The online freelance ecosystem is getting more and more saturated with every passing day, forcing freelancers to come up with new ways to attract clients. One such way is to create a blog where you can showcase your expertise and communication skills. If you are thinking of creating such a blog or website to promote yourself then here are somethings that you must keep in mind:

1. Satisfying client’s needs

The first and foremost issue is to understand your client needs and goals. You need full information in order to satisfy them, because if you don’t capture their interest as soon as they land on your site, you will probably not get a second chance. Before writing each article you should know how many words would be appropriate to cover the subject matter, what sort of writing style should be adopted, and how exactly to make your content easy to grasp.

2. Knowledge of the topic

Everyone likes an expert, so it is a good idea to write about something you have a depth of knowledge of. If you really know what you are writing about, you will be able to show a passion for the subject that can’t be falsified by internet research. Find your niche and stay there.

3. Writing for the client

It is also important that you understand that on your blog you are writing for the client/reader, not for yourself, so the blog is a marketing tool not an avenue for self-expression or egomania. Once again, ask yourself what are the needs of your potential clients and what information and advice they really need. Stick to the point and keep it brief.

4. Offering free e-courses

Selling your services to your clients is crucial but once they have bought your services it’s important to keep them engaged. One of the best ways of doing this is to offer a free e-course. If it is offered over a period of weeks, or even months, you will keep people engaged and see subscriber numbers increase. You can then ask them to forward your link to others who might be interested, which is a very good marketing tool. Inviting freelance clients to guest post on your blog is also a very good way of driving traffic.

5. Getting feedback

Getting feedback is an extremely good way of keeping people engaged, so ending a blog post with a question for any regular readers will likely boost their interest. Establishing a running forum of people commenting on, for example, tips for blogging or business advice, will drive traffic to your website.

6. Updating the blog regularly

It is important to update the blog frequently. However overwhelming followers with posts is not a good idea. They may simply unsubscribe. So, one or two well-written posts a week, containing well-written, engaging and useful content is probably enough. Hold surveys of reader opinions, this will help you understand what readers really want, and will also help in keeping them engaged. It can give you ideas as to what your competitors are doing as well.

So, a blog can be a really useful marketing tool for keeping freelance clients hooked. But, if you get it wrong, you can alienate them very quickly. So it has to be well written and researched and tailored to your niche market.