Online freelancing I tell you all guide to sell you online Content article
You have some skills.
Whether you’re proficient with writing, with the arts, with programming, or in
another field, you definitely have skills. Among your current skill set, you have
some abilities that are more refined than the rest.
Did you know that you can earn money from these skills without ever leaving your
home?
There are many, many, many opportunities on the World Wide Web that will allow
you to render your services for a fee. Whatever it is you’re good at, there are
always people who need what you can provide.
These opportunities are collectively known as freelancing.
It is very easy to do some freelancing work on the Internet. The entire world is
your market. The need for your services is great and constant. And even if
millions of people (a number which has not yet been seen among online
freelancers) compete for the same projects, you will always have a lot of
assignments to choose from.
But the difficulty that most people experience when it comes to freelancing stems
from two facts: that they do not know where to look for work, and that they do not
know what is needed to complete their orders, once they have found the work.
This report will change that.
In the pages to come, we will be discussing 7 freelancing opportunities that can
provide you with a stable income, the amount of which may even rival the salary
you receive from your day job.
Afraid that a freelancing opportunity will bring with it some uncertain challenges?
This report will tell you what to expect, and how to deal with the most common
situations you will encounter.
Confused about where you can find work? This report will tell you where to
source out some clients, enumerating specific places where you can find some
projects… places which are proven and places which are brimming with potential
clients.
Anxious that you may not be up to the task? This report will show you the ropes.
It will teach you how to proceed with every freelancing opportunity discussed
herein. It will ensure a great start for your freelancing career. And it will share
some tips and tricks that will help you to compete with the pros.
While preparing this report, I have made the rounds and discovered that no
informational product actually caters to hopeful freelancers. Sure, there are reports
about writing, there are reports about programming, and there are reports about
graphic design. But these products only teach you the fundamentals (as well as
some advanced skills) of the particular study. Pragmatically, they fail. They won’t
show you how to find clients or how to deal with them. They won’t teach you
what you should avoid doing in order to keep your reputation intact. They won’t
inform you about the potential pitfalls of freelancing opportunities. And they don’t
tell you where you can find some work.
This report does.
Study its contents well. Determine which freelancing opportunity suits you best.
And most importantly, gauge whether you’re ready for such a challenge or not.
Freelancing is not about luck. It’s about skills –YOUR skills – as well as your
courage to try.
Fortune favors the bold, after all.
9
I’ll say this right now, and I’ll say it again later on for emphasis: the
Internet is a writer’s paradise. If you have the writing skills, then
it’s guaranteed that there’s a job waiting for you on the World Wide
Web.
This is because the Internet is fueled by information. People go
online to search for information on a particular subject that interests
them. This information can be found on websites.
And how is this information conveyed?
That’s right! Through words… words which are put together by
writers who often conduct thorough research on a topic and present it
in an easily digestible format for the assimilation of Web users
hungry for such information.
This is the very reason why content writing has always been a
lucrative freelancing opportunity. The demand for fresh content is
ceaseless. Hence, the demand for content writers is equally
ceaseless.
Most webmasters can write their own content, of course. But if
they’re maintaining more than 5 websites, coming up with new
content will be very difficult. It will consume a lot of their time, and
it will tire them out eventually. They’d rather find a writer who will
do the work for them.
Additionally, with the popularity of private label rights (PLR)
membership sites these days offering community content that will be
shared by a limited number of people, the demand for content writers
has increased. If you can find a client that maintains such a
membership website, you might even get orders of up to 500 articles
per month. And that’s just one client.
Content Writing
By The Numbers
There are close to 8 billion
websites on the World Wide
Web. Each website
competes for search engine
prominence. To do this,
each website needs to have
a regular supply of fresh
content.
Each webmaster owns an
average of 4 websites. Each
website has an average of
27 content pages.
The question: where will
they be able to get the
content they need?
There are less than 20,000
content writers today, but
the demand is too great.
20,000 content writers try to
write 2.7 million new pages
of information each and
every month. The shortage
is very apparent.
Content writing is a
freelancing opportunity that
is very accessible. And with
the high demand for fresh
content coupled with the
low number of writers
supplying them, it is easy to
conclude that there will
always be orders waiting for
you.
10
Yes, we used the word “article.” An article is the basic piece that
you will write. A good article must have the following
characteristics:
• It is keyword-optimized, meaning, it is written with the correct
density level (usually 3%, or 3 mentions of the keyword or key
phrase for every 100 words of text). The keyword or key phrase
is often provided by the client.
• It is unique, meaning that there is nothing like it in the offline or
online world. It is an article that is original, specifically written
for your client.
• It is structurally sound, meaning that there are no grammatical
errors. This is pretty basic. If you want to earn money as a
writer, you have to make sure that you can write properly.
• It is highly readable. Your clients will use your submissions as
traffic bait. To achieve this end, you must make sure that you
will submit intelligently written articles that will capture the
interest of the readers, articles which will not bore them to death.
For example, reading an article with title “MP3 Players In
Today’s Generation” is not really as interesting as reading an
article entitled “Where To Find The Cheapest MP3 Players On
The Planet.”
• It must be written for an online audience. There are some
significant differences between writing for print and writing for
Web readers. The latter makes good use of negative space, or the
space between clusters of words, to allow the readers’ eyes to
relax. Since your readers will be reading from their computer
screens, the process is more taxing for them, so you need to help
them out a bit. Keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Use
numbering and bulleting as much as possible, so that your article
can easily be scanned for pertinent information. Also, avoid
using heavy words. You’re not aiming to be the next
Shakespeare, after all. You have to write articles which will be
Looking For Work?
Ideally, you'll want to find a
client that you can establish
a long term relationship
with. Expect to get orders of
up to 200 to 500 articles per
month, depending on the
needs of such a client.
But you must first establish
your reputation as an
excellent content writer. To
do this, you must build up
your portfolio with works
that are of excellent quality.
Everyone has to start
somewhere, after all.
You can try creating an
account with any of the
freelancing websites
suggested by this report.
Begin by viewing projects
which are open for bidding.
As a beginner, do not
hesitate to bid lower than
what you believe is your
worth.
Remember, the ultimate aim
is to establish contact with a
client that will learn how to
trust you in the long run, and
you must first offer an
attractive package that will
win such a client’s attention.
So win those bids first, and
prove yourself worthy of a
higher price.
11
accessible to the most number of people possible, regardless of
their age and reading comprehension level.
As a content writer, you are expected to respect certain things.
Remember that your client’s business success rests on your
shoulders. The quality of your work and how fast you can submit it
play crucial roles in determining the profit that your client will
receive from his partnership with you.
Hence, here are some guidelines that a content writer should live by:
• Respect deadlines. Before accepting a job, inform your client of
the turnaround period you need. If your client will agree on the
delivery date, do your utmost best to deliver his order by that date,
or earlier, if possible. This is very, very important. Many content
writers have gone out of business for failing to observe this rule.
• Transfer all the copyrights to the work. Once the transaction is
completed, you will retain no rights over your work. You cannot
claim ownership over it. Your client will have exclusive
ownership over the articles, just as if he had written them himself.
• Make sure that you provide accurate information in your
writings. Your client’s name is at stake, so if you do not exercise
responsible writing, you can potentially ruin your client’s business.
Eventually, you’ll be bombarded with orders. This is a certainty. So
here’s the last tip: do not accept more orders than you can handle.
Sometimes, the lure of more pay coming from more orders will be
hard to resist. But you’re only one person. Being greedy can ruin
you, as well. Do not hesitate to turn down some offers if your hands
are full. Try to keep your current clients happy and you will be
rewarded with long term benefits later on.
Where Else?
Since you’ll be targeting
webmasters, other places
where you can advertise
your services are forums
dedicated to your market.
There are many webmaster
forums that have specific
categories where content
writers can seek some work.
How Much To
Charge?
Based on the current average
going rates that content
providers charge these days,
here are some suggestions:
Articles with 400 words
minimum - $5
Articles with 600 words
minimum - $7
Articles with 800 words
minimum - $9
Articles with 1,200 words
minimum - $14
You can charge higher, of
course, but it all depends on
how valuable a brand you
have established for your
service providing business.
12
We have mentioned in the previous chapter that information is the
number one commodity on the Internet. Website content delivers
information, but often, it is done so free of charge and the webmaster
will only earn from the advertising revenues that can be generated
from it.
But Internet marketers can also sell information in the form of
informational products. There are two basic types of informational
products. These are:
1. Reports, or electronic ebooks; and
2. Special reports
eBooks are often composed of at least 50 or more pages. Anything
less will be considered as a special report. Both information
products are often delivered in .pdf format, given the fact that such a
file type can be read by most platforms.
The creation of an ebook or of a special report is something that I
would personally like to describe as simple but complex. If you
know what you’re doing, preparing an information product can be
like second nature for you. But if you do not know how to proceed,
you’ll find yourself groping for form most of the time.
The preparation of an information product is composed of many
stages. We have to familiarize ourselves with these stages before we
can discuss where the freelancing opportunity can enter the picture.
Take a look at the diagram below…
Ghostwriting
By The Numbers
Close to 50,000 eBooks and
10,000 special reports are
published online every year.
It is estimated that there are
only 11,000 ghostwriters
plying their trade on the
World Wide Web today.
Immediately, you’ll see the
shortage of services in
relation to the strong
demand for informational
products.
“Ghostwriting is a
wonderful online
opportunity,” said Jerod
Sanders, a ghostwriter from
Miami, Florida who has
been practicing his craft for
3 years now. “You’ll get to
learn something new with
every assignment. The trick
is in dealing with every
project as a new experience
that you can learn from.
Otherwise, you’d get tired
really easily.”
“You’ll never run out of
projects,” Jerod added. “If
you have proven yourself to
be a reliable writer, you will
always, ALWAYS be
swamped with requests.”
13
As a ghostwriter, you will be asked to write ebooks and special
reports for your client, based on the follow criteria:
• That you will strictly follow the specifications provided by your
client;
• That you will submit an original work that is not plagiarized from
anywhere, either from offline or online sources;
The stages in yellow are those
that the Internet marketer
himself usually undertakes.
The step in orange is the
freelancing opportunity we will
discuss in this chapter.
As we have earlier discussed,
the Internet is a writer’s
paradise. We have already
tackled content writing, and
now we will be taking up
ghostwriting as a lucrative
opportunity you may decide to
pursue.
Ghostwriting, in online terms,
basically speaking, refers to a
service whereby the freelancer
will write material for the
client, as if the freelancer is the
client himself. In print
publications, ghostwriting has
been a long standing practice.
Even the most popular authors
are said to have contracted
ghostwriters.
Looking For Work?
Just like content writing, the
ultimate aim is to find a
client that will retain your
services for many, many
projects down the line. But
before you can accomplish
this, you must first prove
yourself as an excellent
ghostwriter.
The Internet Company,
LLC, producer of the
Turbo line of products, is
always on the lookout for
fresh talents offering their
services at a competitive
rate.
Send in your resume as
well as samples of previous
works to
turbohiring@use-sell.com
Who knows…?
This report could be the
start of your online career!
14
• That you will submit a well-researched work, and that the
information contained therein should be accurate and verifiable;
• That you will submit a work that is free from any grammatical or
structural defects;
• That, generally, you will submit your work in .doc or .rtf format
for easy editing, unless a different file type is required by the
client;
• That you will always, always, always respect deadlines.
Remember that your client’s business depends on your
deliverables; and
• That you will keep your dealings with your client strictly
confidential. Aside from “writing,” the other operative word in
“ghostwriting” is “ghost.” You will not write for your client.
Rather, you will write on behalf of your client.
It should be clear from this that you are expected to surrender all the
copyrights to your work as soon as the transaction is completed. You
will retain no rights whatsoever. What your client will decide to do
with the work will be entirely his decision to make.
Want to know more about the informational product industry? You
can discover the way things really work by reading Ebook Marketing
Revealed (you can get that ebook free as a member of
TurboMembership.com,) Yeo Feng’s How To Sell Just About
Anything Online as well as Jo Han Mok & Ewen Chia's 7 Days to
Profits. These are treatises on the subject which dissect the report
industry and which will surely give you an insider’s perspective on
how things are conducted on the World Wide Web.
Occasionally, your clients will ask you to deliver the .pdf format of
your works as well. This can be accomplished quite easily if you use
a tool like ViralPDF to convert your .doc documents into .pdf file
types.
Absolute Don’ts.
A lot of ghostwriters ruin
their name because of the
following acts:
* Selling a work that they
have already transmitted to
a client.
* Plagiarizing an existing
work.
* Purchasing PLR products
and making them appear
original.
Try to avoid committing any
of these mistakes. In this
field, your name is your
business.
How Much To
Charge?
You can charge based on
the following criterion:
Per Page – range is from $2
to $10, depending on your
reputation as a ghostwriter.
Per Word – range is from
$100 to $500 per 10,000
words, again, depending on
your reputation.
Per Hour – this is rarely
implemented for
ghostwriters given the fact
that per hour progress is
hard to determine with
certainty.
15
When writing an ebook or a report, follow the guidelines in writing for a Web audience.
You can learn more tips and tricks by reading the Info Product Creation Manual, a collection
of steps on how to produce great quality digital products for sale or for pay.
If you have the writing prowess, as well as the creative juices, to come up with great
informational products on a regular basis, then do give ghostwriting a try. It promises to be
a lucrative opportunity for you to earn some serious cash on the Internet.
16
Online businessmen sell digital products via sales pages. Rare are
the times when digital products are sold any other way.
The success of an online businessman’s sales campaign depends on
how effective the sales page is. The sales page serves as the online
businessman’s 24/7 salesman, after all. If it is well-written,
efficiently persuasive, and capable of compelling the visitor to read
on until the powerful call to action is delivered, then chances are,
such a sales page will be able to pull in a lot of sales.
We can say that a good sales page should possess the following
features:
• A catchy headline that will immediately pull the readers in,
making them an active part of the discussion. Here’s a tip if
ever you find yourself doing some copywriting assignments:
Scott Britner’s Headline Creator PRO will make your life so
much easier. This product is also distributed to members of
TurboMembership.com
• A strong opening paragraph that will inform the readers that
they need to know what the sales page aims to share.
• A statement of a problem and the delivery of reasons why the
reader should be concerned about it. If no such problem exists,
or if the problem is so minute that it’s impossible to cause some
worries in the reader, a good sales page will be able to magnify
the intensity of a problem in such a way that it will
compellingly expose worst case scenarios in a believable
manner.
• The presentation of the solution in the form of a product, in
such a way that it will look like a natural progression of the
CopyWriting
By The Numbers
Every digital product needs
a sales page.
There are over 100,000
original digital products
released every year. If we
are to count packages of
older digital products, the
number can easily reach
250,000.
A sales page is needed to
sell these products and
packages. Often, the
Internet marketer undertakes
to write his own sales page.
But not all online
businessmen are well versed
in the science of
copywriting. Some of them
try their best, but their
conversion rates remain at
pitiable levels.
If you believe that you can
do a better job… if you
believe that you have what
it takes to craft for them a
sales letter that will make
their profits soar… if you
believe that you can
generate a lot of excitement
for what they offer… then
do give copywriting a shot.
17
piece instead of a straight up sales pitch. The specifications of
the product should be delivered clearly and concisely.
• Enumerations of the benefits that the product can provide,
again, in such a way that will make them appear like a natural
progression of the piece.
• A powerful call to action that will compel the readers to act in
favor of the proposition, as soon as possible.
Needless to say, creating an efficient sales page is easier said than
done.
The art – or science, as some people will claim – of creating a sales
page is called copywriting.
A lot of people in the industry will say that copywriting should
require formal training. This is true. Often, the difference between a
successful sale and a disinterested visitor is the use of one word –
one word that may have been carelessly written and turned off a lot
of prospects.
Copywriting is a very intimate and intricate process, and its results
can make or break a business. It is not something that everyone can
do, and, more so, do with so much efficacy. People can’t just pick
up a pen or open a word processing program and start crafting a sales
page that will rake in millions of dollars in sales.
And this is where you come in.
If you have attained some formal training in copywriting, or if you
are willing to undergo the necessary study to be successful with this
craft, you can try it out.
Every Internet marketer who is in the business of selling a product
online will need a sales page per campaign. And since each Internet
marketer will pursue several campaigns per year, the demand for
copywriting services will be constant.
Looking For Work?
Clients for your copywriting
services, I must admit, are a
little harder to source out.
The reason? It’s because
sales letters are a delicate
matter. Online businessmen
will want to contract the
services of someone they
can trust with their
enterprise.
And trust is something that
isn’t built overnight.
The best way to advertise
your services is to build a
website promoting them.
Do some search engine
optimization (SEO), as well
as some ad placements in
relevant places, so that your
URL will get the exposure it
needs. Include samples of
previous works. But most
importantly, include
testimonials from satisfied
clients. Testimonials are
very important for
copywriters.
Or you may want to offer
your services for free to a
group of online marketers.
If your work is good, word
will spread about it, and
you’ll be swamped with
requests.
You can find such online
marketers from online
communities like forums.
Or you may send them an
individual email detailing
your offer.
18
Take a look at the diagram below so that you may get a concrete idea
on how the copywriting process actually works…
As you can see, copywriting is more than just actual writing. Robert
Plank's Sales Page Tactics offers a thorough discussion of each of
these steps, as well as some insider strategies on how to write a killer
sales letter.
As a copywriter, you can charge for your services based on any of
the following setups:
• Per sales page fee. The rate for a long copy ranges from $200
to as high as $5,000, depending on the name you have
Want To Learn
Copywriting?
There are some online
sources that will give you a
great introduction to the
science of copywriting.
My personal favorite is
Gary Halbert’s website
Essential reading materials
should also include Robert
Collier’s timeless Million
Dollar Sales Letters. It may
have been written almost a
century ago, but the
principles delineated therein
are a must for any student of
the craft. You can read it
for free online here.
But based on my
experience, the best way to
learn copywriting is by
studying existing sales
pages that are actually
capable of pulling off
astronomical sales. Read
these sales pages, and
determine the portions that
work for you. Save them in
your hard drive.
These will be your swap
files. Whenever you will
write a sales letter of your
own, refer to these clips and
emulate their style. Just the
style.
This will help you develop
your copywriting skills.
19
established for yourself in the industry. It is not uncommon
that first timers will charge as low as $50 for their first few
assignments, however. As we have mentioned in the previous
chapter, building your portfolio is always important when it
comes to online freelancing.
• Percentage based on total amount of sales generated. This
can range from 2% to as high as 30%. Such a setup, however,
is only employed by proven copywriters who, more or less,
know how well their creations will fare.
• Per hour charge. If an online businessman has decided to
retain your services for all of his projects, you can treat
copywriting as a telecommuting job and start charging per hour.
Again, copywriting is a science. I cannot stress that enough.
If you wish to be a copywriter par excellance, you’ll gain a lot of
really valuable knowledge by reading Ewen Chia And Dan Lok’s
Underground Sales Letters. Ewen Chia has been a good friend of
mine for many, many years, and I am telling you right now, this guy
is called by his peers as THE Super Affiliate for a reason. He knows
his marketing, and he knows his copywriting!
Use Triggers
Copywriting employs the
usage of certain triggers that
compel people to buy.
These triggers target the
readers’ emotions. People,
after all, buy based on
emotion, and justify with
logic later on.
Here are 5 basic triggers
that will your copywriting
adventures:
1. fear of loss
2. hope for prosperity
3. hope for beauty
4. hope for health
5. fear of failure
20
There are two main varieties of digital products: informational
products and solutions.
Informational products are in the realm of writing, as we have
tackled in the previous chapters. They convey information, and
information is best expressed through words.
But there are problems that do not require information. These
problems require solutions. An office that is having a hard time
preparing its weekly payroll, for example, will require a solution for
its payroll preparation woes. An online businessman who doesn’t
know jack about accounting will want a solution for such a
deficiency, especially during the months leading to April.
Since we’re living in a digital age, a lot of people look for digital
solutions.
And digital solutions can only be created through programming.
Now, of all the freelancing opportunities out there, programming is
the one that requires formal education. Though people can learn
several programming languages on their own, only a formal
education on the matter will give them the expertise that they need to
properly apply their knowledge to practical usage. Additionally,
most people who are looking for programming help will demand a
certificate to ascertain that you are indeed proficient with the
programming language that they need.
Programming is not only about the manipulation of numerical
equations in digital applications to come up with myriad solutions for
a slew of problems. You need to exercise some creativity to
Programming
By The Numbers
There are an infinite number
of day-to-day operational
problems that require an
expedient and a convenient
solution.
Every year, close to 50,000
new scripts and programs
are introduced on the market
to offer solutions to some of
these problems.
But given the fact that
problems continuously arise
and become more complex
with the demands of modern
technology, the call for
solutions will always be an
ever present need.
Hence, programmers can
rest assured that there will
always be a job waiting for
them on the World Wide
Web.
You can even use this
opportunity to build your
resume, which can become
your springboard for more
fame and fortune. A lot of
programmers on the Internet
have been hired by
companies like Microsoft
and Google because of the
work quality they provide.
21
determine the best approach to the problem. You want something
that will appeal to your audience.
Also, you need to have an eye for what is functional. It’s not enough
that you provide a solution. You must provide a solution that is
convenient, a solution that is practical, and a solution that is the
easiest one available out of all the possible options.
If you have great – yes, GREAT – programming skills, you can also
get some jobs, at least at first, from the freelancing websites we have
enumerated above, namely:
Elance.com
RentaACoder.com
Most of the clients you will find will give you the problem, as well as
their expectations about the solution. Often, it will be up to you to
formulate such a solution based on the criteria we have mentioned
above.
You can expect to receive a variety of orders calling for a variety of
solutions. Shopping carts, membership website scripts, website
creation generation, website additions, and the like are popular
requests for programmers these days.
There are two kinds of solutions that will asked of you:
1. Programs – these are full fledged software applications that stand
on their own.
2. Scripts – these are solutions that require a principal product for
their proper functioning.
The process goes through several stages. Take a look at the diagram
below.
Programming Don’ts
Implicit in the programming
business are certain acts
which are considered taboo.
Try to avoid committing any
of them, as in this business,
your name is your
reputation and your
reputation is your enterprise.
* Do not submit a defective
program. Test every usage
of the solution you will be
providing before delivering
it to your client.
* Do not steer away from
the specifications provided
by your client, least you risk
delivering an entirely
different product altogether.
If necessary deviations are
to be made, consult with
your client first.
* Do not resell source code
which you have already
delivered to a paying client.
Remember, your client will
own the exclusive rights to
the deliverables upon the
completion of the
transaction.
* Do not sacrifice
aesthetics for functionality.
* Do not assume that the
users will know how to
operate the program. Make
it easy – VERY EASY – for
them. The rule of the thumb
when it comes to menu
design is: do not make them
think.
22
Critical in the process is the beta testing stage. This is the stage
where the solution will be tried and tested for bugs and unexpected
errors. So unlike other freelancing projects, the terms of an
agreement for a programming project are not deemed as having been
complied with upon delivery of the solution. There should be a grace
period whereby the programmer shall undertake to assist the client
when it comes to the workings of the solution.
With writing, the content of the works shall be owned by the client.
With programming, the client shall have exclusive rights over the
source code of the solution. Once the deal is completed and the
respective terms are met, you can no longer use the source code for
other projects. If you will be accepting similar assignments in the
future, you will have to build the project from the ground up.
I have started out with programming and found it to be a very
lucrative field. If you wish to read about my early adventures in this
business, do read My Early Days On The Net – also offered as a
Bonus through TurboMembership.com.
Looking For Work?
As we have mentioned in
the main section of this
chapter, you can find work
by bidding on open projects
that can be found on the
suggested websites.
Additionally, you can also
try out some popular forums
where web publishers and
Internet marketers converge.
Some of these forums even
have categories for
programmers to advertise
their services.
forums.digitalpoint.com
www.webmasterworld.com
www.turbocommunity.com
Eventually, once you have
established a reputation in
this industry, clients will
seek you out.
Your problem will then
transform into learning how
to say no to some of the
requests that will come your
way.
23
The Internet is a digital world, and for people to garner a total
experience on it, they need to see what Web publishers have to offer.
Words are part of this visual expedition. But as they say, a picture
paints a thousands words, and this is why graphics are, and will
forever be, a vital part of the information superhighway.
If you have the creative juices to come up with some attractive
designs, as well as the skills to create and manipulate images,
preferably with Adobe Photoshop, then you’ll find the World Wide
Web is an ocean of opportunities, and all you have to do is to take a
dip in its warm, promising waters.
There are many kinds of graphics you can create, depending on the
needs of the Web publisher.
• Headers – these are the images that contain the website’s title,
which can be found in most niche websites these days. The
usual dimensions of a header is 700 pixels x 150 pixels.
• Banners – these are images that Web publishers usually
dispatch to other websites to promote their own pages, or to
promote their products. Banners don’t have a specific size. It
all depends on what the publisher needs, and the space that the
banner partner can afford to provide.
• Ecovers – these are images that serve as graphical
representations of reports and special reports. They can also be
used to represent digital covers for software programs. There
are action scripts which you can use with Adobe Photoshop to
help you streamline the creation process. Or you can get
George Sepich’s eCover Magic, an amazing solution that will
Graphic Arts
By The Numbers
Every webmaster will need
images to complement their
websites.
Every Internet marketer will
need images to enhance
their products.
Every online seller will need
images to make their sales
pages more attractive and
attention-grabbing.
Every company that has an
online presence will need a
logo to distinguish their
business from the rest.
Immediately, you see the
incessant demand for
graphic arts in the World
Wide Web. If you have the
skills to provide for these
needs, then you can rest
assured that you’ll be in
business for a long, long
time.
Paramount in this
freelancing opportunity is
creativity. Often, you will
be given full liberty to come
up with the appropriate
design, and it’s up to you
not to drop the ball.
24
somewhat automate the creation of eCovers for a variety of
purposes.
• Sales page sets – this will include headers, eCovers, order
buttons and backgrounds that will represent the product or
package being sold. Since they will be used together, they
should all share a common theme.
• Logos – these images are distinctive identifiers for certain
businesses.
• Other graphics – different online businessmen will have
different needs. Sometimes, they’ll need some supplementary
graphics for their website’s content. There are also times when
they need diagrams and charts for their informational products.
As a graphics provider, you should be versatile enough to
satisfy your client’s every need.
What rates should you apply? Again, you can charge per project, or
you can charge per hour. The latter option is seldom implemented,
however. As we have discussed in a previous chapter, hourly
progress is very difficult to ascertain. You should have built a high
level of trust with your client if you wish to take this route. The
usual procedure is to charge per project. Be guided by the average
price range of the projects below:
• Headers go for as low as $20 to as high as $50.
• Banners go for as low as $5 to as high as $45.
• Ecovers go for as low as $30 to as high as $100.
• Sales page sets go for as low as $60 to as high as $300.
• Logos go for as low as $25 to as high as $300.
These prices really depend on the reputation you have established as
a graphic artist. If you have built a name for yourself as a graphic
artist who consistently delivers amazing work, then you can charge
Use Only
Royalty-Free
Images
With graphic arts, you will
have to manipulate original
photos which you have
taken yourself, or existing
photos available from other
sources.
When using the latter group,
make sure that such images
are royalty-free. Otherwise,
you risk endangering the
business of your client, as
the unauthorized usage of
copyrighter photos will
make him susceptible to
damages.
Where To Get
Royalty-Free
Images
Here are some sources
where you can get royaltyfree images with no
accompanying
restrictions…
www.mourgefile.com
www.flickr.com/creativeco
mmons
www.imageafter.com
www.sxc.hu
www.picturestation.net
25
your clients a higher price. For beginners, however, it will be best to
settle for lower priced projects to build your portfolio as well as your
reputation in the industry.
The same guidelines that apply for writing projects are also observed
for orders for graphics. You are expected to surrender all the rights
to the deliverables as soon as the transaction is completed. You may
not claim ownership over the work, and often, you may not even
claim the creation of it.
Most orders for graphics expect a quick turnaround time. The
reason? In a previous chapter, we have tackled the process of
creating informational products. As you can see from that diagram,
the packaging concerns of a particular product are at the tail end of
the timeline. Hence, graphics are often ordered last, once the content
of the informational product has been delivered and verified.
Just like writing projects, you can initially look for work on the
following freelancing websites:
Elance.com
RentaACoder.com
Online forums for webmasters and Internet marketers are also great
venues where you can advertise such a service.
Necessary
Investments
As a graphic artist, you will
be dealing with 5 main file
types. These are:
1. JPG
2. BMP
3. PNG
4. GIF
5. PSD
Almost all of these file
types can be opened by your
default image viewer.
PSD files, however, can
only be opened by Adobe
Photoshop. Adobe
Photoshop is the industry
standard when it comes to
graphic creation. Most
online businessmen
recognize PSD files as a
universal file type. Hence,
investing on a copy of
Adobe Photoshop is a must.
You may also want to
consider supplementary
Adobe products, like Adobe
Illustrator, if you wish to
create images from scratch.
Other image creation
programs like Correl Draw
offer more power, but
eventually, you’d have to
export their products into
the acceptable file types
mentioned above.
26
Imagine an office without a secretary.
That’s right! It’ll be an office in utter chaos!
Online businessmen have their offices too, albeit, they are within the
confines of the digital world. Instead of hosting their files in
cabinets, they host their files on their hard drives and their Web
servers. Instead of making some phone calls to essential business
partners, they send emails and wait for replies. Instead of canvassing
in brick and mortar stores, they shop for their supplies in online
sources.
Such a virtual office will benefit a lot with a virtual secretary
manning the scene.
A virtual executive is supposed to do a variety of tasks for the
online business. These tasks are:
• writing,
• transcribing,
• data encoding,
• email processing,
• accounting,
• order processing,
• customer service,
• following up on leads,
• and a slew of other tasks relevant to the operations of the online
enterprise.
Some virtual executives demand that their job description be clearly
delineated so that they won’t end up working on more things than
they are expecting to do.
All-In-One
Telecommuting
By The Numbers
Currently, there are around
65,000 online businesses,
and each of them is operated
by one person or a group of
two or three people.
Since the profits from an
online business can only
grow based on its
production rate, a majority
of these enterprises are
looking for competent help
on various fronts.
What if you’d offer to help
them cover all of those
fronts?
It is not difficult to see how
lucrative a position as a
digital executive can be.
The demand is as certain as
the fact that most online
entrepreneurs badly need
help. And this help is
something that you can
provide for the betterment
of their business.
Give this opportunity a try if
you desire a definite income
opportunity that usually
pays by the hours.
27
But the thing is that a virtual executive is a representative of the
owner of the business, hence, he should be willing to do anything
and everything that will redound to the benefit of the enterprise.
Such a person is what many, many online businessmen are looking
for, and if you have the drive to take on such a task, then there are
many opportunities waiting for you on the World Wide Web.
Virtual executives are often paid per hour, with some generous
bonuses sprinkled here and there, depending on the success of the
campaigns that the online businessman does launch.
However, since some virtual executives are hired for the duration of
certain campaigns only, it is not uncommon to find a salary scheme
where the virtual executive will be paid a specified sum throughout
the course of a project, or a specific number of projects. Some online
businesses work this way. Theirs is not a continuous enterprise,
rather, theirs is an enterprise that is often dormant in between product
launches.
Being a virtual executive will give you the luxury of working from
the comforts of your own home. You won’t have to spend traveling
expenses, and you wouldn’t have to dress up just to earn your keep.
However, online businesses do require more than 8 hours of work
per day at times, especially during the days leading to a product
launch as well as the days in the middle of a campaign. An online
business will take in orders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, after all.
And a lot of the people you will be dealing with are located in
different parts of the world, under a different time zone.
Looking For Work?
Finding a position as a
digital executive is trickier
than other freelancing
opportunities. For starters,
the usual freelancing
websites rarely carry
advertisements for them.
Your best bet is to try the
conventional classified ads
websites. The most popular
of them is undoubtedly
www.craigslist.com . It will
take you hours to sift
through the many openings
advertised in its pages, but
for certain, such a position
should be available.
Another method you can
employ is determine the
online businesses that need
some help, then email the
proprietor and offer your
services. Include your
resume, as well as a
statement clearly
establishing the fact that
you’re perfect for the job.
You may not succeed every
time, but do this often, and
there sure to be some
positive replies.
28
For certain, you are an expert of something.
The world promotes specialization, after all. It doesn’t matter if
you’re an expert on pest control, on bead accessories design, on cat
care, or even on business. There should be a set of knowledge that
you are very intimately familiar with.
This may have been developed through your years of education. Or
perhaps from an interest that blossomed into a passion. Or maybe
even a knowledge set that has been handed down from generation to
generation.
The fact is, you can share what you know to people who desire such
knowledge… and you can get paid for it.
Determine your field of expertise. Currently, the following areas are
very, very popular on the World Wide Web:
• Search engine optimization
• Marketing
• Small business online placement
• Earning from PPC programs
• Medical consultations
• Legal consultations
• B2B consultations
• Pregnancy consultations
• Bipolar disorder sessions
• Relationship advice
• Academic tutoring for a variety of subjects
Consultancy
In A Nutshell
People use the Internet
because they search for
information.
As a consultant, you can
provide the information that
people need. To make such
a business profitable, you
need to ensure that the
information you will
provide will be:
* hard to find;
* absolutely useful;
* empirically verified; and
* completely factual
Indeed, all these requisites
should be taken to mean that
you’re an expert in the field
who will teach real, doable
steps instead of mere
theories. Your clients will
expect actual directions and
not metaphorical ramblings.
You can only share the
same if you have spent
considerable time mastering
a particular area of
knowledge. Consultancy is
not for everyone.
29
The areas which you can focus on are not limited to the enumeration
above, however. Every niche is a potential goldmine for coaching
work. Even something as seemingly trivial as comic books can be
the center point of a consultancy enterprise. You can accept queries
from people who wish to know the true worth of their funny books.
It really depends if you have the requisite knowledge about a
particular field. After all, you cannot impart something that you do
not own.
Consultancy can be accomplished through the following means:
• Teleconferencing – you need to get a dedicated phone line that
will be able to accept several calls at the same time. Simply set
the date and the time for the coaching session, and people will
call in to listen.
• Chat sessions – these are great for a more personal approach to
coaching. Your client can engage you in real time
conversations, and it won’t cost you a penny since you’ll be
making good use of existing communication channels on the
Internet.
• Email coaching – this is a slower approach, but it is by no
means less effective. Emails give you the luxury of time. You
can formulate a well-prepared answer and submit it to your
client whenever it is ready.
• Videoconferencing – with high speed connections these days,
some people opt to use this alternative. However, it will require
a Web cam as well, and some even argue that you should at
least look presentable whenever you’re having a
videoconference with your client. After all, being seen in your
pajamas is not really professional.
You’ll need to master the online landscape if you wish to make big
bucks out of this avenue. Brush up on the subject by reading Internet
Marketing Cookery: Bake Your Online Success With Easy-To-Use
Recipes, a comprehensive tome on the many online marketing
processes employed on the World Wide Web today.
Looking For Work?
If you have what it takes to
be an online consultant, you
have to know beforehand
that, basically, you will have
to establish contact with
your clients. People do not
go around looking for
coaches. Often, coaches
approach them and make
them realize a particular
need. Consultancy, after all,
is not as popular an
opportunity as other
freelancing ventures.
You need your own
websites, ideally, where you
can talk about your services
and where you can inform
your prospects about your
rates so that they know if
they can afford whatever
you’re capable of providing.
You need to drive traffic to
such a website as well. This
can be easily done through a
variety of Internet
marketing strategies, all of
which are discussed in the
Internet Marketing
Cookery eBook mentioned
in the main chapter.
Eventually, once you have
established a reputation for
your business, your
enterprise will grow by
leaps and bounds.
Consultancy is a fast
emerging opportunity in the
World Wide Web, and now
is the time to ride its waves
and build some distance
between you and your future
competitors.
30
Often, you also need some marketing tools to run your consultancy business.
Web hosting, autoresponder service, payment processing manager, and the like are just
some of the things that are required.
You have two cost-effective options that will help you save a lot of money. You can
choose to avail yourself of JVManager, a total solutions package that can act as your online
business’ digital secretary.
Or you can choose to subscribe to TurboMembership.com, a membership website that
promises to give you everything – yes, EVERYTHING – that you need to make your
consultancy business work.
In closing, freelancing opportunities abound on the Internet.
Armed with the right skills, the right knowledge, and the right tools, you'd be able to make
your mark on the online world and secure for yourself many prosperous benefits that will
make your life more enjoyable.
Good luck, and I'll be seeing you at the top of the hill!
