Freelance Specialization: Finding Your Niche
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In an attempt to maximize their chances of finding gigs and contracts, freelancers run the risk of spreading themselves too thin. We have a tendency — especially in the early years of our careers — to offer generalized services, turning ourselves in to the clichéd jack-of-all-trades. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but most often it’s the freelancers who specialize in a specific area who win the most frequent and profitable contracts.



Specializing offers several advantages. By honing in on a specific area, you provide highly targeted services to an equally targeted market. Finding a niche and establishing yourself as an expert takes time, but is well worth the effort.





Experiment and Adapt



When you’re just entering the freelance world, you may not completely understand your strengths and work skills, which is vitally important for specialized work. The time to experiment is early on in your career.



Work in the field for a while. If you’re young, take on an internship in the closest field possible, instead of doing a temp job for a call center or mowing lawns. Bid on a variety of jobs and see which brings you the most pleasure, satisfaction and profit. You may be surprised at what you find. For instance, I entered freelance from a career development background. I discovered that this background gave me a knack for writing about self-development in general, from health to goal setting, and this has been useful for a number of assignments.



Consider Your Skills and Passions



Once you’ve have some experience under your belt, step back and consider your skill set. For instance, some web designers favor working on eCommerce sites, while others prefer to work with informational sites. Some people excel at social media marketing, while others have a talent for keyword marketing.



Is there an area in your field you feel passionate about, or a particular task you really enjoy? While it’s not necessary to love every aspect of your chosen field, having a passion for your work helps motivate you and encourages improvement, both of which are important in the demanding and often self-directed world of freelancing.



Be honest about your strengths and weaknesses. You want to gravitate towards a specialization which requires your strengths, not your weaknesses. For instance, financial and investment articles pay very well, but as a writer my skills and knowledge make me unsuited for such gigs. Instead, I focus on articles I enjoy writing.



Build on Your Skill Set



Specializing helps you grow and develop your skill set. If you find a niche in web design, for instance, you might be better suited taking courses on responsive web design than, say, an accounting course.



Remember that specializing doesn’t necessarily mean focusing on only one area within your field. Many freelancers find success offering related services; a web designer who can also write web content would have an advantage over competitors who are strictly coders.



Marketing Within Your Niche



Freelancers who specialize can narrow their marketing efforts to a smaller, but much more targeted audience. Join professional associations which focus on your niche, and use social media or online forums to connect with others within the industry.



Establishing yourself as an authority in your chosen field greatly increases your chance of getting noticed (and getting job offers). LinkedIn, especially, offers a wide range of message boards dedicated to highly specific industry niches.



Don’t forget face-to-face encounters. Members of your industry will gather at conventions and professional meetups, where you can wow them with your expertise.



One warning on specializing. It is possible to over-specialize. If you find you’re having difficulty securing regular gigs, don’t be afraid to broaden your services again. Many freelancers specialize when the industry’s healthy, adding more general contracts to their job prospects as job availability changes.