So, you are a Fiverr freelancer? That’s great! Are you, however, getting the most out of your freelancing gig? If no, then worry not! Today, in this read, I unveil some of the best tools that have capabilities to enhance productivity, tame projects, and smoothen up the Fiverr journey like never before. Ready to dive in? Let’s roll! Sign up Fiverr here
Tools for Project Management
Freelancing can be a nightmare when it comes to project management. That’s where the project management tools will help. These tools help you keep track of your task, deadline, and client communication in one place.
Trello: Imagine a digital corkboard where you can pin all your tasks. That’s Trello for you! You can create boards for different projects, add tasks as cards, and move them around as you progress. It’s like playing a game of digital chess with your tasks. Fun, right?
The upside of Trello being so simplistic is mammoth. You don’t need a degree in rocket science to use it. Plus, it’s free! You can add in due dates, attach files, and even collaborate with your client directly on the board. For example, in the case of a graphic designer working on a number of logos, he or she would create a card for each logo and then drag them from ‘To Do’ to ‘In Progress’ to ‘Completed’. This means you will never leave a single detail out and your clients will be really impressed with your organizational skills.
Asana: If Trello is like your corkboard, then Asana is like your digital command center. It is a bit more advanced, featuring timelines, project overviews, and members whom you will work with as a team. It will allow you to break down one large project into small tasks, each with a deadline, to enable you to know for sure that everything will take place in time.
The best feature in Asana: you can assign tasks to members of your team. For instance, in managing extensive content projects, one simply has to assign different section tasks to a writer with desired deadlines and track their progress, and the writer can keep updating the progress there. You don’t have a plethora of back-and-forth emails or missing deadlines anymore with Asana—everyone’s on the same page.
Pros of Project Management Tools:
Trello or Asana are tools that help a whole lot in getting a lot more done. Be it keeping oneself organized, tracking deadlines, or making sure that—well—nothing falls through the cracks. And they make it a cinch to collaborate with your clients and team. Instead of juggling Excel sheets and multiple email threads, you have everything in one place.
Even the free versions of these tools are also available. This makes an idea fit for beginners who want to make low investments. But as it goes up with your business, upgrading to a higher plan will definitely give you more features and integrations.
Time Tracking Software
That means time is literally money, if you are a freelancer. In case you fail to manage time properly, you might work on small returns for very long hours. This is where the time tracking tool is imperative.
Toggl To ensure you are in the know on exactly how much time is spent on each task or project, Toggl acts as your personal timekeeper; just remember you can start the timer when you start working on a task or project and hit stop when you are done. It’s that simple. It also comes with total categorization of time entries per project or client for easy viewing on how the time is being used.
Toggl can generate and read various and more detailed reports regarding the time dispensed on the processing or execution of various projects. It might only be an eye-opener; for example, you are probably spending so much time on low-paying projects that leaves you with an inadequate amount of time for the high-paying ones. You will then use the information to decide better on what activities will eat up your time.
Clockify: Another great time tracking app is Clockify. This one shares quite a few similarities with Toggl but perhaps raises the bar a little more: it has not only time tracking but also timesheets and invoicing. Time entries can be tracked, reports can be run, and you can even create invoices based on what you’ve tracked.
Clockify is of immense help to freelancers who bill their clients by the hour. That is, by tracking your time effectively, you can be sure of being compensated adequately for every minute that you work. Besides, with this application, you can issue invoices directly, right from the very application, so in this way, you can save time and a possibility of mistakes upon issuing invoices.
Pros of Time Tracking Tools
Time tracking methods assist you in being in touch, making you accountable for using time effectively. They show you exactly how you spend your time, therefore, one can make better choices of what work to do. For instance, one may realize that they spent an awful lot of time doing something administrative as opposed to actual client work. Sooner than later, after some rejigs here and there, your schedule will enable you to reach higher productivity levels and eventually higher income.
These also streamline the invoicing process. If nothing else, tracking your time literally gives you the confidence to generate invoices and bill your clients properly. This way, you can ensure that you’re going to get paid faster and with fewer disputes.
Communication Tools
Communication is at the core of what makes the freelancing world go ’round. Whether you’re collaborating with a client or on a mission with your team members, having just the right communication tool or amount of communication tools is going to make all of the difference.
Slack: A business chatroom is the best way to describe this. One is able to create a couple of different channels for different projects so it is a bit easier to keep all the chat conversations organized. Need to share a file or link? Just past it right in there in the chat. Want to have a couple of quick voice or video calls? You can. It almost feels like a virtual office where everyone is within reach.
For example, take a website design project: you have your team of developers and content writers. You can create a project channel and include each person in the project in it. In this manner, every related discussion and file concerned with the project goes into the channel. Thus, those never-ending email threads that you go through to find that all-important message will cease to exist.
Zoom When you need to have a face-to-face conversation, Zoom is your conference platform of choice. It is a virtual meeting tool that enables you to connect with clients and colleagues right from your computer. Share your screen, record meetings and yes, if your room is untidy you can swap it for a virtual background.
It is a very useful tool for any freelancer with clients around the globe. You don’t have to write emails and messages; you can get into real-time conversations and get instant feedback. For instance, if you are a freelance marketer and you’re introducing a new campaign strategy to a client, you can use Zoom to share your screen and walk him through your thinking. This way, you will be able to handle any questions or concerns on the spot.
Here are some pros of communication tools, such as Slack and Zoom: Communication tools make it convenient to stay connect with clients and team members, hence reducing nagging. Real-time communication can help close issues quickly and keeps the project moving. Other features would consist of file-sharing, screen-sharing, and video calls, plus it drastically aids in collaboration and productivity.
These tools also enable you to build better relationships with clients. The mere fact that you maintain to provide updates shows you’re dedicated to their projects. It can translate up to repeat business and referral gigs that grow a freelancing business.
Design Tools
As a freelance designer, you are required to have the appropriate tools to effectively execute the available design job. The right tools can be effectively used for the generation of appealing visuals that express ideas.
Adobe Creative Cloud: Adobe Creative Cloud is designed in a way that could be said as a toolkit for designers. The product comes with Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and more. Make it a logo, photo editing, or making a brochure; Adobe has got you covered.
One great thing about Adobe Creative Cloud is how the apps integrate with each other. As an example, you can draw any design using Illustrator and afterward easily pop that into Photoshop. This will save a lot of time for you and make the design process much more efficient.
Canva: Though Adobe Creative Cloud is more like the costly toolbox that can conceive just about anything, it can be related to a Swiss Army knife. It lies as the intuitive design program with which one is to come up with cool visuals minus the knowhow to design. You can simply customize your design with a wide array of templates, titles, and images, and click.
Canva is excellent for a freelancer who needs to put together some social media graphics, presentations, or marketing materials on the fly. For example, a freelance marketer can use Canva to create very attractive social posts for his clients. You don’t have to be a design pro to come up with professional-looking graphics in Canva.
Pros of Design Tools
Some of the design tools include Adobe Creative Cloud and Canva, which enhance greater design capabilities because they come with a plethora of features and templates to give you an easy time coming up with great visuals even beyond the scope of a professional designer. More so, they are flexible and easily integrate with tools that will make your design process easy.
These tools can also save you time and increase your productivity. You can develop professional designs in no time using the in-built templates and presets instead of starting from scratch. This way, more jobs can be executed, thereby increasing the bottom line.
Accounting Tools
Keeping to freelancers’ finances can be really scary, but it’s one of the most important things any freelancer can do. Invoice generation and being better prepared for tax season are some of the things that accounting tools do.
QuickBooks: This would be a suitable replacement for recording accountants. It will save you time with features to track income and expenses, to send invoices, and to run reports. As a matter of fact, you can link this directly to your bank account and import bank transactions without entering a million things into your checkbook.
One of the really great features about QuickBooks is the invoicing capability. You’re able to create beautiful, professional invoices and even email them to your clients directly from within the application. Not to mention setting up recurring invoices for those clients who pay you on a regular basis. A couple of clicks, and you’ve saved hours.
FreshBooks: Another excellent accounting tool is FreshBooks. It’s akin to QuickBooks, but you’ll find the interface much more user-friendly. Track your time, expenses, and incoming income; generate invoices in a few clicks. FreshBooks also supports project management, allowing you to track your work across multiple projects.
FreshBooks is particularly indispensable for a freelancer who engages with various assignments and needs to keep track of time and expenses. For instance, if you’re a freelance writer about to work on several articles for various clients, you can use
Log hours worked on each article in FreshBooks to create an invoice based on your hourly rate. This way, you will be sure that not a single minute of your labor goes unpaid.
Pros of Accounting Tools
The accounting tools available in QuickBooks and FreshBooks offer great ease in financial management. They let one trace one’s income and expenses, create invoices for customers, and provide financial reporting to keep the author organized and able to trace finances properly.
These tools save you much of your precious time by automating most of the work that sometimes goes to the extent of several hours. For instance, instead of recording every expense and income on a spreadsheet, using such tools will allow one to import transactions automatically and generate reports with just a few clicks. This allows more focus on core work and less time on bookkeeping activities.
File Sharing and Storage Tools
Every freelancer must keep files in order and be able to access them. A file sharing and storage tool makes sharing and storing files easier, thereby enabling freelancers to keep the most important documents safely and share them with clients or other team members with incredible ease.
Google Drive: You can think of it as a digital filing cabinet where you will save all of your files in the cloud, which will be accessible from any device connected to the internet. You will share files and documents with clients or members of your team, which is an easy way to collaborate on a document in real-time.
Probably one of the best features for Google Drive is that it really integrates well with other Google applications, like Docs, Sheets, and Slides. Let’s say you’re running a content project; you can create a new Google Doc and share it with your client in order to get some feedback on it. They will be able to leave comments right in the document and make suggestions; this makes collaboration pretty easy.
Another great tool for sharing files is Dropbox. It is a bit similar to Google Drive, although it does file synchronization and access to your files when you are offline. You can store it in the cloud and access it from any device. You can even work on files while you are offline. Tight security in this backdrop is what Dropbox offers, ensuring your files are very safe and secured.
This is particularly true for freelancers, especially designers and videographers, who frequently deal with large files. It allows you to keep your files in the cloud and share them quickly and easily with clients and other members of your team. For example, if you were a freelance videographer, just drag and drop video files in your Dropbox account and share this link with a client to view them. You won’t have to attach large files when you email.
Pros of File Sharing and Storage Tools: Document sharing and file storage tools like Google Drive and Dropbox help you store and share files in a very secure and easy manner. Moreover, cloud storage, file syncing, and real-time collaboration increase your productivity while working with clients and other members of your team.
These tools also maintain qualitative security features and make sure that your files are safe from unwanted access. This, of course, will be of special importance for freelancers dealing with confidential information belonging to clients. With such tools, you are able to make sure that your files are stored secure and accessed only by people who should have access to them.
Proposal and Contract Tools
It may not be nice, but creating proposals and contracts is part and parcel of most freelancing businesses. Proposal and contract tools help you get professional-looking documents quickly and easily.
Proposify is the world’s very first proposal wizard. It looks to your design requirements in coming up with professional-looking proposals easily. You can pick from a wide variety of professionally made templates, add your content, and then customize branding. The unique feature of Proposify is the tracking of proposals whenever they are opened by a client, so you know exactly when to follow up.
There is a compelling reason for using Proposify: its electronic signature feature. You can mail them to your clients for approval, have it e-signed to save your precious time, and get approved fast. Suppose you are a freelance marketer; you can build a proposal regarding a new campaign, mail it to your client for approval, get their review with an electronic signature, and start working on the project right away.
HoneyBook is another great tool for proposals and contracts. It is a business management all-in-one tool that allows a user to design proposals, contracts, and invoices in just one place. You can select any variety of their templates, customize your documents, and send them to clients for approval.
HoneyBook has also pinned their management abilities in projects, so all of your projects and clients can be kept in one place. Suppose you are a freelance photographer; you can propose the photo shoot, mail it over for approval, and manage it from start to finish through HoneyBook. This keeps everything organized and in line.
Proposal and Contract Tools Pros: Tools for proposals and contracts, like Proposify and HoneyBook, can make the heavy workload in creating proposals and contracts really light. Moreover, they will have features on templates, electronic signatures, and even project management features to help save your much-needed time and manifesto professionalism and accuracy in these very crucial documents.
These tools also help in one of the crucial practices in your business—keeping you organized by storing all your documents in one place. From one platform, you’ll be able to manage everything from one place instead of juggling all types of files and email threads. That can boost your productivity and contribute to better tracking of your projects and clients.
SEO Tools
For those using freelance writing, marketing, or web designing services, he/she will find the SEO tools very beneficial. These can optimize your content and websites for search engines so that more people can be served by your work.
Ahrefs is undoubtedly an ultimate map for SEO. You’ll get various options, from keyword research to backlinks analysis and site audits that have the potential to help your content and websites drive more search traffic. With Ahrefs, you will be sure of targeting the right keywords your target audience is searching for and hence create such content ranking higher in search engine results.
For example, if you are a freelance writer toiling over a blog about digital marketing, you can use Ahrefs to find relevant keywords for your topic. You can sprinkle these keywords throughout your content to make sure that your blog post sees an extended audience.
Yoast SEO— Yet another magnificent tool for SEO is Yoast SEO. It’s a WordPress plugin to help you optimize your content for the search engines. Yoast SEO provides you with real-time feedback on your content and lets you know what parts need improvement and gives suggestions on how to optimize them.
One of the best things about Yoast SEO is that it has an inbuilt readability analysis feature. Basically, this assistant encompasses a number of tests for checking readability and offers several hints for making a piece easier to read. This tool seems beneficial for freelancers seeking both SEO and reader-friendly content. If you’re a freelance marketer looking to create, say, a blog post, it will help ensure that your content is easy to read and friendly to the search engines.
Pros of SEO tools: There are many SEO tools, such as Ahrefs and Yoast SEO, that will assist you to a large extent in optimizing the content and a website. They give insights/suggestions to enable improvements in the Search engine ranking and reaching more audiences.
They mostly save you time by automating most of the tasks that might have taken hours to complete. This includes, for instance, working out keywords in your content or backlinks to a particular site; with these tools, you will get the information very fast and easily. This frees time to enable you to write high-quality content rather than technical SEO tasks.
Graphic Design Tools
Graphic designers require a long list of potent tools to create eye-catching visuals and graphics. These tools will assist you in bringing about your creative thoughts into life and help impress clients.
Adobe Illustrator: This is the Swiss Army knife of all the graphic design tools available. It is a vector graphics editing tool that enables a professional to create logos, illustrations, and other sorts of graphics in a very captivating and flexible way. From designing logos for a new brand to making an illustration for clients, Adobe Illustrator has all the tools at your fingertips.
Another nice thing about Adobe Illustrator is that it is very scalable. Because this has vector-based illustrations, one is free to come up with designs that can be scaled to any size without loss of quality. This becomes particularly helpful during jobs involving freelancing where there are projects that require high-resolution graphics such as billboards, posters, and more.
Figma: Another cool tool for doing graphic design is Figma. It’s a web-based design tool for creating, collaborating, and prototyping in real-time. Figma offers facilities like vector editing, prototyping, and collaboration, among many others that will enhance your designing phase.
Well more than anything, Figma helps people working as freelancers dealing with design projects on web and app ventures. You can easily create designs, share them with clients to collect feedback, and then work in real-time on these designs with team members. Say you are a freelance Web designer and have been commissioned to deal with the assignment on the new website. Using Figma, you’d be able to design it, and then share it with your clients to have them review it. They can leave comments and suggestions right there on the design, which should make this rather seamless.
Pros of Graphic Design Tools: They grant features and flexibilities required by graphic design tools like Adobe Illustrator and Figma in making very beautiful visuals and graphics. They are heavily instrumented with integrations that can make your design process easier in any possible way but mostly in collaboration with clients or teammates.
These tools further assist one in making quality designs that can be scaled into any size without losing quality. This is very essential for any freelancer who works on projects requiring high-resolution graphics. You can ensure that your designs are going to look professional and impress your clients once you have these tools in use.
Conclusion
Freelancing at Fiverr can both be rewarding and challenging. With the right tools, you will be in a good position to enhance your productivity, manage your projects, and make your journey on Fiverr smoother and more enjoyable. Be it for writing, designing, marketing, or developing, they can help you bring your freelancing business to the next level.
What are you waiting for, then? Get your hands on these tools today and see how they will revolutionize your freelancing career. And always remember, the way to success is not through working hard but working smart. Happy freelancing! Sign up fiverr here for free
