How to Land Your First Client as a Freelancer

Landing your first client as a freelancer can be cumbersome. You've got the skills, the passion, and the drive, but you need to find that first client to get your business off the ground.In order to do that, it's essential for you to identify your area of expertise, what services you plan on offering and the group of people you would want to sell this or these services to. Having these sorted out right from the beginning will help you stand out of the competition and will also direct your steps on how and where to find your clients.

Here are some tips to help you land your first client as a freelancer.

• Identify your skills and niche: Identifying your skillset and defining your niche is crucial in the freelance market. Be specific with the focus on a particular set of expertise. For example, instead of being a general social media manager, you can specialise in facebook management, pinterest management and/or LinkedIn management for either businesses in the mental health sector or food and wellness sector, fitness sector, education sector and so on.
• Build a strong online presence: Having an online presence is vital in today's digital age. If you can't afford a website, don't worry, social media is a great way to get started. Showcase your portfolio of work, skills and services online. Use social media platforms to establish your personal brand and engage with clients. Someone one may ask, how do I share my work if I have never had any client?  One way to go about that is to create work for yourself. Let's say, you want to work as a freelance graphic designer, you can start by searching for some designs on google from which you can draw inspiration to create your own designs. An aspiring freelance voice over artist can also create a portfolio by creating a voice reel script with the use of AI, record the voice reel with a voice recorder, add free background music from Pexels, free images from Pixabay and then finally put your voice reel together using Canva and voila, you have your first work to share with your audience on social media to help in landing your first client.
• Leverage your Network: Reach out to friends, family, and colleagues to let them know about your freelance services. Attend networking events both virtually and in person, join online communities, and connect with other freelancers to expand your network. 
• Make use of freelance platforms: Though Upwork and Fiverr are great platforms, there are other platforms out there that can help you land your first client. For example, aspiring African virtual assistants can find work on SNAPPY CX or PERSONNA— These are companies that hire remote workers from Africa for international clients.
• Never give up: The truth is, the journey is not going to be easy but don't get discouraged. Keep on marketing yourself and improving your skills. Remember, every 'no' brings you closer to a 'yes'.

Landing your first client takes time and effort. Stay persistent, learn from rejections and use them as opportunities to grow.