Marketing takes a lot of time, effort, and money. You have to create content, find the best channels, measure its success or failure, and adjust accordingly. Although the payoff of your marketing is, of course, more work, there is the cost of promoting yourself that can be prohibitive.

• Spending a ton of money on AdWords
• Trying to figure out the latest SEO tips and tricks
• Posting regular content to keep search engines happy
• Staying on top of the latest social media

… there’s just so much to do and less time to do it!

Now, I like marketing a lot. And it does work. But for all of the marketing I’ve done in my business over the years, it only accounts for a portion the business I’ve brought in. So how have I acquired the rest of my business? Through networking.

I’ve contracted with lots of clients over the years and many of them came through marketing but many more of them came through contacts. In fact, most of my best, highest-paying, longest-lasting clients came through my networking. I built relationships and those people called me up and contracted me to do some work for them. And I’m not the only freelancer who has experienced this. I’ve talked to many other freelancers who have agreed that “who you know” is as important (or more important) than the latest marketing technique.

When was the last time you did any networking for your business? When was the last time you handed out your business card? When was the last time you shook someone’s hand and said, “Hi, my name is ____ and I’m a freelance _____?”

Start networking. Today! Here’s how:

• Don’t go out and find a group of freelancers to hang out with. You’re all in the same boat. Instead, go find where your clients are hanging out and join there.
• Brainstorm a big list of all the people you know (don’t worry if they need your services or not). Now brainstorm who you think THEY know. Chances are, you’ll end up with a big list of people. Now contact your friends and say “I’m accepting a couple more clients but before I open it up to anyone, I want to offer my services to your contacts.” Be sure to buy them a nice bottle of wine as a thank you if someone they refer hires you.
• Keep your mind and your eyes open. You’ll never know when you’ll meet someone. I’ve made thousands of dollars from three clients because of people I met in an investment advisor’s waiting room and at a New Years Eve party.
• Your website is good for online marketing and some networking but there is a whole world of people out there who aren’t searching the web for freelancers to solve their needs. Put together a professionally prepared paper-based portfolio to hand out.

Of course I’m not advocating dropping your marketing altogether. Marketing is very effective. But networking is a powerful tool that is good for your business.