Let these tech tools do your marketing for you

As the freelancing industry continues to grow and flourish, you need to find a way to stand out from the crowd so that potential clients will notice you and choose to hire you.

Marketing your freelance business is an effective way to make this happen, because it gives you the chance to demonstrate your skills and show that you’re an expert in your niche.

For example, building your website from scratch showcases your web development expertise.

If you're a freelance writer, submitting guest posts on high-authority sites will speak volumes to companies looking for a compelling copywriter.

Then, you can consider casting a wider net.

If you’re only promoting your service on freelance platforms, you’re limiting your success and growth. By marketing your services outside these websites, you're making yourself available to more potential clients who use other channels to find freelancers to hire.

Time management is a challenge for most freelancers.

Between meeting your clients’ deadlines, doing your errands, spending time with your family, and sleeping, there seems to be not enough time left for marketing your freelance business.

That’s why you need to build a marketing tech stack.

A marketing tech stack is a group of apps and tools you can use to handle a variety of tasks so that you can attract potential clients while working on your projects at the same time. These are the 10 essential marketing tech stack tools your business needs to thrive:

1. Website

A website is crucial for any freelancer. It gives your potential clients information about your services, rates, payment terms, and even samples of your previous works.

A common mistake freelancers make when creating a website is to use a free hosting service.

Apart from looking amateurish, these only have a limited number of features. Even your storage space is minimal.

Worse, these hosting providers can shut down your website if they believe you’ve violated their terms and conditions.

Investing in an affordable paid web hosting service lets you create a professional-looking website that’ll capture the attention of your potential clients, without the risk of being taken down.

You can also choose your domain name so you can be sure that your potential clients can easily remember it.

2. Meeting Scheduler

Scheduling client meetings is tedious and time-consuming.

A meeting scheduler app allows you to conveniently book meetings with potential clients without compromising time with your family. You can add it to your website and social media accounts, or email the link directly to your clients.

Now, your clients can conveniently schedule a meeting with you based on your availability and theirs, without all the back-and-forth.

3. Project Management

Project management apps help you schedule, manage, and track your projects so you can make sure that you meet all of your deadlines.

When it comes to marketing your freelance business, tools like Asana and Trello can help you keep track of which clients to follow up with and what documents you'll need to send to close the deal.

These apps integrate seamlessly with most of the other tools that you're using to do your work, making it easy for you to find what you need.

4. Communications

Constant communication is more crucial than ever.

Adding a reliable communications app to your marketing tech stack ensures you can easily be reached by your potential clients, even if you don’t live in the same part of the world.

5. Content Writing

Publishing blog posts helps establish you as an expert in your niche. It also helps generate leads for your freelance business.

Some content creation tools to include in your marketing tech stack are:

● Keyword Research

● Topic Ideas Generator

● Headline Analyzer

● Proofreading and Editing

6. Graphics Design

Images rank as the top type of content used for marketing. They’re also more easily remembered by your potential clients.

But not all freelancers can create captivating graphics on their own.

Graphics design apps make it easy for you to create quality visual images that you can use on your blog posts or share on your social media accounts.

7. Email Marketing

Email marketing may not be as flashy as other marketing strategies, but it’s still the most effective way to reach out to potential clients — especially if you’re targeting companies.

For that, you’ll need an email marketing provider. This is where you can automate various email sequences, like sending follow-ups to your potential clients based on their time zones. That way, you can make sure that your email doesn’t get buried in their inbox.

You can even segment your clients based on the services they’ve inquired about, so you can make sure you always send the right proposal.

Social media automation tools like Buffer and Hootsuite allow you to schedule posts across your social media accounts in one platform.

They also notify you each time someone mentions you or engages with your content. You can quickly start a conversation without getting tempted into checking out your newsfeeds and getting distracted.

9. Cloud Storage

As the name implies, cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive allow you to store all your essential files “in the cloud.” Not only do they give you quick access to the files that you need, but also make it easier for you to share files like estimates and contracts with potential clients.

10. Analytics

With all the effort you’ve put into marketing your freelance business, you want to make sure that you’re getting something out of it.

Analytics tools show you how well your marketing efforts are doing. They also show which web pages and channels are bringing in the right clients to your website, so you know where you should focus and which ones to get rid of.

A marketing tech stack can streamline and grow your freelance business.

The tools shared in this blog post are only the bare essentials. Once you have these set up, you can always add more to your stack to get more clients faster.