Are you struggling to close clients or secure new projects? Lead generation is the most important strategy for today’s business. This technique helps you reach your potential clients directly. Discover how a powerful lead generation strategy on Upwork can help you solve these challenges and find solutions for your skills and business. In this blog, we discuss the complete lead generation process on Upwork. Let's start by introducing lead generation and its importance for your business.
Lead Generation Definition
Marketers offer a unique concept of lead generation. It involves showing your product or service to only those customers or clients interested in it.
Before generating leads for potential customers, marketers advertised services that reached both real customers and irrelevant persons. But now, with the idea of lead generation, advertisements will only target customers interested in a business's product or service. This could lead to increased conversion and sales.
What is lead generation on Upwork?
Lead generation on upwork means finding and closing clients or projects for yourself as a freelancer or agency. Upwork lead generation experts search relevant jobs on the Upwork search marketplace according to your skills and apply to them with job-winning proposals that convince clients that you are the best fit for the job. This can be done by providing your upwork profile to your hired lead generation specialist or adding him to your agency.
Types of clients and projects available on Upwork
Upwork is such a big platform that you can realize the importance of Upwork clients from the fact that many major companies rely on a single Upwork client. The platform has a range of jobs posted by clients, including small businesses, startups, freelancing agencies, large corporations, and individual clients, with many valuable opportunities for freelancers.
The projects mainly involve development, marketing, graphic design, writing and editing, data entry, customer support, etc.
Why is Upwork an effective platform for lead generation?
Upwork is the most effective freelancing portal for generating leads (hunting clients or projects) compared to other platforms because generating leads from Upwork provides high-budget clients with long-term projects. You have to purchase connections from Upwork to apply for jobs. In this way, clients receive highly skilled, limited, and effective proposals. Due to its strict policies, which benefit clients, it has a large client base from every category worldwide.
It also has a powerful search filter, which includes:
- Experience level (Entry, Intermediate, Experienced level)
- Job Type (Hourly, Fixed)
- Budget Friendly (Less than $100, $100 - $500, $500 - $1K, $1K - $5K, $5K+)
- Number of Proposals Send (Less than 5, 5 to 10, 10 to 15, 15 to 20, and 20 to 50)
- Client History (Payment verified, No of hires, Hiring Percentage, Hiring rate should be greater than 50%)
- Client Location
- Client Time Zone
- Project Length (Less than one month, 1 to 3 months, More than 6 months)
- Hours per week
- Job Duration
These filters, along with other attractive features, make Upwork stand out. Features like secure payment options, including hourly tracking and milestone payments, ensure freelancers get paid reliably. The platform also shows client reputation, including their reviews and ratings. This makes Upwork one of the most effective and reliable platforms for securing projects compared to other freelancing portals.
How Upwork Works?
You will generate effective leads on Upwork with complete knowledge of how Upwork operates. Let's discuss the basics to start leads generation on Upwork:
SEO Optimized Profile Creation
You have an opportunity on Upwork to create two specialized profiles other than the main profile related to your different skills. This will allow you to target specific clients and projects. So, create your profiles by choosing one skill for each profile. Include relevant keywords to your expertise in your title and make it clear, concise, and specific.
For example:
The client looking to hire an SEO- friendly Content Writer. Which one is he more likely to hire?
- SEO Expert | SEO-Friendly Content Writer | SEO Writing
Article and Blog Writer | Data Analyst | Lead Generation
The first one is more likely to be hired because he is a specialist in a niche for which the client specifically looks. Be specific in your profile title and description to provide clear information to clients.
Searching for projects
Upwork provides a powerful filter option to find perfect jobs relevant to your expertise. You can hunt for entry-level to experienced jobs, as well as fixed or hourly jobs, according to your abilities.
Applying On Jobs
When applying for projects on Upwork, it is important to read the complete job title and description carefully. If you are confident that this project matches your skills and that you can do it successfully, then apply. Use powerful language in your proposal to convince clients you are the best fit for the job.
Tips to Write Effective Proposal:
- Addressing Client Pain Points : Identify and understand clients' pain points by finding their needs and challenges. Add these points in your cover letter to ensure clients that you know their requirements.
- Personalize Your Proposal : You can find the client's name in their reviews section on previous hiring. Personalize your proposal by adding it to your cover letter. Instead of writing:
Hello Dear/ Hello Sir,
Start like this:
Hello Simon,
It looks cool. This also shows that you are highly interested in a particular job.
Highlight what sets you apart from other freelancers. Why are you a good fit for a particular project? Also, add links to your previous successful projects. This will increase the chance of generating quality leads.
Upwork bidding strategy
Upwork bidding is a strategic approach that Upwork bidders use for lead generation. They use connects wisely by prioritizing spending on high-budget and long-term jobs. Spending a large number of connects on this type of project is worthwhile if you get hired. Before bidding on a job, lead generation specialists consider the number of other freelancers bidding on the job and develop their strategy after considering it.
Understanding Upwork's Algorithm
Upwork is a big platform with a complex algorithm that ranks freelancers' profiles based on various factors.
This includes:
- Profile Status: 100% Complete profile showcasing skills and recent work.
- Job success rate (JSS): JSS should be above 90 on previous projects.
- Client Feedback: Positive reviews and five-star ratings from clients.
- Response Time: The most important factor in winning a job on Upwork. If you don't respond immediately, you will lose the chance to be hired by clients.
These factors help clients to find suitable freelancers and ensure profile visibility in search results.
Finding Successful Leads on Upwork: A Step-by-Step Guide
Upwork Lead generation specialists offer their expertise to close jobs for you. Let’s know how they produce results.
Identify Your Targeted Clients
Lead generation experts analyze common challenges you face when finding clients. They understand your specific industry, identify clients that are relevant to your profile, and see the pain points of these clients.
Be Active On Your Profile
Staying active on your Upwork profile is important for ranking your profile in Upwork search results. Lead generation experts set a dedicated time online on your account and search for jobs that fit your skills. Once they find the perfect job, they will apply for it using connects. Each connect costs US $0.15. The goal of being active on Upwork is achieved when you are the first freelancer to apply for a posted job. Once clients view your proposal, you have increased the chance of receiving their messages.
Optimize your profile
Your profile is 100% complete, with a clear, concise title and description representing your skills, portfolio, and objectives.
Availability Badge
Turn on your availability badge on your profile to tell clients you are available for work. This will increase your chance of getting more invites and appearing in search results. Upwork charges 2 connects daily for showing this badge to clients.
Boost Your Profile
It is a PPC strategy to rank your profile in Upwork search results. When clients search for specific skills, if your profile is related to that skill and is on boosting, Upwork will show you to the clients. You will have to set a bid of some connects per click to boost your profile.
Add Effective Portfolio
If you just started your career and do not have any portfolio, there is no need to worry about it. Creating a portfolio is really simple, but it wants your complete focus, patience, and time. You will find jobs that match your skills posted on Upwork and try to complete that task independently. In this way, you will create a sample of the work. You can add this in the portfolio section of your profile to showcase your skills and expertise. It can be in image, video, document or audio format. It will help the client to build trust on you that you can solve his problem or do this job as you did before, and adding previous work samples will increase the effectiveness of your profile also.
Add Services in the Project Catalog Section
Upwork project catalog is a unique feature that allows freelancers to create a catalog of their other skills that you can't mention in the profile description. Freelancers have a complete choice of charging prices and timelines on this catalog. Through this catalog tool, they don't have to wait for a job posting and apply for it. Instead of this, clients find these catalogs and purchase your service, send requirements to you, and the project starts. When you complete the task, the client reviews the work, releases payment, and leaves feedback, either good or bad, depending on the quality of your work. So make sure to put extraordinary efforts into the project and provide quality service.
Optimize Proposals
Writing proposals for jobs on Upwork is a skill. Clients don’t like generic proposals. They want you to understand their requirements and read the full job description.
Before writing proposals, you must address the client's problems and suggest solutions with past references of successfully delivering the same project. Try to concisely represent yourself as best as possible for that job role in a short 200-300 words.
Boost your Proposal
When you are sure that the job is a perfect match for your skills and of a high budget, you will set an auction bid to boost your proposal to get noticed by clients by placing your proposal at the top of the first four proposals. For example, if the job is for 12 connects and you bid for 25 connects put your proposal at the top. The clients will see that you spent extra connects to get noticed by them, so they consider your proposal seriously. If you outbid from boosting, it means that the other four freelancers will place a higher bid than you, the extra connects you spend on boosting will return to you. But don’t worry; your proposal is still being presented to the client.
Ask clients for feedback
When you complete the project and feel that the client is happy with your deliverables, ask him to give you a review of your work. The client will write feedback and give you a rating of five stars according to the quality of your services. Your profile will show this feedback, building trust for other clients to hire your services.
Getting your first job on Upwork without any reviews on your profile is often difficult, but if you have any previous clients, adding their testimonials to your profile will help you get the job.
Additionally, you can join the Upwork community and Upwork academy coaches to be a part of an experienced freelancer community and get live sessions and workshops to achieve your freelancing goals with Upwork.
Conclusion
Now that you know, lead generation is an ongoing process. In this guide, we try to tell you how to create lead generation on Upwork and what you need for a winning lead through various strategies on Upwork. Keep optimizing your profile, write compelling proposals, and use boost features to increase your chances of getting hired by clients. It is important to note that try to submit proposals on that job that falls under your skills category. Otherwise, you will waste your time writing proposals and wasting connections. Also, set a fair, competitive hourly rate on your profile by comparing it to other freelancers.
Last but not least, Be patient and never stop finding the right fit for you. You will get results and generate quality leads, changing your life. If you are still not achieving results, let's hire a lead generation expert to do this for you.
Just send a request for a free consultation at Mindustrious.com.
