It’s possibly the most baffling question that faces new freelancers: What in the heck am I supposed to charge for my work?

You don’t have a sense of market rates yet. Your prospect doesn’t want to tell you their budget. Figuring out what to charge for your freelance services is intimidating.

If you’ve been freelancing for content mills, or on bidding sites, or responding to Craigslist ads, you’ve probably seen loads of offers at rates that wouldn’t support a hamster. It’s confusing to know what fees are appropriate for what type of gig.

You don’t want to bid too low and essentially rip yourself off. But you don’t want to bid too high and lose the gig, either.

Maybe you have a dim sense as a new freelancer that you should charge a bit less than experienced pros in your field. But how much less?

The way to solve this pay-rate question is simple: research. There are tools and resources out there you can use to get a good idea of what freelancers in your line of work charge. Here are seven of the best types of resources for discovering what freelancers are getting paid:
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Facebook Pages, in Facebook’s own words, “give a voice to any brand, business or organization to join the conversation with Facebook users.” To engage on Facebook as a brand, business or freelancer, you need a Page. As Facebook puts it, “Everything you do on Facebook starts with your Page”.

In a Freelance Switch screencast I showed you how to create your Facebook Page, which covers basic facebook page setup.

Once you’ve created your page, you’re ready to configure it. That means getting a profile picture, a cover, and a vanity URL. It also means filling out your about page, and tweaking your Page settings. Continue Reading

As a freelancer, there are a lot of different ways in which you can specialize.

Focusing on a particular platform — a freelancer web designer, for instance, might work exclusively on WordPress-based sites — is one of the fastest ways to establish a specialty. It can be a fairly lucrative opportunity, as well.

Learn to demonstrate your platform skills, establish your expertise, and present clients with irresistible platform-based freelance packages. Continue Reading

Once a week, we feature a fantastic freelance-themed comic from the talented N.C. Winters. Why not also take a look at our comic archive? Continue Reading

Finding gigs isn’t hard for most of us; actually a lot of freelancers know what works for them in order to secure jobs. Over time, however, we can become so busy with the influx of gigs that we forget to continually market our businesses. We know it’s something that has to be done, yet, we don’t do it.

If you cease marketing your business, not only can that dry up your pipeline of incoming work; it can also be a detriment if you’re relying on new business so you can increase your rates over time.

Working with the same clients regularly can be fantastic, but if you are raising your costs like many freelancers do, it can be hard to constantly ask for an income boost. Many of us take on new projects and set our “new” rates with fresh clients, then grandfather in the old ones if we like them.

I have to admit, I think I am in a rut. After months of working hard on many projects and penning my third book, I’m not hurting for work–but I have let my marketing efforts fade a little. And while it’s nice to know that it’s not hurting my business, I know I can’t ignore the need to market myself forever. I have to refresh and reboot my marketing!

So I’m regrouping and thinking of some fresh ways to enthuse myself and revitalize the way I market what I have to offer. I’m using a combination of new tactics and inspirational ideas to get myself rolling again. And you can apply these same techniques to your freelance business too. Continue Reading

Most of us know that we need to ask for deposits in order to start work, particularly with a new client: a deposit guarantees that even if something goes wrong, we won’t be completely without recompense for the work we do.

But more than a few of us put off making a deposit a standard part of working with a new client, unless we’ve already been stung. Part of the problem is that it’s not really clear how much to ask in terms of a deposit.

Just like with setting your prices as a freelancer, there’s no one true way to handling the deposit process. In fact, there are plenty of freelancers who may never take a deposit in their entire careers without a major problem — despite most of us agreeing that requiring deposits is a sensible practice. Continue Reading

If you’re just diving into the world of freelancing, welcome aboard. It’s an exciting time to be a new freelancer, with loads of opportunity out there as companies continue to downsize and outsource many types of services.

The bad news is it’s also never been easier to get ripped off.

The Internet is just bursting with scams that ensnare freelancers of all stripes. Too often, new freelancers look up after grinding out a long work week, do the math, and realize they’re earning well below the legal minimum wage.

How can you avoid being exploited and start earning real money? Here is a quick tour of the most common ways new freelancers end up getting stiffed: Continue Reading

Recently on Freelance Switch, I outlined the pros and cons of Facebook Profiles, Groups and Pages. My verdict was that Pages are the best bet for most freelancers.

In this five minute video, I guide you step-by-step through setting up a Facebook Page for your freelance business. I show you where you need to go on Facebook to create a page, and which Page types are most suited to freelancers. I also give a brief overview of Facebook’s rules for choosing a Page name. Continue Reading

The concept of developing a product that goes along with the services you offer makes sense for many freelancers: the right product can help you even out those mountains and valleys in your income, as well as bring in money from people who just aren’t a good fit as clients.

But offering products requires a big investment, especially in terms of time. It’s gotten a lot easier than even just a few years ago, but whether you’re thinking of writing an ebook or developing WordPress themes, you’re going to have to spend a lot of time building your product, as well as marketing it and providing customer service. Continue Reading

Once you’ve decided Facebook is right for you as a freelancer, you’re ready to put together an action plan on how you’ll use it to promote your business and market your services.

Your next step is to decide whether to promote your business with a Profile, a Group or a Page. These are the three set-ups Facebook offers, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. Continue Reading

Once a week, we feature a fantastic freelance-themed comic from the talented N.C. Winters. Why not also take a look at our comic archive? Continue Reading

Looking for a new client? The FreelanceSwitch job board is a great resource of freelance gigs and opportunities. These opportunities are in various fields, from development to writing to design, and come from a wide range of potential clients. The job board is hand-moderated by dedicated staff and volunteers from the freelance community.

Each week, we’ll feature a selection of the best job opportunities posted for the week. This week, we’re featuring jobs in WordPress Design, API Development, Software Programming and more!

To apply for any of these jobs, simply pick up a FreelanceSwitch membership for an affordable $7 a month. See something you like? Join now!

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