In this post, I am sharing how to find long-term clients as a freelancer, and turn one-off projects into long-term, repeated business!

Let’s get into it!

Why long term clients are better than a one-off?

How to find long term clients?

#1: Apply for long-term freelancing projects.

If you’re looking for long-term freelancing opportunities, consider jobs and projects lasting more than 3 months. These jobs usually require proven experience and you should have a portfolio of previous jobs if you want to increase your chances of success.

With 1 or 2 years of freelance experience, you may be a top contender for projects that take 6 or 12 months to complete. Where can you find long-term freelance jobs? I recommend looking at #freelance job listings posted on LinkedIn and Upwork, or other job portals in your location.

#2: Turn your one-off clients into long-term clients.

Clients for single projects are easier to get than long-term clients. I get a lot of requests looking for “a single blog post” or “just 1 month of social media content“.

Here’s why I no longer accept these one-off, short-term projects:

• One-off clients aren’t my ideal clients because they’re not willing to invest in their business in the long run. As a result, they’re either just testing the market or looking for the cheapest freelancer.

• You can know if a potential client is serious by selling them your monthly packages (duration of 3 months or more).

• Clients who think long-term are willing to invest in their business will opt for longer-term contracts rather than one-off odd jobs. At this point, you need to show them evidence of your previous projects, testimonials and results from your past clients to convince them.

#3: Maintain good relationships with existing clients.

One of the best marketing strategies you can use as a freelancer is to reach out to existing clients. This is also a marketing strategy that I don’t see enough freelancers use.

Why you should target existing clients as your #1 marketing strategy:

1. Firstly, it’s easier to sell long-term services to existing clients than to new clients who don’t know/trust your skills.
2. Secondly, it takes longer time to attract and convert new freelance clients. As you already know, people don’t just stumble across your social media profile and decide to sign a 6-month contract with a stranger.

PS: From my experience, it takes 3-6 months for a complete stranger to become a qualified lead or a paying customer.

3. Finally, your customers are your best salespeople. Here’s why: Upwork claims that “41% of freelancers say they get their new clients through referrals from previous clients“. So even more reasons to treat your clients well – you never know who’s going to recommend you to their friends.

#4:Create a portfolio of your best projects.

If you want to sell your freelance services online you need a portion. Your portfolio can be a WordPress website, or a simple landing page made with a link in bio tool like Smily.bio.

There you can publish testimonials, projects, case studies and work samples that will give new clients confidence in your skills.

I can’t even count the number of times new clients have contacted me because they found the kind of content they were looking for on my website.

#5: Don’t neglect social media marketing.

As a freelancer, it’s important to have an active social media presence. You never know which platform your clients will discover you on. So you should be using as many platforms as possible. I currently maintain an active presence on 4 or 5 social platforms and have a link to my website/portfolio where new followers can learn more about my services.

Twitter – Follow my Twitter page to stay up to date
Instagram – Check out my Insta profile, or learn how I plan my content
LinkedIn – This is my LinkedIn profile

Build your own marketing sales funnel to sign up freelancing clients on autopilot!

Blogging Success Masterclass is NOW OPEN for enrollment! ⬇️

PS: Do you want to get long term freelance clients? My 3-day LIVE Blogging Success Masterclass is $699 worth of online training (with all the templates and checklists), and it’s all yours for just *$299! (NP: $699)

When: 1st – 3rd June 2022 (LIVE training)

Note: 4 spots left only! Enrol now to save your place.

What’s included:

Day 1: Online Guided Training

• Sales funnel model for freelancers (worksheet).
• Write your positioning statement

Hands-on Project: Use the Worksheet provided to build a Sales Funnel.

Day 2: Online Guided Training

• Selling & pricing considerations for freelancing services
• Sales page for freelance services (template).

Day 3: Online Guided Training

• Blog content editorial calendar (template).
• The anatomy of a SEO blog post (template).
• SEO checklist for optimising blog pages.