This is for those who are new to freelancing and those that find it difficult to get an approved Upwork account or those that struggle to find an Upwork job.
This also applies to those who are stuck in data entry work. (I don't mean to undervalue those who do this kind of job but as you know there are lots of people who offer that service and that may be one of the reasons why you are struggling on getting your first freelancing work.)
My advice - Try to explore other skills!
For instance, try Instagram Marketing.
You've heard this advice for sure. But now, I will try to help you on how to get started.
Your first thought may be: "I have no skill and experience on Instagram Marketing!" or "I have no interest in that."
When I started Instagram Marketing, I had no skill and not a bit of interest.
But I learned this ... Skill can be learned. (I will give a few resources later on).
If you have no interest ... This is what I learned: Interest can change. Sometimes, you just have no interest in something because it's either you haven't tried it or you are just afraid to try it.
My Own Instagram Story
Instagram Marketing was never on my radar but when my client said, "Milette, we need your help to grow our Instagram account."
And because I support the client's mission, on the spot I studied Instagram. Fortunately, with the help of the team, we were able to grow the Instagram account from 40k followers to 962k followers (from August 2017 to this time of writing).
Why am I sharing this story? To let you know that Instagram Marketing is not rocket science.
Usually, your only enemy to explore other things is your FEAR. It says in a quote. "Courage doesn't mean you don't get scared. Courage means you don't let fear stop you."
This comes with a bit of a caveat, however.
I am not saying that Instagram Marketing is as simple as data entry work. It takes a lot of creativity, research, time, analysis to really put things together.
What I am simply saying is that it is very possible to learn a skill with a few hours of investing your time in courses (paid or free).
By doing this, it will be a lot easier to get Upwork's approval on your application to be a freelancer in their platform and it will help you skip the pain of forcing yourself to a heavily saturated job position (like data entry).
And as you gain more experience and develop your skill set, you can fine tune your skills for Instagram and become an expert.
Why you should be an Instagram Marketer?
Do you know that about 75.3% of businesses will use Instagram in 2020 and is the fastest growing social media platform?
It means a lot of businesses will need Instagram Marketers like you! And this is what makes it one of the most lucrative freelancing positions in Upwork.
How to Learn Instagram Marketing?
I like to share the resources that I've used. For sure, there are more resources than you can watch or read, but for me, this is a great way to start.
So, if you're interested, do these:
Step 1: Study these courses. They are free if you are new to Skillshare:
1. Skillshare | Gary Vaynerchuk
- It will give you general knowledge on social media
2. Skillshare | Calvin T.
- Learn Instagram strategies; I took an older course and this is an updated version of the class.
3. Skillshare | Sophia Chang
- This reminded me to be "genuine" on Instagram.
4. Alex Tooby
-I read all of her blog posts. Very helpful! You can join her courses, too!
Step 2:
Take a look at popular IG accounts and see what they do on their account, not to copy but just to get an idea.
Step 3:
Learn to use Canva and how to make videos suited for Instagram
Step 4:
Try to learn basic copywriting for social media posts.
Step 5:
Create your own Instagram account. You don't necessarily need to post all of your selfies. Have in mind, this Instagram account that you will create can serve as your portfolio and will eventually help you gain client’s trust.
Your Parents may say, “Get a real job!”
A little downside to Instagram or Social Media Marketing (especially if you are mostly surrounded by people who don't do online work)... when people ask what's your job and you say your work is on social media, their initial reaction is "That's all? Is that considered a job?" Just ignore those comments because obviously, they don't have an idea.
Final Notes from the Spectrum Mommy
Just have in mind, if you do social media marketing, you need to be creative, you need to put yourself in the audience’s shoes and you need to study algorithms of social media platforms.
You're dealing with both humans and (secret) codes. Again, it's not rocket science so don't be scared.
Instagram Marketing is just a small percentage of jobs in Upwork that you can do. There are more! You can check out this link: Upwork Freelance Jobs by Category
So don't force yourself in job positions that are flooded by freelancers already. Actually, I feel that there are a lot of freelancers in this area of Instagram Marketing but as I mentioned, demand is continuously growing.
If you still feel that you have lots of things to do with Instagram Marketing, I suggest you work on yourself first. You will not be able to overcome challenges on any job if you constantly expose yourself to your negative self-talk.
PS: For Seasoned Freelancers
I think Instagram Marketing is a good thing to learn too. Even if your work is not social media, it will also help you gain an online presence, build some personal connection with existing and prospective clients.
Upwork is an imposingly fantastic freelancing platform where scores of opportunities are lying in wait for the writer to unfurl his or her talents for a glittering career. How to succeed on Upwork as a writer?