Global interconnectedness and a push for more remote work opportunities profoundly impact freelancing. A third of Americans engage in some form of freelancing. Many of them – along with millions of workers worldwide – have successfully turned it into their main income source.
The freelance lifestyle offers benefits like flexible hours and your choice of clients. It can also be tricky to get into, especially if you aren't aware of the freelancer tools successful freelancers use to get ahead. We've compiled the essential freelancer tools you should know of and leverage in your freelancing career. Rather than just list the tools, we explain what each can do for you.
Table of Contents
Freelance Marketplaces
Are you just starting and have no client base? Want to supplement your regulars with occasional work? Freelance marketplaces connect you to thousands of potential clients. They streamline the job discovery process and let you tailor searches to fit your needs & skillset.
Some marketplaces let clients take the initiative by posting job descriptions, complete with requirements and responsibilities.
Others place greater emphasis on predefined services clients purchase as packages. The competition might seem daunting, but the best freelancers receive great pay & enjoy a steady stream of clients.
It's also a smart idea to leverage freelance marketplaces for your own needs. Let's say you're a programmer that needs copy or a visual overhaul for an old website. The platform you use to find clients is also the best place to hire freelancers whose skills and work can supplement your own.
Project Management Tools
Successful freelancers often have to juggle several clients. Others may work on complex projects as part of a single client’s team. Either situation can get out of hand if you don’t keep track of your responsibilities and due dates.
Project management freelancer tools help you break down large undertakings into manageable and trackable segments.
Some use lists and calendar views, while others adopt the popular Kanban card system. Either helps project managers design and stick to more efficient workflows while ensuring everyone involved understands what they should be working on.
Some tools also offer dependency tracking that lets the team know working on a task can’t proceed until another is complete.
Communication Tools
Project management freelancer tools let everyone see the bigger picture, but they’re no substitute for real-time chats or video conferencing.
Specialized online communication tools were already gaining traction a few years ago, only to explode in popularity and demand during the pandemic.
The text-based ones work similarly to older chat apps. You can set up separate categories or channels for different clients. Alternatively, you may join a client's workspace and communicate through different channels. These are often specific to a project, allowing you to converse about specific topics.
You may also create smaller private or group chats.
Many people within an organization prefer video calls over audio and text. Such communication adds a human touch and lets you get to know the people behind the screen names. A five-minute video call can often accomplish something a much longer chat can't.
Additionally, clients who see your face and personality may be more likely to work with you on future projects.
Email Managers
Despite the advent of project management and communication apps, email remains a staple of business communication. Once your freelance career takes off, you might find yourself swamped with emails.
Moreover, you may want to reach out to prospective clients or grow your brand by sharing accomplishments and demonstrating competence.
The right email management freelancer tools are lifesavers for this. They store and sort your contacts into different groups you can target with specific content. Being able to send timed emails is among their best features. That way, you can plan entire campaigns well in advance and send emails or newsletters out periodically while concentrating on other work.
Language Tools
Proper grammar and sentence structure are important for any professional, not just writers. Such skills might not be everyone’s strong suit, which is where various language tools come in handy. They can analyze any text and offer corrections based on different criteria.
Some tools focus more on correct grammar use and creating a polished version of the text you feed them. Others specialize in making the text more readable. They’ll highlight long and complex sentences, the use of passive voice, and other undesirable traits.
Spending some time correcting these mistakes will make everything you write more accessible while organically enforcing good writing habits.
Checking everything you write on a separate webpage is tedious. That's why certain freelancer tools have desktop versions and browser plugins. The latter is handy for day-to-day communication. Being able to scan business proposals or emails for errors quickly is an indispensable blessing when you're trying to come off as a professional.
Password Managers
As this article demonstrates, freelancers depend heavily on numerous services to perform at peak efficiency. Each of these services requires an account and password. Coupled with your email, social media, etc., that’s too many passwords for any person to remember.
Too often, our passwords are short and easy to guess. We also reuse the same ones or close variations, so cracking one makes your entire online identity and business vulnerable. Password managers are cybersecurity tools that address this.
They generate as many intricate passwords as you need. These one-of-a-kind passwords take forever to brute-force. These codes are even more challenging to remember than some of your old ones. But you don't have to, as a master password is all you need to access them.
Encrypted Cloud Storage
Working with clients may sometimes require you to create or handle sensitive data. This might be personal information if you’re creating a database or a marketing campaign you’re developing for a new product no one should know of yet.
Encrypted storage provides an extra layer of protection for such data. Cloud providers will store it on multiple servers, ensuring redundancy and backup. You get a key that decrypts the data and decides whom you want to share it with.
Scheduling Tools
The hassle of setting meetings up can kill your chances of scoring a client even before you get a chance to talk. Scheduling tools put an end to this by analyzing and syncing your and your contacts’ calendars. They identify vacancies and can automatically arrange meetings that work for you and the other party. It saves time, eliminates the annoying back & forth, and improves your chances of making a good impression.
Time & Productivity Trackers
Time tracking is essential for accurate billing. You can back up with screenshots proving you're doing what you say. It's also useful for planning each day and accounting for different activity levels.
The most straightforward way of using time trackers is to turn them on and let them record your activities. It's possible to do it manually altogether or add manual time if you forget to activate the tracker. More advanced ones integrate with project management and invoicing tools.
Productivity trackers are a subset of time trackers that analyze your work habits. They track how much time you spend on different task types and can identify wasteful behavior. This is useful in cutting down on activities you can’t bill or that contribute little to project completion.
Invoicing & Tax Software
Most freelancers aren't accountants, yet they need a reliable and transparent way of billing for their work. Invoicing software generates professional-looking and comprehensive invoices in seconds. It can set up recurring invoices for long-term clients and send reminders if payments are late. You can even set up late fees for forgetful clients.
Giving a client more payment options is another benefit you might not have considered otherwise. Invoicing software connects to leading payment processors. It allows clients to pay through them instead of conventional bank transfers. There’s a fee, but the process is streamlined, and you get your money sooner.
A hectic freelancing career makes it easy to lose sight of your tax obligations. You'll want to avoid the headache by using a tax service catering to freelancers. They will provide all the necessary forms and help you track your income & expenses. The best also have skilled staff you can contact for support regarding different tax-related issues.
Note-taking & Bookmarking tools
Note-taking is an art and a science that makes learning, organizing your day, and following up on leads easier. Specialized note-taking tools supercharge this process, making it as accessible or as complex as you’d like. You can create tasks, lists, or even entire wikis for any topic of interest and augment them with pictures or videos.
In gathering information or references for a project, you’ve likely come across interesting information or designs that aren’t related to it. Bookmarking freelancer tools allow you to save and categorize such resources for later use. Organically building up a library of facts or inspiring media this way will shorten the preparation period for future projects and make you more productive.
Conclusion
Freelancing can be uncertain and exhausting. However, it’s also a rewarding alternative to conventional employment. You have a lot of agency in shaping your freelance career, so use the freelancer tools we mention and give yourself an edge.
FAQ
How can freelancers find clients and projects efficiently?
Freelancers could use freelance marketplaces like Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer.com to find a wide range of client prospects. These platforms simplify identifying acceptable assignments by connecting freelancers with clients looking for particular talents and services.
How should freelancers handle invoicing and taxes?
Freelancers should keep detailed records of their income and expenses for tax purposes. It is advised to use accounting and invoicing software that makes it easier to create expert invoices, manage payments, and provide financial reports. Consulting with a tax professional is also recommended to ensure compliance with tax regulations.
What are some practical ways for freelancers to stay organized and manage their projects efficiently?
Freelancers can utilize note-taking and bookmarking freelancer tools to capture and organize project-related information, ideas, and resources. They can create digital notebooks or use project management apps that allow note-taking and bookmarking features.
How can freelancers ensure the security of their sensitive data and files?
Freelancers should utilize encrypted cloud storage services to store and share their files securely, as these services use encryption to protect data during transmission and storage. Additionally, implementing strong passwords and using password managers, enabling two-factor authentication, and regularly updating security software are some of the most crucial practices.
