Freelancing: More Than Just Working from Home
Freelancing is not just about working from home; it's a well-structured system of self-organization and continuous learning. A freelancer is not just an executor of tasks but a responsible professional who focuses on the final result and the needs of the client. Clients on freelance platforms and marketplaces seek such dedicated professionals and entrust them with high-value projects.
How to Create Effective Work for Clients and Convince Them of the Right Approach?
Knowledge is Power! It may sound cliché, but it's true. Understanding consumer preferences, decision-making processes, and behavioral patterns allows freelancers to create offers, designs, or applications that perfectly align with customer expectations. If a freelancer is part of the target audience, that's great. But what if they need to design a logo for a website for young mothers or write a compelling sales text for a retirement home? Guessing consumer preferences can be risky. A better approach is to ask.
Behind the term "Market Research" lies a system of questions, answers, and validation methods to ensure the accuracy of responses.
Types of Market Research
Market research is generally divided into quantitative and qualitative methods.
Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is the most common and straightforward type. It involves simple, clear, and concise questions with equally simple answers. These large-scale surveys gather responses from hundreds or thousands of participants. Many freelancers have likely participated in such surveys themselves.
“Which mobile operator do you use?”
“How often do you shop at a supermarket?”
“Who would you vote for if elections were held tomorrow?”
Familiar questions? To simplify the process, respondents are often given predefined answer choices. This makes quantitative surveys quick and easy to conduct. While useful for gathering basic data, they have drawbacks. Identifying trends requires a large number of respondents. In a city with a population of one million, at least 3,500 respondents are needed for reliable results. For individual freelancers or small business owners, achieving such numbers is nearly impossible. Moreover, ensuring the accuracy of mass survey results can be challenging.
Qualitative Research
The principle here is “quality over quantity.” Instead of surveying a large number of people with brief questions, qualitative research focuses on fewer participants but asks them more in-depth questions. Participants may be shown products, given design options, or engaged in discussions about their selection criteria. Methods like focus groups and in-depth interviews fall under this category. For freelancers and small businesses, qualitative research is more practical and accessible. Another significant advantage is its ability to detect dishonesty.
Everyone Lies
People naturally tend to lie—often unintentionally. Experienced market researchers confirm that respondents frequently give misleading answers during surveys, trying to appear more knowledgeable or socially responsible. Many even rate brands higher simply out of politeness. To counteract this, market analysts include "trap questions" in surveys to distinguish between honest and misleading responses.
Consider a classic example from a focus group studying consumer preferences for quick-cooking pasta (not to be confused with instant noodles). The survey begins with the question:
“What is important to you when choosing pasta?”
The respondent selects the answer: “Healthiness, organic ingredients, and nutrition.”
Later, they answer:
“Who in your family consumes pasta?”
Response: “My children and husband.”
So far, everything seems logical. However, at the end of the survey, the moderator asks:
“When do you usually cook pasta?”
The respondent answers: “When I don’t have time or don’t feel like cooking.”
By analyzing these responses together, it becomes clear that the respondent's initial answer may not have been entirely truthful. In reality, convenience and taste are likely the primary factors in their purchasing decision, but they initially provided a more "socially acceptable" response.
For freelancers, quickly and accurately identifying consumer preferences is crucial. This ensures that their marketing materials and content are relevant and effective, ultimately delivering results for clients. The instado.com freelance marketplace blog regularly publishes useful articles to help freelancers improve their skills, acquire high-paying specializations, and stay ahead in the industry.
