Moriah John is a Marketing Specialist and Digital Content Producer in Orlando, Florida.
1) How did you get started working from home?
After I lost my previous job, I decided to open up an Upwork profile to make some money. I was offering SEO, content marketing, and virtual assistant work. I had the most success working on a freelance basis for digital marketing agencies. I liked the freedom it offered me and decided to stick to it even after getting offered full time remote work.
2) How did you choose the work-at-home career you do?
Well, the two subjects I like the most in life are writing and business. It just made sense to be a digital content producer (that is, write marketing content for different companies). Writing does not feel like ‘work’ to me. Writing is fun and enjoyable, and I get to learn a lot about the marketing and advertising industries through my job.
3) How did you get started (basic initial steps)?
I created my profile on Upwork and started applying to projects I thought I qualified for. To be honest, at first, I wasn’t getting very many positive responses. Whenever I lost a role, I would look at clients’ past hiring history. I noticed most of the people hired had complete profiles and a very broad portfolio. I started to change my profile to look more like theirs and started getting noticed more.
4) How did you get your first client or customer or job?
I got my first client by sending her samples of my past work that was a lot like the project she needed to be completed. She became my first long-time client, and I still have a wonderful working relationship with her.
I still work through Upwork, but I mainly work with a few long-time clients in their marketing departments.
5) How do you market your business?
I finally decided to open up a Facebook profile for my business, and I mostly market through there. I use Facebook ads. I’m also in a group for small businesses on Facebook, and I offer my services to them. Additionally, I have set up my profile on GMB (Google My Business) so clients can find me through local search. I rely mainly on word-of-mouth and recommendations to secure new clients, and this has been the most successful method for me.
6) What does your usual day look like?
I was hired as a regular, full-time remote Marketing Specialist very recently for a technology company. So usually, I start my day by checking my emails, seeing if I have any meetings, and working on any incomplete projects for them.
After that, I work on my freelance projects. Typically, I will have to write two articles a week per client. The client will usually send me the topic to write on. So I do research into Google keywords and trends for that topic. I write up a draft of the article and send it back to the client for review, and to receive the first half of my payment.
Then, I check my Facebook for any messages from prospective clients, and also post to my Facebook page any interesting marketing facts and acknowledge I have for that day.
Lastly, I end the day reading. I usually read one or two marketing articles or read a chapter of a marketing book. I feel it is very important to keep track of trends.
7) What do you know now that you wish you knew when you started?
Establish your expectations from the beginning. I am the type of person that values good and consistent communication with clients. Establishing good communication with clients is something that needs to be addressed from the beginning. Often, you’ll get clients who will drop off without giving you any more details on their projects. You need to establish what is and isn’t good communication from the start.
8) What advice would you give someone who wants to work from home?
Start with a free freelance service and use it to secure long-term clients. Once you get three or four long-term clients, start a Facebook page and ask your clients to give you good recommendations. I would also advise to join small business groups on Facebook and offer your services. I would also recommend that you share any interesting articles and information on your expertise on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Starting a profile on a free freelancing platform is the best way to go for long-term, remote work.
Find Moriah Online:
Website: Moriah Marketing
