If you were to Google the term “marketing strategies for freelancers,” you’re going to be bombarded with a million and one ways you can market your freelance business.
This can be both a blessing and curse – there’s a lot of information out there about it, but that also gives you many means of marketing to choose from.
Marketing can often feel like a, “throw it and see what sticks,” strategy for expanding your freelance business.
[A] one page business plan can help you drum up clientele for your freelancing services.
Which is why I want to show you how a one page business plan can help you drum up clientele for your freelancing services.
It’s a simple and effective way to get your information out there and build connections with companies, businesses and prospective clients.
And, if you give it a try, hopefully it will be a marketing strategy that “sticks!”
How Can You Use a Business Plan to Market Your Services?
Business plans are typically used as a guide, or roadmap, for your business that outlines goals and details of how you plan to reach your goals.
This document is often intended for personal use but, when it comes to marketing your freelance services, you can use one to reach out to potential clients.
Doing so requires a bit of tweaking and, instead of laying out your roadmap, you instead focus on outlining exactly who you are and what services you are offering.
Think of it as a short sales pitch with a pricing guide. You want to give clients all the information they need on one page.
It’s a great way to drum up business quickly – clients can make an informed decision in a short span of time as to whether or not they want to employ your services.
When to Use Your One Page Business Plan
It may seem pointless to create a one page business plan when potential clients can easily visit your website to learn more about your services and pricing.
While a writer’s website is an important aspect of marketing your business, having a business plan you can hand directly to clients creates a more personal relationship right from the beginning.
Instead of being directed to a site that provides the same information to everyone who visits it, this method of marketing requires you to reach out to prospective clients individually to provide them information about your services.
The best part is, you can use your one page business plan to connect with local companies and businesses in your area.
I used a one-pager for my services when I went locally to find freelance gigs.
It creates the same kind of impact as personally handing your resume to a store manager when seeking a job – the individual is able to meet you face-to-face, giving you an opportunity to create an impression.
Even if you email your one page business plan to an individual, it can have a more personable impact than simply saying, “Come visit my website for more information.”
One Page Business Plan Template
A typical corporate business plan will include things like an executive summary, the organization’s structure and management, products/services, marketing and sales strategies, funding, financial projections, etc.
Luckily, when it comes to marketing yourself as a freelancer, you don’t need all of that stuff in your business plan.
Basically, it’s a snapshot of who you are, what you can do and how much you charge for doing it.
Here is a template you can follow to create the perfect one page business plan:
Logo
Logos aren’t necessary when marketing your freelance services, but they do add a professional touch.
Your logo should be a small image that encapsulates your brand and identity.
Include your business name and tagline – you can even add a small picture that relates to your services.
Logos can easily be made in Canva and placed in your one page business plan.
Mission Statement
Missions statements are an important factor when it comes to driving your brand. It allows potential clients to get an idea of how passionate you are about the services you offer.
Think of it as a brief statement of what you can offer in terms of solutions for the client.
For example:
I provide high-quality, informative and SEO-optimized articles so that my clients can focus their energy on what’s important – growing and developing their business.
It’s simple and to the point, describing exactly what the writing can do and how they intend on helping their client.
It also touches on the writer’s want of helping others, keeping their clients’ needs in mind as they market their services.
Your Product/Services
This is the main part of your one page business plan and simply lists the products and services you offer and their prices.
You may be thinking, “I’m a freelance [service], that’s what I offer.”
It’s important to break down your services in order to provide the customer with choice as well as detail exactly the type of work you do.
On my one page business plan, I broke my writing services down depending on the nature of the piece and how much research would be involved:
- Formal Articles (requiring specific guidelines and writing styles)
- Niche-specific Articles (product specific)
- Highly Technical Articles (requires extensive research)
- Casual/Informal Articles (requires less or no specific guidelines or writing styles)
I even added “extras” such as uniquely modified creative commons images and digital marketing packages.
For each service and extra, I listed the coordinating price.
Look at the service you offer and think of ways you can break it down even further in order to offer clients a variety of choices and prices.
Plus, you can then start charging higher prices for services that require more work and effort!
Contact Information
Don’t forget to include your contact information such as your phone number, email address and/or website!
You want to make sure your prospective clients have a way to get a hold of you.
Putting It All Together – One Business Page Template
To give you an idea of what a one page business plan should look like, check out this one page business plan template I did as an example:
It’s simple, to the point and doesn’t provide any extraneous information. Anything additional you want to let the client know, you can tell them in person or in an email.
Again, a one page business plan is a great way to make a personal connection and open the door for further conversation.
There You Go!
Hopefully this gives you a good idea of what a one page business plan should include and what it should look like.
It’s a simple little tool that you can easily use to reach out to more businesses, companies and potential clients when it comes to marketing your freelance services.
Have you ever used something like this before? Let us know how it worked for you!
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