After a limited launch earlier this year, LinkedIn Services Marketplace now allows professionals to promote their freelance services for free.
Services Marketplace began with a small test group in February and has since grown to include two million freelancers.
Anyone who wants to join LinkedIn’s Services Marketplace can do so now.
Here’s more information on what Services Marketplace is, how to join it, and how it can lead to more freelance opportunities.
What Exactly Is LinkedIn’s Services Marketplace?
LinkedIn Services Marketplace is a search engine that assists users in locating qualified professionals to hire for short-term projects.
Freelancers can list their services for free across 250 job categories in LinkedIn’s Marketplace.
Clients can then search for the service providers they require on the Services Marketplace landing page.
Clients can also publish RFPs (requests for proposals) to encourage freelancers to bid on the job they’re hiring for.
LinkedIn’s Service Marketplace connects clients with freelancers. Anything else, such as negotiating fees and paying invoices, must be done outside of the platform.
Clients can evaluate the freelancers they hire, but freelancers cannot evaluate clients.
Furthermore, there is no way to actively seek work on the platform. All you can do is list your services and hope for the best.
It’s designed to be client-focused, but there’s still a lot you can do with it as a freelancer.
Now that you understand the fundamentals of LinkedIn’s Service Marketplace, here’s how to use it to get found by clients.
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How to Advertise Your Services on LinkedIn’s Marketplace
By following a few simple steps, anyone with a LinkedIn profile can list their services.
Log in to LinkedIn and then click the “Open to” button at the top of your profile.
Select “Providing services” from the drop-down menu.
Then you’ll be prompted to create your services page by filling out the required fields on the following screen.
In total, you can add up to ten services.
Below is a list of the 17 major service categories, each of which has dozens of sub-categories to choose from:
- Accounting
- Coaching & Mentoring
- Consulting
- Design
- Events
- Finance
- Home Improvement
- Information Technology
- Insurance
- Law
- Marketing
- Operations
- Photography
- Real Estate
- Software Development
- Writing
Finally, you can specify whether you are available for remote, in-person, or both types of work.
After you’ve made your selections, you can now publish your services page.
Furthermore, you can let anyone who visits your main profile know that you’re available for work by listing your services in a separate section.
How to Use LinkedIn’s Services Marketplace to Find Freelancers
Clients interested in hiring freelancers can search the LinkedIn Service Marketplace landing page.
Begin typing the service you require, and LinkedIn will suggest the most appropriate job category.
To find freelancers who provide the service, navigate to the job category. The order of the results is determined by how closely you are connected with each individual on LinkedIn.
When you find someone you want to work with, send them a message to begin the hiring process.
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