Anyone got a few years marketing experience that would be able to help me with my new freelance marketing business?

Hello all! Over the lockdown I decided to try and build my own marketing freelance/business. I've had a couple years working for a brand and wanted to use this time to continue building my skills and then hopefully with helping small businesses. I'm ideally looking for a marketing mentor who could point me in the right direction of where to focus my energies.

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  • Hi Chris, like you I made the decision in my career to set myself up as a freelancer - that was 10 years ago. I don't do as much freelance work as I used to, it tends to be fixed term contracts however, the key things I learnt that may help you are:
    1) Review your projects to date and identify the key industries/sectors where your work has been most successful - research those sectors, what's going on in those sectors?
    2) Prepare some case studies of project you have worked on that you can present to clients in the identified sectors - they should include an overview of the brief, key challenges, timescale, budget range and the key objective of the campaign - remember that client is sensitive so keep the info top line and for illustrative purposes only
    3) See if you can get recommendations from companies/colleagues you've worked with and if they would be happy to have clients call them to discuss your work and whether or not you're a top guy :) Relationships are key so being able to demonstrate that you can work with any one at any level is key.
    4) Prepare a budget for of all your expenses and what you need to live on - remember to factor in the tax you need to pay from your earnings (this is the one that everyone forgets, I'd advise you not to!) , national insurance contributions and pension, as well as some extra to cover you if you become sick and can't work - doing this will help you decide your hourly or day rates.
    5) Definitely approach colleagues whom you have worked with before and ask them to speak to their network and spread the word - this is where the good relationships are key! They know your work and you and are more likely to offer you work over someone they don't know.
    6) Keep open-minded and mix-up your freelance work with some short-term contract work, you may find that you wll need to work 7 days a week on several projects and then you have a spell when you are not working on any projects however, you need to do your research and become a sales rep, find and pitch for more work.
    7) Keep your skills up to date as much as possible, understand current trends and ensure you are able to articulate your understanding of new developments concisely to clients.
    8) Last tip - Know your potential clients - do not pitch for work and not understand their business and the challenges they face - going into a pitch knowing this informatiion and being able to communicate your knowledge, puts you in a stronger position to get the work. Put yourself in the client's shoes what would you expect!
    I started my freelance/contract journey at the tail end of the financial crash and I secured my first freelance role 4 weeks after I decided to freelance- the moment has become one of the highlights of my career.
    Go for it and good luck :)

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