It doesn't matter what type of freelancer writing, marketing or consulting you are offering, you are doing yourself and your business a disservice by not having a blog of your own. The benefit from having your own blog, whether for personal branding or business exposure is limitless. The start up costs are also minimal, and now you can setup your own WordPress driven web sites with literally the click of a button! In this post we are going to cover just five of the many reasons why you MUST have a blog for your business, and how it can massively expand your reach and sales in no time.
1 – Branding
If you are going to be freelancing, you are likely writing and working for other people so they can make money off your efforts. At the same time you should be building your own brand awareness. One of the best ways to set this up is through the use of your own blog, and especially with a logo of your own. Many people will throw a blog together and start writing content from day one, but not focus on their branding potential. If you are going to have a freelancing business, not only is a blog a huge requirement, but so is having a logo or specific branding for your site. It's actually much cheaper and easier to create a logo than you might think.
2 – People Find You
Even though I am not personally a freelancer, I can vouch for the power of having an authority blog and how easily it makes it for people to find your contact and expand your potential business opportunities. Through my blog I've been able to meet with people all around the world, travel to different countries and speak at many different conferences and as mentioned, the blog in itself has open up whole new worlds of opportunity for myself and my business. What possibilities are you missing out on by not having a blog of your own?
3 – Offer Your Own Products & Services
Freelancing is great, and it's always nice to bring in new work… but you are also limiting yourself and how much your can make, as you only get paid for the amount of time you are working. If you focus your efforts on not only your freelancing business, but also a blog, you can start branching out and creating your own guides, membership sites and premium services. Your blog will be working for your 24/7 and potentially selling your products and services while you are sleeping!
4 – Building Your Own Blog Business
As we keep referring back to a blog, you will notice that the power of a blog increases with time. As you continue to add more content and quality resources, more people will read your blog and maybe even link back to you. All of this eventually leads to more freelance work and maybe the creation of your own products and services, as we mentioned in the previous point. The bottom line is that you are actually creating a whole new business of your own. Should you truly dedicate your time and heart into your blog, you may find that your freelancing business soon becomes a second and side revenue generating compared to your blog. When first starting your blog, put in as much effort and quality as possible, while thinking about your goals in the coming months and years ahead.
5 – Long Term and Continual Growth
The end result… this is everything you are working for. The life of a freelancer can be a frustrating and rewarding one. Many freelancers will find that there is a lot of downtime in between clients and that they make have to spend a few days to weeks before they can even find new work. During this down time you can focus your efforts on building your blog, which results in more branding, exposure and potential business for your freelance work, but all a result of your blog. Just as important as it is for you to have continual business through your freelance work, your blog will continue to grow in time and eventually create it's own revenue path and new business.
If You're a Freelancer Start Your Blog Today!
Now it's time for you to move forward and start your own blog, whether it's for personal use or for your freelance business. The pros heavily out weigh the cons when it comes to creating a blog. Even if you find that you don't know what you could possibly write about, just think about your previous freelance work, tips you could provide to people looking for work, case studies and experiences you've had with previous clients. At the very least, you can use a blog as a portfolio and contact source for all of your previous and future freelance work. There is really a whole world of opportunity out there, and if you feel that no one is interested in what you have to say, you are completely wrong.
Stop doubting your potential and take a few minutes to go register a domain, throw up a WordPress site and start the future growth for your new blog and freelancing work!
Blogs are very important for anyone or business trying to get their name out there. Some great point here were made and it’s amazing who is jumping on the Tumblr and blog bandwagon.
This is actually a good idea. I have a friend that is freelancing and he doesn’t have neither a blog or a logo. I will forward this post to him and i’ll make sure he will listen to this advice because it is from a pro!
Thanks, glad you liked the post. A logo design will definitely help with your friends business.
Rashmi, tell your friend to call me if he needs help to get his blog going.
Hey I think this is a really great post. It’s super important that freelancers take the time to brand their own name. I can’t tell you how many bloggers I follow that post on multiple sites, because I started reading their site first and then followed them to other blogs. Thanks for the tips!
Yeah it’s a good idea. This way we always have a free place to advertise our own services
Having your own portfolio and growing out another revenue source is always a great option.
By having a blog, one can easily promote their services and get more clients. I’ve got more than 50% clients through my blog.
It’s important for freelancers to brand their services and build a name. Creating a blog will only going to improve your freelance career and help you in building a long term business.
Killer, that’s great to hear! An excellent example of how blogging working for bringing in new business.
Hey Zac,
A blog is a great way to connect with your audience and/or customers on a more personal level and even attract more potential leads at the same time. I can serve as a sort of home base for all of your online activities.
Thanks for the tips, Zac!
Take care,
~Jeremy
Even I think that every freelancer should have a blog of his own so that people can have more interaction with him and thus his business can grow. I personally liked the branding part of the post. It surely helps you build your brand.
A very nice post Zac Sir !!!
As you have highlighted, owning a blog is a great way to increase the exposure and build an online brand. In addition, a freelancer should build its own site to point out its work and achievements, in the same manner as a business card.
Being a freelancer and not owning a blog is like a car without seatbelts.
I used this analogy because as the author mentioned, it could be days to weeks between a freelancer’s job opportunities. So a blog could really either be a source of new clients or a way to make money (adsense anyone?).
Thank you!
Hey Zac,
Nice points, Having your own blog certainly gives you opportunity to get more exposure and interact with people who may be interested in your services. Blogging is also a nice way to make consistent earning for yourself while branding yourself.
Interesting, I have a blog on teaching things and I had another site for my resume. I’m thinking of making that one (with resume) into a more personal blog with resume just as a page on it. (and maybe not public?) What would your thoughts on that be? Thanks.
A freelancer should have their own blog! This way, it can measure how he takes his mental capability in making a good blog and how he can interact people who makes a comment in his article. It’s good to know through “branding, you are likely writing and working for other people so they can make money off your efforts.”
The cheapest and easiest kind of website today is a blog. blogs (wordpress, to be specific) are so easy to manage and maintain. A freelancer without one should not complaint. The advantages are so wild-spread.
Well its a great idea having your own blog.
People certainly can easily finds you and you can build your authority and if you are helping people on your blog than from there you can generate leads as well that can be help full increasing your income.
So, I personally really like this idea and thanks for sharing.
I agree with you, branding is a must. You need to spend time and some resources trying to create some sort of branding of yourself and your company. Also a blog is important since people get to know you through your blog.
Yes Zac i am agree with you. A freelancer should have a blog then only they can spread his Services. Now a days Branding is Must Things. Thanks for this post.
_Amit Shaw
If you write for other blogs having a repository for your writing style (such as a blog) is an invaluable resource.
Just think… If you’re writing for blogs and you don’t have a blog how much can you know? Just one idea to kick around…
Great stuff!
Ryan H.
I agree with you completely Zac.
As a freelancer myself, you won’t believe how exhilarating it is when people offer you writing projects just because they found your blog and really loved the content.
I can say that I’m proud to be a freelancer, and more proud to have my own blog1
Creating a blog will help us to show our identity in to the social cloud, we can make circle around us if we’ve blog for whether home based freelancing works or small businesses or million dollars business or whatever we name it.
Blogging will be more helpful to our clients to know more about us and building strong bond with us, it will make a client to satisfied buyers to use our services repeatedly.
Hey Zac,
I agree every freelancer try to make brand name and enhanced there popularity and contacts among people and I think blogging is best way for getting popularity and contacts with different Peoples.
I agree with you zac, as a freelancer I have faced many difficulties and its always good to have blog, so that you one can get new clients and some revenue through ads.
Glad to hear. It’s also a great way to kill time and invest in yourself when you find downtime in between clients.
People also (hopefully) read your about your opinions and ethos and can make a judgement on whether they want to do business with you.
A window into your world!
I will never understand why people try to go anywhere in business (freelance or not), but don’t acquire a blog or even just a website. In today’s world, it’s completely illogical to not “cash in” on the internet experience. Nearly everybody – especially those that do freelance work – has clients that are dependent on the internet. Creating a blog is an extension of their services – it’s an easy way to attract customers.
Yes this is so true. Freelancers seem to forget how important marketing is, like my friend that i mentioned earlier. But i am wondering what could a freelancer post in the blog? About his work or in general ?
It’d be a natural blog! If the freelancer works in freelance web design, he could have a blog about web design, and then link different things to his services. He’d effectively promote himself. Give weaker content so that people will be attracted, and then make them pay for the real deal.
Thank you for these information. I will think of it and say it too friends and others that may be interested. One of them is web designer as well!
Great article, and the importance of a good blog or communication channel can never be overstated. Quality is important though, as the blog is representative of you and the services you offer.
I think these days that having a blog is a huge bonus for running any business. If you think about it, freelancing is a business where the product is your own skills. I agree that a blog is one of the best ways to advertise your own skills, so it goes to follow that if you are a freelancer, a blog is essential to your success.
Hi there I think that once you are a freelancer it is very important that you own a blog, this can be consider as part of marketing . aside from that, blogger shares important things in their own blog for other readers to talk about ,I mean sharing of ideas. or to create a community.
Zac, not sure a freelancer needs a blog. Done lots of freelancing without one. Freelancing works best with a “stable” of steady clients. New clients sometimes have weird ideas and are just shopping for a cheap worker. Slowly expanding a rolodex of reliable, paying customers works, too.
Freelancer or not, every blogger must have their own blog, just like what @cashforcash have said because it will make you look more professional, plus you can sell your product on your own site. A freelancer will benefit so much if he has a blog of his own.
Hi Zac, nice post, freelancing and blogging is one of the best combinations. The advantages of having a blog as a freelancer are so many that could actually mean the success or the failure of a freelancer (especially if he/she is a writer) thanks for sharing this great post…
Yeah, Actually I know many freelancers and really speaking I encourage them to make a blog or a service site so that they can get the outburst in public. People will come to know about them and this will really help in there future.
If freelancers post at least once a week, a blog helps to keep that flow going. It’s easy to get sidetracked because you are busy with projects, but posting consistently once a week shows a sign of commitment despite being busy. That’s a good look when people are looking for support with their needs.
Zac, great post.
What would a dentist be like if he didn’t have a dental office?
What would a chiropractor be like if he didn’t have a chiropractic office?
What would an insurance agent be like if he didn’t have an insurance office?
The same logic applies. What would a freelancer be like if they didn’t have a “home blog office” where they posted all their services, rates and most of all, articles to prove their credibility.
One of the best things I did back in 2001 when I first started online was to create a site and start publishing articles and a newsletter.
Great post Zac!
great tips, bloging is a good way to connect with potential customers on a more personal leve, for one it gets you leads and for another people get to see that youre honest and genuine so they can trust you to deliver the goods (when they want them)
Launching your own blog is one of the best way to promote your business. Through your own blog you can make online community and can open new horizons in blogging. Your tips are very valid.
I truly agree. Clients needs proof of your work especially if you are a SEO writer. Most of them wants to read your work and hire you on the spot. They can email you instantly. I have my own and clients can easily contact me.
great tips, i totally agree with you. Really need to have a Blog to Make more money from freelancing.
Well!
A bolg can be an identity of a blogger or freelancer. It is not essential that for a blog you should be freelancer of blogger .
It’s a way that you can express yourself. So i want to say bolg is essential for all.
And it’s a great post. 😆
Every freelancer takes onto themselves the responsibility of marketing themselves. You have to make a good impression. You have to get people to find you in ways they don’t know you can control. Thank you for the post!
You are very true, Zac. Some freelancers forget to have their own blog and branding when they start working for others and I really appreciate your thoughts that a freelancer should have his own blog to build his/her own brand awareness (logo is really helpful is this purpose) and to offer his/her product or services.
We host many blogs/WordPress websites for freelancer. We provide many free services that other website hosting charge for. Especially our BEST plan covers most of what you need. We also monitor for malware and help you if you need to cleanup malware.
Thanks Zach and Ileane!
Cheers, Carel (Owner: ClickHOST.com)
What are your thoughts on having a blog with your own name in it? Many famous bloggers do have them. Do you think its easier to brand your own name?
Ya i agree with you, Clients can see some of sample work on blog and other such things and get satisfied with the talent. it also gives you new clients and some revenue from the ads.
Blog is the very trend now when it comes to internet marketing. But, its one way of building relationship to other and having good rapport in dealing with them.
I too agree every freelance should have own blog also. Even freelancer know more about blogging.
now a days blog is most popular for broadcasting your brand and your own self. blog make your followers alert about your new company or new projects.
Owning a blog if you are a freelancer provides your customers and future clients some idea of your work. It is a sort of an advertisement and a showcae of your talent. Make sure that all the information in your blog is true and honest.
Funny you should mention logos because I realized recently that I don’t think the banner I currently have on my site, while cool, isn’t very “logo-ish”. In fact, I happen to have a simplified version of what I have on my site rendering right now that I think will be more in the line of a marketable logo.
I haven’t been freelancing, but I might want to start to supplement my income while I’m building some of my other stuff up.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi,
I have just found your website and can see me spending some time around here, some excellent advice and bloggers hanging out on here.
I totally agree to adding a blog to your own website for many reasons including:
Easy to update with new content
Easy to add keywords in titles and tags
We have recently added a blog to our site and we added two post about local UK citations and got around 400 new visits within a week.
Looking forward to reading more post.
Regards Wayne
I’m on board with a blog being important for Freelancers, but I think in-person networking is often an easier way to build connections locally. You talked about working on your blog while you’re looking for work, and I agree with that, but in my opinion, blogging shouldn’t be your only form of marketing. Grain of salt, right?
Can you please explain me, for a newly start-up freelance what is the right path for him/her to get a project from freelancing websites? I just want to know the ways, people are really following for successfully bidding or getting a project.
Please reply…
I agree, i think that since you’re working online as a freelancer, having business cards isn’t enough, you need to be able to show people that you have done great work in order to do great work for them in the future.
Freelancing has proven very successful, especially for me. I also agree that it is quite easy to be recognized once freelancers start writing blogs. It is also a form of branding for them.
yes it true that as a freelancer we should have owned a blog site so that we could share some link some post on audeince !! btw i love blogging and i enjoy it as freelance
That’s so true. Every freelancer should have an own blog. I started my career as a freelance designer and when I started my own blog about designing tips, I got too many clieants. Now I’m happy and now turned into a writer
I am new to blogging and I actually subscribed on Ms. Ileane’s for tips and resources. I’ve been hearing ‘Adsense’ in the internet as one way to monetize the blog. Other way is to register on a pay per post websites. But the problem is, how do I make my blog known to the public? This is something I need to learn in the process.
Nicely put question : – why is the advantage which entitles every freelancer to have their own respective blogs.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the stated article, infact if a freelancer keeps this entire relative points in mind he can be highly successful in a freelance environment.
I myself work for 99hours.com so i do know all the above listed points are very necessary to oblige while working.
Regards
Chris