly technical or niche services, then there’s a high likelihood that your prospects won’t have the capacity to truly comprehend what you do.
In such situations, the key is to make your specialized offering easy to understand by using simple language and clear messaging.
Mannequin Mall, for instance, uses straightforward language to communicate what they sell, who it’s for, and how visitors can find what they need without confusion.
And the same tactic can apply to your freelance portfolio website.
Reduce jargon. Simplify service explanations. And make it immediately obvious what problem you can solve for your clients.
By doing so, you won’t just reduce your web visitors’ hesitation about the fit of your services regarding their needs. You’ll also reduce doubt, effectively eliminating a major conversion obstacle from your sales funnel.
Use Case Studies to Show the Value You Deliver
Sometimes, the most powerful way to communicate the value you offer isn’t necessarily to say what you do. Instead, you should aim to describe your process to qualified leads and let them imagine the outcomes you could deliver for them.
Using case studies to maximize your freelance website’s conversion power is not always the easiest way to optimize your messaging.
However, if you work in a competitive industry or have a truly unique approach to your work, they might just be what you need to stand out among your competitors.
As a format of social proof, case studies are an exceptionally valuable type of content.
They build trust. They showcase expertise. And they build brand authority like nothing else.
Furthermore, by focusing on work you’ve done for real-life clients, case studies are an amazing way to incorporate trust-building content into your online presence without waiting for customers to provide their feedback.
Nevertheless, the biggest benefit of this type of messaging you can extract as a freelancer is that they allow you to describe your process. And if customer experience matters in your niche (which it probably does), then doing so might be the ideal way to highlight the non-measurable value of your offer, connect with prospects on an emotional level, or simply win over potential customers with your personal characteristics — whether those include creativity, the ability to think outside of the box, or a detail-oriented approach to making things work.
For instance, designer Tobias van Schneider uses story-based case studies to introduce each standout project in his portfolio. Such an approach transforms a typical high-quality design pitch into a personal branding tactic, building a reputation that doesn’t just rely on the work itself but on the unique approach to design this expert brings to the table instead.
Source: vanschneider.com
Use Visuals to Strengthen Your Brand Message
Lastly, as you explore ways to use messaging to better communicate the value you offer, don’t forget that humans are visual creatures.
Yes, language is incredibly powerful at getting your point across. But imagery can do it much more efficiently.
So, when trying to convince your target audience that you have what they need, don’t hesitate to incorporate visuals into your brand’s messaging.
High-quality imagery is more engaging and convincing. It can also convey difficult-to-explain concepts, including quality, aspirational value, or even the promise of a premium customer experience.
For example, if you check out Ice Cartel, you’ll notice that this business uses visuals to instantly communicate the primary characteristics of its offer: quality, craftsmanship, and premium service.
As a freelancer, you can easily adopt this messaging tactic and use it to reach your branding goals.
Strong visuals will make your value propositions memorable. They can also make your services feel more credible, professional, and valuable.
And they can communicate all of these benefits before a client has even read a single word of your website copy.
Final Thoughts
If you look at the most successful freelancers in your target industry, you’ll quickly realize that the ones getting the highest success rates aren’t necessarily those with the most experience or expertise.
Instead, the professionals who have the easiest time attracting clients regularly turn out to be people who know how to communicate value.
The strategies outlined in this guide are all great opportunities for you to finally start marketing your services in a way that resonates. Give them a go, and you’re sure to see interest in your offer grow.
Keep the conversation going...
Over 10,000 of us are having daily conversations over in our free Facebook group and we'd love to see you there. Join us!
