Freelancing is a relatively easy profession to get started in because you really don’t need much in the way of upfront investment. However, that also means that it’s pretty easy to get lost in the sea of competition.
So in this post, we’re going to look at how to differentiate your service from competitors in order to attract the most customers possible. Here are 7 ways to stand out as a freelancer.
#1 Offer Advice That Proves You Know What You’re Doing
Most clients are pretty discerning. They look at dozens of service pages, compare prices, and send messages to a few of the freelancers that end up on the short list. More than just a good deal, clients want to know that they are hiring someone who actually knows what they are doing.
You can build customer confidence in yourself through your communication both before and after a sale. All it takes is offering real advice.
For example, let’s say that your specialty is link building. You’ve got years of experience with SEO and have a good track record of earning high quality links for your clients.
With every order or customer inquiry, you could inspect the client’s existing link profile and give them useful feedback. Maybe you notice that they’ve got some risky links that should be removed, or that their anchor text ratio is a little unnatural.
By providing advice that proves you know what you’re doing, you poise yourself as a trustworthy freelancer that is easy to buy from.
#2 Use a Photo of Yourself
You’ve heard it said plenty of times before: a picture is worth a thousand words. And when it comes to freelancing, a picture of yourself is worth a thousand sales.
Some freelance platforms have grown ripe with fraud, making customers rightfully wary of who they hire. Whether it’s in your service image, your profile pic, or both—a photo of the actual person behind the screen goes a long way towards making potential clients trust you more.
Aim for something at least semi-professional. You probably won’t win many sales with a mirror selfie of you flexing your guns in a bath towel.
#3 Add a Video To Your Sales Page
Beyond a good photo, videos are a strategy worth exploring when you are trying to figure out how to differentiate your service from competitors. It’s less common, so it will definitely make you stand out.
The content of your video can vary depending on what you’re aiming to achieve, but here are a few ideas:
- A typical video sales letter to highlight the customer’s pain points and poise your service as the solution.
- A portfolio of results to help demonstrate your expertise.
- An general introduction to yourself that can be used on all of your service pages to establish trust and credibility.
#4 Focus on Solving a Problem Rather Than Selling a Service
Too many freelancers get started with a mindset like this: “I’m good at creating videos, so I’ll offer video creation services.” It seems like a logical line of thinking, but it leads to overly generic service pages that don’t speak to customer pain points.
A better approach is to say “I’m good at creating videos. There are plenty of small businesses who don’t know anything about YouTube marketing. So I’ll offer a service to create lead generating videos for use on YouTube and other social media channels.”
Now you are doing more than just selling a service to a client. You are solving their problem.
#5 Discover The Client’s Other Problems
If a client has one problem for you to solve, they’ve probably got plenty of others. Some that they don’t even know about.
In your hunt for how to differentiate your service from competitors, a straightforward strategy is to look for other ways to help them. Think of it like bringing your car in for an oil change. The mechanic changes your oil, but maybe he also discovers that your tires are worn out and your brakes are about to go.
If you are hired to do logo design, for example, you might notice that the client’s social media profile images are out of date, poorly sized, or otherwise less than ideal. This gives you a chance to offer some helpful advice, but also potentially land another sale.
#6 Follow Up After The Sale
A little message can go a long way. If you want to turn a single sale into repeat business, you want to make the buying experience as comfortable and easy as possible for your customers.
One tried and true way to do this is to send a simple follow up message once a client has placed an order. At a bare minimum, you should thank them for their business and acknowledge receipt of the sale. But you can also go the extra mile by confirming their specific instructions and providing advice like we have discussed previously.
It might seem silly, but a little confirmation message eases the client’s anxiety that you might not have received their order.
#7 Write Good Sales Copy
So you’ve got high quality images (and maybe even a video). You offer helpful advice and good communication. And your service is centered around solving a real and present problem for the customer.
The final thing you need to do to stand out from the competition is make a high quality, persuasive sales pitch. We’re talking about sales copy.
Too many freelancers think that all they need to do is write up a bulleted list of what the customer gets once they place an order. But really, if you want to differentiate yourself from the other guys, you need to connect with clients on an emotional level.
You need to agitate their pain points, build trust, and show how you are the best possible solution to their most pressing problems. We’ve written a complete guide to freelance sales copy in the past, so you should be sure to check that out for detailed instructions.
Start Standing Out From the Crowd Today!
Those are 7 of our top strategies for how to differentiate your service from competitors. But they are only going to help you if you actually take action on them. So quit reading this blog post and start making yourself stand out on Legiit today!
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