Working as a freelancer means constantly looking for ways to find clients. That’s why there are freelance platforms designed to connect clients with independent contractors. One of the most reliable platforms is undoubtedly Malt. It serves as an excellent intermediary between companies and freelancers. However, to find clients on the platform, you’ll need to follow a few tips. In this guide, we’ll clearly explain how to find clients using the Malt platform.
Malt: What kind of platform is it?
Founded in 2013 by Hugo Lassiège, Vincent Huguet, andJean-BaptisteLemée, theMaltplatformwasoriginally called“Hopwork.”It wasn’tuntil 2017 that it became “Malt.” As a result, the platform changed not only its name but also its visual identity.
The Malt platform is a website specifically dedicated to supporting self-employed professionals (freelancers) and businesses. More specifically, it is designedfor freelancers who want to grow their businesses and develop their skills. The businesses using Malt, meanwhile, arethose seeking to collaborate with reliable and competent freelancers.
The main goal of this platform is to revolutionize the world of work by allowing everyone to freely choose their colleagues. As a result, it currently hasmore than 230,000 freelancers specializing in various fields, primarily consulting and communications. It also hasmore than 30,000 companiesthat work closely with freelancers who have incredible profiles and skills on their projects.
How does the Malt platform work?
The Malt platform operates in a rather unique way compared to other professional platforms. In fact,Malt does not offer any calls for proposals at all. This means you won’t find any listings for projects from potential clients on the platform. Whether it’s rates or tasks to be completed for any given project, this platform does not contain any information of that nature.
So, as a freelancer, you should start by signing up on the Malt platform and creating your profile. You’ll need to provide your personal information, your education, your professional experience, and plenty of other details that might be useful. Then, once Malt verifies your account and approves your registration, all you have todo iswait for a client to reach out to you about a project.
On Malt, it’s actually the clients who, after finding the ideal freelancer, offer them an assignment on a project.So clients reach out to freelancers onthis platform. And for this reason, it’s essential to optimize your profile if you want a client to contact you.
How do you find clients and projects on Malt?
As we mentioned earlier, Malt does not offer job postings. Since clients contact freelancers directly, you need to work on standing out. You should polish your profile and improve your visibility on the platform. If you do this well, you’ll find clients more easily.
Create an innovative and captivating profile
Your profile is the one thing you absolutely must not overlook on the Malt platform. It’s what will encourage a client to contact you.You should therefore use your profile to showcase your expertise and skills. And above all, be sure to update it regularly. Creating a good profile will certainly take a few hours, but it will be worth the effort. So let’s take a look at the elements that should be included in your profile.
Your Title
To stand out from other freelancers on Malt,your title should be clear, concise, and, above all, very specific. Conciseness is key, since you’ll be limited by the number of characters allowed. The terms you use in your title should alsoprecisely describe your core business.
A specific job title will actually allow companies tosee right away from your profile what you can offer them. For example, instead of saying “Marketing Consultant,” you could say “SEO Web Writer” or “Facebook Ads Expert.” In short, make sure your job title is concise and precise, while clearly stating your area of expertise.
Your profile picture
The photo you choose to post on your profile should be professional. Keep in mind that the Malt platform is neither a dating site nor a social network. Therefore, you shouldn’t post a party photo, for example. When a potential client browses your profile, your photo needs to inspire“trust”within just a few seconds.
Therefore,your photo should be clear, in color, and without filters. You should lookwell-groomed,be smiling, and projectprofessionalismwhile still showing yourpersonality. So if you don’t feel comfortable in a suit, don’t feel obligated to wear one for your profile photo. A well-ironed and neat shirt—or, for the ladies, a nice blouse—will be just as appropriate.
Your Summary
The summary is a description of your business. Unlike the title, where brevity is key, the summaryshould be comprehensive. Just asyou would in your LinkedIn profile, on Malt, this is whereyou need to know how to sell yourself. Selling yourself means showing clients that you understand their problems, that you’ve grasped them, and that you’re presenting your solution. It’s this solution that will set your services apart from those of your competitors. So describe your company, your business, and your services in detail.
Highlight your services and values, and craft your story usinglanguage thatis pleasant, coherent, engaging, and precise. That’s right! You mustalways be precisein your wording. In your summary, try tosubtly and consistently incorporate keywords related to your business and your area of expertise. But don’t forget: be thorough and go into detail—and then some. You have2,000 charactersat your disposal! So take full advantage of them and showcase your best assets.
Your Skills
The first section of your profile is designed to highlight your skills. You should take the time to write this section carefully, asit is one of the most important factors the Malt platform’s algorithm considers when identifying your profile. Be sure to present your skills accurately. You can also usekeywordsto clearly indicate the services you offer and what you can bring to your potential clients’ companies.
The best way to effectively present your skills is to list them according to your level of expertise and your preferences. So, list the most relevant skills first. You can highlight between 10 and 20 skills that best reflect who you are and what you’re capable of.
Your experiences
Listing your experience allows potential clients to learn more about your background and, at the same time, about you. If you’re new to Malt, you certainly won’t have any experience on the platform yet, butbe sure to list your other experiences—those you’ve gained by working for clients you found through other channels (social media, your website, or word of mouth).
However, if you have just started your career, you can list volunteer work or internshipsthat are directly related to your field of study.
Your Training and Certifications
This section may be a little less important, but it’s still essential. Your educational background can reassure potential clients when your education, certifications, and training are directly related to the services you offer. This will be a real plus for you.
So, by all means, be sure to include all this information in your profile tomake it truly unique. Remember that the better your profile is designed, the more it will captivate clients, who won’t hesitate to hire you. So be meticulous when providing your information.
Your portfolio
Before asking you to take on a project,your clients will naturally want to be sure of the quality of your services. That’s whya portfolio is essential. A portfolio allows you to showcase your career path and highlight your full potential in an appealing way. By adding it to your profile, you’ll reassure your future clients about the quality of your work, your style, and your skills.
To that end, if you’re an SEO web editor, for example, you can display images from your articles. Or if you’re an illustrator, you canshowcase your creations through your portfolio. And even if you don’t yet have any specific examples of your work, you can stillupload pieces similar to your own.
Building your portfolio will take a lot of time, but it will help you attract clients.This isbecause they’ll already get a sense of your style and how you work. So don’t overlook this step. You need to give yourself the best possible chance of catching the attention of companies looking for the services you offer.
Your external recommendations
Recommendations are just as important as your experience. They’re essential to your Malt profile.Recommendations will also reassure your potential clients and build their trust. Just imagine if your profile listed very little experience and had no recommendations. Do you think a sensible company would entrust its projects to a freelancer with no recommendations and little experience? No, right?
That’s exactly why, even if you don’t have much experience on the Malt platform yet, you should try to get recommendations.It’s really necessary for finding clients. But how do you go about getting those recommendations?
Ask your current and former clients to recommend you on the Malt platform. Also reach out to your colleagues. It couldn’t be easier! And the best part is that they don’t need to have a Malt account to leave these recommendations. All they have to do is writecomments on your Malt profilethat are visible to everyone. Satisfied past clients will inevitably boost businesses’ confidence in your services and in you.
Your Average Daily Rate (ADR)
Your average daily rate (ADR) must be listed on your profile on the Malt platform. Your ADR gives clients an idea of your rates. It can be difficult to determine the right amount. So if you’re just starting out, set an average daily rate between €200 and €300 per day.
After gaining nearly 5 more years of experience, you can set your rate between €400 and €500. And once you’ve built up solid experience in your field, you can charge more than €900.It all depends on what sets you apart and the added value of your services. However, try to look at the profiles of competing freelancers to make sure you’ve set a rate that’s in line with your field.
Work on and optimize your SEO
Once you've filled out your profile completely, you'll start to gain visibility. But it's also important to keep a few things in mind so that your target customers can easily find you.
Your location
It’s important tospecify the city where you’re basedandhow you work. Perhaps you complete your assignments remotely (working from home) or at your client’s office! You should indicatethis. This will increase your chances of finding clients who meet your expectations. And conversely,clients looking for freelancers with your profile will be able to contact you more easily.
The duration of your assignments
If you have anypreferences regarding the duration of your assignments, it would be a good idea to specify them in your profile. You can easily do this on Malt. So, whether you’re looking forlong-term clientsor justone-time assignments, be sure to indicate that. This will allow potential clients to take your criteria and preferences into account.
Your industry
To further optimize your profile’s search visibility,specify your areas of expertise—that is, the fields in which you’d like to focus your work. A list is provided to help you distinguish between the fields you’d like to work in and those you’d prefer to avoid. If you prefer the digital, environmental, educational, or economic sectors, be sure to specify them!
Languages Mastered
Being able to offer your services in several different languages is always a plus. If this applies to you, it will be a major asset. Furthermore, whether your clients are French or European, being able to speak other languages is always useful and beneficial. Be sure to include this information in your profile as well.
Your availability
Your availability plays a major role in enhancing your visual identity on the Malt platform. You should therefore update it daily and regularly to receive new collaboration offers. So, whether you’re available full-time or part-time, adjust your schedule accordingly. You can choose to set youravailability as part-timeorfull-time.
See also: Entrepreneurs: How to Find Clients in 2022?
Boost Your Brand Awareness and Visibility
You need to build your visibility, brand awareness, and reputation on Malt. Only then will customer inquiries increase over time. So you really need to work on this.
Invite your clients to the Malt platform
The Malt platform offers a service that allows you to work with your external clients through the platform. It’s called“Malt Open.”You can use it when you’re just starting out on Malt. In fact, Malt goes to great lengths to build loyalty among its clients and freelancers (especially its freelancers). It therefore provides tools to help you conduct as much of your business as possible on the platform. As a result, the more you collaborate with clients on the platform, the more visibility you’ll gain.
By doing so, you’ll benefit from the advantages offered by the Malt platform, includingsecure payments and secure contracts. At the same time,you’ll increase your visibility. Thanks to these clients outside of Malt, you’ll secure and complete assignments and work on projects. As a result,you’ll receive feedback and ratings on your profile. Over time, your profile will become more comprehensive and detailed.
In fact,the Malt platformreports that “nearly 90% of companies on the platform still prefer to work with freelancers who have already completed projects.” So if you want to be one of those freelancers chosen by companies, you need to have a track record of completedprojects. The more projects you complete, the more clients you’ll attractandthe morecontractsyou’ll land. Once you’ve established a good reputation, you’ll no longer need to ask your clients to go through Malt for your projects.
To that end, when you complete your first assignment through Malt Open with one of your personal clients, Malt encourages you to continue doing so. The platform allows you to complete this first assignment at no cost, provided the contract amount does not exceed€10,000 (excluding tax).
Be responsive
The second way you can boost your visibility on Malt is to learn howto respond quickly to your clients. By responding promptly to inquiries from potential clients, you demonstrate professionalism. Being responsive to the needs of your future clients will have two positive effects on your business.
First, you’ll gain your clients’ trust because they’ll see you as a reliable professional. Second, Malt’s algorithms will rank you much higher in search results. This will optimize your SEO. It’s worth noting thatMalt’s algorithms prioritize the profiles of freelancers with quick response times(responses within one hour).
Finding Clients with the Malt Platform: A Summary
Ultimately, the Malt platform can be a great help in growing your freelance business. You’ll need to put in a lot of work when you’re just starting out to set yourself apart from other freelancers in your field. But once you gain visibility, you’ll find many more clients.
So, what do you think of these strategies for finding clients on Malt? Have you tried them yet? Get typing!
