Develop Your Freelance Brand
Start a Freelance Business A-Z
1. Start a Freelance Business A-Z
Estimated time: 12:26 minutes
(Completed) (Completed) (Completed) (Completed)2. Identify Your Niche and Target Audience
Estimated time: 12:03 minutes
(Completed) (Completed) (Completed) (Completed)3. Get a Handle on Your Finances
Estimated time: 12:25 minutes
(Completed) (Completed) (Completed) (Completed) (Completed) (Completed)4. Set Up Operations and Administration
Estimated time: 16:39 minutes
(Completed) (Completed) (Completed)5. Develop Your Freelance Brand
Estimated time: 15:05 minutes
(Completed) (Completed) (Completed) (Completed) (Completed)6. Market Your Freelance Business
Estimated time: 12:44 minutes
(Completed) (Completed) (Completed) (Completed) (Completed) (Completed) (Completed)7. Find and Convert Clients
Estimated time: 17:16 minutes
(Completed) (Completed) (Completed) (Completed)8. Maintain Client Relationships
Estimated time: 11:40 minutes
Module 4 - Develop Your Freelance Brand
As a freelancer, it is important to market yourself – in person and online. To do this successfully, you need to create a strong brand. You are the 'product' and the face of your freelance business, so a major part of your marketing efforts will be creating your personal/freelance brand.
⦁ Lesson 1: Draft Your Brand Blueprint
⦁ Lesson 2: Put Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) into Words
⦁ Lesson 3: Choose Your Business Name and URL
⦁ Lesson 4: Establish Your Visual Identity
Lesson 1: Draft Your Brand Blueprint
Corporate brand documents are usually detailed and labor-intensive, prepared by an outside party of branding and marketing experts. For your purposes, you will create a simplified brand document that will serve as a blueprint for all your brand and marketing activities.
Think about these elements when preparing your Brand Blueprint:
⦁ Brand vision. The main ambition of your freelance brand: What do you want to accomplish for your clients and for yourself?
⦁ Brand purpose. The reason why your freelance company exists: What is the problem that you solve?
⦁ Brand belief. The 'why' behind your freelance business: What are your core beliefs?
⦁ Emotional benefit. The emotional benefits clients receive when interacting with your brand: How do you make them feel?
⦁ Functional benefit. The functional benefits clients receive when interacting with your brand: What do you actually accomplish for them?
⦁ Core offering. The core of what you do: Beyond your list of services, what do you offer clients?
You have answered many of these questions as you developed your niche and identified your target audience. The purpose of this document is to gather key information in one spot and refer to it as you develop your brand's visual elements, marketing materials, and content. If you are hiring designers or copywriters in the future, share this document with them.
Key Takeaway:
⦁ It is beneficial to create a brand document to refer to as you develop your content and marketing pieces. This Brand Blueprint contains your vision, purpose, beliefs, benefits, and core offering.
Action Steps
⦁ Fill out the Brand Blueprint Template and then take notes in your Action Guide on anything that you need to work on or get help with.
Lesson 2: Put Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) into Words
When you were developing your niche, identifying your target audience, and creating your Brand Blueprint, you reflected on your unique features, expertise, talents, and skills: what sets you apart from other freelancers. Now you will take much of that information and put into words – in one concise sentence – what makes you stand out. This will be refined and will become the 'tagline' you use on your social media accounts, website, and email signature.
Here are some examples:
⦁ 'Career Coach and former salesperson of the year who helps stressed-out sales execs transition to a new career'
⦁ 'Graphic designer and yogi who creates sales funnels that convert and social media feeds that inspire for independent yoga studios'
⦁ 'An accountant and orchestra member who specializes in tax returns for professional musicians working abroad'
Also consider the search terms your target audience will use when searching for your services. Make sure some of these words appear in your tagline. You can research keywords related to your UVP and freelance niche by using Google Ads keyword planner tool or Ubersuggest.
Key Takeaways:
⦁ It is beneficial to take your unique features, expertise, talents, and skills and develop a written version of your Unique Value Proposition (UVP).
⦁ Refine your UVP and create a 'tagline' to use on your social media accounts, website, email signature, and more.
Action Steps:
⦁ Using your research from your niche and target audience brainstorming and your Brand Blueprint, create your Unique Value Proposition tagline – what sets you apart from other freelancers. Limit it to 1 sentence.
⦁ Brainstorm ideas in your Action Guide
⦁ Write down your final tagline. (Final for now. Your business and brand will evolve, and you may need to edit your tagline over time).
Lesson 3: Choose Your Business Name and URL
You have two main options when choosing a freelance business name:
⦁ Choose a company name that clearly communicates the service provided and appeals to your target audience
⦁ Freelance under your own personal name. To make it clear what you specialize in, add your profession or skill as well.
Whatever option you choose, make sure your business name is in line with your brand. For example, if your core offering is one-on-one service, it might be better to use your personal name as your business name.
Your Business URL
While you are brainstorming your business name, you should be simultaneously checking to see if a related domain name is available. Search your ideas on Name.com, GoDaddy, or Namecheap. As with your tagline, make sure your URL contains at least one of your keywords and clearly indicates the service provided or the audience you serve.
If your URL is your name only (or some variation of it, for example, the initial of your first name and your last name), then make sure each page title and description contains a description of your service, keywords, and your UVP.
Think about what your target client would search for when looking up a business like yours:
⦁ https://www.johndoecoach.com
[Your city] career coach – Switching to a Career in Tech?
⦁ https://www.janedoedesign.com
Jane Doe, Custom Web Design for Yoga Studios
⦁ https://www.johndoeaccountant.com
Accounting for Musicians – Musician Tax Specialist
If being local is an important part of your service, include your city in your title, description, and tagline. And even if you decide not to use your personal name in your business name, it is still a good idea to lock down your name URL or variations on it (if available) in the event you want to use it in the future.
Things to keep in mind when choosing your name and URL:
⦁ If your first or last name is difficult to spell or pronounce or is very long or very common, consider creating a business name from scratch
⦁ If you choose to use your personal name, add what you do to provide context e.g., John Doe Accounting, Jane Doe Design
⦁ Keep it simple, evergreen, relevant, and descriptive – don't choose a name that is trendy, complicated, or one that you will outgrow quickly
⦁ Don't get stuck trying to come up with the 'perfect' business name
Key Takeaways:
⦁ You have two options when choosing a business name: create a company name or use your personal name. Whatever you choose should be in line with your brand.
⦁ Even if you don't use your personal name in your business name, it is still a good idea to lock down your name URL (if available) in case you want to use it in the future.
⦁ If your URL is your name only, make sure the search engine result page title and description contain your keywords, UVP, and a clear description of your service. Think about what your target would enter in a search engine.
Action Steps
⦁ Brainstorm ideas for your business name and URL in your Action Guide, keeping in mind your Brand Blueprint.
⦁ Write a first draft of your home page title and a short description that will appear on a search engine results page.
Lesson 4: Create Your Visual Identity
A brand isn't just a written description or philosophy. There is a visual element too: How you, and your company, are visually represented. It must appeal to your target audience, accurately reflect your brand, and be something you won't mind looking at six months down the road.
How Do You Give Your Brand a Visual Identity?
Creating a 'look and feel' for your brand isn't just about picking your favorite color or font. Take into consideration your brand's personality – what you want to convey to your audience. Take a moment to consider the brand personality quiz below.
Brand Personality Quiz
If you have more checkmarks on the left:
Your brand has a dynamic, youthful energy, so your colors, fonts, and communication and writing style should reflect this. You might consider a color palette and graphics that are bold, open, and bright. Use sans serif fonts or modern serif fonts.
If you have more checkmarks on the right:
Your brand conveys a serious, traditional, and established presence (even if you've just launched!). Use rich colors and traditional fonts. Your communication style is more formal and corporate.
What Does Your Brand Look Like?
Hiring a graphic designer to help you develop a visual identity, including a logo, will ensure it's professional-looking. An experienced designer will take your brand personality quiz answers into account and will probably have an extensive list of questions for you.
Ask friends and associates for recommendations, search on Google (e.g. 'brand identity logo designer for coaching businesses'), search sites like Toptal or Upwork, or create your own logo an AI-powered platform like Looka.
Incorporate Your Brand Image into Your Web Presence
Once you have established your brand image, chosen your fonts and color palette, and created a logo, incorporate these elements into your social media pages, website, email signature, and more. And because this is a freelance business and you are the 'product', be sure to add a professional photograph of yourself in your web assets.
Key Takeaways:
⦁ Your visual identity must appeal to your target, accurately reflect your brand, and be something you won't mind looking at six months down the road.
⦁ Hiring a graphic designer will ensure this critical part of your branding is professional-looking.
Action Steps:
⦁ Complete the brand personality quiz.
⦁ Write down your preferred color palette, fonts, and visual elements in your Action Guide.
⦁ If you are hiring a graphic designer, share your Brand Blueprint and Brand Personality Quiz results with them. If you don't have the vocabulary to describe visual elements. Show the designer examples of logos and websites that you like.
As a freelancer, it is important to market yourself – in person and online. To do this successfully, you need to create a strong brand. You are the 'product' and the face of your freelance business, so a major part of your marketing efforts will be creating your personal/freelance brand.
⦁ Lesson 1: Draft Your Brand Blueprint
⦁ Lesson 2: Put Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) into Words
⦁ Lesson 3: Choose Your Business Name and URL
⦁ Lesson 4: Establish Your Visual Identity
Lesson 1: Draft Your Brand Blueprint
Corporate brand documents are usually detailed and labor-intensive, prepared by an outside party of branding and marketing experts. For your purposes, you will create a simplified brand document that will serve as a blueprint for all your brand and marketing activities.
Think about these elements when preparing your Brand Blueprint:
⦁ Brand vision. The main ambition of your freelance brand: What do you want to accomplish for your clients and for yourself?
⦁ Brand purpose. The reason why your freelance company exists: What is the problem that you solve?
⦁ Brand belief. The 'why' behind your freelance business: What are your core beliefs?
⦁ Emotional benefit. The emotional benefits clients receive when interacting with your brand: How do you make them feel?
⦁ Functional benefit. The functional benefits clients receive when interacting with your brand: What do you actually accomplish for them?
⦁ Core offering. The core of what you do: Beyond your list of services, what do you offer clients?
You have answered many of these questions as you developed your niche and identified your target audience. The purpose of this document is to gather key information in one spot and refer to it as you develop your brand's visual elements, marketing materials, and content. If you are hiring designers or copywriters in the future, share this document with them.
Key Takeaway:
⦁ It is beneficial to create a brand document to refer to as you develop your content and marketing pieces. This Brand Blueprint contains your vision, purpose, beliefs, benefits, and core offering.
Action Steps
⦁ Fill out the Brand Blueprint Template and then take notes in your Action Guide on anything that you need to work on or get help with.
Lesson 2: Put Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) into Words
When you were developing your niche, identifying your target audience, and creating your Brand Blueprint, you reflected on your unique features, expertise, talents, and skills: what sets you apart from other freelancers. Now you will take much of that information and put into words – in one concise sentence – what makes you stand out. This will be refined and will become the 'tagline' you use on your social media accounts, website, and email signature.
Here are some examples:
⦁ 'Career Coach and former salesperson of the year who helps stressed-out sales execs transition to a new career'
⦁ 'Graphic designer and yogi who creates sales funnels that convert and social media feeds that inspire for independent yoga studios'
⦁ 'An accountant and orchestra member who specializes in tax returns for professional musicians working abroad'
Also consider the search terms your target audience will use when searching for your services. Make sure some of these words appear in your tagline. You can research keywords related to your UVP and freelance niche by using Google Ads keyword planner tool or Ubersuggest.
Key Takeaways:
⦁ It is beneficial to take your unique features, expertise, talents, and skills and develop a written version of your Unique Value Proposition (UVP).
⦁ Refine your UVP and create a 'tagline' to use on your social media accounts, website, email signature, and more.
Action Steps:
⦁ Using your research from your niche and target audience brainstorming and your Brand Blueprint, create your Unique Value Proposition tagline – what sets you apart from other freelancers. Limit it to 1 sentence.
⦁ Brainstorm ideas in your Action Guide
⦁ Write down your final tagline. (Final for now. Your business and brand will evolve, and you may need to edit your tagline over time).
Lesson 3: Choose Your Business Name and URL
You have two main options when choosing a freelance business name:
⦁ Choose a company name that clearly communicates the service provided and appeals to your target audience
⦁ Freelance under your own personal name. To make it clear what you specialize in, add your profession or skill as well.
Whatever option you choose, make sure your business name is in line with your brand. For example, if your core offering is one-on-one service, it might be better to use your personal name as your business name.
Your Business URL
While you are brainstorming your business name, you should be simultaneously checking to see if a related domain name is available. Search your ideas on Name.com, GoDaddy, or Namecheap. As with your tagline, make sure your URL contains at least one of your keywords and clearly indicates the service provided or the audience you serve.
If your URL is your name only (or some variation of it, for example, the initial of your first name and your last name), then make sure each page title and description contains a description of your service, keywords, and your UVP.
Think about what your target client would search for when looking up a business like yours:
⦁ https://www.johndoecoach.com
[Your city] career coach – Switching to a Career in Tech?
⦁ https://www.janedoedesign.com
Jane Doe, Custom Web Design for Yoga Studios
⦁ https://www.johndoeaccountant.com
Accounting for Musicians – Musician Tax Specialist
If being local is an important part of your service, include your city in your title, description, and tagline. And even if you decide not to use your personal name in your business name, it is still a good idea to lock down your name URL or variations on it (if available) in the event you want to use it in the future.
Things to keep in mind when choosing your name and URL:
⦁ If your first or last name is difficult to spell or pronounce or is very long or very common, consider creating a business name from scratch
⦁ If you choose to use your personal name, add what you do to provide context e.g., John Doe Accounting, Jane Doe Design
⦁ Keep it simple, evergreen, relevant, and descriptive – don't choose a name that is trendy, complicated, or one that you will outgrow quickly
⦁ Don't get stuck trying to come up with the 'perfect' business name
Key Takeaways:
⦁ You have two options when choosing a business name: create a company name or use your personal name. Whatever you choose should be in line with your brand.
⦁ Even if you don't use your personal name in your business name, it is still a good idea to lock down your name URL (if available) in case you want to use it in the future.
⦁ If your URL is your name only, make sure the search engine result page title and description contain your keywords, UVP, and a clear description of your service. Think about what your target would enter in a search engine.
Action Steps
⦁ Brainstorm ideas for your business name and URL in your Action Guide, keeping in mind your Brand Blueprint.
⦁ Write a first draft of your home page title and a short description that will appear on a search engine results page.
Lesson 4: Create Your Visual Identity
A brand isn't just a written description or philosophy. There is a visual element too: How you, and your company, are visually represented. It must appeal to your target audience, accurately reflect your brand, and be something you won't mind looking at six months down the road.
How Do You Give Your Brand a Visual Identity?
Creating a 'look and feel' for your brand isn't just about picking your favorite color or font. Take into consideration your brand's personality – what you want to convey to your audience. Take a moment to consider the brand personality quiz below.
Brand Personality Quiz
| Friendly, open | Analytical, serious | |||||||
| Unscripted, energetic | Introspective, reflective | |||||||
| Futuristic | Traditional | |||||||
| Lighthearted, fun | Serious | |||||||
| Accessible | Upscale |
If you have more checkmarks on the left:
Your brand has a dynamic, youthful energy, so your colors, fonts, and communication and writing style should reflect this. You might consider a color palette and graphics that are bold, open, and bright. Use sans serif fonts or modern serif fonts.
If you have more checkmarks on the right:
Your brand conveys a serious, traditional, and established presence (even if you've just launched!). Use rich colors and traditional fonts. Your communication style is more formal and corporate.
What Does Your Brand Look Like?
Hiring a graphic designer to help you develop a visual identity, including a logo, will ensure it's professional-looking. An experienced designer will take your brand personality quiz answers into account and will probably have an extensive list of questions for you.
Ask friends and associates for recommendations, search on Google (e.g. 'brand identity logo designer for coaching businesses'), search sites like Toptal or Upwork, or create your own logo an AI-powered platform like Looka.
Incorporate Your Brand Image into Your Web Presence
Once you have established your brand image, chosen your fonts and color palette, and created a logo, incorporate these elements into your social media pages, website, email signature, and more. And because this is a freelance business and you are the 'product', be sure to add a professional photograph of yourself in your web assets.
Key Takeaways:
⦁ Your visual identity must appeal to your target, accurately reflect your brand, and be something you won't mind looking at six months down the road.
⦁ Hiring a graphic designer will ensure this critical part of your branding is professional-looking.
Action Steps:
⦁ Complete the brand personality quiz.
⦁ Write down your preferred color palette, fonts, and visual elements in your Action Guide.
⦁ If you are hiring a graphic designer, share your Brand Blueprint and Brand Personality Quiz results with them. If you don't have the vocabulary to describe visual elements. Show the designer examples of logos and websites that you like.
