A recent survey of Another Number’s early adopters told us that many of you are creative freelancers working in TV, film and design and use Another Number to manage communication with clients, whilst improving your work-life balance.
We’re always on the lookout for tools that work well alongside Another Number, so recently had a chat with Soply, the online marketplace for creative freelancers…
How does Soply support freelancers?
Soply is a virtual workforce for creative freelance jobs. We work very hard to support our animators, illustrators, photographers, designers, and videographers in their careers. Here’s a few things we do, amongst others:
1) We facilitate excellent communication during the booking process between clients and freelancers for each of the jobs.
2) Our site’s secure booking system processes cross-border transactions in 150+ countries around the world.
3) One of the most exciting aspects of the company is that we actively promote our freelancers on social media and our website; inciting stories from their experiences and providing inspiration for other creative freelancers around the world.
What support does Soply provide for client management?
We collaborate with Freelancers Union, an organisation that brings many freelancing concerns to light. We both have discovered that, unfortunately, there are two main issues freelancers often experience: lack of communication and nonpayment from clients.
This is why Soply enables great communication between freelancers and clients. Keeping all direct communication on Soply makes it easy for freelancers to manage their many jobs. Since we specialise in creative visual work, all conversations are combined with freelancers’ portfolios, and image attachments may be made throughout the conversations.
Soply exclusively supports paid work and oversees payment transactions between freelancers and clients. When clients use our secure booking system, clients pay online and freelancers receive an initial deposit and the rest upon completion of the job. This booking system limits discrepancies when it comes to freelancers getting paid by clients, giving them their money on time, and in accordance with the terms discussed. All bookings are overseen by our team, which provides confidence for the freelancer that they will, in fact, receive they agreed to receive and vice versa for the client.
How does Soply promote a freelance lifestyle?
Freelancers have a lot of freedom in their career, and we are always looking for ways to support freelancers’ work life. We want to make it easier for freelancers to find quality jobs, whilst being able to manage simultaneous jobs, which is why Soply provides a one-stop-shop for those who are in the creative freelance field.
Internally, we actively promote our freelancers’ work on our social media pages and site. For example, we provide cases and testimonials from our freelancers, so that their future clients can see the work they’ve done. Externally, we have several collaborations going on with other freelance companies and organisations. Examples of past and ongoing collaborations include Freelancers Union, Stash Media, Creative Quarterly Journal, and Nation 1099. Through these collaborations, we are providing opportunities for more exposure to our freelancers’ work and experiences.
What types of jobs do Soply freelancers work on?
We provide both personal and commercial jobs on our site. To show you the range of jobs we have, examples include event photography, 3D holographic animation, children’s book illustration, and drone videography. We offer jobs worldwide, with English being our company’s language. We also have ongoing jobs with clients such as ITV,Universal Music Group Germany, and Ogilvy, which provide exciting opportunities to the freelancers on our site.
Image Source: https://soply.com/amy.waters
What advice would Soply give to someone just starting a freelance career?
First, one of our main pieces of advice is to have excellent communication with your clients. It can make/break a job’s success.
Second, be mindful of your workload, as it’s important when speaking to clients and when looking into bringing in a new client. Also, freelancers should not underestimate themselves when quoting a job. They should quote the amount deserved for the work done.
Freelancers should make sure that payment schedules are clear. Our secure booking service, as an example, takes a load off of the shoulders of freelancers who have many jobs going on at once. Receiving payment is crucial to being successful as a freelancer – no more chasing down clients for your money!
Lastly, since we specialise in visual work, freelancers must have a portfolio. Clients judge the character and trustworthiness of freelancers based on their previous work, which makes having a portfolio, or some way to show off your previous work, essential to booking high-quality clients.
If you are interested in Soply’s services, you can signup for free, or say “hello” at hello@soply.com.
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