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Do Your Freelance Platforms Have Clear Purpose?

01/06/2022 by Miche

Have you really thought about the purpose of your freelance platforms? And, if you have, is your content catering to your purpose?

Most of us have, (or if you’re a newbie you’ll likely have) several platforms. Maybe you have a website, a podcast, an Instagram page, Twitter, etc.

But what are they for? Who are they for? Does your content strategy attract and serve that audience? Does the intended audience have a reason to connect with you in multiple places?

Who are your freelance platforms for?

As a freelancer, there are two primary groups you may want to connect with—fellow freelancers or prospective and existing clients.

KnowGoodWords.com is for freelancers and content creators, not for freelance clients.

All of the social media accounts associated with KnowGoodWords.com are for that same group, fellow freelancers. And the news page on NewsBreak is too.

For my freelancing work, I have an entirely separate business setup, and I connect and communicate through channels that are separate from those for KnowGoodWords.

That isn’t to say that you need to do it that way. You can have a singular brand that caters to different audiences. But each of your freelance platforms should be tailored to a specific audience.

You may, for example, have a blog tailored to other freelancers. But if you’re a photographer or videographer, your Instagram page may serve as a portfolio for clients.

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If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to decide who each platform is for. One way to do that is to decide what the platform’s purpose is.

Is the purpose of your blog to share business tips? Do you use Twitter to market new projects and services or as a water cooler to engage with others in your field?

Strategy & audience

Once you’re clear on who a given platform is for, streamline your content accordingly. Doing so helps you serve your audience better.

Most of your fellow freelancers don’t want to wade through a bunch of content designed to help you attract and retain clients.

Likewise, most clients don’t want to sift through posts about your trade.

Mixing content for different audiences can make your freelance platform seem inconsistent, and it can be a major turn off.

If I’m on a site or a social media page looking for writing tips or writing news, I don’t want to see one post about that then three others designed to speak to clients.

That’s not engaging for me. And as a person who highly values my time, I’m going to feel it’s being needlessly wasted and look for a better source.

Multiple points of connection

If you’re like me, you are on a lot of mailing lists. I, for example, get email updates from many major news outlets: LA Times, New York Times, Washington Post, etc.

So when there’s big breaking news I often have a long stream of alerts about the same story. But of course, I’m not going to check each source.

That same principal applies for you and your freelance platforms.

If you have the same content on your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, blog, etc., you can’t expect people to interact with you in multiple spaces.

They’re followers, not groupies.

But you should want to connect with people via more than one channel. Doing so is especially important, if the follower’s first point of contact with you is on a social media platform.

As I explained on the KnowGood Podcast, trying to build an empire on someone else’s property is too risky. A social media platform is online real estate that you don’t own, and companies can easily sever the channel between you and your audience.

There’s nothing wrong with using your social media to drive traffic to your blog, podcast, or YouTube channel and vice versa. But you also need to have unique content on each platform to encourage people to connect with you in different places.