The Top 5 Most Wanted Services on the Freelance Market

The Top 5 Most Wanted Services on the Freelance
Market
In 2013 alone, more than $750 million was earned by
entrepreneurs around the world who got hired via Elance , one of
the largest freelancing and outsourcing platforms on the internet.
The major chunk of this sum is concentrated in the five hotly
demanded services I’m about to share with you. In the rest of this
article, I’ll share with you everything you need to know to join this
league of top earners if you’re interested.
1. Virtual Assistance
Virtual assistance is one of the fastest growing services on the
internet. A virtual assistant (commonly known as a VA) is an
independent entrepreneur who typically works from home and
uses technology (internet, email, phone, instant messaging) to
deliver services to clients globally. In summary, they are the
online version of a Personal Assistant. What can a VA do?
Everything a personal assistant does and more! In addition to
general administrative and clerical work, today’s VAs handle
bookkeeping, online research, data entry, manage and respond
to clients’ emails, schedule tasks and also offer language
translation services.
Nowadays, more VAs are increasingly hired for customer care
tasks. With the aid of internet phone technologies (VOIP), VAs
can act as receptionists and answer the phone when customers
call to make enquiries or complaints. You could make a phone
call to a US-based company and its VA in Pakistan would
respond to it. Amazing! VAs are helping both startups and
established companies to save costs on office space and hiring
full-time physical assistants/secretaries.
Virtual assistants are also getting hired to take care of mundane
personal, administrative and social tasks that stress busy business
people everyday. This is surely one service area that will grow
tremendously in the not-too-distant future. (image credit:
endeavorvirtualassistant.com)
2. Online Marketing
Online marketing (also known as digital or internet marketing)
is the new deal. Both big and small companies around the
world are shifting their advertising spend from traditional
channels (like newspapers, radio and TV) to focus on online
advertising. We now live in a world where people watch more
Youtube than television and read more blog articles and
Facebook posts than newspapers. To find and influence more
customers to buy their products and services, anybody who
wants to succeed in business today just has to invest in online
marketing.
Online marketers are specialists and independent entrepreneurs
who help people, businesses, organizations and even
governments to increase their presence and influence on the
internet. In a world ruled by Google, Facebook, Twitter and
several forms of search and social media, online marketers are
paid by clients to spread their message (advertisement), find
customers and increase sales in the most cost-effective ways
possible. Their core methods and specialties include Search
Engine Optimisation (SEO), Social Media Marketing and Online
Reputation Management. (image credit:
getfastvimeoviews.com)
As the influence of the internet grows in the modern world and the
complexities of social media and search engines increase, the
demand for online marketing specialists will surely be on the rise.
3. Designers
A website is a virtual office space. If you own a business or run
any kind of organisation in today’s world but don’t have a
website, it’s typically assumed that you don’t exist. Period!
Almost everybody wants a beautiful website but not everyone
has the skills to design one. The huge and growing global
market for visually appealing websites has increased the
demand for people with talents and skills in website and
graphic design. Apart from websites, people with these skills
design book covers, corporate logos and do graphics for
magazines and marketing collateral (like banners, brochures
etc.)
In fact, on platforms like 99designs.com, ordinary people like
you and I can post a description of the kind of design we want
(colours, quality, impression etc) and the price we’re willing to pay
for a good design. After we post this, hundreds of graphic
designers around the world would send in their sample designs and
you get to choose which one you want. After you select the design
you like best, the owner/winner gets paid. In addition to the wide
range of options you receive, this innovative way of finding designs
that meet your needs is more convenient and very affordable.
(image credit: redbubble.com)
Through the internet, thousands of people in developing regions of
the world earn a sizeable income by designing websites, graphics,
logos etc. for clients who live on the other side of the world. As the
internet population expands, the demand for design skills will
definitely increase.
4. Writers
Content is king on the internet and even the most popular
websites/blogs are constantly looking for rich, fresh and
creative blog articles that will keep their readers satisfied and
engaged. Many of these blogs have to publish new articles
everyday to remain relevant and sustain the volume of readers
and visitors they receive. To meet up with this demand,
thousands of freelance writers are hired every day across the
world to produce the content that feeds the internet’s insatiable
appetite for fresh information.
It’s not just enough to know how to write very well in English,
French, Chinese or any other relevant language. Knowledge of
the subject matter is also very important. Most writers
specialize in one or several subjects like art, science and tech,
business and entrepreneurship, politics, personal development,
shopping, gossip etc. The more specialized, the better. (image
credit: clickbd.com)
5. Programmers (Coders)
The global software industry is worth billions of dollars. In recent
years, the spread of smartphones and other mobile devices has
significantly boosted the software industry and computer
programming (or ‘coding’) has become one of the most sought
after and highly paid skills in today’s world. The demand for
coding skills is projected to grow exponentially over the next
decade.
With the rapid rate at which technology is changing, coding skills
are becoming ever more specialized and sophiscated. Today, PHP,
Wordpress, Android and HTML programming are just a few of the
trending and highly demanded programming skills.
Nowadays, anyone with a brilliant software or app idea can hire
freelance programmers (coders) from anywhere in the world to
build one for them. On platforms like Freelancer.com, anyone can
describe the software they would like to build and invite qualified
and experienced coders to bid for the job. This competitive
selection process ensures that the client always hires the right
quality talents at an affordable price. (image credit:
networtech.com)
How Can More Africans become a part of this
industry?
We often complain that there are more unemployed people than
jobs in Africa. While physical jobs can be limited by geography and
international boundaries, the service opportunities revealed in this
article are not. As long as you have the relevant skills, there are
several platforms on the internet that provide the opportunity to
sell your time and talent to anybody anywhere in the world.
Although this is a fantastic opportunity for our continent, there are
a couple of things you need to know and do before you can enjoy
the lucrative benefits of this industry. Here they are…
1. You need to invest in yourself and develop useful skills
Although talent may come naturally to some, we definitely have to
invest in training ourselves in order to build the skills required for
the highly competitive but rewarding world of freelancing. But are
there top quality places you can learn these skills without bearing
the cost of travelling abroad for training? Yes, there are and many
of them are FREE! Yes, they don’t cost anything! You don’t have to
travel anywhere or enroll for courses that you can’t afford. I’ll
introduce you to some of the most effective, flexible and
affordable ways to learn and practice all the skills you need.
Coursera – This is definitely my most favourite education
platform on the internet! Coursera partners with top universities
(like Stanford, Harvard etc.) and organizations around the world to
offer online courses for anyone to take, for FREE! You can sign up
on the portal and choose from over 400 different courses on
several subjects that are created by the world’s top educational
institutions. Many of the courses also come with verified
certificates. You can get started with Coursera at
www.coursera.com
The Open Education Database (OEDb) – This is a
comprehensive directory of both free and paid online education
courses. OEDb is a leader in the open education movement and
provides frequent and up-to-date information on programs from
accredited online colleges across the world. You can access this
platform at http://oedb.org/
Udacity – Especially for anyone interested in learning
programming skills, Udacity is just the place for you! Most
courses on the platform are free and range from Data Science,
Web Development and Android Apps. You can find out more info at
https://www.udacity.com/faq#section-0-3
Udemy – This is one of the leading online learning marketplaces
with over 3 million students taking courses on a wide range of
subjects. Udemy currently has more than 18,000 courses that are
taught by expert instructors. All courses are available on-demand,
so students can learn at their own pace, on their own time, and on
any device. There are quite a number of free courses on Udemy
and you can check them out at www.udemy.com
Lynda – This is another leading online learning company that
helps anyone learn business, software, technology and creative
skills to achieve their personal and professional goals. For about
$25 per month, members can access Lynda’s extensive video
library of engaging, top-quality courses taught by recognized
industry experts. You can explore this platform to find out more at
www.lynda.com
W3Schools – For beginners who want to learn basic
programming skills, this is definitely the place for you. W3Schools
has an interesting collection of FREE tutorials on programming
(coding) subjects like HTML, CSS, SQL, PHP, Javascript etc. The
courses are simple, interesting and very valuable. You can start
enjoying this amazing resource at www.w3schools.com
2. The next step is to promote yourself and sell your skills
After you have learned the skills of your choice, the next step is to
offer your services for sale. To successfully do this, you need a
platform that will expose and project your skills to the whole world.
The cheapest and most effective way to accomplish this today is
over the internet. There are quite a number of online work portals
(and we’ll look at a few shortly) that help skilled freelancers around
the world to find work/projects at very competitive prices.
The way these platforms work is quite simple. You have to go
through a quick registration process that includes creating a profile
of yourself – your skill areas, experience, rate ($ per hour) etc.
When a potential client hires you, many of these platforms provide
escrow services and time tracking software that help to ensure
that clients only pay for work they approve. As long as a client
approves your work, payments can be made to you every week or
at the end of the job/project.
Let’s now look at a few of the top freelance platforms available on
the internet…
Elance - Elance is free to use for employers (there are no fees for
finding workers). When a potential client posts a project on Elance,
they can either pay a fixed price for completion of the job or an
hourly fee. This platform also offers time tracking and screenshots
of your computer while you work. This allows clients to track the
progress of their projects and only pay you for the hours worked.
You can check it out at www.elance.com
oDesk - Early this year, oDesk merged with Elance and now
both platforms are jointly owned, although they continue to
operate independent of each other. oDesk is also free to use
and provides options for fixed pricing and hourly-priced
contracts. There is also a time tracking application that
allows your clients to verify and approve the work you have
done. You can check out oDesk at www.odesk.com
Freelancer - This is definitely one of the big names out
there. Since 2009, the company has acquired several other
online freelance and outsourcing marketplaces. The platform
charges a 3% fee on all payments made to freelancers
through their website. Freelancers can either be paid a fixed
price upon work completion or an hourly fee. You can visit
this platform at www.freelancer.com
Guru - To date, more than two million people have used this
platform to complete more than 800,000 jobs worth a total of more
than $200 million. Like the others, jobs can be posted on Guru for
free and clients can pay freelancers on a fixed price or hourly fee
basis. You can check out the Guru platform at www.guru.com
When you have acquired the skills in your chosen area and you’re
ready to make some money with your talents, you will need to
choose one of these platforms, register and complete your profile.
Most freelancers don’t pay sufficient attention to their profiles
despite its huge importance and influence on potential clients. I
strongly recommend that you use a clear, attractive and
professional-looking photo for your profile, provide well-written
details about your skills, experience, hobbies and contact info
(telephone, Skype and maybe email).
3. Hardwork, Patience, Hardwork
Like most paths that lead to success, making it as a freelancer in
the services industry will require a great deal of hardwork and
patience, especially in the beginning. Clients don’t want to take
risks with a novice and usually would prefer to hire freelancers who
have a wealth of experience. As a beginner, it may be difficult to
get hired at first, but with patience and hardwork you’ll surely find
someone who will hire you.
In the meantime, when you can, you could offer your services for
free to further develop your skills and showcase the quality of your
work. While you wait for clients, take more courses and practice
your skills so that you can always do a great job when a client
finally hires you. And by the time you have successfully completed
a series of jobs, the quality and size of your portfolio will easily
attract more customers to you.
Image credit: rejionline.com
4. Use great customer service to grow your reputation
On all of these online freelance platforms, the quality of customer
feedback you get can easily make or break you. For every job
you’re hired for, the client is encouraged to provide feedback on
the quality on your work and their level of satisfaction with your
service. In addition to leaving a feedback comment, customers can
also award a 1(low) to 5(high) star rating. And when future clients
think of hiring you, most of them will first read through your
previous ratings and these will likely influence their decision to hire
you or not. As a result, freelancers with high ratings and positive
customer feedback are likely to get more jobs.
Another good reason you should focus on providing great service
to your customers is that it always pays off in the long run. Clients
prefer to work with freelancers they’ve worked with before and are
comfortable with their services. If you impress a customer on one
job, they’re likely to consider you first when they have another
project. And their patronage definitely increases as your
relationship with them deepens.
The opportunities are yours for the taking! When
will you start?
The new and interesting concept of freelancing has opened a vast
world of opportunities for skilled entrepreneurs, especially in
developing regions of the world like Africa. Though job and
business opportunities may be limited in our various countries, by
using your skills and tapping into the platforms I’ve shared with
you, you can export your services to clients in other countries. It’s
simply amazing!
Another reason I’m thrilled by the freelancing opportunity is that it
is largely merit-based and very competitive. I have noticed that
entrepreneurs from low-income regions like Asia and Africa are
able to charge much lower rates than freelancers in high-income
developed countries. This low cost advantage allows us to outbid
the competition and make us more attractive to clients.
Now that you know the in-demand services on the market, the best
places to get free training to develop the required skills and the top
online platforms to sell your skill/talent for money, what exactly
are you waiting for?