There are a flood of reasons why it is vital for freelancers to blog. I would go as far to say that if you are not blogging as a freelancer, you will crash and burn. A simple marketing strategy which is often overlooked or not practised appropriately.

Why should I Blog?

1. Leader
By blogging you are sharing your knowledge with the world. This is very advantageous as you are very likely to know a lot about your respective field. Sharing your knowledge in your field enables potential clients and other freelancers to admire your professionalism, knowledge and work ethic. This has the added advantage of making you an authority in your field.

2. More $ (or £)
An online portfolio in the vast World Wide Web will hardly get any traffic by just lying there. A blog alongside your portfolio will allow your portfolio to generate more traffic by SEO alone. More traffic to your blog means more traffic to your portfolio.

The more people who visit your portfolio by visiting your blog, the more exposure of your portfolio to potential clients and therefore more business.

3. Personal
A portfolio which leads to a telephone/MSN/Skype conversation may not be as personal as a blog. I mean, who will really talk about issues they feel strongly about in a conversation with a client? When the client can see that you are a well researched and well read freelancer they will feel more comfortable with you.

Personal touch can apply if your blog shows a background to your working and an insight into a freelancers world. This is something the client will never see, and if you speak about this on your blog, they will appreciate the sort of work you do.

What kind of Blog?

1. Unrelated
Here I am speaking of a social-type blog, on which you would express your thoughts and views, which do not necessarily have to be freelance related. Many people can find several advantages of blogging about everything and anything not least that it provides an outlet for frustration, love and pretty much any emotion.

My sincere advise is to not team an unrelated blog with your portfolio, as posting your views on Britney Spears’ latest antic may not get you the sort of traffic to your portfolio which you want. It will almost definitely not lead to a potential client.

2. Beneficial blog

3. Relevant blog
This is where you speak about issues which affect clients and freelancers, but mostly speak about your own work and area of expertise. This will show your knowledge in the field and really show the inner workings of your freelancing career. This is the type of blog which is most likely going to pull in clients and have the advantages we discussed above.

Conclusion

These are my views. If you agree or disagree, feel free to comment below, I would love to read your views.