At its core, writing is a form of communication. The secret to effective communication online lies in the presentation. Here are a few tips to help you write for an online audience. Once you master these, writing for the web becomes easy.

There are just a few things you should keep in mind when writing.

1. Formatting for Clarity

When writing for the web, improper formatting is considered an offense. After all, reading long blocks of text can be taxing. Nobody has the time to slow down and read; we all scan and skim online.

How to fix it:

Write short sentences for better impact. Try to limit your sentences to 15-20 words at most. Even one-word sentences and paragraphs are acceptable online.

Next, break your text into shorter paragraphs. Three-sentence paragraphs are the norm, but five-sentence paragraphs are acceptable too. Make sure you mix them up with long and short sentences!

If your text requires a lot of items separated by commas, break them into lists or bullet points. Use subheadings to help guide the reader through your text. Subheadings give readers the gist of the text at a glance, helping them absorb more information faster.

2. Avoiding Passive Voice in Writing

Writing in passive voice is so common that most writers don’t even realize they are using it. Unfortunately, passive voice can be detrimental to online writing, as it fails to engage the reader.

Here’s an example of a sentence in passive voice: "The freelancer was hired by us." The same sentence in active voice would be: "We hired the freelancer."

Now imagine reading both of these sentences in, let’s say, an email. Which one sounds better?

How to fix it:

I could give you the technical explanation of how the subject in the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb, but that can be confusing and difficult to remember while writing. Writing in active voice is essentially about creating a connection with your reader.

Instead of referring to yourself or your audience in the third person, write to them in the first person. Imagine yourself having a conversation with someone while writing.

3. Incorrect Sentence Length

Often, non-writers reveal themselves through their sentence length. Online, readers tend to scan. This means that if your sentences are too long to scan, your reader will stop reading and move on.

Any sentence over 25 words – which is already a very generous word count – risks losing readers’ interest. Imagine reading one sentence after another that is too long to read in a single breath. Just thinking about it is exhausting, right?

Let’s conduct a quick test. Go to any online content you’ve written and randomly check the word count of your sentences. If quite a few of those sentences are between 20-25 words, you have a problem.

How to fix it:

Fixing this issue is quite simple. All you need to do is break your text down into smaller sentences. Focus on one thought, point, or idea per sentence.

Ensure the sentence length is between 16-20 words maximum for an optimal reading experience. It will be even better if you can manage shorter sentences.

Make sure your sentence length varies. Too many short sentences can make the text feel abrupt, while too many long sentences can make it tedious to read. Mixing up the length of your sentences will create a better reading experience.

4. Lacking flow

One of the most popular pieces of writing advice (perhaps of all time) is: The purpose of your first sentence is to get the reader to read the second sentence, and so on.

While the quality of writing is crucial for achieving this, the flow and structure of the writing also matter significantly. If your writing is unstructured and presented in a haphazard manner, your reader will wonder what point you are trying to make.

How to fix it:

Organize your writing into a structured format and ensure it flows logically. Begin with an introduction, then move on to stating all your points before summarizing them in the conclusion.

Format your writing for the web. Use short paragraphs that explore only one idea, and incorporate subheadings, lists, etc., to make it easier to read.

5. Showing Respect for Your Readers

It is crucial to respect your readers when writing for an audience. Just as in face-to-face conversations, we demonstrate respect by being friendly, considerate, and avoiding condescension.

To be honest, there is a fine line between respecting your readers and insulting them. Sometimes, being overly helpful can backfire as well.

Consider online tutorials, for example. If you oversimplify them and explain every single detail, you risk undermining your readers’ skills. On the other hand, if you don’t provide enough explanation, you may alienate readers who find your tutorial insufficiently helpful.

How to fix it:

Identify your ideal reader and write for them. Expanding on the tutorial example, if your target reader is a beginner, detailed tutorials that explain every aspect might be appropriate. If your readers are more knowledgeable, simply guiding them in the right direction may suffice.

For tutorials and all other types of online writing, ensure your writing comes across as friendly and does not make your reader feel belittled.

Using "you" and "your" are effective ways to make your readers feel like you are speaking directly to them, but be careful not to sound patronizing.

6. Lack of a Call-to-Action

Effective web writing aims to persuade your reader to take action after engaging with your content. This action could be as simple as leaving a comment or as complex as gaining their trust to make a purchase. Without a call-to-action in your writing, how will your readers know what you want them to do or why you’ve created the content?

How to Fix It:

Incorporate a call-to-action at the end of your content. If you’re writing a blog post, encourage readers to share their thoughts, express their agreement or disagreement, or simply ask them to leave a comment.

Inviting readers to share your content through social media also serves as a call-to-action. If you want them to make a purchase or sign up for a newsletter, make your intentions clear by adding a "Buy Now" or "Sign Up Here" call-to-action.

7. Improving Your Reach

At its core, improving your reach is as simple as formatting your text, writing in an active voice, including a call-to-action, and above all, respecting your reader. The great thing about writing is that once you know what to watch out for, it becomes easy to improve.

Begin by practicing the aforementioned techniques in your emails. For other forms of online writing, compose as you typically would but take the time to proofread and edit with these tips in mind. After a few attempts, these mistakes will become more noticeable as you write, and before you know it, your writing will have improved!

The post 7 Ways to Keep Your Online Audience Reading appeared first on Hongkiat.

However, while freelancers may have indeed sidestepped the conventional office environment, they can’t entirely evade the challenges that made their corporate tenure difficult. In fact, as a freelancer, you bear the responsibility of handling tasks that, in a corporate setting, would have been distributed among various departments.

Understanding this, it’s crucial to recognize that certain elements persist, whether you’re part of the corporate landscape or navigating the freelancing world. As such, it’s wise to be well-prepared for these consistent aspects of professional life.

1. The Art of Financial Negotiation

In a conventional corporate setting, salaried employees receive a predetermined income along with periodic increments. At first glance, freelancers seem to operate quite differently. They possess the freedom to establish their own rates, and the liberty to adjust them at their discretion. However, upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the dynamics of financial negotiation are strikingly similar for both freelancers and corporate employees.

The primary distinction lies in the frequency and context of these negotiations. Traditional employees typically only negotiate their salary at the onset of a new job or during performance review cycles aimed at salary adjustments. Conversely, freelancers engage in these financial discussions more routinely, tailoring their rates to each client and project.

Unless a freelancer adheres to a rigid rate structure publicly displayed on their platform, they are likely to engage in more frequent financial negotiations compared to their full-time corporate counterparts. Thus, the arena of financial negotiation is not as disparate between freelancing and corporate employment as one might initially assume.

2. The Cycle of Accountability

Freelancers often relish the notion that they are solely accountable to themselves. However, a more nuanced perspective reveals a different reality. As freelancers, we indeed answer to our clients. While we may not have someone monitoring our daily tasks or checking in on our progress routinely, when the deadline arrives, clients anticipate results.

In essence, the freelance professional remains beholden to the client’s expectations. Failure to meet a deadline is not a simple matter of offering an apology. Detailed explanations must be furnished, and in many instances, a client is entirely justified in reducing compensation due to delayed submissions.

While traditional employees are accountable to their supervisors, freelancers are responsible to their clients. The cycle of responsibility remains intact; only the individuals we are answerable to change. Thus, the realm of accountability is more alike in freelancing and corporate employment than initially perceived.

3. The Weight of Responsibility

In a corporate environment, the safety net of shared responsibility often mitigates the burden associated with project failures or missed deadlines. Within this structure, managers typically absorb the fallout from unsuccessful projects, irrespective of which team member may have contributed to the mishap.

Contrastingly, the world of freelancing functions differently. As a freelancer, you are the sole bearer of responsibility for any mishaps that occur during the course of your work. Regardless of the specifics of your role, when things do not go as planned, you alone shoulder the weight of accountability.

Thus, the sense of responsibility inherent in both freelancing and traditional employment is far more similar than one might initially believe, albeit distributed differently.

4. Navigating Professional Interactions

In a conventional corporate environment, employees regularly navigate a myriad of office politics and a diverse array of colleague personalities. From the subtly antagonistic team member to the self-proclaimed expert, from the spotlight seeker to the manager’s favored one – if you’ve spent time in an office setting, you’ve likely encountered them all.

Contrarily, as a freelancer, you may not be sharing a physical workspace with colleagues, but you are not exempt from interacting with a similarly eclectic mix of personalities. These encounters, however, manifest themselves in your client base. Engage in a conversation with a group of freelancers, and you’ll find that the discussion of client personalities invariably emerges.

5. Embracing Extended Work Hours

One might be drawn to freelancing due to the allure of flexible work schedules or the prospect of reduced work hours. However, reality often reveals a different picture – as a freelancer, you might find yourself dedicating more time to work than you did in your full-time role.

While overtime is not uncommon in the corporate world, for freelancers, it’s practically an unwritten rule. They frequently find themselves burning the midnight oil or sacrificing weekends to meet pressing deadlines. Achieving success in the freelance realm often necessitates an investment of long, demanding hours.

6. Advancing in Professional Growth

Within the corporate landscape, promotions serve as a tangible acknowledgement of employees’ diligent efforts and unwavering commitment. Similarly, freelancers experience their own version of advancement, except they are the ones bestowing it upon themselves.

This self-promotion can take various forms, such as rewarding oneself with well-deserved breaks, elevating rates to reflect increased value, or embracing larger-scale clients. Each step signifies a milestone in their professional growth.

7. Seeking Greater Opportunities

Both corporate employees and freelancers are constantly on the lookout for their next significant advancement, whether it’s within their current company or elsewhere. This could include a new position, job, benefits, or work environment. Freelancers share this mindset as they continuously search for their next major client.

They are always pursuing larger and more lucrative opportunities to increase their earnings. Just as employees do not stay with one company for their entire career, freelancers do not rely on a single client. While it’s common for freelancers to have long-term clients, these relationships are not permanent. Ultimately, they will move on to other clients in their pursuit of growth and success.

So, what’s the difference?

With so many similarities, are we merely deceiving ourselves into thinking that we are better off as freelancers? Is transitioning from a full-time corporate job to a freelancing business just a change of scenery?

The answer is no.

There is a significant difference between a full-time corporate job and a freelance one: flexibility and control. In a full-time job, you lack flexibility. You cannot start work later if you wish to go to the gym in the morning, take a random afternoon off, or simply turn off your computer and leave work to pick up your kids in the middle of the day.

As a freelancer, among other things, you have control over your earnings, the clients you choose to work with, and your working days and hours. Best of all, you can raise your rates, let go of clients you no longer wish to work with, and find more, higher-paying clients. You have the freedom and control to make all these decisions while freelancing, and this is what makes it all worthwhile.

The post 7 Ways Freelancing is Similar to a Corporate Job appeared first on Hongkiat.

This article serves as a guide, providing valuable tips to not only conquer those dull tasks but also transform them into engaging activities. You’ve already embraced the world of freelancing, gaining autonomy (and possibly a longer life), so allow these suggestions to further shield you from tedious and burdensome tasks. Let’s dive in!

1. To-do lists

To-do lists can be valuable tools for making our workdays more productive. They show us what we need to achieve daily, break tasks into manageable pieces, and give us a sense of accomplishment as we cross items off. However, in reality, to-do lists often just keep growing, making us feel overwhelmed and unproductive instead.

Constantly expanding to-do lists can lead to feelings of incompetence and result in procrastination. To make lists work in your favor, try limiting the number of tasks you include. At the beginning or end of each day, write down the five most critical tasks and resist the urge to add more items.

By crossing off just one item, you’ll feel more productive with only four tasks remaining. As you complete each task, your list will gradually shrink. Before you know it, you’ll have finished all the items on your list for the day, leaving you with a satisfying sense of accomplishment.

2. Deadlines

For freelancers, deadlines are a crucial part of our work lives. Meeting deadlines is essential for maintaining client relationships, but the pressure of deadlines can also be a source of stress. Missing a deadline can take months to repair the trust with a client.

Of course, missing a deadline isn’t always disastrous if it’s handled properly and there’s a legitimate reason. However, repeatedly missing deadlines or making it a habit can make it difficult to retain clients.

A simple strategy to prevent missed deadlines is to give yourself a buffer of a few extra days. For example, if you can complete a project by Tuesday, inform your client that you’ll submit the work on Thursday instead. This little trick helps to account for procrastination and any unexpected issues (such as computer crashes or illnesses) that may arise.

3. Taxes

Taxes are often the most disliked and feared task for freelancers. The thought of organizing receipts, bills, client payments, and expenses can be overwhelming. Not to mention the need to file 1099 forms and other paperwork.

Even the most organized freelancers can feel stressed by taxes, causing them to procrastinate and scramble to complete everything on time.

To make handling taxes more manageable, consider hiring a professional or using a business tax software. These options guide you through the process and calculate your taxes for you.

On the bright side, you can benefit from tax deductions, such as write-offs for purchasing stock photos.

4. Marketing

In freelancing, simply being skilled and passionate about your work isn’t enough. Without clients, your talent goes unnoticed. To attract clients, freelancers need to actively market their services.

Fortunately, marketing doesn’t have to feel pushy or insincere. With social media, you can build your presence by connecting with others and offering help. Join platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and engage with individuals in your niche or potential clients.

Instead of explicitly promoting yourself, let your social media profile speak for your freelance business. Share your work strategically, assist others, and provide value. As you interact and showcase your expertise, your reputation will grow organically.

For example, I’ve found more work through Twitter in the past year than my own website, proving that effective marketing doesn’t have to be aggressive.

5. Follow-ups

Staying in touch with both potential and existing clients is essential, but it can be time-consuming and not particularly enjoyable. You’d likely prefer to focus on your actual work, which is your strong suit. However, maintaining communication is crucial for securing more business opportunities. For instance, after completing a project for a client, a follow-up email could lead to additional work, a testimonial, or even a referral. With potential clients, it could result in a new contract.

The tricky part about following up is finding the right timing. If you reach out too soon, it may seem like you’re pressuring the person, which is not appreciated. If you wait too long, they might forget about you or even hire someone else.

To streamline the follow-up process, create a straightforward system. Determine what you think is the appropriate time to follow up and mark it in your calendar. Additionally, prepare two follow-up email templates – one for current clients and one for potential clients.

Each time you interact with a potential client or finish a project for an existing one, note the follow-up date in your calendar. When that day comes, use the corresponding template to send a follow-up email. This approach will make following up less daunting.

6. Cold calls

Cold calling can be intimidating for freelancers, as it involves reaching out to unfamiliar people who might not even be aware of who you are. This can cause some anxiety and make you feel like an unwelcome salesperson.

To make cold calling more approachable, try reframing it as an introduction rather than a sales pitch. For example, call a company, introduce yourself, and simply ask if they work with freelancers.

If they do, offer to send them your information. This approach is less intrusive and more conversational. If you still find cold calling uncomfortable, consider using email as an alternative. Research the companies you’d like to work with and identify the appropriate contact person. Then, send them a Letter of Introduction (LOI) with all the necessary details.

By adjusting your mindset or opting for a different method, you can make this essential task more manageable and less daunting.

Reflection

Ultimately, it’s crucial to put forth your best effort as a freelancer. Remember that you chose this path because of your skills and self-discipline. By adopting a positive mindset and applying the tips shared above, you’ll be well on your way to a successful freelancing career.

Are there any other tedious but essential freelancing tasks you’ve encountered? If you could avoid one task forever, which would it be?

The post 6 Essential (But Boring) Tasks Freelancers Hate Doing appeared first on Hongkiat.

Owning a business means they’re essentially a one-man shop and thus have to deal with everything that falls under the operations that keep a business afloat. From finances to marketing to customer service, they handle it all.

If you are thinking of becoming a freelancer or are only dipping your toes into the pool, here’s a heads up on what else you will need to busy yourself with. I’ll also share a few handy tips that might help you along.

Basically, freelancers, regardless of their industry, are their own:

1. Accountant/finance manager

Freelancers are responsible for handling their own business finances. They do their own books, file taxes, spend hours agonizing over 2 cents they can’t find in their ledger and pay the price if they forget to file taxes on time.

Since most freelancers tend to ignore their taxes and their filing system is dismal, you’ll find a lot of them going crazy near tax time.

Tip: Take the time to search and invest in a good accounting system to avoid headaches and fines down the line.

2. Human Resource Manager

While you get to make the fun decisions like which client to take on and which ones to let go, you also have to be the one to get yourself to show up for work even though you have a cold. After all, you don’t get paid sick leave.

Dealing with fussy clients and hiring other freelancers for subcontracting your work etc all falls on the HR side too. It’s all on you.

Tip: There’s no getting out of this one. If you treat your clients’ right then HR issues won’t crop up often enough.

3. Public Relations Manager

Freelancers are their own PR team. No one else will wax lyrical about their work or business. They’re responsible for telling prospective clients how awesome they are, how they help their clients get success through their work and how working with them is such a breeze.

They also deal with repercussions from disgruntled clients or any other problems that come up.

Tip: Social Media is a freelancer’s favourite PR tool. Luckily, if you use social media right, it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes every day to get your PR done.

4. Marketing Executive

If only work would land in our lap simply just because we are good at it, but that’s never the case. Freelancers have to actively and continuously market their business to get clients, not only when they are in need of new clients or work.

No matter how awesome our work is, clients won’t find out about it and us if we don’t market ourselves. It’s one of those daily activities that can take as much time as doing the actual work.

Tip: Instead of focusing on time-consuming marketing efforts, figure out a few smaller, easy-to-do marketing techniques that don’t take a lot of time and do them regularly.

5. Customer Service Team

Thought your days of talking to customers and answering their questions and listening to their complaints were behind you? Think again. Satisfying a client is a freelancer’s No. 1 job.

If you don’t take your client’s complaints seriously, they’ll drop you like hot coals.

Tip: Clients are the lifeblood of your freelance business. Treat them like gold, go out of your way to make them happy with your work and reap the benefits of a successful client-freelancer relationship.

6. Admin Manager

If you’ve been freelancing for a while, there are probably days when you feel more like a secretary than a freelancer. If you don’t watch out, scheduling meetings, deadlines, and interviews can take up half a day.

There’s no one who can screen your calls and emails. Add filing and organizing your files to the mix and it almost feels like you have another job apart from freelancing.

Tip: This is why a lot of freelancers, get virtual assistants if they can afford to. They can’t get you coffee but they can certainly take care of scheduling and organizing your work! Alternatively, make sure you do all your filing, scheduling and organizing as it comes up. Don’t procrastinate.

7. Debt Collector

Unpaid invoices are the harsh reality of freelancing. Thankfully if you’re careful about choosing who you work with, they won’t happen often. But when they do happen, you have to be the one who hound the client to clear payments.

Tips: Make sure you have a contract in which you outline the payment terms. Send your invoices on time and charge a late fee if the invoice is not paid. In some cases, time-tracking apps can help.

8. Sales Team

Freelancers don’t sell products. They sell services – their own services at that. Every time they contact prospective clients, they’re putting on their salesman hat.

This works hand in hand with marketing but essentially it’s this team which closes the sale.

Tip: It’s their job to convince the prospective client to hire them. Not an easy job but think of the benefits. New client, more work and more money. Definitely worth the effort!

9. IT Technician

As a freelancer, there’s no one you can call and yell at if your computer crashes or your printer stops working for some mysterious reason. Freelancers are responsible for taking care of their own equipment.

If the thought frightens you, get help with the setup then always keep a backup.

Tip: Make sure you backup your files religiously, and have more than one backup! Have alternatives for everything that could possibly break down near a crucial deadline.

10. Quality Control Personnel

Sometimes, when work is plenty and deadlines are too close to each other, freelancers focus more on completing the work on time than on the quality of their work.

Since you’re working for yourself, there’s no one else who can assure the quality of your work except you.

Tip: Pencil in deadlines a couple of days before they’re actually due. This gives you enough time to go through your work and make sure that the quality is still there. Keep track of clients’ needs with their creative briefs.

Wrapping up

Lastly, don’t worry if you are not a multi-tasking wizard. I’ll let you in on a little secret: most of us weren’t good multi-taskers when we started out either. We learn everything on the job, and so will you. Just keep at it and don’t give up!

The post 10 Roles of Freelancers (How to Manage Them) appeared first on Hongkiat.

Sometimes you see the signs early; other times you will only realize that you’re working with a client from hell when you get burned midway to the project.

Truth be told, as a freelancer, you will bump into one or more of the following clients as you stay longer in the freelancing feel. If you have a choice in it, avoid them like the plague. If you don’t, there are other ways to get around the problem and prevent further damage.

So keep your eyes peeled and watch out for the client who:

1. Doesn’t know what he wants

We’ve all had clients who are not sure of what they want. What do they mean by ‘a new look’? Do they mean the logo, the entire website, or just a new web copy? Usually, the scope of the project can be cleared up quickly by asking the right questions.

Having and using a standard list of questions is a great way to clear the confusion and get to the heart of the problem before any work is started.

But every now and then you get a client who can’t explain what they want even after answering all the burning questions you have, or they simply don’t agree with your assessment, for example, while it’s obvious from their responses that what they need is a rebranding exercise, they’re adamant that all they want is just a new logo.

Watch out for the said client – there’s a high chance they’ll never be satisfied. The worst part is when they come back saying that your work was faulty and despite not being able to tell you what they wanted, they somehow know that your work is not what they were looking for.

2. Runs through freelancers extremely fast

If your client mentions having a lot of trouble with their previous freelancer (or freelancers) then watch out! One or two problematic freelancers are a common occurrence but if they have a history of running through them really fast, then the problem might be the client.

Where possible, ask around in freelancing forums or in your network about the client before you accept their projects. Try to get hold of the freelancer who had worked for them and see what he has to say. If the problem turns out to be the client, turn down the offer as best as you can.

3. Wants the ‘Best’ rate

When a client asks for your best rate, that’s code for your cheapest rates. Before long, you will feel like you are bargaining your self-worth away. Gently remind your client that your rates are reflective of the quality of the work you put in.

Never lower your rates beyond recovery. If you give them a low rate now, they will expect the same low rates for future projects.

4. Thinks his nephew can do it better

We’ve all probably heard this one. It could be a jab at your prices, or at your ability to understand their gibberish and read their minds. When expectations don’t meet, tempers may flare and they might give you weird excuses on what they didn’t like about your work; excuses like one of his many designer nephews can do better.

If their niece and nephew could do it better they wouldn’t have to come to you, things like that. But honestly, if they don’t like your work, they’re more than welcome to get their own family members to do it for them (for free).

But remember to let them know that since they’re rejecting your work, they can’t use it, as you still own the copyright.

5. Doesn’t want to sign a contract

Having a contract is standard practice. If you don’t have one, please do, even if it’s just pasting the contents of the emails you exchanged with the client while you are both ironing out the details. Turn it into a document and send it to the client for signing.

If the client refuses to ink the contract, you may run into problems later on down the project. The whole situation for refusing black-and-white reeks of trouble. If they say something along the lines of "we trust you and you can trust us too" just tell them that it’s to prevent confusion and double work in the future.

Just so we’re clear, negotiating on contract terms and clauses is fine. It’s the "not signing or delaying of the signing" that is a warning sign. Even if a customer has said that they’ll sign it, on the side of caution, don’t start work on the project until you get a copy of the signed contract back.

6. Does not communicate on time

You’re working on a time-sensitive project for a client. You meet your end of the bargain and send the work for approval or review. Then you wait for them to get back to you.

One week later you’re still waiting and then out of the blue they get back to you, saying they need changes done, and within 2 days, because they have a deadline to meet.

Who doesn’t dislike a client like that? Send the client an email reminding him that he hasn’t sent you the information or feedback you requested on time and as a result, you will not be able to meet their deadline now. While we’re on the subject…

7. Always wants rushed work

If you rush work often enough for a particular client, the client might begin to expect the same from you every time. Talk to your client about not regularly doing any rush work. Even if they’re paying you more, the stress of pulling all-nighters does not justify the money.

If the customer does not ease up on the rush work, it might be time to say bye-bye to him. You don’t want to burn out after all – unless you’re happy with the customer always wanting rush work and putting pressure on you because that’s when you do your best work. In that case, by all means, keep at it!

8. Is a bad paymaster

Just because a client pays doesn’t make them a good paymaster. A client is a bad paymaster if he pays late, changes the payment schedule and pays in installments, or pays less than agreed (I’ve had that happen to me before).

Find a client who pays on time or better yet pays in advance and sticks with that client instead of this one. If you’re tempted to give them a chance, think long and hard. In my experience, if a client starts delaying payments or changes the terms mid-project, it’s a clear sign of trouble.

9. Wants you to do spec work

Spec work (spec here is short for speculative, not specifications) is the bane of a freelancer designer’s career. I’ve never understood why clients ask for spec work, but some do.

The work that you pour into your spec work (if it is requested by the client) will not be paid if the client does not like what they see, so you can see the risk factor here.

In my opinion, clients should pay for sample work that they asked the freelancer to do, whether they hire him or not, simply because spec work eats into our billable hours. There are of course exceptions but 9 out of 10 times, spec work is counter-productive to your freelancing goals.

Instead, show them your portfolio, accumulated from the past work you have done for previous clients or what you have done during your spare time.

10. Promises future work if you work for peanuts now

Ever had an email from a prospect who says he’ll have more work for you in the future if you work for next to nothing now? Or that he’ll pay you more once his business/service gets established and he’s earning big bucks?

Newsflash: That’s never going to happen. Unless it’s an uncle who is ripping off his nephews and nieces.

11. Is never satisfied

You work hard on a project, put in all you have and send it to the client. They send it back to you for major edits. You make the changes; send it to the client again only to have it sent back to you again for changes, and again and again and again.

Unless you really messed up the project it’s safe to say that when a client keeps sending back your work to you for changes, they’re never going to be satisfied.

Charging for the changes usually puts a stop to it. And once you’re finally done with the project and have greener pastures to graze on, let go of this client.

Letting go of problem clients

Avoiding clients who might pose problems in the future is a smart move; What’s not smart is judging prospective clients harshly. They’re not always at fault. Freelancers are known to be a problematic bunch too. You can bet that clients have signs they keep an eye out for when it comes to freelancers they work with as well.

No one likes to admit they’re wrong but before you judge that a client unfit to work with, take a good look at the relationship and yourself. Is your work above reproach?

Did you communicate effectively with the client, meet deadlines and go out of your way to cooperate with clients? Most importantly, do you treat your clients the way you want to be treated?

A lot of times, what we as freelancers see as signs of trouble in a client is usually just an oversight on the client’s end. Talk it through with your client, let your client know the problem you’re facing, and see what they can do about rectifying it before making the decision to continue working with them or finding another client.

Have you dealt with a client like any of the ones listed above? How did you resolve the situation?

The post 11 Signs of Problematic Clients You Should Let Go appeared first on Hongkiat.

While some freelancers thrive on being their own boss, others find that they’re not as good at working for themselves as they were working for a company, or in their 9 to 5 job.

A lot of people thrive on working full-time in a traditional office setting. Whether it’s because they love working in teams, like to bounce ideas off each other, and be able to share a joke with a colleague sitting in the cubicle next to them, or because they are too used to it to be independent, there are people who may not be suited for the freelancer’s life.

So before you take the plunge, consider the following aspects of a freelancer’s life to see if it is your cup of tea, things like…

1. You’ll be working alone (A lot!)

Freelancing can be a lonely profession. While previously you work right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of an office environment, now you’re working from your home, isolated from society.

The kids will be at school, your significant other would be at work and you will definitely be home alone working on your laptop. Apart from when you go for interviews to pitch your services or to meet partners, you could go an entire day without using your voice! Before long the isolation will start to affect your mood and work.

If you’re used to having people around while working, consider sharing an office with someone or go rent a desk or cubicle and embrace the coworking phenomenon.

2. You hold yourself accountable

Freelancing full-time means you’re responsible for yourself and your work more than ever. There’s no one around to monitor how much work you’re getting done or whether you’re meeting your targets.

For you to be successful as a freelancer, you need to be accountable for yourself. Otherwise, you might end up spending half the day tweeting and going through your RSS reader.

Your work will suffer and your clients will see the effect in the work you turn in. There are plenty of tools, apps and methods to help you stay focused at work but at the end of the day it boils down to having the self-discipine to run yourself and your work.

3. You’ll need self-discipline

When you first start freelancing full-time, it’s so tempting to give it your all and work late nights. But what those late nights really do is make you so tired that getting up in the morning is difficult.

Then you think, since you’re working for yourself, you can set your own hours making it okay to sleep in. And that’s where you’re wrong.

If you sleep and wake up late, your entire day gets realigned. Instead of working through the morning, you’re working through the night. Not only is that unhealthy, but it also turns all your waking hours into working ones.

Stick to your office-going work hours and your freelancing business has a good chance of making it. After all, clients don’t burn the midnight oil – they keep to office hours and that’s also when they are most likely to contact you with the latest updates. Keep yourself available.

4. You must learn to negotiate

In a full-time job you’re paid a fixed salary each month with a raise every year, medical insurance, paid leave, and other perks. In freelancing your earnings are directly dependant on your rates and there are no perks in freelancing.

In order to succeed, you need to be able to negotiate reasonable freelancing rates for yourself. There’s nothing wrong with starting out with low rates – as long as you steadily raise them as you gain a reputation for yourself and are always improving your skillset to deserve higher pay.

Failure to negotiate rates means that you’ll be stuck with low rates – and nobody else is going to help you raise your rates.

Here’s a quick tip for raising rates: always quote a rate that is higher for your new clients compared to your present clients and work your way up as you get more projects.

5. You have to deal with clients!

Unless you’ve directly dealt with your company’s customers and clients during your office years, your very first roadblock is going to be dealing with clients.

When interacting with clients you need to be courteous, direct, and helpful in your communications with them. There’s no room for exasperation or sarcasm – even when they are horrid to work with. Think of it this way: your client is now your boss and you have to treat them like one.

A lot of clients stick with freelancers who are easy to work with and always go out of their way to deliver 100%. So impress your client, and you’ll have smooth sailing for the most part.

6. You mustn’t let emotions take over

Freelancing doesn’t give you a buffer against irate clients, unreasonable demands, and rejections. Instead of hearing the news from your boss or a colleague, you’ll be hearing it directly from the client.

Whether it’s a rejection (they’re the hardest to take), an unreasonable demand, or just a disgruntled client, you’ll need to handle the situation with tact.

Keep your emotions in check and instead of going on the offensive, do damage control. Clients are your lifeline; you can’t afford to alienate them.

7. You must know what’s trending

As a freelancer, you’ll need to stay on top of the trends in your industry to stay ahead of the game. It doesn’t mean you waste time trying out everything, but figure out which trends affect you directly and how you can use them to your advantage.

A few years ago, when blogging became the next best thing for business, freelancers who quickly establish their own blogs managed to not only get more clients but also establish themselves as leaders in their niche.

As a full-time freelancer, you need to keep an eye on emerging trends and have the ability to quickly figure out which trends would benefit your freelance business the most.

8. You need your family and friends

Before you make the jump, make sure that your family supports your decision. When you start freelancing, things are pretty stressful. You’re spending a majority of your time finding clients and are constantly worried about making ends meet.

If you don’t have your family’s support (and I’m not talking about just financial support) your stress level is going to spike through the roof.

There are going to be days when you’ll feel like it might not work. That’s when family support matters the most. Just having someone – a partner, spouse, your parents or even one of your big-eyed kids – tell you that it’ll all work out or they believe in you, can go a long way in boosting your confidence.

Friends are also a great source of support during the first few months too. They can help spread the word about your services and refer you to folks in their social and professional circle if they are looking for a freelancer.

9. You must have extra savings

Before you leave your full-time job, start freelancing on the side. It’ll help you gauge your chances of success and when you do switch to freelancing, you’ll have some clients already.

But here’s the catch. After a while, you may feel confident that their payments can keep you afloat, but don’t expect when you do go full-time with freelancing that you’ll have the same clients beating down your door with work.

Think of it as setting up a business from scratch. You’ll eventually need to go out there and find clients – which takes a lot of time and networking, something you will be disadvantaged after removing yourself from the scene by quitting your job.

Until you’re making enough to make ends meet or turn a profit, you’ll need to dip into your savings to get by on a monthly basis. Try to have enough savings to last 6 months before you quit to go full-time freelancing.

The secrets to success

The secret to succeeding as a full-time freelancer is to treat it as a business. You’re the CEO of your freelance company. You’re the one responsible for everything related to it.

Stick to the work ethics you conform to during your office-going days and you’ll be fine. The only difference is that you can take a break when you want to, and work extra hours when needed.

You get to spend more time with your family since you’re spending less time getting stuck on the way and back from work and not to mention those epic-length meetings.

Set your own hours: if you can get your work done in 4 hours instead of 8, no one’s forcing you to stay in the office. How cool is that?

What was the biggest adjustment you made when you started freelancing full-time?

The post 9 Things You Should Know About Freelancing Full-time appeared first on Hongkiat.

A contract helps streamline your work around a schedule as well as all those clarified details of what was agreed between you and the client. More importantly, it prevents you from double work and headaches down the line.

If you started freelancing without a contract, I bet it wasn’t long before you felt that you needed one. Maybe a client reneged on their payment or asked you to revise your work so many times that you wished you had a contract with a clause that charged for revisions. All it takes is that one client.

The fear of contracts

We know the importance of contracts but we’re just so intimidated by them! Unless you’re a legal writer, it’s natural to fear drawing up the document we know as the contract. But here’s the thing: Using simple language is the best way to avoid confusion. You don’t need a lawyer to draft a contract. You just need to know what works for you.

So grab a paper and pencil (or open up a Word document) and begin drafting your first contract. Don’t miss out on any of these clauses because you really, really shouldn’t freelance without them.

1. Pricing/Rates

The most important thing to ensure sustainability in your services is to make your rates clear. Put them down in writing during the initial stages of the project. Do you charge by the hour, or by a complete project? Make sure your client is agreeable to the way you charge them, so they wouldn’t dispute and withhold payment thereafter.

If you’re charging by the hour, include a minimum and maximum work-hour clause. "Project Red won’t take less than X hours and no more than Y." The X is for your security – you’ll get paid for these hours even if you finish early. The Y is for your client’s security. He won’t have to pay for more than Y no matter how long it takes for you to finish the job.

2. Single Point of Contact

Oh boy! This clause is a lifesaver. If you’ve ever worked with a client where you had two or more people giving you feedback and requesting changes, you will know that this is necessary.

By including the ‘single point of contact’ clause, you’re limiting your communication to one person. All the feedback and revision requests need to go through that one person – whether your client is a solo-prenuer or a manager in a big firm.

The larger the team that deals with you, the more internal conflicts they have to iron out. Having a single point of contact saves you from confusion and double work. You don’t have to waste time and energy trying to satisfy three points of contact (a.k.a. people with authority to make changes) with different ideas of what they need.

3. Payment/Invoicing

Spell out a payment schedule in your contract. Do you want it to be half now, half after payment schedule, or with 3 installments of 40-40-20? Some freelancers prefer 50-25-25. Everyone has a reason for their preferences. Personally, I prefer to be paid in 3 installments on bigger projects. Usually 40% upfront, 40% when I send the first draft and the final 20% when I send over the finished copy.

How you get paid also needs to be included in the contract. Do you accept payment via direct deposits, checks or PayPal? How long a grace period do you give when receiving payment? Some organizations issue payments a period of time after they receive the invoice. Make sure you have ironed out all these kinks before you start work.

4. Revisions and rewrites

We’ve all had a client or project where we just can’t seem to get what they want right due to various reasons. It could be that the client is confused or fickle-minded, or a perfectionist – one who can never be satisfied no matter how many revisions you do.

The worst kind is the one who changes the entire focus or direction of the project, halfway through the timeline. All prior work poured into the project could become useless, and you will be starting from scratch but without a revised deadline.

Instead of spending much of your time revising, rewriting, redesigning, recoding etc for hours, a clause in your contract can make this a painless procedure. Offer a number or free revisions/rewrites and then charge for any more the client wants to be done. This would at least reduce the client’s inclination to make changes as he likes, and start doing revisions that are only necessary. Most freelancers offer 2 free revisions, 3 at most depending on the nature of the work they offer.

5. Kill Fee

Sometimes, for reasons beyond our control, a project gets canceled after you’ve started working on it. For freelancers without a contract, it might mean that they won’t get paid for the work they have already done until the notice of cancellation.

A kill fee clause saves you from being the disadvantaged party in case a project gets axed. It makes sure you’re paid for how much of the work already done since you have spent your time and effort on it, both of which could be spent on other projects that you may have on the side.

Different freelancers charge different kill fee. Some have an elaborate stage-by-stage kill fee schedule. Others charge a flat 50% and some charge as low as 25%. It depends on what seems fair to you – the point is to deliver some form of compensation on the work that has been done but won’t be put to use.

6. Copyrights

Depending on the kind of freelancing you do, there are different copyright options available. Freelance writers have the most copyright options such as first serial rights, print rights, electronic rights, etc. For most freelancers though it boils down to owning the rights until the final payment is made.

Copyrighting your work is a must if you want to avoid having a client run away without paying for your work or use it without permission. On the other hand, It’s also a form of protection for your client. If they have made full payment, they have already bought the copyrights from you, hence they know, and should expect to not find the work done anywhere elsewhere.

7. ‘Scope Creep’

A ‘Scope Creep’ is exactly what you think it sounds like. It refers to that nasty little bugger who seems innocent at first but grows into a monster fast. Imagine a client who pays on time and appreciates your work. It’s the perfect client, right?

However, after some time the Scope Creep will start saying things like "Hey, we were going through the work and realized that this will be even more awesome if xyz was added to it. Can you include that too?" You say, "Sure, it won’t take long, I’ll just quickly add that in." And that’s how it begins.

During the course of the project, this will keep repeating, and over time it will accumulate to a point where you’re doing more work than you signed up for and you’re not getting paid for it!

A scope creep clause is your protection against it. Reserve your right to adjust the rates of the project should the scope of the job, or amount of work you have to do is increased significantly. This way the client knows that they are liable to pay extra for any additional requirements they want to throw in.

8. Deadline

No freelancer signs on a project without a deadline. A deadline is necessary. A lot of times, freelancers can set their own deadlines; other times the work is time sensitive so the client sets their own deadline. Either way, getting it down in writing is a security measure for both you and your client.

For the client, this prevents the freelancer from delaying the completion of project. For the freelancer, it allows for a change in the deadline in case the client does not get back with the required feedback/information/approval in time.

Having deadline will also allow you to schedule your future work even before you start working on them. This ensures that you don’t take in two projects that need to run simultaneously and yet still be able to keep your working schedule filled, giving your income a bit more stability.

Conclusion

Now that you know which clauses to include, it shouldn’t take you long to draft out a simple contract. Contrary to what you might think, this contract doesn’t have to look like a legal document. In fact, you can collect all the emails you’ve exchanged with the client, transfer the results of your discussions into the document, hammer out all the details, and compile them.

Both you and your client should acknowledge that you have both read and agreed to the contents of the contract, sign it and each keeps a copy for future reference.

Have I missed anything? Is there another clause that you think one should not freelance without?

The post 8 Contract Clauses You Should Never Freelance Without appeared first on Hongkiat.

What do you get for a geek chic who has it all? Well, we looked around and stumbled upon 18 of the coolest geek gifts out there. Whether you are a tech geek, a gadget geek, a movie geek, game geek, science geek, or math geek (or know one), you will probably see something you like here.

DNA Pendant

If genetics is your fashionista’s calling, then she’s going to love these DNA Pendants. This-inch long 3D double helix pendant is the perfect way to tell your significant other how unique and special they are.

Secret Decoder Ring

Cryptology lovers are going to go bonkers over this ring! This secret decoder ring can help you create your own code that only you and your significant other know.

Whether it’s a love note, a reminder to pick up milk on your way home or a password, you’ll have your own secret language that only your ring can decode. How cool is that?

The One ring from LOTR

One ring to rule them all – Need I say more? My Lord of the Rings loving heart is dying to get my hands on this ring! My preciousss…

Golden Snitch Necklace

Harry Potter die-hard Quidditch fans are going to love this Golden Snitch Necklace.

If you’ve ever dreamed of catching and keeping the Golden Snitch for yourself, then this necklace is exactly what you need. Now all you need is a flying broom. Good luck with that.

Molecule Necklace

Ask your science geek fashionista’s favourite molecule and have it fashioned into a sterling silver necklace. The personal touch is bound to impress. Here’s the molecular structure for caffeine.

Quote Couture Earings

Writers and editors are going to love these earrings. The best thing about them is that they can add a hint of playfulness to formal wear and totally funkout your casual outfit.

I probably would never take them off, they’re so cool! This is the perfect gift for the geek fashionista who loves to read and write.

Math (Pi) Pendants

Sundial Necklace

You know what’s cooler than geek jewellery? One that’s just not for show. This sundial necklace can tell you the time of the day accurately by simply dangling it in direct sunlight. Ok, maybe not. But the necklace comes with an instructions booklet that teaches you how to use this sundial.

Superman ring

A custom ring that is available on special order. While the price tag attached to it will make most of us whistle, it’s a very sound investment if you ask me. The classiest Superman ring I’ve seen so far and has a diamond in it too!

Final thoughts…

Contrary to popular opinion, geek fashionistas aren’t hard to please. As with any gift (and with any female), it’s the thought that counts.

So while all these gifts are going to make you a winner, a gift that doesn’t hit its mark is still going to be appreciated. After all, you wanted to celebrate her geekiness. What can be more thoughtful than that?

The post Awesome Gifts For The Geek Fashionistas appeared first on Hongkiat.

There are clients who make our freelancing lives difficult, jeopardizing our livelihood and endangering our freelance business — the reasons for which can vary from freelancer to freelancer and situation to situation.

In every situation, there are a few signs that tell you it’s time to let your client go. Get ready to walk away if your client:

Doesn’t pay on time

Let’s face it: for the sake of making a living, we’re willing to put up with a lot, but the one thing that we don’t want to be made to put up with, though, is late (or no) payment. We didn’t do all that organizing, scheduling, and sheer hard work through sleepless nights just for the client to be late with their payments!

Work delivered on time deserves timely compensation.

Late payments are fine once or twice. Clients have issues and glitches too. We understand this, and if they let us know in time, we usually don’t mind. But if a client makes a habit out of it then maybe it’s time to move on.

In cases where you can’t let the client go: politely let your client know you cannot invest your time and efforts in any of their work anymore to give priority to other clients.

In addition to that, if late payments have become the norm, then a change in the contract terms might be in order too. Ask for at least 50% upfront payment before you start work. Milestone payments (50% upfront, 25% on delivering, and 25% on project completion) work better to ensure that your Client doesn’t bail on your livelihood.

Sends less work your way than before

A lot of times, clients stop sending as much work as they used to. It’s a common occurrence and completely understandable. But as a freelancer, you need to think about what’s best for your business.

If a client is sending less work your way, you might want to think about alternative sources of work since you’re losing money just by waiting.

Think of it this way: will your business be better off if you work for a client who has more work to offer regularly? Or does it make more sense to stick with your current client and risk receiving less and less work from them?

In cases where you can’t let the client go: send the client an email asking about the reduced workload. Simply state that you’re asking in case the terms of the contract need to change.

Be candid. Tell them the reduced work is affecting your business, and you need to know what amount of workload to expect from them so you can plan accordingly.

Becomes increasingly demanding

Demanding clients can be good — if they force you to produce your best work. But if all the demands are about unreasonable deadlines, changes they’d like you to make after you’ve met every specification or scope creep, it might be time to let the client go.

Unless you’ve got balls of steel or are the king/queen of tact, I’d suggest against telling the client that you’re letting them go because they’re unreasonably demanding. Just let them know that you won’t be able to meet a certain deadline or do the additional work and apologize. Refer someone else to them and walk away.

In cases where you can’t let the client go: negotiate. Whether it’s deadlines or general demanding behavior, find a way to state your case and negotiate.

Is disrespectful

As freelancers, we’re willing to put up with a lot. But if there’s one thing a freelancer should never put up with is disrespect. Not only does it blow a mental fuse, but you also lose all respect for the client.

Whether it’s the client telling you that his children could do the work better than you, using foul language, questioning your ethics, or anything that you personally find offending and disrespectful, do not, under any circumstances, put up with it. Otherwise, your morale will go down and you’ll lose confidence.

When letting a disrespectful client go, refrain from starting a flame war. Act professionally, cite personal/professional differences, and just walk out.

In cases where you can’t let the client go: make it a point that they are disrespectful, and you will not put up with it. You’ll need to be a little sneaky and a lot cheeky for it. If the client claims his children can do better than you, suggest his kids showing you the ropes to get you on the right path. You get the drift.

Violates the terms of the contract

Violating the terms of your freelance contract is an offense, but it probably won’t be serious enough to hire a lawyer to take it to court, but it will be serious enough to make you consider letting the Client go.

If a client can’t be trusted to stick to his words, there’s a high chance you’ll face problems in the future. It’s one of those signs where it really depends on what contract term is being violated. If you feel you’ve been wronged, then by all means, let them go.

If you can’t let them go, insist on revising the terms of the contracts and adding a clause of your own to prevent something similar from happening in the future.

Is high maintenance

High maintenance clients usually require a lot of hand-holding or guiding. They expect you to explain every little detail, and submit detailed, emails or scheduled reports of your progress.

If something needs to be emailed at 12 pm then that’s exactly when the email needs to go out otherwise, the client gets angsty. A high maintenance client would want to communicate every day and may even call you after hours.

To be honest, such clients are rarely worth the hassle. Even if a freelancer has the time, he definitely doesn’t have the mental capacity to deal with such a high maintenance client. You may need to pop a couple of painkillers for the definite headache you’ll be getting every day just from talking to this client.

Is unprofessional

A lot of clients are very friendly with their freelancers. They talk informally and throw in a joke or two. But being friendly with your freelancer is one thing; being a chum who goes completely off-topic or worse into gossip, is another.

It might feel easy for these things to pass, but the chances are high that the client will eventually say something or act in a way that you’ll find inappropriate or offensive. The fault is going to be yours for not correcting the behavior when it started.

Unprofessional clients are unpredictable. You never know when they’ll turn on you or when they’ll expect a work-related favor at no extra charge. Get out of the relationship before it sours.

Usually, when a client doesn’t get the same chumminess from a freelancer, they will back off. But if they don’t, a gentle reminder may be in order. Remember, tact is everything in cases like these.

Conclusion

If your client is showing any of these signs, it may be time to think about letting them go. The time and energy you spend on dealing with them will be better utilized in looking for new clients or concentrating more on your trouble-free clients. Have you ever let a client go? What was your reason?

The post 7 Signs It’s Time to Fire Your Clients (For Freelancers) appeared first on Hongkiat.

Working at home alone, day in and day out can take its toll. You find yourself unable to concentrate, the quality of your work starts slipping, and every idea you come up with seems contrite and unimaginative. In short, you lose your creative spark.

Luckily, there are several ways to keep your creativity intact.

Take your work outside

If you’re feeling the walls of your office close in on you every time you try to concentrate, it may be time for a change of scenery. Consider taking your work to backyard, front porch, or balcony. The fresh air, the hustle, and bustle of your neighborhood is may be what you need to revive your creativity.

You can even head to your nearest park or coffee shop. Combine the fresh air with people-watching, and your head will soon be brimming with ideas and possibilities! If nothing else, you’ll come back home feeling a lot better than you were when you left.

Get your hands dirty

Spending an entire day coding, designing, writing, editing, or Photoshop-ing can take its toll. If your work is starting to swim in front of your eyes, it may be your brain’s way of telling you to take a break.

Spend some time doing something with your hands — well, something other than moving your fingers over your keyboard. Instead of typing words and hitting commands that stopped making sense hours ago, step away from your computer and do something else.

Instead of hurrying through your lunch or dinner, take the time to enjoy it. Colour. Use crayons, paint, or markers. Even if you just stencil your name, taking 30 minutes to create something with colors will relax your brain and give it something new to focus on.

If you have a garden or house plants, take the time to weed and water your plants. Pot a plant if everything’s tended for. Any gardening fan will tell you how rejuvenating working with plants is. Sometimes, doing something with your hands is just the boost your brain needs and your creativity will thank you for it.

Stop and ask, ‘What’s wrong?’

Stop! Stop doing whatever you’re doing right now, whether it’s browsing, checking email, or answering the phone. Now ask yourself why you’re not feeling creative. Is something stressing you (apart from your lack of creativity)? Is there something bothering you? What aspect of your personal or professional life feels off-balance?

Once you’ve pinpointed the problem, try and figure out how you can solve it. What can you do to make the situation better? Your problem may not be something that can be fixed immediately. But finding out what’s wrong and acknowledging that something is wrong may be all you need. You’ll find yourself feeling much ‘lighter’. You’ll be able to concentrate on your work too!

Work on a personal project

We all have a project or an idea for a project that we’d love to do if we ever had the time. Well, with your creativity fried, now is the time. Nothing boosts creativity, like working on a project you’re personally vested in, even if it is something like reorganizing your office space.

And you’re passionate about your personal project. You want it to be perfect. This project is what you want to stop doing everything for.

Nothing boosts creativity like passion. So start working on it. Your passion and enthusiasm for the project will take care of your creativity. Before long, you’ll be bursting with positive energy and ideas, and you’ll want to work again!

Exercise

This is by far the toughest thing to do. But it’s also the most effective. Exercising is the one activity that is guaranteed to improve your overall mental well-being. So not only will your creativity be boosted, but you’ll feel more energetic, positive, and healthier too!

If you don’t exercise, it is definitely time to get moving. Even if it’s as simple as doing Pilates at home, get your bums off the chair and onto an exercise mat.

For those of you who already exercise (notice how I don’t include myself in the already exercising group?), it might be time for a change in the form of exercise you do. If you use a treadmill, head out for your run. If you run outside, try cycling or swimming or hiking.

Anything that gets your body moving is a guaranteed way to boost creativity.

Meditate

Meditation is a great way to relax. The simple act of concentrating on your breathing can significantly reduce stress. You don’t even have to leave your chair if you don’t want to.

Just turn off every ‘screen’ that’s on, close your eyes, and concentrate on your breathing. Inhale and feel the air move through your body. Exhale and imagine all your stress leaving your body.

Of course, mine is a very amateurish take on meditation, but focusing on your breathing helps. There are plenty of excellent meditation resources that you can refer to online. Find one that suits your work schedule.

Collaborate

If a project has you stumped creatively and you’re wondering what’s wrong with you, here’s something you probably haven’t considered: The problem may not be you. Not all projects are created equal. Sometimes we need help. If you’re unsure on how to proceed on a project or can’t come up with ideas, then seek help from a friend.

Collaborate with another freelancer or even hire a consultant if you can. Two pairs of eyes are always better than one, and two brains bouncing ideas off each other can be just what you need to get back in the groove of things.

Take a nap

If this is the first time your creativity has deserted you, then a nap may be all you need. Quickly go over your routine for the past month. Have you been going to bed on time? Have you been getting enough sleep? Peaceful, uninterrupted sleep? If the answer is no to any of those questions, then a nap is in order.

Your nap can be anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours. It depends on the needs of your body and the time of the day. I wouldn’t recommend taking a 2-hour nap at 5 pm!

If a nap is out of the question, focus on going to bed on time (or even earlier) to catch a little more sleep than you usually do. In a few days, your body would have recovered, and your brain would be back to its fully functional creative self.

Create a virtual water cooler

Loneliness is a very common feeling among people who work from home. While office workers long for some peace and quiet to work in, freelancers who work from home long for just the opposite.

If you work alone from home, then I’m pretty sure there have been times when an entire day has gone by without you uttering more than five words.

If you haven’t found yourself in good company in a while, then remedy the situation. Call a friend, a sibling, or even your mom and talk to them. Skype with somebody in your field who also works from home. Join a small online forum, start tweeting, anything that gets you to interact with people.

This helps you create a virtual water-cooler, not unlike those found in traditional offices that are a hotbed of gossip. The good thing with a virtual water-cooler is that you pick your own people and topics of conversations.

So get talking to people and feel your creative mojo come back with every conversation you have.

Laugh

Laughter boosts creativity. Even the monsters in Monsters Inc. found it to be true! So who are we to argue with a Pixar cartoon? If you’re feeling stuck and uncreative, watch your favorite comedy movies and shows. Whether it’s the movie Hangover, the television show Big Bang Theory, or a medley of funny children and animal videos on Youtube, get watching!

Me? I’m going to watch some Monty Python right now and give myself a much needed creative boost.

More Tips

If you need more tips on how to increase creativity, check out:

• 7 Ways To Increase Your Creativity
• Beating Designer’s Block: 5 Tips To Get Back Your Creativity
• More productivity-related posts.

Have you ever found yourself in a creativity slump? What’s your favorite way of boosting creativity?

The post How to Stay Creative While Working From Home appeared first on Hongkiat.

I know the feeling so well, but what I did then was, just start writing fast without even thinking, then a professional article was born with the time shorter than usual. Heck, it might be even more professional writing than my previous articles!

The phenomena have nothing to do with the God I worship or any supernatural phenomenon, it’s just how the brain works: we write fast and professionally if we can just limit something, abandon certain habits, and put up some beneficial habits.

That’s all, it’s really easy, and I’m going to explain them clearly in this article, so master them all and write like a ninja from today!

Articles you might be interested as well:

• Writing for the Web: Tips & Common Mistakes
• Writing for the Blog: Tips That I.N.S.P.I.R.E
• Freelance Writing: Tips & Guidelines

1. Freestyle Writing

To be honest, I hate this method. I’m one of those annoying writers who edit as I write. It just works better for me. I’m able to form better sentences, find my flow and generally write better if I take my time with it.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t make for fast writing, and just because I hate freestyle writing, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t work.

If you’re pressed for time and really want to get some writing done, open up a fresh Microsoft Word document, and start typing. Don’t worry about how it will sound, whether your sentences are grammatically correct or even if they make any sense. Don’t look at the clock. Get it all written.

Editing and cleaning up a copy in 10 minutes is more than enough for you to produce a quality article. So you see, there’s really no magic here, you just let your brain has more freedom, and it rewards you completed work. Fast and practical.

2. Set a Timer

I know a lot of people who don’t like setting a timer and writing till it goes off. However, I don’t know anyone for whom this hasn’t worked. So go ahead and try it.

Set a timer for 10, 20 or 30 minutes, then sit in front of your computer and start writing. It’s okay if you can’t think of anything to write and you might be just staring at a blank screen. It’s totally fine.

Chances are that as your timer starts to run out, your brain will jump-start and your fingers will start flying on their own. Like what I wrote earlier, it doesn’t have to be pretty and it doesn’t have to make sense. It just needs to be written! You can pretty it up later.

Once you timer is off, step away from your computer – even if you’re on a roll. Leave your brain wanting for more. If the timer proved ineffective in jump-starting your writing then take a break and come back to it later.

Your timer doesn’t have to be a clock. You can write after you’ve put a few cookies to bake in the oven and use that as your timer. Stop when the oven dings and treat yourself a cookie. After all, you deserve it!

My personal favorite timer is the train. I write every time I use the metro and have no choice but to stop and take a break when the train arrived at the station. And let me tell you, my fingers fly as the train is about to reach the station. Suddenly I have so much to say!

3. Turning Off Spell Checker

One thing that really bugs me is seeing a red-underlined error while writing in Microsoft Word. I mean can’t it tell that this is my first draft? That it doesn’t need to be perfect right now? That right now, at this very moment, it just needs to be written?

Well, apparently it can’t. So if you’re one of those writers who get bugged by the spell checker, you need to turn it off. For Microsoft Word 2010, you can simply click on the dark blue tab on the top left side of the software, then click on the Option > Proofing, and uncheck “Check spelling as you type“.

You can also uncheck any other option that will interrupt your writing process, such as “Mark grammar errors as you type”. You can check all these errors later by click on the Review > Spelling & Grammar Check, which the options exist on the top bar of the software.

By doing this, you will find that your idea will flow more naturally and writing will be more comfortable.

4. Turning Off Backspace

Ever had one of those sentences which you typed, then you feel it’s bad, then you pressed backspace about a hundred times, just to delete it? Yeah, I had a similar experience. What’s worse is that after I’ve pressed the backspace key a hundred times, I realize that my original sentence was fine.

To avoid pressing the backspace key for unnecessary changes, you need to make a determination to not touch the backspace key and stick to it. If you make a mistake, whether it’s a spelling mistake or a grammatical mistake, just move on.

If you manage to not hit the backspace key while writing, chances are you’re going to end up with some word combinations which have the potential to be composed into epic phrases that you might use after all.

5. Do Research Before Writing

One of the fastest ways to write is to stop the urge to check on your facts or refer to information for accuracy. Before you sit down to write, make sure you’ve done all your research and are well versed in it.

This way all you have to do is write without stopping. Everything is already there in your head – you just need to put it down in writing to make sense of it all.

Research before writing will also stop unnecessary actions like reading off-topic articles while you are writing. You might be even tempted to see certain Youtube video for “research” purpose and boom… another day well spent with nothing but procrastination completed.

Surely we need inspiration from different kind of sources, but not for the time when you need to write fast.

6. Write Outline

This is absolutely my favorite tip for writing fast. Think about what you want to write, then outline it. If it’s an article, jot down the subheadings. If it’s a web copy, write down the points you want to cover. The process is pretty much the same for any writing you need to get done.

If you prefer, you can also write more detailed outline for easier writing later. Give some keywords to every topic or even paragraph in the article. Surprisingly this action will possibly spawn more ideas for you in the writing stage later.

Most importantly, once you have the outline, writing will be a breeze and doesn’t take much time. Before you know it, the work is done!

7. Get a Writing Buddy

If nothing seems to be working, then teaming up with a writing buddy/partner is your best bet. A writing buddy holds you accountable, watches the clock for you and even writes with you.

If you have a lot of writing to do or have a big project that needs to get done, partnering up with a writing buddy is going to keep you motivated and on track with your deadline.

Your writing buddy doesn’t necessarily need to be your friend. They just need to check in with you to see if you’re doing what you have decided to do. Set a few ground rules before starting. What time will you check in with each other? How will you compare notes? Will you exchange each other’s work and provide feedback?

For me, the best writing buddy is one who has to do some writing of his/her own. This way, it’s a two-way thing and I’m not just getting help but I’m helping someone too.

What About Writing Professionally?

Your writing can’t be professional if it’s not written at first. Concentrate on getting it written first, then spend a few minutes revising, editing and generally prettying it up.

You’ll notice that there are really not many differences between the speed writing and the common writing, as you’ve done the research, wrote the outline, and edited the article to make it professional. You just took another approach which costs you less time.

So get it written first, then make it professional. Use these tips and tricks regularly and you’ll find yourself doing lesser editing with time while enjoying more on writing great articles! Also, do let us know your personal favorite tricks for writing fast and professionally!

The post Tips And Tricks For Writing Fast (And Professionally!) appeared first on Hongkiat.

New freelancers begin their career (if they don’t, they should) with research. They perform Google searches, scour tons of popular freelancing blogs to find out what the best freelancing practices are and have lots of conversations with established freelancers about how to start their own freelancing business.

They will probably the same advice from all these sources. Unfortunately, not all of it works, no matter how sound the advice is. Below are some of the popular freelancing advice you’ll come across that makes great sense, but don’t always work.

1. Don’t make your bedroom your office

This is the first advice I heard when I started freelancing. No matter what you do, don’t have your office in your bedroom. Forget an office, I didn’t even have a desk when I started freelancing. I’d work in bed or on the dining table. When I did get a table a month later, it was placed in my bedroom.

The reasoning behind the advice is sound. Working in bed is bad for your posture, and it doesn’t make for a healthy work environment. After a couple of hours of working from your bed, you just feel like lazing about – absolutely not productive.

But when they are starting out, many freelancers don’t have the funds or the room to have a separate home office. So the advice is actually redundant. It’s impossible to follow the advice you can’t afford.

How to make it work for you

If you’re working in your bedroom, make sure you sit up straight and have a breakfast table to put your laptop. Get up every half hour to stretch to avoid feeling drowsy or lazy.

If you have a desk in your room, try to set it near a window. If you don’t have a window, make sure you set the table so that your back faces the bed when you’re working. Add an easy to maintain, real plant on your desk and keep it clean. The aesthetics are important when one is strapped for space.

If at all possible, avoid working in the bedroom. Instead, choose the dining room or the kitchen table. It’s closer to the coffee!

2. Don’t work for free

New freelancers don’t always have a portfolio. To have one, they need clients who’ll give them work and to get work, they need to find clients. It’s a vicious chicken-and-egg thing. The only way out of it seems to be to work for free in the beginning – at least for the first couple of clients!

But popular freelancing advice says that you should never work for free as it undervalues your talent and sets a precedent for future compensation. What’s a freelancer to do? How are you going to build your portfolio?

How to make it work for you

Instead of working for free, create your own samples. Better yet, volunteer your services to a non-profit organization. Not only will it look good on your resume, but the organization would also be eternally grateful to you and when you ask for testimonials, they’ll be offering glowing examples.

3. Always take a deposit

How many of you took deposits from clients when you started out? Me neither. In fact, this is something I still don’t do unless the project is a substantial one.

Yes, I got stiffed once and yes, I should ideally take a deposit before starting work. But clients don’t always agree to that and it also really depends on how you do business. Granted, chances of you not being paid are high if you don’t take a deposit but it’s not always feasible to pass over a client just because they don’t pay an initial deposit.

For me, this advice only works with big projects. I simply explain to the client why it’s a big risk for me to start work when a big amount is involved. They usually understand and send over a 20% deposit (at least) or whichever amount we’ve agreed upon.

How to make it work for you

Never hand over a finished project. Always hold something back. If it’s a design project, put your watermark on it. If it’s a website theme/template send them screenshots and if it’s a writing project, ask them for the payment after the draft has been approved.

Whatever kind of work you do, find a way to either put your mark on it or hold something back until you receive the full payment.

4. Have a freelancing contract

Every freelancer, freelance blog and business book out there says the same thing: Working without a contract is inviting disaster to dinner. Yet there are countless freelancers who work without a contract. I know because I was one too. Legal mumbo jumbo scares the best of us.

As new freelancers, we’re eager to get started. "What’s the point of a contract until I have clients?" you think. And then suddenly, you have a client and you’re so excited you forget all about the contract.

Or maybe you’re scared to bring up the topic of a contract. You’re uncomfortable bringing it up when everything seems to be going smoothly. Just because this advice is popular doesn’t mean it’s not right. It just doesn’t work with a big percentage of freelancers.

How to make it work for you

Always communicate via email. Even when you’ve talked to the client over the phone, send them an email recapping your chat and ask them if you’ve missed anything. An email exchange might not be a contract but it’s the next best thing.

Should you come up with any problems, you can always refer to the emails and tell the client that this was what was decided and agreed upon about the rates, scope, payment terms. Better yet, once all the details have been finalized, send your client all the details in an email recapping the entire deal.

5. Charge what you’re worth

Freelancers either charge what they’re worth or they don’t. Most often, they don’t.

The internet is riddled with advice on charging what you’re worth. We’re told that the kind of clients we attract is directly related to our rates – and it’s true.

Unfortunately it’s very rare for new freelancers to even know what the going rate is in his niche, let alone, his worth. This knowledge comes with time and confidence in your work.

How to make it work for you

Charging what you’re worth might be stretching it a bit. Stick with charging the going rates. Use Twitter and LinkedIn to find other freelancers in your niche. Check out their websites to see if they’ve listed their rates.

While not all freelancer lists their rates, a few do which is enough to give you a general idea. If you’re still unsure, email the ones who don’t have them listed and ask them. Some won’t reply because they guard their rates but there are plenty of freelancers who will.

Online forums are also a great source of information. If there’s a freelancing forum you frequent, ask about the going rates there. You’re guaranteed to get plenty of help!

Reflection

The beautiful thing about being a freelancer is that we’re adaptable folks. If something doesn’t work we either work around it or find a way to make the best of the situation, without being taken advantage of. Have you ever been given advice about freelancing that didn’t work for you?

The post 5 Popular Freelancing Advice You Should Ignore appeared first on Hongkiat.

There’s a reason freelancers swear by the powers of brainstorming. A single brainstorming session can create new and creative ideas that either make you more productive or help you find a solution to your problem.

It’s a great way to extract all the information you have and what you need to know more about. It allows you to notice connections and patterns in the information and helps you create an outline.

Knowing the importance of brainstorming, how can we use it to take our projects to the next level? How do we brainstorm effectively?

The following tips and techniques will help you get the most out of your brainstorming exercise.

Mind maps

Mind mapping is the easiest and most popular form of brainstorming. They’re especially effective if you’re brainstorming on your own. A mind map is a graphical representation of all your ideas linked to and arranged around one central idea, problem or topic.

There are no rules to it apart from jotting down everything that comes in your head. Your mind map can be hierarchical or in a tree-branch format. You can either do a mind map on paper or use an online program like Mind Meister which lets you save, import and export your mind maps and comes with a free version as well.

Brain dumps

Brain dumps are the most fun. Take a piece of paper or open up your word processor and start writing everything that comes to mind. There’s no rule saying it has to be related to the project.

If you’re brainstorming logo ideas for a client and find yourself thinking about lunch, note down what you want to have. Trust me, it’s much more productive this way.

Otherwise, you’ll be stuck trying to come up with logos while your mouth is watering as you’re thinking about food.

Collaboration

If you find yourself stuck for ideas, talk to someone and invite them on board for the project. Get them to brainstorm with you and compare notes.

More often than not, your brainstorming partner will pick up something you might have missed, find a correlation or come up with a unique angle that you wouldn’t have thought of on your own.

If you don’t want to partner up on the project, that’s fine. You can still get them to collaborate with you for brainstorming as long as you return the favor.

Reverse brainstorming

Reverse brainstorming can work in two ways. The first is to visualize the result you want to achieve and then work your way back to the start. For example, if you want to write a blog post, then depending on how you write, your reverse thinking timeline will look something like:

• Respond to comments
• Publish post
• Format post
• Write post
• Create an outline of the post
• Write title

This technique helps you concentrate on areas that you may take for granted and highlights anything that you might have missed. In the example above, you might realize that you didn’t pay attention to the formatting of the post and now know what you need to do.

The second way is to ask yourself the opposite question of what you’re trying to achieve. First, ask yourself ‘How do I achieve these results?‘ and then ask ‘How do I achieve the exact opposite?‘

Let’s take this blog post, for example. When brainstorming the ideas for this post, I wanted to make this post exceptional. So I asked myself, ‘How can I make this post amazing?‘ I drew up a blank. I spent an hour looking at my outline for this post, trying to figure out how to make it amazing.

Then I decided to ask myself, ‘How can I make this post mediocre?‘ The answer was staring me right in the face – for both this question and the one above. I could make this post mediocre by simply explaining the tips and techniques for brainstorming and not giving any examples, and not showing how to use these tips.

Group sessions

Group sessions are great for getting past ideas that have you stuck. If you’re stuck at a particular section of your project, a group brainstorming session can be your ticket to clarity. The people in your group bring their own experience and knowledge that will help you find ideas for solving your problem.

It’s not necessary for the group members to be from the same field as you. As long as they have a rudimentary understanding of what you’re trying to solve, their ideas can be invaluable.

Sometimes, even input from someone who has no idea what you’re talking about can help. Encourage them to ask questions and propose any idea that comes to their head – even if it seems silly. Having a novice’s perspective on your problem may just be what you need to find a solution.

Ask Questions

Asking questions is a great way to come up with ideas and answers to your problems. Use prompters like what, where, who, when, and how.

Suppose you’re creating a website for a dentist, ask ‘Who is the customer?‘ The answer will be, people who have problems with their teeth. Next, ask, ‘What kind of problems do they have?‘ To which you’ll answer ‘Toothaches, cavities, dentures, etc‘ and so on until you have all the information you need.

Set A Time Limit

Setting a time limit is a great technique if you’re pressed for time or haven’t been able to brainstorm successfully. It forces you to focus and come up with as many ideas as it can in the given time.

The duration of the time limit depends on you. The limit has to be short enough to instill a sense of urgency but long enough to allow you to record all your ideas. If you’re trying this technique for the first time, start with 10 minutes.

For bigger projects, break your tasks down in small chunks and then brainstorm them one by one. This way you won’t feel overwhelmed by the sheer size of the project.

SWOT Analysis

A Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis is an analysis of your project’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Doing a SWOT analysis will give you a clear idea of what you have, what you need, what you can capitalize on and what you need to improve.

Reflection

The beauty of brainstorming is the lack of rules. It all depends on you. If you’re a list creator then you’re free to brainstorm through them. If you’re a graph lover, then you’re more than welcome to go crazy with print or virtual graphs.

The only thing you need to do before you start brainstorming is:

• Identify and elaborate the problem.
• Set rules for your brainstorming session (how many people per group in case of group sessions, time limit, etc.).
• Understand that there is no such thing as a bad or silly idea.
• How do you brainstorm, and what is your favorite brainstorming technique?

The post Brainstorming Tips and Techniques for Freelancers appeared first on Hongkiat.

Now just as there’s popular blogging, social networking and freelancing advice that doesn’t always work, there is also popular writing advice that might not work for you. If you’re looking to become a better writer, you’re going to come across these popular writing advice.

Recommended Reading: Useful Tips and Guidelines to Freelance Writing

1. Write every day

Writers swear by this piece of advice. They say it improves their skills and helps them avoid writer’s block. Even Stephen King writes 4 hours every morning without fail.

But here’s the thing, unless you’re a writer by profession and earn money through your words, having to write every day is unrealistic. You have a business to run and it is just not possible to write every day for the sole purpose of getting good at it.

Even if you do it, I can guarantee that you’ll be thinking about the 101 other things that need your attention and will have a hard time focusing.

Another reason this advice doesn’t work is that writing every day doesn’t improve skills as much as we’d like to think. Think about it, you’re writing every day but what if it’s not your writing but your grammar that’s weak? You’ll continue to write grammatically incorrect stuff every single day.

How to make it work for you

Identify the problem with your writing. Is it grammar, writing structure or not knowing a particular style of writing? Instead of writing every day, learn what you need to and practice it in your daily communication.

If it’s just a case of getting in the habit of writing and improving the flow of your work, then focus on all the writing you do during the day. Emails, Facebook and Twitter updates, blog comments, forum and blog posts etc are all areas you can practice on.

You’re probably writing on these mediums anyway; treat them as your writing exercise.

2. Write like you talk

This sounds like brilliant advice until you realize that writing like you talk is actually unintentionally bad advice. Confused? Most of us ‘Hmm’ and ‘Um’ a lot in our speech. We also tend to repeat ourselves a lot, trying to get our point across. Then there are our pet phrases, things that we say a lot, a whole lot. All of these are murder for the written word.

The other reason this advice doesn’t work is this: How many of us effectively communicate verbally anyway?

When you’re speaking, you have plenty of ways you can say the same thing to convince the listener. But you only have one shot of making a connection with your prospective clients and audience with your writing. You can’t afford to screw it up.

How to make it work for you

The key idea to take away from this advice is that your writing needs to ‘sound’ like you talk. It should have your personality. One simple way to do it is to listen to yourself talk. Pay attention to what you’re saying. Listen to your own voice. You can even record yourself talking and play it back to see what words and phrases you use most. Is your tone casual or formal?

Once you know how you sound like when you are talking, it gets easier to translate that into our writing. Instead of saying ‘Get what I mean?’ after every couple of sentences, you can simply write that phrase at a point in your writing where it’ll make the most impact.

Get what I mean?

3. Write like no one’s going to read it

I’ve always felt that this advice originally came from a die-hard bathroom singer. And just as bathroom singing is usually code for off-key singing, it is the same for writing too. Writing like no one’s going to read it puts no accountability on the writer.

If no one’s going to read it, who are you writing for? It’s so easy to get off topic or lose sight of the reason you were writing when you think no one’s going to read it. So now, instead of your writing is on point and structured you’ve given yourself the liberty to take your writing where your thoughts take you.

How to make it work for you

There’s no denying that when implemented right, this is powerful advice. Here’s my amendment to it: Write like no one’s going to read it but edit with your dream client in mind. The thought that you’ll be editing this piece later is all the accountability you need.

Even as you give yourself permission to write like no one’s going read it, you subconsciously think, ‘Hey, I’ll be editing it so I better stay as true to the topic where possible to avoid extensive edits.

4. Write what you know

If writing what you know is all that it took to write well, your business website copy would have been converting into sales like hot cakes. Unfortunately knowing your subject is no guarantee to writing well. You may know the ins and outs of your product or service but are you communicating them effectively?

How to make it work for you:

You’ve probably heard copywriters say that in order for a copy to convert, you need to talk about benefits instead of features. Is your product or service going to save them time? Will it ease their pain or suffering? How will it make their life easier?

If you don’t know the answer to these, list down your features in one column and then think about how each feature improves the life of your audience/reader/client. Think about how your writing will make your audience feel and write accordingly.

5. Avoid jargon and foreign phrases

Writers are advised to avoid using jargon and foreign phrases on the assumption that not everyone knows what they mean and you risk sounding like a snob. That’s true, but if you write in too simple a language, you risk making your reader feel like a 5 year old. And let’s be honest, sometimes saying ‘Cest la vie’ is a lot more effective than ‘That’s life’.

How to make it work for you

Know your audience. If you’re writing for industry experts, then there’s no harm in using jargon. If you want to avoid alienating some readers, add a little explanation of the word in parentheses the first time you use it. The same goes for foreign phrases.

If you’re writing for an audience based on their geography then by all means use a few common words and phrases from their language. It will help make a connection with them.

Reflection

When acting on writing advice, make sure it is working for you. Otherwise you’ll be wasting precious time and energy, not to mention having to deal with the frustration!

At the end of the day, it’s not about what type of writing helps boost your website or blog. It’s about what type of writing works for you. Ever tried writing advice that didn’t work for you?

The post 5 Popular Writing Advice You Should Ignore appeared first on Hongkiat.

Freelancers use social media for two purposes: to socialize with their peers and to market their business, blog or product. As is the case with every niche, there’s a ton of advice out there for freelancers looking to use social media for networking. Run a generic Google search and you’ll see the same things repeated on every blog, article, and ebook.

Just as there are popular blogging and freelancing advice that doesn’t always work, there’s also popular social networking advice that is sound in theory but doesn’t always work. Now I’m not saying that the advice is downright unusable; in the right circumstances, the advice is worth gold.

Recommended Reading: Interesting Social Media Infographics

The only problem is not everyone will find themselves in the same sets of circumstances. So if you’re following the popular social networking advice stated below and wondering why it isn’t working, it could be because that advice doesn’t suit your set of circumstances.

Automate your updates

A lot of social media power users support automating a part of your so that it seems like you’re around and active all the time. It’s handy for those who don’t have any time to spend on your favored social network. Let’s run a little test. Open up Twitter and take a few seconds to go through your stream. You’ll likely see automated updates from blogs, quotes, and plenty of links being shared by people via buffer and related services.

The trouble with automation is that after a while, it starts to feel mechanical. Let’s say you haven’t found the time to spend on social networks all week. If folks go through your stream, they’ll see you sharing links from your blog, quotes, and marketing tweets about your own products. They won’t see you interacting with your followers – and that’s the biggest issue with automating updates

How to make it work for you

There’s no doubt that automating updates does take care of a big part of our social networking. But too much of it can backfire. Instead of coming off sounding like a bot, automate a small part of your updates. If you blog regularly, use plugins like Tweet Old Post and set up a 4-8 hours of intervals between post updates. If you’re really busy, schedule some of your updates. Use a web app like Hootsuite or Buffer. If you’re sharing a link, add your own commentary to it.

If you know you won’t be around for a few hours, schedule a tweet letting your followers know. Everyone knows you can’t be there all the time. Your followers give you an allowance for that and will like you more if you’re upfront about not being there instead of automating updates and trying to fool folks into thinking you’re there all the time.

Be active Everywhere

Every time new social network crops up, everyone signs up and starts spending tons of time on it to make the most of the new medium. After all, that’s what popular advice recommends, "You gotta be active on social media!" By all means, be active but take this advice with a pinch of salt. You’re spreading yourself thin by being active on every social network out there.

As a freelancer, you’re strapped for time. If you keep alternating between the different social networks out there, you won’t be able to use any of them effectively. Being active on social media doesn’t mean you have to be active on every social network out there.

How to make it work for you

By all means have a presence on every social network that’s out there. Claim your account and custom URL. Then, only concentrate on the ones that are most relevant to your marketing. Do an inventory of your freelance business marketing and choose 3 social networks you’ll have the most success with.

For me, it’s Twitter and LinkedIn. On a side note, these days I’m experimenting with Pinterest. It’s always good to experiment with new networks that come up. Play with all your favorite social network sites for a bit every weekend or after working hours. Figure out whether they’ll be able to help your business, before jumping in and investing time you don’t have into it.

Share, share and share!

Your presence on a social network isn’t worth much if you’re not sharing content with your followers. But, oftentimes, freelancers make the mistake of sharing everything they come across or read, that is related to their topic of ‘personal’ interest.

If your profile is about your freelance business and you’re regularly sharing stuff about bird watching – you’re confusing your audience and giving them the wrong impression. Before long, they won’t consider you an authentic source of information and will either unfollow you or ignore you.

How to make it work for you

Share content that is relevant to your industry or target audience. If you’re a freelancer and your target market is fellow freelancers and prospective clients, then share content that relates to them.

Better yet, add your thoughts to the content you share. Let them know you have an opinion. The content you share can make you a go to source for information about your freelance specialty and establish you as an expert.

Send out n updates daily

When I first started using social networks to market my business, I was stumped by how often I should send out updates. The general consensus seems to be to update less on Facebook and G+ (5-7 times a day) and more on Twitter (15-20 times) throughout the day. So I followed that pattern, then saw my efforts tank. In order to follow that advice, I spaced out my updates and ended up losing track of conversations and disrupting my work schedule.

The advice on posting a specific number of updates is sound – except when it’s not. Confused? I was too.

How to make it work for you

The only way to find out how many times you should update your status is by using the social network in question. When my updates were being ignored, I disregarded the advice on how many times I should be sending updates and instead concentrated on having conversations. Sometimes that resulted in a 100 tweets per day, some days only 5. Sometimes, a single post on Facebook would generate enough conversation with no need for additional updates.

It really depends on the conversation and the time you have available for it to work.

Reflection

The good thing about social media and social networking is that nothing is set in stone. What works for you might not work for another. Only you can tell what works for you and what feels right. Have you followed any particular social networking advice that didn’t work for you?

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