Remote work has been a hot topic since last year, given that many people have realized its benefits due to being forced to work from home. In fact, an increasing number of people are hoping to be able to either continue working remotely – permanently or sporadically.

Put this way, why not start your own online business? Not all hobbyists look for clients on eBay; many run their own respective brands and have a steady inflow of recurring clients.

If you are looking for a more relaxed lifestyle while not compromising on your regular income, this is the exact solution.

Certainly, running a business means you’ll need to work on promoting it, but there is also the option to advertise on popular online platforms.

Actually, everything depends on your ideas, plans and strategy. There are different ways to achieve your goals, and we’ll take a look into some of those ideas right here.

Know Your Aims

All success stories begin with proper planning, but even before that, you’ll need to be realistic. This is often the main reason why people give up or get disappointed soon after going solo.

If you don’t have any clients to get you started, you’ll need to define a strategy to promote your services and work actively on your website, reputation and online Business visibility (more on all of these below).

Set realistic goals and allow enough time to reach them. It is easier to set milestones in the beginning, as the practice will allow you to track progress precisely and accurately.

In addition, you’ll need to have at least a vague idea about your finances in the beginning. If you’re planning to advertise your services, it’s better to rely heavily on email marketing and sporadically on more expensive options (e.g., Google- and Facebook ads).

Build Your Reputation Online

Building your online reputation should be your primary aim. Respectable brands and individuals enjoy the trust of recurring clients and can count on word of recommendation. If you are a passionate hobbyist, you already know that there are certain circles for hanging out online.

These are exactly the spots where recommendations circulate, so make sure to provide quality services for reasonable prices.

Advertising Your Skills

As mentioned above, there are two ways to go about offering your services: via the existing platforms and via your own website. The combination of both is also an option, especially when starting out, so make your plans carefully and be persistent and adaptable.

A word of advice: if you’re relying on your website to attract new customers, it must be highly visible (meaning – it should be present on the first page of Google search results). This is to say that you should pay attention to SEO and post new content regularly in order to be able to reach that goal and keep a consistent presence in the long run.

Blogging

Blogging is the most efficient (and also the easiest) way to increase your brand’s visibility. However, you’ll need to post new content regularly and to cross-advertise it for best results.

Keep in mind that quality content will bring your website more visitors than any paid ad, so make an effort to post well-written, well-researched, relevant content.

When it comes to posting on your social media profiles, it is okay to also repost older pieces and to share relevant content from trusted business websites relevant to your field of expertise. Shareable content means increased visibility, so there you have it.

No Matter How Good You Are at What You Do, You Can Always Get Better

Many seasoned professionals turning to online business make the mistake of relying on their expertise. No matter how skilled or knowledgeable you are, once you go remote, the whole global market will become your competition.

This may sound scary, but in reality, it is not as scary as it initially appears. The key to long-term success is in keeping informed about the trends, adjusting your services and approach to fit them, and in – continual learning.

A lot can be said about the benefits of working remotely, but one of the most obvious ones is the ability to organize your time exactly the way you want it. This basically means that you can study online in the same fashion, especially since the trend is growing rapidly and more and more reputable institutions are offering popular courses online.

Being tech-savvy is the greatest selling point of remote workers, and especially freelancers, so if you’re scared of the magnitude of online apps and tools, you should change your view ASAP. With an increasing number of people turning to the gig economy, the apps to fit industry needs multiply.

First, start getting in touch with what’s popular now and keep updating your knowledge in the future. In this fashion, online courses, certificates and degrees will become only a normal occurrence, and you’ll be able to adjust your mindset little by little.

That’s what’s really the essence of it all: a flexible mindset and the will and persistence to find the best combination to fit your specific needs. The good news is that combinations are close to endless. The bad news is – you’ll need to experiment to find the best one.

Be Omnipresent

Advertise your services across the board. Guest posts, social media posts, Twitter tags, regular blog posts and updates are really quintessential. Many people working remotely strikes a deal with a reputable brand or two operating within the same field of expertise to exchange links. That is also a good way to increase your brand presence fast, but to be able to do that, you’ll need to be reputable and serious about your job.

Conclusion

All in all, the simplest way to turn your hobby into your own work is to experiment with different approaches until you come up with the best combination of ideas, including setting goals. Even if you decide to run a business via your own website, it is still recommended to make yourself visible on popular platforms to get the initial boost.

Remote work may seem like a hassle, but it is actually better than office work. To live on your own terms, you should start by working on your own terms. The future is online, and it would seem that fact has become obvious to many people of late. Grab the trend!