6 Ways to Recession-Proof Your Freelance Business

Freelancers seem to be impacted less by the recession, but that doesn’t give us an excuse to rest. We need to work harder than ever, but there are many opportunities to take advantage of! Here are 6 ways that you can recession-proof your freelance business.

1. Increase your marketing. If you’ve been freelancing for a while, you probably have a handful of marketing channels that have proven to be winners for you. Increase your marketing efforts there. If you’re submitting proposals, increase the number of proposals; if you’re writing articles, increase the number of articles; if you’re cold-calling, increase the number of cold calls. Aim for a 20% to 25% increase. Chances are, you will probably only have time for a 10% to 15% increase, but aiming high will help you to accomplish more.

2. Add a new channel. Aside from those proven winners, above, find a new channel to market yourself through. Think about what you currently do and see if there is a channel that will expose you to a new set of customers but will work with your current marketing channels at the same time.

3. Contact previous customers. You’ve got a whole list of people who have used your services before and most of them know that value you give and are happy customers. Think about a way that you can reconnect with them and offer them your services again. At the same time, consider offering them a discount if they recommend someone else to you who also becomes a customer.

4. Improve the value you offer. I know you’re busy – you’re marketing more and through new channels, and you’re contacting previous customers. But now it’s time to step up and improve your value even more. Go the extra two miles for your customer.

5. Refresh your image. If you’re like me, it can be easy to ignore your own image and brand when there are dozens of customers who need work. But that image won’t brand itself! It needs your attention. Set aside a few minutes each day to strengthen your image and to breathe new life into it.

6. Partner with others. You likely offer specific services to a specific niche. But your market probably needs more than just your services to do business! Find other service providers who offer complementary services to the same niche and partner with them. When your customer comes to you for freelance writing, chances are they need web design, too, and you can send them to a trusted partner who specializes… and vice versa. You’ll increase the value you offer and you’ll gain exposure to your partner’s client list.