Freelancing can be an extremely fulfilling career path, and you might even find yourself happier than ever before! If you’re not sure where to start with your freelance career, or if you have been freelancing for a while and are looking to expand your knowledge of the field, consider taking one of the following five online courses for freelancers. These courses will help you advance your career in this fast-growing industry and have numerous other benefits as well as helpful information that will prove invaluable as you learn more about being a freelancer.
Digital Marketing
If you’re an independent contractor, marketing is just as important as your work. Sure, not all freelancer gigs are sales jobs. But it is still up to you to promote yourself, land new gigs, and keep your business running smoothly. Digital marketing includes everything from running Facebook ads and setting up email newsletters, to building a personal website that showcases your unique skillset.
You can even sell your own products or services on sites like Etsy or eBay just make sure they aren’t against any of these five popular myths about selling crafts online. To truly stand out in today’s digital world, marketers must be willing to learn new tools and tricks in order to stand out from their competition, and luckily for them, there are tons of free resources available online. Check out our list of the 5 best online courses for freelancers below.
The Essentials of Marketing: This comprehensive course will teach you everything you need to know about digital marketing for beginners. It’s designed specifically for people who have never taken a marketing class before, but covers topics that advanced marketers should know too!
Programming
If you’re a web designer, how will you communicate your ideas if you don’t know how to program? There are tons of online courses for freelancers available online and many of them are free. JavaScript is a must-know for web designers because it’s used in so many apps. If you have an idea for an app, learn some Swift or Objective-C as well. If you’re stuck on something, StackOverflow is a great place to ask questions and get answers quickly from community members who know what they’re talking about.
And there’s no excuse for not learning: BuildSomething teaches programming from nothing via video tutorials. No coding experience is needed! Design: The best way to learn design is by doing it so pick up a design book and start sketching things out. InDesign Magazine has a list of free ebooks that can help you get started with Adobe software like Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Premiere Pro CC, and more. You can also check out Lynda’s library of online classes there are tons of design classes available for all levels. Alternatively, Udemy has hundreds of paid courses that might be worth checking out too.
Video Animation
Become A Master In Video Animation with This online course for freelancers: Though it might not be as fun as painting or writing, video animation is a skill that you can use over and over again. Plus, video is one of today’s most popular types of content online and by learning how to animate effectively, you’ll never have a problem finding an audience for your work. The best way to learn how to animate effectively is through an online course, which will take you step-by-step through the fundamentals before gradually building up your skillset.
To help you get started, we’ve picked out five of our favorite online courses for freelancers looking to add animation skills to their toolkits. 4 Ways That Freelancing Can Help You Save Money: When people think about starting a freelance career, they often envision being able to afford luxuries like expensive dinners and shopping sprees on a whim. While those things are nice perks of being self-employed, there are plenty of other ways that working from home can save you money throughout your life.
Here are four ways freelancing can help you cut costs without cutting into your lifestyle. 4 Places to Find Inspiration for Your Next Project: Sometimes inspiration comes from where you least expect it–and sometimes inspiration just needs some nudging along in order to come into fruition. Finding new places to look for inspiration will allow you to discover ideas you may never have thought about otherwise–which means more opportunities for innovative projects down the line.
Website Optimization
As someone who will be selling your services, you need to make sure that people are able to find you. You also want your clients, whether they’re individuals or companies, to be able to get in touch with you easily. Therefore it is necessary for freelancers (or anyone starting a business) to consider website optimization from day one.
Your site should include a clear mission statement for potential clients and include ways for them to contact you easily so you can start building those relationships as soon as possible. Here are some of my favorite websites to help optimize your online presence: Inbound Marketing: Inbound marketing is about creating content for customers rather than trying to sell them on anything. It has been shown time and again that when businesses focus on providing value for their customers, rather than trying to sell something directly, they see far more successful in their efforts.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a sales page; instead, think of it like an opt-in form it’s something useful but not required. Here are some of my favorite resources: Business Growth: Whether you’re just getting started or looking to expand your reach further into an existing market, there’s no doubt that growth plays a key role in any successful business venture.
Writing Skills
Developing writing skills is one of those things that’s easier said than done. It takes a lot of work and it can be frustrating when you don’t see immediate results. And, for some people, it just doesn’t come easy. But, even if you’re not one of those people who get giddy over run-on sentences or who have no problem weaving vivid metaphors into their prose, you can still improve your writing skills with time and practice (and lots of help from our favorite grammar checker). Developing better-written communications will make you a more persuasive communicator and help make sure your readers understand what you’re trying to say. And making sure your readers understand what you want them to know is key.
