How to Sell Services Online Service Business Ideas for Freelance Jobs
You probably have expertise or skill in some field, from your work or hobby. These days, you can earn extra income from it by taking on freelance jobs online.
You can set up your own website to promote your services. You can also test the waters first by joining an online freelance jobs marketplace.
These are websites where customers specify work they want done such as data entry or ghostwriting, with perhaps an estimate budget. You can sign up and bid on these projects.
But because you sell services, which are intangible products, it can be hard-going at first until you build up a good rating. You need to give it time, viewing it initially as a way to supplement your income. There're people who make good money eventually.
What services can you sell? Consider the following for a start:
Writing / editing
Graphic design / illustration
Medical / legal transcription
Translation
Administrative / email support
Data entry
Web design / development
Programming / Technical support
The freelance websites below also list other services you can offer.
Elance.com Covers everything from programming and writing to consulting and design. You can sign up for a free account, called a 'Courtesy Listing'. Potential clients can then view your profile, and you can browse the projects available. If you find suitable projects that you think you stand a chance of winning, you can then upgrade to a paid account.
GoFreeLance.com A trial membership is available for $2.95, which gives you 7 days full rights and access to all the projects available, and allows you to bid for any of them, as many as you like. Good value for money.
RentaCoder.com / GetaCoder.com These sites are mainly for software developers. Both are free to join. You are charged a percentage of your winning bids, so you only pay if you get work.
Pros of such freelance jobs marketplaces:
Easy and fast. You immediately have access to projects.
Minimal upfront cost needed.
Don't have to build and maintain your own website.
Don't have to look for customers; they come to you.
Cons:
You are charged a fee and/or a percentage.
High competition among sellers of common services, leading to low earnings.
You don't really own your own business, because you don't own your own traffic.
Ultimately, and most important of all, you are not building a business of your own, one with equity (i.e., one that can be sold).
Given these considerations, you might want to build your own website to sell services as well. On top of giving you an additional source of projects, you can get income from your website in other ways, such as from contextual advertising.
Another (often more lucrative) way to sell services online is to set up a membership or service website, and sell services to members for a fee. People have set up dating sites, book summary clubs, web hosting, online auction services (like eBay), and online coaching in almost any field, such as personal or career development.
Do you have an area of expertise or experience that you can offer services for with a membership site?
You could charge a one-time fee, a per-service fee, or better still, a recurring monthly or annual fee, which gives you a regular income. A successful example is Aweber.com which manages online newsletters and automated follow-ups for small businesses on the internet. It has something like 30,000 subscribers, each paying a minimum of $15 per month. That's close to half a million in sales every month, like clockwork.
Or take Clickbank.com, an online marketplace that helps people to sell digital products or to find affiliates to promote their products. Its revenue last year was $300 million.
