When humans ask me what the nice ways to make money are, sometimes I laugh.
Not because the question is stupid, however because, well, there may be no “right” answer. The reality is that nearly something can make money. But first, you have to change your mindset. You have to start viewing your competencies and experiences as bankable, precious sources worth paying for.
You (yes, you!) can help someone with skills and understanding that you already have. And the easiest way to do this is through freelancing.
All that being said, I have properly news and bad news for you.
The good news: There are quite a few on line freelance marketplaces -- Elance, oDesk -- that allow you to offer your services, get purchasers and start making money quickly, even if you are a whole beginner.
Now the horrific news: These freelance marketplaces can be extremelycompetitive and overwhelming. If you don't comprehend what you aredoing, the opposition can be very intimidating.
But do not let that discourage you. Here's how I made extra than $23,000 on Elance in just 4 weeks designing easy Wordpress websites.
1. Use sneaky lookup on your competition
Before you start, you will need to recognize what exactly you're getting your self into.
Specifically, you want to know exactly what techniques your successfulrivals use to stand out in the crowd and how you can totally obliterate them by way of being ridiculously over-prepared.
To find the solutions to these questions for myself, I posted a fake job to see what sorts of responses I would get. I propose you do the same.
Here's what I posted on Elance:
My intention was once to appeal to my competitors and see what types of proposals they despatched me -- then use that expertise in opposition tothem.
2. Analyze the resultsWithin 30 minutes, I acquired almost 100 proposals -- and I learned two very valuable insights:
More than half of the applicants were non-native English speakers.Most humans have been submitting "canned" proposals besides any personalization.Once I figured out these indispensable portions of info, I knew I had a unique angle. Most people hiring freelancers are from the U.S. or U.K. -- which capability that there may be often a language barrier. People are usually extra blissful speaking in their native language.
And because of this language barrier, most proposals had been very dry and uninteresting. Here's an example. two
See what I mean? What a snooze. You can do much better.
Related: Everything You Need to Know About Hiring a Freelancer
3. How to stand out and start booking jobsTo stand out in opposition to a sea of freelancers, you have to show that you apprehend your workable consumer and give them a purpose to take a lengthy appear at your proposal. Your approach ought to experience warm, engaging and, above all, personalized.
Nobody desires to sense like they're wide variety 573 for the day. Research your prospective client's profile beforehand and seem to be for these details:
Purchase history: Do they generally appoint on Elance? If so, this is a rightsignal they're serious.Feedback history: What kind of remarks do they have for freelancers they've hired in the past? What have they liked/disliked?Personal details: Name, interests, location, etc. Anything you may be capable to relate to and construct some rapport.The knockout punch: video mini-pitches. Once you've rounded up all this information, use it to create a quick mini-pitch with an unlisted YouTube video. Your mini-pitch should:
Be ninety seconds or lessIntroduce you and give a very short backgroundTell them why you like their unique venture (so they be aware of you surelyexamine it)Offer a easy name to action to get in touch with youBonus: If you can include some relevant personal details that you have in common, it helpsFrom there, the technique is simple. Rather than sending a regular idea like all people else, simply send them a quick message with a link to your custom video. This approach works shockingly nicely due to the fact it differentiates you from the crowd and suggests that you actually care about what they're working on.
