Internet has become one of the vital components of our daily life. It is not difficult to admit that most of our daily activities in life have been touched by the World Wide Web. With that, it’s no surprise that a growing number of people are already exploring, some enjoying the benefits of having an online career, a lucrative and rewarding career from the comfort of a coffee shop or home office in front of their computer.
Building a career online is now possible, thanks to the convenience of the Internet. One can easily start a career in buying and selling things online or just by creating a blog or engaging in freelance writing. There are many careers available online. Here are some of the following careers that you can search for online.
freelance writing
blog
ghostwriting
electronic commerce
Programming
Web-page design
video edition
Photography
Find a career that best suits your skill set, and then start building your online portfolio to get clients and projects to get started. It is advisable to get a reliable Internet access, one that works at least 2MBP or higher in order to attend to your daily Internet activities. Lower speed can be stressful when trying to meet and exceed deadlines, as well as updating templates online and doing web design. Anything less also does not meet the requirements of clients and independent websites. Therefore, reliable home phone and internet packages will help make your online freelance career even more feasible.
Here are some of the tips you can follow to start and build a professional career online.
Create an online portfolio
Before you find clients and try to land a job online, you should build an online portfolio. For starters, it could be your Name.com or a blog on a free hosting platform like Weebly, Blogger, or WordPress. Include credentials, training, sample jobs, and a few details about yourself on this page. This can be a simple website with a few pages attached where potential clients can download and read samples of your work. A contact page is also essential.
build your connections
Chances are, you have met a colleague who also works online. You can list him as one of his references in your online portfolio. You can also add your previous managers and supervisors as references. Be sure to let your colleagues know that they are one of your trusted references online. You can also include testimonials from past clients as well as your contact information so that you can provide your potential clients with a trusted source of first-hand information about you and your performance as an online freelancer.
It’s also important to keep in touch with your past clients from time to time so you’re aware of potential projects that may be available to take on.
Update your social media accounts
Social media is also an important factor in building your career and connections online. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter are just a few of the social networking sites you must have in order to build credibility and your authenticity as a real person working online. LinkedIn is also a very good source of connections so you really need to take advantage of the feature it offers. If you want to keep your Facebook and Twitter feeds private, it would be a good idea to have a separate Twitter account or Facebook Page for your business or brand. Past customers can also post reviews and testimonials on these social media pages.
Use marketing strategies
Take advantage of free internet marketing strategies for your online business and online services. Post feeds to your social media accounts. Submit guest posts to increase your online presence, write press releases and post them on free public relations websites. Join forums and websites for questions and answers and the like. The more you expose yourself and your brand on the Internet, the greater the chances of getting clients and projects.
advertise your business
As you see your business grow, you tend to run into competitors along the way. Advertise your business to create an advantage over your competitors. Target your market well and use the right keywords in order to make your business more visible and on top of the search engines. This can take time, but with the right strategies, it can practically be a preferred option over similar professional services if you market your business well.