For some people, work is winding down, but for many freelancers, the summer holidays are the busiest time as agencies need to replace staff who have gone on leave. The economic downturn is also working in freelancers' favour as companies prefer to contract people on a needs basis, rather than as permanent staff. So if you're a freelancer, it's a great time to market yourself, and Freelancentral's Christmas gift to you is 20% off all portfolios until 15 December. Treat yourself to a Christmas present that can generate work for you!
issue 28 ::
November 2008
WE'RE HIRING
Freelancentral is expanding and we are looking for the following two people to join the team in Cape Town from early 2009:
- Placements manager - 4+ years recruitment or agency account handling experience is required as well as a drive to be a 'marketing matchmaker'.
- Half-day admin assistant - you'll need to be organised, web-savvy, have awesome attention to detail and great client manner.
GET THE LATEST SENT TO YOU
Want the latest news, new member listings and placement ads sent to you as they are uploaded to Freelancentral? Simply sign up for our RSS feed - click on the link on our home page. If you don't already use a feed reader, we recommend Google Reader as an easy way of aggregating the latest posts from all the sites you read regularly.
FEATURED RESOURCE:
Copyblogger
This popular site contains tips on how to get traffic, gain subscribers, attract links and sell something via your website. Lots of very useful, practical tips and insights.
Got a resource you'd like to recommend to the Freelancentral community? Send your favourite blog or website links, book titles or software recommendations to info@freelancentral.co.za.
SITE STATS FOR OCTOBER
From Google Analytics:
Freelancers registered: 3,528
- 3,253 visits
- 20,236 page views
- 6.22 pages per visit
- 34.28% bounce rate
- 11.07 average time on site
- 54.81% new visitors
PORTFOLIO CRITIQUES
Are you selling yourself effectively in your Lite or Full portfolio? Wouldn't it be great to have someone give you an honest assessment of your portfolio, and tips on how to improve it? Lite and Full members can get this by making use of our Portfolio Critique service, via our free Advice Line. Just call the Freelancentral team on 021 780 1364 or mail us on info@freelancentral.co.za
GET 25% OFF YOUR NEXT FULL PORTFOLIO
Don't forget that if you send us your Freelancentral success stories and we publish them in our newsletter or on the site, you'll get 25% off your next month's Full portfolio. Submit your stories by sending us a mail.
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** STOP PRESS ** PLACEMENT BRIEF JUST IN **
Online and offline designer for funky online brand (ongoing work, Cape Town)
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CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: 20% OFF ALL PORTFOLIOS UNTIL 15 DECEMBER
To thank all our freelancers for their support in 2008, we are offering you 20% off Lite and Full portfolios until 15 December. That means that Lite portfolios cost only R60 per month (6 or 12 month bundles available). Full portfolios are still linked to your own hourly rate, but are discounted by 20% too (available monthly; even bigger discounts apply if you buy multiple months). And you no longer need two pre-approved references to qualify for a Full portfolio (see next article). Now's a GREAT time to promote your freelance services as clients need cover when their staff go on holiday. Also, freelancers are being seen as a cost-effective option in tough economic times, so make sure your name is out there. Log in and buy your discounted portfolio now!
WHAT CREATIVE FREELANCERS CAN LEARN FROM SUITS: PART 2: Client service or account management?
Our second in a series on the lessons that creatives can learn from account handlers (aka those in 'client service' - or 'suits'), this month's article explores what it means to offer great service to clients, how this can help you grow your freelance business, and suggests six things you can do right now to improve your relationships with your clients. Read on for more.
CHANGES TO FULL PORTFOLIO REFERENCE REQUIREMENTS
Freelancentral members no longer need two pre-approved references in order to qualify for a Full portfolio listing. We have removed this requirement as quite a few referees do not respond to requests for feedback, preventing freelancers from getting their portfolios online. Clients can still see how many references a freelancer has had pre-approved by the Freelancentral team on each freelancer's portfolio. The more approved references a freelancer has, the more reassured a potential client will be, so we encourage freelancers to continue submitting references on the site. Clients can click on the little blue speech bubble on each portfolio to fill in a feedback form about that freelancer.
ONLINE COACHING FOR FREELANCERS: 10 Simple Steps to Freelance Success
It can be scary setting off into the freelance world without a body of knowledge behind you. Without knowing what you're offering and what you want to be paid for it; how you'll negotiate and when you'll dig your heels in. The place to start is Tiffany Markman's popular online coaching programme: '10 Simple Steps to Freelance Success'! Those of you who were at Flying Solo in Gauteng will remember Tiffany. She's offering a special discount to Freelancentral members - click here for more.
PIKE: Pack for the future
Currently we're all on the bright blue super tube towards the end of the year. The festive season will be a chance to use that dusty, neglected OFF button on your computer, lift your head to blearily contemplate the world beyond your windows and take the time to re-connect with family, friends, pets, the TV guide, trees, clouds, Table Mountain, your childhood, your sticker collection, your - well, you get the idea. It's a great time to pull yourself towards yourself, after thinking nothing but "work" for months. Read on for Pike's take on planning for the year ahead.
TOY DRIVE 2008
If there's one initiative you support this Christmas, and you live in the Western Cape, do make it the Toy Drive. This is a World Record attempt at 'raising' the most toys at one event - all of which will be distributed to a number of hospitals and children's organisations in the Western Cape. As well as helping Santa out, you'll also no doubt enjoy the event itself on 10 December, which is sure to be a great pre-Christmas party. Read on for more...
CHRISTINE ONLINE: Web content that kicks
Writing for the web is different to writing for print. Even though the Internet has spawned some of its own languages, lolspeak among others, generally the same rules for spelling and grammar apply - so what is different? Read on to find out why writing for the web is different and tips for killer web copy.
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Read how Freelancentral is helping South African freelancers
on our new Testimonials page - and do send us your success stories too.
If Freelancentral has connected you successfully,
whether you're a client or freelancer, we'd love to hear from you.
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