Get the most from your paid side job
Whether you spend a few hours a week or most of your time on your new side business, your customers are the ones who can make or break it. It’s that simple.
Many people are more talented than they realize. Many Americans discovered this during the pandemic when they either lost their jobs or had their hours cut significantly.
The global event was motivation to tap nascent skills or learn new ones that could provide a steady income. For example, website designers earn the highest maximum price in the United States, with freelancers charging up to $700 per job, according to website Canva.com. Two other high paying skills are presentation design (highest average price per job at $231) and business card design (saw the biggest increase in demand at 72.5%) during the recent lockdown.
Here are three tips from Canva’s researchers to help you build a strong side or freelance business:
1. Build your brand
Besides how many hours you dedicate a week to your side business, establish a strong, memorable, and positive brand that sets you apart from your competition.
Before you begin, think about how you want to represent your services to the world. Know your target market and determine the best ways to reach it. Even if your side business has gained enough traction on freelancer websites, it’s a good idea to build an independent website just for your business, with a simple and memorable business name and URL to match.
You don’t need to be an expert designer or coder to get started because there are lots of free and paid options online for building your website with templates and drag-anddrop features. Logo and any other graphic design enhancements can be designed online for free, for example.
Make sure your site is easy to navigate and easy for users to find contact details, your past work, and a clear explanation of your services.
2. Plan your marketing strategy
Even if your side business takes place offline, it needs an online presence. It’s critical that it is represented in the right way and on the appropriate social media platforms.
Facebook is reportedly the most popular social media platform in the world, while Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and TikTok are very popular with young people.
If you have your own business website, learn basic SEO (search engine optimization) strategies in order to get a high Google page ranking. Getting a high ranking is critically important as most users visit the first page of Google results. The good news is that there are lots of free tools and resources on the web to help you analyze your website’s SEO performance.
3. Get customers raving
Canva recommends working closely with customers to build a sincere rapport. Your goal is to create a strong, positive customer experience that urges users to leave great reviews and high ratings. Sincerely empathizing and working on solutions with your customers is a surefire way to be remembered for providing excellent customer service.
Whether you spend a few hours a week or most of your time on your new side business, your customers are the ones who can make or break it. It’s that simple.