A big challenge when you work on your own is, you
constantly have to promote yourself until you have become so famous
that you have to hide somewhere to escape from your chasing customers.I wonder if this is ideal or not -- you have so much work that you don't have time to do it. I have enough work at hand. I always have work to do. I don't promote myself the way I should so there is rarely "too much" work. But right now I'm happy the way things are going...I want to grow gradually...but not grow so much that I don't have time to do things that I value in my life:
Still, there are few things I do on the Internet that constantly make sure I have enough work at hand. They are:
AN OPTIMIZED WEBSITE
Ever since I optimized my website -- Amrithallan.com -- the amount of assignments I get per week have increased because of the increased traffic. The website is now easy to navigate, all the links are easily accessible, and all the information is there for everybody to see.
PAY-PER-CLICK PROGRAMS
I use both Overture and Adwords to get quality traffic. I recover the money I spend every month on these programs within the first ten days of the month, or in even less days. I feel I should have done this earlier.
As a side note, a majority of people who are trying to establish an online business are very reluctant spenders when it comes to promoting or improving their businesses. I don't waste money, but whenever I feel something can improve my overall business, and if it is within my means, I don't hesitate to shell out some bucks.
ARTICLE SUBMISSION
I got my first major web designing assignment [my web designing website is at Bytesworth.com
when a client liked my article that I submitted to be published for
free. I'm a strong opponent of writing for free but writing free,
informative articles have genuinely helped me get quality web designing
and content writing projects. I plan to do this with more regularity. I
don't submit for months sometimes. Of late I have tried to submit at
least one article per week.
GOODWILL AND SINCERITY
I don't try to grab a project. There are instances when a client doesn't need my service at that moment. All he or she needs is, rearrange a few things. I used to do this even when I needed work but I didn't have it. I never take work that involves no work on my part. Most people who come in contact with me easily begin to trust me and trust is something that is lacking on the Internet. This gives me an edge.
PERSONAL APPROACH
Sometimes I approach people for work. For instance if I stumble upon a website and feel that it can really use my services, I write to the webmaster in a very polite manner. This is a difficult task to do -- out of the blues telling someone that your website needs some major improvements. I'll be frank here -- a majority don't respond. But a few do, and some really appreciate. After all, if my service can improve someone's business, what's the harm in offering it?
EXISTING CLIENTS
40% of my work comes from my existing clients. I always have a good relationship with my clients. It doesn't mean I go out of my way to please them or to keep them happy. Genuine and well-meaning people recognize the importance of good work. I have had my share of lousy clients and over the years I have learnt how to recognize them and stay away from them.
My existing clients are my greatest promoters. They often refer me to their family relations, friends and business colleagues.
These are but a few things I do on a regular, conceivable basis. There are other things I do that I don't do as a part of my work but eventually some way or the other they contribute. For instance, I participate on discussion boards and never hold back if I can give a reply. I not only write for business, but for creativity and leisure too. Many times I help people write PHP and ASP code without charging them.
I started this article as a blog entry (my web content writing blog is at Website-content-writer.com) but ended up writing a complete article.
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