One of the great things about being a freelancer is how you can offer and earn from various service offerings.
You don’t have to pick just one service; you’re not locked to one type of job or task. In fact, most successful freelancers dip their toes into several markets to make the most of their diverse range of skills.
You may be able to turn a hobby into a freelance service that provides you pleasure and profit, or learn a new skill to add to your current skill set.
If you’re unsure about what to offer as a service to potential clients, I’ve put together 7 freelance services you can offer. Next to each service I include average payment estimations for hourly work to give you an idea how much you can earn.*
Important: My estimations for ‘average hourly rate’ are just that, estimations. Your value in these fields is based primarily on your experience and the individual needs of your clients. You may be asked to do individual projects, or long-term assignments–the nature of your jobs could vary widely case-by-case.
1. Graphic Design
If you have a good eye for visuals, you can choose to be a graphic or web designer. Your potential clients may be entrepreneurs, startups, and small-medium companies looking to build their online presence through a website.
These websites need smooth logos that will grab attention and represent the brand as well as unique user interfaces to invite visitors to stick around.
If you’re passionate about art, you can combine your artistic sensibilities with your tech skills to create beautiful graphic design.
Average hourly rate: ~$55-400
2. Social Media Management
Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn–these are just a few of the popular social media platforms that drive sales and promote millions of businesses across the globe.The best social media account managers are clever, current, and above all, active. Marketing executives understand the importance of social media, but they typically prefer to outsource this work to young, tech-savvy professionals who are more familiar with the common vernacular and internet slang.
And it’s not just giant corporations that need social media marketers–small and medium size businesses are also looking to improve their page’s online engagement.
Average Hourly Rate: ~$20-75
3. Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is an umbrella term that captures many freelancing services, but the main premise behind it all is selling products online.The most exciting aspect of this service offering is the sheer variety of strategies and tools you can use to sell products. Affiliate, email, blogging—the list goes on and on.
There are some freelance markets like Grow Digital and People Per Hour that give you a platform for connecting with international and local clients. At the end of the day, your marketing and relationship-building skills are what will inform your credibility as a digital marketer.
Average Hourly Rate: ~$35-100
4. Web Design
If you have some experience with HTML, CSS, or Javascript, you can target web design projects.Dependable programmers are in high demand, and the more languages you have under your belt, the more valuable you become. Once you get past the basics, try adding Ajax, PHP, or Design Sense to expand your repertoire.
Whether you want to start learning code or learn advanced techniques, code academy is a great, free resource. As an added bonus, you can post examples of your work on yourLinkedIn account so clients can get a feel for your level of experience.
Average Hourly Rate: ~$95-500
5. Photography
A strong photo is a critical factor in shaping a customer’s first impression of a business.From pamphlets to presentations, g. And if you clients don’t want to use all your photos, you can post your extras to copyright-holding sites like CanStock or Morguefile for some extra cash.
Photography may seem like it has a low barrier to entry compared some of the other freelance services on this list, but in reality the opposite may be true. It can take years to gain the skills to produce professional-looking photos. This service is recommended for people who already have received some professional training.
Average Hourly Rate: ~$50-83
6. Translation
This freelance service is perfect for bilinguals and language enthusiasts. The Philippine economy is expanding quickly and welcoming global businesses for investment. This means hundreds of new businesses are looking to have their legal documents, advertisements, and online content translated into Tagalog.To take your translating career to the next level, get an official certification from your local consulate or other nationally recognized translating organization.
Average Hourly Rate: ~$90-$120/1,000 words
7. Content Writing/Blogging
Content writing and blogging are exploding freelance services with opportunity for all writers skilled with a keyboard.Clients are looking for writers who can create content for web pages, SEO articles, and email newsletters, to name a few. Just in these three examples, you can see that freelance content writing demands flexibility on the part of the writer. You may be asked to use technical, analytical, or even scientific writing styles.
English tends to be the preferred language for website content, but Spanish, French, and Chinese also make up a big chunk of freelance jobs.
Average Hourly Rate: ~$25-50
How Do You Know Which Service to Offer?
As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, you may already have the skills (or at least the makings of the skills) to offer a lucrative freelance service. But recognizing this skill might take some time.
Aimee Espiritu has a great post about brainstorming and organizing your options regarding which freelance service to offer. She recommends starting with a list of at least 20 potential freelance ideas and then regrouping them according to how compatible the services are with your current skills.
But skill and ability should not be your only considerations when venturing into freelancing. The most important asset at your disposal is your passion. Maybe the money is greener in another field, but that should not stop you from following your interests. When you’re doing something you don’t enjoy, you tend to produce sub-par work, and no one benefits from that.
Don’t be deterred if your talents fall outside of the 7 services I described above. There are hundreds of categories of freelance services with high demand and plenty of pay.
Final Thoughts
Turning your passions into profit—that is the essence of any successful freelance career.
My suggestions encompass thousands of available freelance listings, and these categories only scratch the surface of all the freelancing possibilities at your fingertips. But only through trial and error will you find the ideal intersection of your skills and the freelance market.
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