The rise of the pandemic this year has changed the landscape of the entire workforce worldwide. The world is now facing a new normal where corporate offices have turned to home-based arrangements, and stores found in brick and mortar establishments have leaned toward their online presence.
However, not everyone has caught the hang of it, and some were caught entirely off guard. When the pandemic blew up, stores have closed, people stayed at home and events went cancelled.
While traditional companies have just to make necessary arrangements to continue their operations, freelancers and gig workers have almost totally lost theirs.
Freelancers and Gig Workers’ Current Situation
Freelancing is a budding industry today, which makes up 35% of the working population in the United States. Freelancing contributed $1 trillion dollars to the United States Economy in 2019.
You can read The Sixth Annual Freelancing in America Report by clicking on the link. However, as the pandemic continues to threaten the world, freelancers and gig workers are having a hard time.
Among the workforce, freelancers and gig workers were among the ones who were severely beaten in terms of financial and job security. The uncertainty it has created send ripples of fear and doubt to these workers.
The crunch of the pandemic is a massive blow for these millions of workers who are struggling to make ends meet, find work, close a deal and recuperate costs for the tasks that have already reached the finish line.
However, not all hope is lost. If you are among the many millions who are experiencing the heavy blow of the pandemic, then now is the time to keep a positive and open mindset. Here are some ways to help you rise above this crisis.
The Opportunity to Succeed Despite the Pandemic
1. Keep Connections Alive for Long-Term Success
While everything is on hold during this time, and there is no clear ending to the pandemic, you can use this as an opportunity to build your connection with other freelancers, your existing clients and prospects.
Maintaining your relationship with your customers is vital to make sure you will still have customers when freelance businesses can hit the running ground again.
While this is quite untimely for some, you can do indirect marketing to help your brand or business retain in your audience’s mind. You can send email marketing or keep posting on your social media channels. However, refrain from advertising your brand or services.
Your content should be valuable information like pandemic updates, tips to help businesses during this trying time or how to survive this kind of crisis. You can also hold a live webinar in your social media and share a snippet of your expertise. This strategy can help you increase brand reach and spike up your engagement.
2. Level Up Your Website
Now that you have a lot of time in your hand, it is best to make it productive. While you are at it, visit your website. As a freelancer and gig worker, along with your social media profiles, your website acts as your online brochure. Use the extra time you have to update your copy, post a blog, upload your recent works or refine your bio.
Many people are staying at home, and most are online, either doing work or just lounging on the internet. It is an excellent opportunity to leverage on this platform as there is a high chance they might stumble with your online profiles or your website.
3. Do Your Administrative Task
During the times that everything was still normal, your administrative tasks may just continue to pile up because of your busy schedule. These backlogs may have already invaded all your office drawers or are already screaming in your computer.
As a freelancer, you might be just a one-person team which made these behind the scenes processes even tedious.
Today is the best time to face these and battle yourself with invoices, receipts and other papers that are essential parts of your business. Reorganize your files and your contact.
4. Learn A New Skill
With the extra time you have, there is no better opportunity to rehash your skills. The internet is flooded with different webinars to help freelancers like you these days.
Make your time worthwhile by pursuing areas outside of your expertise. Learn how to create websites, study how to make creative illustrations, or even learn how to cook your favourite dish. The list could go on.
While some may be entirely out of tune with your current expertise, it would be best also to hone your craft during this time. This opportunity will help you become of the best in your industry, which can open up more significant opportunities once this is all over.
5. Share Your Knowledge to Others
While this challenging time may cause uncertainty to your craft and your finances, there are other ways you can earn a decent income. While this may not pay all of your bills, it can at least suffice.
With your skills, you can conduct paid webinars to your followings. Share your insights to other people on a minimal fee. Remember to not go overboard with your price as it may shy away from your potential clients. As you are still building your name, be generous.
Giveaways like business formats or other takeaways for your audience can be beneficial for them will always bring the extra mile. This opportunity will help you build your brand reputation and your online authority. As you continue to share your expertise, you will be perceived by your audience as a thought leader in your industry.
Depending on your niche, you can also offer consultation and mentoring services. Being a consultant means sharing your skills and ideas to bring value to a specific business while doing mentorship means helping a business plan for their future and validate their business-related decisions.
If you want to market yourself, aside from webinars, you can also film a video sharing your work’s behind-the-scenes which you upload in your website or your social media channels, particularly on YouTube. Though this may not rake up money instantly, it has the potential to do so.
Final Thoughts
No one can say when a worldwide pandemic would hit. It is not something everyone can plan for ahead of time. However, despite being in the industry that is crippled when an epidemic hits, you can still find resources that will help you survive in this crisis.
Being a freelancer and gig worker should not be a hindrance. Pivot your way to find a more productive result and find opportunities to make yourself and your business grow.
Author Bio:
Ramon has been writing about technology trends, entertainment, and gaming ever since he left the busy world of corporate HR Tech behind. He currently writes about software and user experiences for Softvire Australia the leading software e-Commerce company in Australia and Softvire New Zealand. In his spare time, Ramon writes science fiction.
