What is Contracted Work?

When it comes to business, occupation, jobs and making a living – work is something we all must deal with daily.

Now that the Internet is here, Freelancing has changed the dynamic landscape of entrepreneurship, local business, and advertising/marketing.

Our goal here is simple; to discuss in-depth depictions of all forms of online optimization, outsourcing and opportunities to make money.

We will go into freelancing, designing, developing, programming, network marketing, multi-level marketing, affiliate marketing, content writing, SEO, SEM, PPC, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, pInterest, emailing, funnels, sales presentations and more.

We believe everyone who goes through the Contracted Work online business program can truly start making money online using the power and leverage of the Internet.

Your Ultimate Guide to Internet Freelancing

When you Google “how to make money online”, you’ll come back with plenty of topics about internet freelancing.

Internet freelancing is one of the few legitimate ways for an average person like you or me to make money online.

The job combines the freedom of being self-employed with the freedom to do your job from anywhere with an internet connection. For many people, it’s a dream come true.

Of course, starting an internet freelancing business isn’t as easy as setting up a PayPal account and watching money roll in.

So what’s the real secret behind internet freelancing? How do you setup contracted work over the internet? Today, I’m going to answer those questions in our ultimate guide to internet freelancing.

Identify Which Skill You Can Market to Potential Clients

So you want to be an internet freelancer?

On the internet, you’re competing with millions of other service providers. If you think of a service – like writing or graphic design – you have to understand there are literally millions of other people marketing that service online.

You have to compete with these people by:

-Offering a better quality service

-Offering a cheaper or better value service

When you’re up against millions of people, this can be a difficult task.

Start by identifying your skills.

What’s something you’re good at that not everybody else can do?

What has someone paid you for in the past?

What kind of value can you add to a company?

Ultimately, your goal is to choose a niche that is under-served by the marketplace. If you can identify this niche and exploit it to its full potential, then you can launch a successful freelancing business.

Maybe your niche is being able to create lots of average-quality business logos and graphics in a very short period of time, for example, and sell them at a significantly cheaper rate than your competitors.

Or maybe your niche is at the other extreme – high-end graphic design for multimillion dollar clients.

How to Market your Skills to Potential Clients

Once you’ve identified your unique skill or value-adding service, it’s time to learn how to market that skill to potential clients.

There are a few ways to do this on the internet. The best way to get your name and service in front of clients is to:

-Visit forums or groups where these individuals interact and advertise your services

-Pay for advertising space through PPC or other methods

-Launch your own website and promote it through a variety of means (ads, social media, friends and family, business cards, etc.)

-Hand out business cards at industry events

-Create a profile on websites like Fiverr, oDesk, or eLance

The Same Business Foundations Apply to your Internet Freelancing Gig

One of the most important things to remember with freelancing is that you’re still running a business. Sure, you might show up to work in a housecoat and have your dog as a coworker every day – but the same rules of running a business still apply.

Some of the fundamentals of launching a business include:

-Evaluating your strengths and weaknesses

-Determining your target market

-Calculating startup costs

-Identifying the niche that will be filled by your products and services

-Creating goals, milestones, and other important aspects of a business plan

-Developing a marketing plan

Of course, not all freelancers do all of these steps. Some people just fly “by the seat of their pants”, so to speak. Freelancing often requires minimal financial investment – so having a concrete, laid-out business plan isn’t always required.

Developing your Brand

Every business has a brand. In freelancing, developing your brand is a way to distinguish yourself from the competition (and as mentioned above, you have a lot of competition).

You can read entire books about branding a business. I won’t go into that level of detail here. But essentially, your goal is to align your messaging and how you deliver it with what your customers need to hear to make the best, most informed decision.

At the same time, that brand should effectively communicate your skills, attitude, and specialization.

If you can create a brand that meets the above requirements in an in-demand niche, then you’ll have more clients than you can handle.

Examples of the Best Internet Freelancing Jobs Available Today

Looking for specific examples, jobs, niches, and services to dive into? Here are some of the biggest and most lucrative internet freelancing jobs available today:

Freelancing Online Marketing

Online marketing is one of the most in-demand professions in the world today. It’s also filled with a lot of low-quality companies who have no idea what they’re doing. If you can offer high-quality online marketing services at an affordable rate, then you can earn an attractive income through freelance online marketing. Some of the areas of specialization in this niche include:

-Web analytics

-Article and press release submissions

-Blog mentions

-Domain and keyword research

-Fan page creation

-Search engine optimization (SEO)

-Social media marketing

-Traffic generation

-Conversion rate optimization (CRO)

-Video and commercial marketing

-Review writing

The world of internet marketing is constantly changing. And by “constantly” – I mean it’s changing from day to day and even hour to hour. By keeping an eye on the latest trends, you can spot a niche before it becomes over-saturated and brand yourself as the number one expert in that particular niche.

Freelance Writing

The internet is one of the few places a freelance writer can make a decent income in this day and age. Many people are surprised to discover how large the world of freelance writing actually is. It spans a diverse range of fields – from press releases to copywriting. Many people are also surprised that you don’t even have to be a good writer to success at some types of online freelance writing (there’s a huge demand for cheap SEO writing where quality is mostly irrelevant, for example). Here are some jobs you can perform as an online freelance writer:

-Business copywriting

-Creative writing

-Translation

-Transcription

-Resume and cover letter editing and creation

-Proofreading and editing

-Press releases

-Articles and blog posts

-Research and summaries

-Legal writing

-Grant writing

Freelance Graphic & Video Design

Our world is more image-based than it’s ever been before. People don’t have the time to read anything on the internet unless it’s conveyed in a meme. Businesses develop their entire brands around a single logo. For that reason, graphic and design work isn’t going out of style anytime soon. Freelance graphic design in the following niches can be your path to a successful internet freelancing business:

-Logo design

-Book covers and packaging

-Photoshop editing

-Flyers, posters, and direct mail creation

-Banner advertisements

-Social media design

-Web and mobile design

-3D and 2D models

-Presentations and infographics

-T-shirt design

-Book covers and packaging

-Video and animation

Freelance Music & Audio

Freelance music and audio specialists can sell songs, jingles, and sound effects to companies or other artists. Some of the freelance music and audio-related gigs available include:

-Mixing and mastering

-Jingles and drops

-Voice overs

-Sound effects

-Singing and songwriting

-Production and composition

-Dubs and dramatic readings

Freelance Programming and Other Tech Jobs

Good programmers are in huge demand around the world today. If you can offer high-quality programming at a competitive price in popular programming languages, then you’re not going to need to search hard for work for the next century. Here are some of the freelance programming and tech jobs you can find online today:

-Web programming and development

-WordPress programming

-Mobile apps

-File conversion

-Website builders and content management systems (CMS)

-User testing

-Quality assurance

-Databases

-Desktop applications

-Support & IT

Ultimately, the vast majority of modern service jobs can be performed online today. If you can find a niche, market yourself to that niche, and charge a rate that gives you a reasonable standard of living, then you can enjoy considerable success from internet freelancing.