Be social, get clients!

Social media engagement

Whether you’re a translator or a graphic artist or any other type of freelancer looking for potential clients, you need to realize that using social media to promote your services and your brand can be a smart move if done correctly.

No, you’re not going to see instant results. And no, spamming people’s posts, groups or comments is not the way to do it, unless your goal is to have strangers hating and reporting you before they get a chance to know you or your services.

You need to consider creating engagement.

Engagement for content made by others or engagement for your own content.

Well, other individuals working in the same industry as you may have people in their network who do not know you exist and who may be in need of the very services you have to offer. Depending on the platform, you may or may not need to add a shameless plug to your comments to attract positive responses or attention to your business.

In some cases, carefully inserting clues in your profile name or tagline (if available) will be enough to inform your audience of who you are and what you do.

You are commenting on Youtube a lot even if you’re not actually creating content on that platform?

Edit your Youtube name to reflect your profession. Simon something _financial advisor will be all the introduction you need when commenting on a potential client’s video without coming across as self-serving and spammy. Just be real with people. You don’t have to use your readymade pitch each time you see a potential project or contract behind someone else’s post. Make people feel seen instead of saying “look at me, I’m over here” with each single word you type under their comments. Your presence will be felt and remembered more vividly if your input reflects a genuine interest in the content and people you’re interacting with. Even more so if you’re giving a few useful tips or are sharing interesting bits of information. Folks will remember how interacting with you made them feel and when the opportunity arises, you’re one of the people their mind will go to as they mentally review their list of professionals who could be trusted with their current project.

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Creating your own original content to grab the attention of your potential clients is also a great idea if doing so is not a burden on you.

You need to identify your target audience and their interests which happen to intersect with the insight you have to offer. Doing that is so much better than highjacking other people’s original threads to insert your pitch, without a single word to show that you paid any attention to whatever the original posts or comments were about. Don’t be a spambot or risk being booted.

Be kind, be helpful, caustic when need be… Become part of that professional community!