Important First Steps for New Freelancers

via slodive.com

Deciding to pursue a freelancing career may not exactly be like a walk in the park. True that it has its perks but before you can enjoy those, you will have to go through some rough spots before you can actually make a name and stand out in the overwhelming number of freelancers.

Coveting a spot in the freelancing world will not be easy especially if you are an amateur who lacks experience. Think of the competition you will be facing when you start looking for freelance jobs. It’s no secret that most clients would prefer to hire those who have a solid portfolio and a considerable amount of experience as opposed to newbies.

So, how exactly can you get that first job and how can you start a freelancing career if you can’t find a client? The answer is really simple. You just need to know the basics. In other words, you have to learn the tricks of the trade before you can expect to find solid ground. As a budding freelancer, you have to begin with the important first steps.

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5 step process for promoting content on social media quickly

via techi.com

In an ideal world, marketing content through social media would be an extended process because we would all have the time to do it the right way. We could focus on positioning it, nurturing it, and timing everything out exactly like it should be timed. Unfortunately, this isn’t a perfect world and we have to maximize our results while minimizing the time and effort to achieve them.

There are plenty of shortcuts that make promoting content on social media faster and easier and there are plenty of techniques used to make the promotions more effective. The real key is to find the right mix of the two to get the most out of it. Here is a process that can be used to get the most exposure for the content without spending too much time on it.

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9 Steps To Building a Great Business Blog

via openforum.com

f you’re like most people, chances are you read one or more blogs (for your business or personal interests) on a regular basis. Blogs aren’t just a great way for you to engage with your customers and get them to return to your site. They can help your website organically rise in the search engines.

Starting a blog can be challenging, but the payoff is worth it. Take these nine steps to ensure your blog achieves its goal of engaging customers and building loyalty.

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How To Backup Your Facebook Data In 5 Easy Steps

via readwrite.com

Ready to take a break from Facebook, or just want a nice local backup of all the data you've uploaded to Facebook over the years?

Turns out that downloading your stuff from Facebook is a lot easier than it used to be. Even for someone like me, who's uploaded a massive amount of data over the years.

As Facebook user #806469, I was among the first million people to join the service, and I've used it pretty steadily since the spring of 2004 - accumulating more and more history all the time. Perhaps most importantly, I've uploaded 4,186 photos to date, and I want to make sure I keep every one of them. Downloading all my contacts would be nice too, though Facebook doesn't make that easy.

Backing up everything else was surprisingly straightforward, however, using Facebook's built-in archival tools.

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7 Steps to Protect Your Online Security

via forbes.com

Around 11 a.m. on New Year’s Eve day, a Facebook friend in India sent an urgent message: My website had been hacked. Sure enough, when I went to my site and right-clicked my mouse to view the “source code” (the gibberish that shows what’s going on behind the scenes), I discovered that in addition to being a journalist and social media teacher, I was now also a purveyor of erectile dysfunction products.

As his night ticked down toward midnight, a man I know through techie forums and whose expertise I respect spent half an hour guiding me through the many steps of a website cleanse.

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Outsource Your Coding: 10 Steps

via inc.com

Almost every start-up needs some sort of technology, but not every founder is a coder or went to school with a bunch of computer geeks. If you need software that isn't already commercially available, and you're wary of trying to produce it within your company, outsourcing is another option.

Outsourced software can save your company time, money and aggravation, but it isn't foolproof. Here are three common mistakes that can trip you up, and 10 steps that will set you up for success...

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25 Steps to Understanding Your Website Audience

via instantshift.com

Success on the Internet never comes out of thin air. Effective, successful websites are always a result of profound research and diligent, dedicated work.

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A Work-Life Balance? 8 Steps to Help You Juggle It All

via dumblittleman.com

One of the most important things in life is having balance.

Unfortunately, it's not easy to find this balance sometimes.

We want to be productive and hard working, but we also want to be good friends, siblings, parents, and significant others.

And sometimes it's very hard to be all of those things at once.

Before I discuss my thoughts on keeping it all balanced, I first want to note that it's pretty much impossible to keep everything together all the time.

There are going to be times when we can't be at work because we have to care for a loved one or deal with a personal issue.

There are going to be times when we miss out on a fun event because we have to focus on a work deadline.

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5-Step Guide To A Complete Tech Detox

via hongkiat.com

With so much overlapping of the virtual online world with our real, physical world in the past few decades, it’s getting harder to split ourselves between the two realms. The line between online and offline is becoming a blur. The result is that we get confused over what’s good for us. We get so used to logging online to ‘communicate’ with others without realizing that it’s eating into the time we could’ve spent interacting in person with another.

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5 Steps to Managing Your Start-up's Hyper Growth

via inc.com

Last week, I was talking with the CEO of a start-up that was so successful that in the last year it had increased its revenues and employee count by more than 50%. And at the same time, it had just raised tens of millions in venture capital.

Did this start-up have the bull by the horns? Not exactly.

That’s because the CEO was concerned about whether his start-up could do a better job of managing its growth. In particular, he thought the start-up could improve its structure, systems, and shared values.

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10 Steps to Becoming a Better Freelancer

via designbeep.com

Millions of designers, writers, and web specialists choose the freelancer path, many of whom compete with one another for work. Office employees envy the freelancer lifestyle, but the truth of the matter is that a freelancer must exert extreme dedication, innovation, and hustle if they want any chance at making a living. It’s a job that demands great work on a steady basis, and that’s no easy feat.

So how do you make yourself a better freelancer, especially one that stands out among the competition?

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Six Simple Steps to Better Time Management

via dumblittleman.com

Being able to manage your own time is a crucial skill in the workplace.

If you work for yourself, it’s even more important – poor time management could spell the end of your business, or at least make you less successful than you’d hoped.

Poor time management can be at the root of many problems.

If you find yourself taking work home in the evenings, for instance, it might not be because you’ve got too much work but because you’re not managing your time well during the day.

And if you’re often stressed out and frustrated by your work, this might be a time management issue too: no-one likes feeling disorganized and behind with things.

If you know your time management skills aren’t quite up to scratch, try these simple steps to improve...

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10 Essential Steps to Making the Perfect Pitch

via freelanceswitch.com

To make it as a freelancer, you need to be able to sell your work. That’s why making a great pitch to a prospective client is one of the key skills you can develop to be more successful.

However, many freelancers screw up the pitch in a number of common ways, from talking too much about yourself and what you want, from not knowing what the client wants, to rambling on, to not saying who you are and why you’re perfect.

Don’t make these mistakes. Follow the steps below to make the perfect pitch.

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5 Steps to Online Marketing Success [Infographic]

via smashfreakz.com

By following the five steps on this infographic and committing to the follow-through, you can create a cost effective marketing campaign with a substantial return on investment. By doing each of the actions, you will quickly create an online marketing plan that can be implemented immediately and begin reaping sales successes.

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5 Steps to Building Your Freelance Portfolio From Nothing

via freelanceswitch.com

So you’re a brand-new freelancer with no work for your portfolio. How can you get started building your business?

We all know it’s tough to get a job without experience, and tough to get experience without a job. But you can break this cycle and start getting some samples. You really only need three or four to get started marketing your freelance services to paying prospects.

The trick is, your want these samples to look great, so you’ll choose your targets carefully. If you’re a writer, for instance, clips from Associated Content or other content mills are unlikely to impress anyone.

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6 Steps to Getting More Stuff Done

via inc.com

Let's face it: despite all of the positives associated with today's rapidly changing business environment, technology can also cause distractions and put a strain on our productivity. You answer 10 emails only to have 20 more in your inbox. You are expected to be available 24/7. You have to schedule conference calls with people across the globe. You are tempted to text and email during meetings. You can't stay off of Twitter during the workday.

Whatever your personal distractions may be, following these six simple steps should help you to increase personal productivity and job performance.

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Basic Steps For Keeping Your PC And Mac Safe

via businessinsider.com

It's easy to forget about computer security. Unfortunately, by the time you realize there's a problem with your computer, you could be in deep trouble.

Most users recycle the same passwords, never update their computer's software, and, worst of all, don't back up.

Take a few minutes out of your day and educate yourself on how a firewall works, what Java is and how to disable it, and a few other measures you can take to increase your computer's security.

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5 Steps to Producing Your Best Photographs

via machoarts.com

You can improve your skills in any endeavor with the proper motivation. In photography, you can produce significantly better images by taking the time to determine what your strengths are, and where your skills may be lacking.

From time to time I like to review my best photos from the past year, and determine what makes them so good. How you choose to define “best” is a personal choice. It may be the photos which got the best feedback on Flickr, or from your family and friends. If you are professional photographer, it might be the photos which were licensed most often.

No matter how you determine what your best photos are, your next step is to set a goal to top these photos in the coming year. In this article, I will break down my 5 favorite steps to producing your best photographs.

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The Five Stages of Programming Grief [Humorous Comic]

via howtogeek.com

Been there... each step. A very funny visualization on the frustration of coding.

; - can't forget that semicolon...

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5 Steps to Designing a Digital Display

via creativeoverflow.net

Digital displays are used across all platforms for market businesses and their products. When you walk into a jewellery store, super market or your closest gym. You will find digital displays marketing products and incentives for clients and customers. Now why do you need a digital display you might wonder. Well there’s a simple answer to that question and it comes down to growth. You want your business to grow, put it in front of the clients so that they can decide. Let’s get started.

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