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After working carefully with freelancers (and freelancing myself) for over a decade, there’s one factor almost all of us freelancers agree on:
You’ve actually bought to rock your portfolio.
It’s a no brainer. Having a well-thought-out portfolio can result in insane quantities of recent shoppers, enjoyable collaborations, added consciousness about your providers, and different inventive alternatives.
Good freelancers deal with constructing a portfolio they will leverage to construct their enterprise.
Which is why I’m routinely shocked when a freelancer tells me their portfolio is “underneath development” or that it “wants an replace earlier than I ship it to any new potential shoppers.”
What? That’s insane.
After years of pulling my hair out, I noticed what’s inflicting the massive drawback right here. I believe I’ve lastly found out why so many people freelancers say we imagine within the significance of portfolios however we neglect them anyway.
Why is it?
As a result of most freelancers—sure, in all probability you too; I do know I used to—take into consideration portfolios fully unsuitable.
Your portfolio isn’t the place to indicate off your greatest work and even your most up-to-date work. Its job is to not develop your Instagram following or weblog readers.
No, the singular job of your portfolio needs to be to usher in extra shoppers. And that’s precisely the place I will help.
Why you shouldn’t skim this text
In case your portfolio already brings in a lot new enterprise each month that you just don’t know what to do, then you must simply click on the again button proper now.
However in case you’re bored with your portfolio being an afterthought, a waste of effort and time, a tragic wasteland of no guests and definitely no new enterprise, then keep tuned.
Should you’re bored with searching down one of the best freelance jobs solely to have potential shoppers check out your portfolio and mysteriously decline your pitch, maintain studying.
This text is for you.
Beneath, I’ll share with you the fundamentals of constructing (or rebuilding) a portfolio that’s optimized to transform website guests into paying shoppers and raving followers.
The ways I’ll share are primarily based not solely on over 10 years working with freelancers in my neighborhood but in addition come from years working as an expert salesman and marketer—changing tens of hundreds of shoppers for my employer or myself frequently.
I’ll share with you the highest errors I’ve seen after numerous freelance portfolio critiques so that you don’t fall into the identical frequent traps everybody else does.
Greater than something, I’ll enable you assume extra like advertising professional—not the slimy, salesy, pushy form, however as somebody who is aware of precisely what your buyer needs after which builds a model that speaks with ardour about fixing your shoppers’ largest issues.
I’ll present you easy methods to construct a portfolio that converts and easy methods to measure and observe your conversions utilizing Honeybook.
Once we’re achieved, you’ll have all the things it’s worthwhile to construct an portfolio optimized for enormous consumer conversions.
Right here we go!
Altering how you consider your portfolio will change all the things
Earlier than we dive too deep into the tactical steps you must take when constructing or rebuilding your freelance portfolio, you must change how you consider your portfolio within the first place.
As I discussed beforehand: your portfolio is not a spot to indicate off your best work. It’s not a spot to brag about your awards. It’s not even a spot to spotlight what your earlier shoppers have stated about you.
Positive all of these issues can be included—that’s not an issue.
But it surely’s how you embody them that makes all of the distinction.
Most freelancers make the big mistake of pondering their portfolio is all about them.
You showcase your greatest work. You brag about your greatest work. You put up one of the best testimonials about you.
Right here’s a little bit of a harsh newsflash although: Your portfolio is NOT about you.
Your portfolio, in actuality, ought to have one job and one job solely: to convey you new shoppers.
There are many different locations to indicate off, increase your ego, and present your inventive course of (Instagram is implausible for this).
Each resolution you make as we stroll via the portfolio-optimization course of under needs to be prefaced with this query:
Does this improve or lower the chance {that a} website customer will convert right into a paying consumer?
Solutions to questions on frequent portfolio errors (like including social media buttons—extra to return on that) may take you unexpectedly.
Discover I didn’t say you must ask: Does this improve the chance my consumer will assume I’m wonderful? Or Will this enhance my possibilities of getting extra weblog subscribers?
You should be targeted on only one factor: consumer conversions.
It’s not that together with testimonials, including social media buttons, beginning a weblog or that includes large pictures of your greatest work are inherently unhealthy.
However they’re not inherently good, both. Simply because each different inventive in your trade contains them of their portfolio, doesn’t imply you must too. Hold studying the article and I’ll clarify precisely why.
With that, let’s get into the precise ways of a high-converting portfolio website.
Begin with a minimal viable portfolio
To borrow a phrase from the world of startups, you must intention to start out with a minimum-viable portfolio.
That’s to say: you must try to construct a portfolio that requires a minimal quantity of labor whereas proving that, once you drive guests to it, it is going to convert to new shoppers.
On the earth of expertise growth, a minimal viable product is (MVP) is a product with simply sufficient options to fulfill early prospects, and to offer suggestions for future product growth.
On the earth of portfolios, a minimal viable portfolio (ahem…MVP) is a portfolio with simply sufficient content material to persuade early shoppers to rent you and to offer suggestions it’s worthwhile to enhance your portfolio sooner or later.
The largest cause you must attempt for an MVP is effectivity.
The very last thing you need to do (and sadly SO many freelancers do that) is waste months of brainstorming, amassing initiatives, importing, creating a web site, tweaking all the things….and tweaking it once more… all earlier than any potential shoppers have an opportunity to make use of it.
As an alternative, your aim needs to be to place up a easy but skilled website that goals to transform. Then, you’ll ship it to a pool of potential shoppers and see what occurs.
You’ll be taught way more by placing it out into the true world and gathering suggestions (each from particular person human beings and from knowledge instruments like Google Analytics) than you ever will by creating for months on finish in a vacuum.
What does an MVP appear like realistically?
Okay. All this concept is okay for dinner dialog. However what about truly implementing this concept of a minimal viable portfolio in the true world?
Right here’s what it would appear like for you:
Consolidated pages
As an alternative of constructing a big 10-page web site full with a strong “about me” web page, “contact us” web page, “our providers” web page and all the opposite conventional pages, take into account beginning with only one web page.
Sure. Just one.
There are fairly just a few benefits to consolidating your MVP on to 1 web page.
For starters, it means quite a bit much less work in your finish which implies you get a portfolio out into the world extra rapidly and might begin bringing in potential shoppers sooner.
Extra importantly, it additionally means you may management the journey your website guests take as soon as they land in your homepage. As an alternative of crossing your fingers and hoping a website customer reads your about web page, then opinions your initiatives, after which lastly clicks the contact web page, you may management precisely what the consumer sees and in what order.
To shine off the total expertise, you may embody a chatbox, cellphone quantity, or contact type on the very finish to make them an important step: contacting you for rent.
Consolidated initiatives
Shifting from a multi-page portfolio to a one-page portfolio additionally means you’ll must consolidate the variety of initiatives you embody in your website.
That is truly a superb factor.
In a minimal viable portfolio, you don’t want greater than 3-4 strong initiatives with sales-focused descriptions (extra on that under) with a view to convert a website customer right into a consumer.
Consolidating your work forces you to solely select (not the greatest, keep in mind, however) essentially the most likely-to-convert initiatives in your archives.
If it doesn’t lend itself to convincing somebody to rent you, go away it out.
Use emotion to talk your consumer’s language
Having a minimal viable portfolio isn’t sufficient to persuade website guests to really rent you, although.
You’ve bought to make use of the best sorts of phrases in your portfolio website.
Keep in mind, this website just isn’t about you. Keep away from writing sentences like “I take life-changing images.” As an alternative, use phrases that put a possible consumer comfy and reply the query “is that this the best freelancer for me?”
Listed here are just a few examples:
Talking about you (unhealthy):
- I design model logos which might be memorable and delightful.
- I take footage that final a lifetime.
- I write articles that rank within the Google high 10.
Talking your consumer’s language (good):
- Your prospects already love you—they need to love your model too.
- Get pleasure from your once-in-a-lifetime day. Then keep in mind it eternally with the right photographs.
- Your prospects are looking for solutions you will have. Rank the place they will discover you.
Discover how the second spherical of headlines has virtually nothing to do with the freelancer in query and all the things to do with the consumer’s wants.
Within the phrases of Seth Godin, one of many best entrepreneurs of our time, “Individuals don’t purchase items and providers. They purchase relations, tales, and magic.”
While you’re targeted on promoting your providers (pictures, design, writing, and many others.) it may be arduous to zoom out and determine what tales or magic may inspire a website customer to rent you.
However the extra you may enchantment to a shoppers’ feelings, the higher likelihood you will have of getting employed.
Contemplate just a few feelings your potential shoppers may be feeling and the corresponding emotion you may enchantment to by delivering your freelancing providers.
What your consumer is feeling |
What you ought to be promoting |
|---|---|
| Overwhelm
Your consumer has too many issues to do and feels overwhelmed on the concept of doing extra. Insecurity Your consumer has an essential mission or occasion that wants an expert contact. They’re uncertain in the event that they’re certified for the duty at hand. Strain Tight deadlines on an enormous mission imply your consumer is feeling actual stress to ship a high quality mission by a sure deadline. |
Aid
Hiring you means one much less factor they’ll must personally get achieved or fear about. Confidence Hiring you means your consumer may be assured the mission shall be accomplished on time and professionally. Pleasure Hiring you means your consumer can commerce a few of their anxiousness brought on by stress for pleasure to see the mission come to fruition. |
You’ll be able to (and may) mimic the examples above in your personal state of affairs. Begin by figuring out the the largest ache factors your potential shoppers are feeling.
Subsequent, determine the corresponding constructive emotion (proper column above) they’d wish to have their detrimental emotion (left column above) changed with.
You must then use constructive feelings to direct the writing in your web site.
To cite one other renown salesman of our time, Zig Ziglar: “Individuals don’t purchase for logical causes. They purchase for emotional causes.”
Your aim should develop into to offer them the emotional reasoning they should rent you rapidly.
In fact, none of what we’ve mentioned thus far is useful until you make it extraordinarily straightforward for shoppers to take motion in your website. Which is the place the ultimate part of this text is available in.
Make it extraordinarily straightforward for somebody to take the following step
Okay. You’ve constructed your minimal viable portfolio. You’ve added in emotion-driven copy to entice website guests to rent you (or a minimum of be taught extra about your providers).
However you’ll nonetheless not see the sorts of outcomes you need until you’re employed arduous to make it as straightforward as attainable for somebody to take the following step towards hiring you.
With a purpose to do this, listed below are just a few options:
Take away all dead-ends
One of many largest killers of conversion charges (the speed at which website guests flip into paying shoppers) could very properly be the dreaded “dead-end”.
This typically occurs when you will have photograph galleries or element pages in your portfolio that, whereas they do supply good particulars on every mission, they fail to maneuver your consumer to the following step of their journey to turning into a paying buyer.
When a person finds themselves on the finish of a website journey, the chance they’ll click on the “again” button, shut the window, or simply get pissed off improve exponentially.
To treatment that, keep in mind to first scale back your pages the place attainable. As a reminder, this helps you management the client journey a bit extra.
As well as, guarantee each single web page in your website has a transparent call-to-action guiding the person towards hiring you. This generally is a hyperlink (or a number of hyperlinks) that may look one thing like this:
Like what you see? Click on right here to see how we are able to seize your excellent day.
Alternately, you may select extra direct choices on some pages like a big “rent me” or “contact me” button.
No matter you select, make certain it’s clear, apparent, and straightforward to take motion on. Don’t make individuals guess what may occur in the event that they click on your hyperlink or button.
Take away all off-ramps
Along with eradicating all dead-ends out of your website, you must take into account eradicating any off-ramps that may take a customer away out of your portfolio website.
And, sure, I imply ANY.
There are apparent off-ramps like banner adverts or hyperlinks to research or articles.
I imagine the extra dangerous off-ramps are those which have develop into so extensively used on portfolio websites across the internet, we don’t assume twice earlier than including them to our personal.
These embody social media icons, hyperlinks to consumer work, or hyperlinks to your individual weblog.
Keep in mind means again to the start of this text the place I inspired you to ask this query:
Does this improve or lower the chance {that a} website customer will convert right into a paying consumer?
Whereas rising an Instagram following or beginning a weblog may be useful in rising your online business, it ought to NOT be the first aim of your portfolio website.
Why?
When was the final time you had been on Instagram for instance? Websites like Instagram, Fb, or Pinterest are extremely engineered to KEEP customers on their website.
When you’ve despatched a possible consumer again to Instagram (as an alternative of deeper into your portfolio website) you may as properly say goodbye to their enterprise. The chances that they’ll ever make it again are fairly slim.
I like to recommend you take away any exterior hyperlinks and change them with calls-to-action resulting in your contact web page, cellphone quantity, or chat field.
Don’t make individuals marvel easy methods to contact you
The very last thing you need is for a possible consumer to be offered on hiring you solely to be pissed off with the shortage of ease in truly contacting you.
You may assume that placing a “mailto:” hyperlink or just typing out your e mail handle or cellphone quantity is sufficient, however I like to recommend you’re taking it a step additional.
Your aim needs to be for shoppers to contact you in lower than 30 seconds and a pair of clicks or much less.
Meaning if a website customer is on the homepage (or any web page, actually) they need to have the ability to click on as soon as to your contact web page (in case you even have the pages separated out) after which another time to ship their message.
Don’t make customers copy/paste your e mail handle into their e mail consumer, write a topic line, and click on ship.
It might not sound like a variety of work, however constructing a profitable on-line portfolio means understanding how individuals use the Web and, the reality is, individuals are lazy. They’re busy. They need issues handed to them.
Should you select to go along with a contact type, make it easy. Don’t use your contact type to “filter out unhealthy shoppers” till you’re simply getting so many requests every day that you may’t deal with it.
I like to recommend the next fields in your contact type:
Identify: Let the person select first, final, or full. What issues right here is getting them to submit the shape.
Electronic mail handle: This one’s fairly simple. Don’t strive belongings you’ve seen like “your greatest e mail” or “your work e mail.” Let individuals put no matter they need right here with out pondering an excessive amount of about it.
Message: Lastly, the message. You may need to add a few prompts to assist customers know what to put in writing right here. If not, conserving it easy is okay too.
That’s it?
Yep. You don’t must know their finances but. You don’t must have them provide you with a topic line. You don’t must know far more about them.
The aim is to provoke the dialog and get the particular person’s contact info (greatest=their e mail) so you may proceed in a dialogue and in the end guide them as a consumer.
Bonus discipline: The one extra discipline I might advocate for later testing may be the “how did you hear about me?” discipline, however I might maintain it optionally available so customers aren’t pissed off in the event that they don’t keep in mind. And if attainable, set it to “I don’t keep in mind.”
To simplify all of this, strive utilizing the Honeybook contact type builder which lets you customise the shape to your liking. From there, you may embed the Honeybook contact type in your website it doesn’t matter what it’s constructed on.
The explanation I’m okay with including this bonus discipline is as a result of it is going to come in useful through the last suggestion I’ll make under: testing and adjusting.
Check, get suggestions, and alter
Keep in mind, the aim of your MVP (minimal viable portfolio) is to get it out their rapidly, accumulate suggestions, and optimize it for enormous consumer conversions.
Listed here are just a few methods I like to recommend you check your new portfolio website:
Qualitative testing with mates, household, colleagues
Earlier than sending the brand new portfolio to any potential shoppers, your aim needs to be to take away any evident errors or errors. This may be completed utilizing mates, household, colleagues, and even present shoppers who you belief.
Keep away from asking obscure, open-ended questions like “what do you consider my new portfolio?” although, since that received’t enable you in any respect.
As an alternative, strive sitting them down at a pc and asking them to kind in your URL, go to the positioning and try to rent you.
Then watch.
Don’t discuss. Don’t assist them. Watch over their shoulder and simply observe.
You’re prone to see spots the place many individuals get confused, hung-up, misplaced, pissed off, or distracted. This provides you with a pleasant record of preliminary changes you can also make.
Quantitative testing with Google Analytics
Although the one-on-one testing with individuals you belief may be extraordinarily insightful, getting extra guests to the positioning and watching the info on the back-end can supply an entire totally different grouping of realizations.
You may need to use a free software like Google Analytics to see the place website guests are coming from, which pages they go to first, which pages they go away from, and the paths they take via your website to in the end contact you (or go away).
Lastly, in case you’re constructing a one-page portfolio website, chances are you’ll need to take into account a heatmap software like HotJar, which can be free. HotJar will present you the way far down the web page customers sometimes scroll, the place they click on, and the way they use your website.
You’re by no means achieved testing
Should you’re critical about getting extra shoppers out of your on-line portfolio, right here’s the truth of it: you’re by no means achieved testing.
I as soon as had somebody inform me they made small changes each week to their portfolio and it solely elevated their conversion charges by round 1% every time.
However over the course of 6—12 months, you may think about what an affect all of the testing and adjusting can have.
Rising your conversion charge by even simply 25% (which is modest and fully attainable) means if much less effort and value to usher in new shoppers with the very same software.
As you observe, be taught, research and check, you’ll get higher at it. You’ll begin to be taught what your shoppers are in search of, the place they’re getting caught and easy methods to greatest assist them.
Taking motion is the one street to success
This text is over 3,500 phrases lengthy. Should you’ve made it this far, congratulations. You’re among the many few who’ve.
However studying three thousand phrases on a subject means nothing in case you don’t take motion. So, to recap, listed below are the actions I like to recommend you’re taking within the coming months to optimize your portfolio website for enormous conversions:
- Retrain your mind to consider your portfolio as a gross sales software as an alternative of a elaborate place to indicate off work.
- Create a minimal viable portfolio that meets the fundamental wants and avoids too many bells and whistles (for now).
- Converse your consumer’s language by figuring out feelings they’re feeling and how one can resolve their largest ache factors.
- Make it extraordinarily straightforward for shoppers to rent you by addressing dead-ends, off-ramps, and distractions.
- Start testing your MVP as quickly as attainable (it doesn’t need to be excellent) and collect suggestions rapidly utilizing actual human beings and software program like Honeybook.
Final of all, some phrases of encouragement. Most of the freelancers I discuss to about portfolios declare they only don’t have the time or power (or they discover they’re too choosy about their very own model) to construct or rebuild their portfolio.
However you’ve bought this.
Optimizing your portfolio may be probably the most impactful issues you are able to do in your freelance enterprise.
I can’t wait to see what you provide you with.
This put up was initially revealed on the Honeybook weblog right here. It has been republished right here with permission from the copyright holder.
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