Editors Note: This post, The Best Apps to Help Freelancers Grow, was written by nDash community member Anup Sohanta. He’s a full-time freelance writer specializing in marketing, health, financial services, and other topics. To learn more about Anup — or to have him write content for your brand — check out his nDash writer profile.
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Growing your freelance business has become a lot easier, thanks to the marvels of modern technology. It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting your freelance journey or you’re a seasoned pro. Taking advantage of the latest tools can help scale your business.
For freelance talent, growth can come in a variety of ways. That includes from gaining more clients to managing projects and improving workflow. Utilizing the right apps and platforms will increase productivity and boost your bottom line.
Copywriters and content writers, this one is for you because we’re going to share the best tools you can implement right now to improve your freelance career, so let’s get started.
Grammarly
Ensuring that your deliverables are of the highest quality can help to build trust with your clients, garnering brand loyalty and repeat customers. Furthermore, your reputation is everything as a freelancer, so a strong personal brand helps you to secure more leads and higher-paying work.
If you’re a professional writer, then Grammarly is an absolute must. Not only does Grammarly check for spelling and grammar, but it has a bunch of features to help you get the most out of your copy. Grammarly has a free and paid version, and if you’re willing to purchase the subscription, you can get additional features such as the ability to check for tone and formality.
nDash
Sourcing clients for content writing work is one major challenge for freelancers, especially if you’re just starting out. There are a few options you can try to connect with new leads:
- Cold emails
- Messaging companies directly on social media
- Sourcing work through agencies
- Referrals from existing clients
- Finding clients on writing boards or Reddit
To simplify the process and find clients within your niche, the nDash content writing platform has hundreds of brands to connect with. Whether your niche is in digital marketing, health or cybersecurity, nDash allows you to apply to open assignments or pitch brands directly.
On the nDash platform, you can set the price and turnaround time for each assignment. The great aspect of this platform is that it puts freelancers in control of the clients they work with and how much they can earn. Waiting to be paid is a huge drawback as a freelancer. 29 percent of freelancers wait two to four weeks to be paid. With nDash, you are paid securely as soon as your assignment is approved.
Wise
If you’re considering freelancing or you’re already working as a freelance content writer, you’ll know that you have the ability to work with international clients. The beauty of freelancing is the flexibility and working with clients from all over the world. One major drawback is that sometimes clients want to pay for your services in a way that’s different from your local currency.
That’s where Wise comes in and is ideal if you’re working with international clients. It’s not a bank, and it’s not a payment processor. It’s a platform that can provide you with virtual bank details for other countries such as the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and Europe. So, if you’ve got a client that wants to pay in Euros or Great British Pounds, you can get paid into your Wise account and convert the money into your local currency. Wise accounts are free, but they do charge a fee for processing payments.
If you have a freelance business, a Wise business or personal account is the perfect choice to manage international payments, and it also comes with a free debit card.
Monday
Freelancers need to schedule their day and manage time more efficiently than working within a company. It’s your responsibility to track your own time and workload. By doing so, you can increase efficiency and productivity.
Managing your time more efficiently can improve workflow, helping you to submit high-quality deliverables to your client and build trust. Monday.com is a project management tool with multiple features to help you stay on top of current and future projects. Furthermore, you can track the time worked on projects (ideal if you bill by the hour) and also utilize the platform to collaborate with clients or other freelancers.
Optimize your workflow with detailed Gantt charts. By visualizing the projects that you’re working on, you can keep on top of turnaround times and what the client expects of you.
Final Thoughts on the Best Apps for Freelancers
Building your own freelance branding is challenging, especially since 2020, as freelance job postings rose by 41 percent. With more freelancers working in the market, there’s a demand for higher quality work from clients. Having the right tools to source clients and scale your business has never been more important.
Managing the quality of your work through a tool like Grammarly can help you create exceptional deliverables. Furthermore, managing your projects and workflow can build trust with clients, alongside providing you with a greater work-life balance.
Photo by Rob Hampson on Unsplash