Share What You’ve Mastered: Three Ways to Effectively Share Freelancing Knowledge

Erin Miller is a freelance resume writer and digital marketing specialist. She has helped individuals and businesses share their knowledge through effective content and branding. Erin is based in Atlanta and is well-versed in HubSpot, LinkedIn, and Atlanta traffic.

I have steadily freelanced for over three years now. Over that time, I made a point to seek diverse freelance writing opportunities that have included resumes, blog articles, and website copy. I even gained a HubSpot Inbound Marketing certification to further expand my freelance capabilities. However, I often feel that my freelance career has plateaued due to lack of financial freedom and time constraints. There just never seems to be enough time or money for further pursuing freelancing goals.

It turns out that I am not the only one that feels this way. A 1Q survey from April 2017 found that 26% of respondents would like to become freelancers. If there’s a significant sample looking to grow a freelancing career, what is holding these individuals back?

I recently shared my thoughts on overcoming freelancing obstacles with another freelancer, and he referred me to Path of the Freelancer. Through this site, I discovered successful freelancers sustain a list of eight achievements. I am particularly drawn to the “Share What We’ve Mastered” achievement, and not just because it was the last achievement listed in the article. I feel that sharing knowledge with other freelancers is the most satisfying—and empowering—achievement because of its “pay it forward” nature.  

Sharing also serves as a potent marketing tool for your personal brand as well as a client’s brand. I have heard countless “thank you’s” from resume clients, and have cultivated return and referral clients as well. Each client relationship displays just how powerful sharing is for personal development and branding.  

Think of the times you have shared knowledge with others. Did the opportunities to share easily appear? If not, it could be that the channels for sharing need further development. Maybe you’re ready to start the process of helping others but are stuck on where to begin or how to further develop the process. Here are three ways to begin and refine that process and effectively share what we freelancers have mastered:

1 - Social Media

Freelancers live in a historically unique time where sharing is available at the tips of our fingertips. Social Media provides this easy sharing method along with the opportunity to make personal and authentic connections strangers and friends alike. Connecting with someone across the world, and potentially changing his or her life, is accomplished by sharing targeted content via a series of posts. A simple post allows for quick viewing of a graphic design portfolio or an industry-specific blog through provided links. Even the post’s headline is an opportunity to display expertise in content, as an enticing headline will lead to a higher click or share rate.

Social media channels such as LinkedIn and Facebook for Business even include metrics for creating posts that will share knowledge and engage audiences. For example, social shares, likes, and even post viewings are important tools for knowing what to share, and when to share it.

2 - Professional Organizations

A professional organization membership is another great channel for sharing expertise to large and small audiences. Presenting at a conference or meeting allows for direct sharing and engagement with the audience as a whole. These meetings often include time for sharing expertise via small groups or individual networking. Outside of meetings, expertise is shared on social media pages, organizational websites, and even via word-of-mouth. In fact, I connected with the freelancer who told me about Path of the Freelancers at a HUG Atlanta meeting, and this connection led me to write this very article.

Over time, the sharing of knowledge among organization members delves into meaningful relationships that contribute to personal growth. For example, I met the freelancer mentioned above six months before fully learning about Path of the Freelancers. We shared knowledge between us to effectively develop digital strategies for clients, and eventually, I was asking him for career advice. I would not have further developed my digital marketing and content strategy knowledge without this sharing circle, and the impact can be seen every time I attend future HUG Atlanta meetings.

3 - Personal Life

I recently shared my passion for inbound marketing during a lengthy phone call, but I wasn’t talking to a business contact. I was actually talking to my mother, who is retired. The age gap, geographical distance, and different levels of technical knowledge between us didn’t matter, as we both gained new insights from this phone discussion. It was a great exercise for explaining inbound marketing to someone unfamiliar with the concept, and it helped convey my career passion in a happy, cathartic way.

Sharing expertise via personal connections allows freelancers to freely state the purpose and joy gained from the freelancing lifestyle. It helps freelancers understand what we know, and why we know it. Understanding the base and roots of personal knowledge allows for positive, forward direction in the freelancing realm. It also allows for those personal connections to share what they know—and they just might be sharing it with a potential new client.

In conclusion, sharing what we freelancers have mastered helps serve a deeper purpose. It helps us see how far we have come in the freelancing journey, and who we are helping along the way. Sustaining this achievement empowers the most important person in the freelancing journey—the freelancer—while including others along the way. The freelancing process may seem daunting, but luckily, this sharing journey is as simple as a click away.  

Photos by Scott Webb, freestocks.org, rawpixel.com, & Daniel Cheung on Unsplash