Building rapport with your local clients made easy. Learn some killer tips from Rey Baguio as he shares his knowledge in building relationships with clients effectively.

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Notable Quotes:

• There’s a lot of work out there, although a lot of people are asking how? it’s really hard to get first client, second client or more clients. Yes, it would be but I believe you would just need to have the right mentality, the right approach and don’t just follow what others are saying. I’m not saying that don’t listen to them, actually go ahead and listen to them. Watch webinars, attend webinars, seminars but make your own strategy. Because once you follow others’ strategies or way of doing things without even thinking if this is something that will work for you. It will make your life or looking for clients more difficult because you don’t know how to approach them.
• So I just get that clients trust it in terms of me handling their brand, their business, but they actually referred me to their friends. But anyways, then you just need to do good with the next client. Do good with the next client, make sure that you end the contract or your agreement with them in a nice way, in a civil way, don’t burn bridges and you can never really tell, they’ll bring more clients for you eventually.
• Before you actually go into learning a lot sa digital marketing and scouring the internet or the events, going to events, you need to actually determine first para hindi masayang ‘yung oras mo. If there’s something that you would want to do na related sa Digital Marketing. What I always suggest to these people is go to Google. Google mo lang, areas or disciplines or areas in Digital Marketing.
•  And then if you want to learn more, that’s the only time I would suggest, ito depende naman sa’yo if you have the funds naman, you have the time, you have the money, then go ahead. Enroll ka sa mga webinars, bootcamps, and attend seminars right away. Pero kung wala pa, learn more about it first.
•  Be intentional with what you do. Nakakaoverwhelm ang social media and internet ngayon, online ngayon, opportunities, nakakaoverwhelm. There’s a lot. Maraming nagrereklamong wala silang mahanap na trabaho, wala silang mahanap na kliyente pag freelance, bumabalik sila sa BPO or saan kasi overwhelming siya pero nandiyan yung mga opportunities talaga. Just be intentional in your activities, kung anong gagawin niyo, para hindi ka, maibsan naman ‘yung pagiging overwhelming ng fact na marami kayong nagfri-freelance.
•  May nabasa kong Blue Ocean Strategy. Instead of competing, you actually make the competition irrelevant. Not because you’re the best, but because yung competitors mo will not consider you, actually you will not have any competitors at all.

Rey Baguio’s Journey to Freelancing

• He was a Professor in Cebu, teaching Philosophy, Logic and Rizal.
• Worked in HR for almost four years with Rustan’s Supermarket.
• Spent almost six years working in different BPO companies when he moved in Manila.
  • He resigned because he could no longer see him working in the industry for 10 or 20 years.
  • He wanted to have his own business, to be his own boss.
• In 2011, his first freelance job was writing articles.
  • He would write 500-word article worth 50 cents.
  • To be able to reach his 40,000 mark, he did part time tasks in Fiverr. Like, posting in Social media for a period and got paid for that task. He also made image quote for his clients
  • He was hired to do part time work for another client, K Eagle marketing, a SEO company. His job was web syndication. This is where he learned about Social Media
• After three months, he was promoted as Senior writer
  • A year later, he lost his job due to the death of his client.
  • To be able to maximize his learnings on his recent job, he researched more about content writing and social media.
• Currently, He is specializing in consulting and digital marketing or strategies.

Q&A Highlights

How long did it take you to find your niche or how did you find that digital marketing is the right thing for you?

It took me three years. To really focus on digital marketing. Just digital marketing alone, although a lot of people have, specially my mentors or my previous clients, they encouraged me to just focus on one or two area or areas in digital marketing.

How you transitioned into getting direct clients and how you built your own personal brand and how that helped you in getting clients?

I realized that I need to go to the source and it seems like I am more into collaboration, collaborate with other brands and helping them in using digital marketing. Simplifying digital marketing for them because it’s too complicated. And I believe to make the digital marketing effective for the small business owners, especially the local business owners here in the Philippines, they need to at least understand how it works. Based on my experience, after pitching to them, if you give them complicated explanation or presentation how you’ll be able to bring value to them. And they’re all jargon student kahit na you’re using simple words but the idea or the goal, the tactics if they’re all complicated, kung small business owner ka, there’s a tendency that, “oh it’s parang grand ‘yun ginagamit mong idea. Maganda yung goal pero I think di ko naintindiahan masyado ‘ung gusto mong gawin or balak mong gawin, mga strategies mo, pero iyun yung goal mo, sige, let’s go ahead” then they’ll put up their money. My brand is I want to make sure na mga nakakausap kong direct clients, local clients, would understand that they don’t have to complicate digital marketing.

Simple like explaining to them why posting one image on Instagram per day, using certain hashtags, actually would work well for them. Hashtags, lalo na yung small business owners na oldies na. They’re not familiar with that so you need to explain it to them, in certain ways they would understand. Yun yong brand ko, yun yong gusto ko i-established. My rates are actually affordable for the small business owners not because my services are cheap it’s because the more they understand my thinking, the more they understand digital marketing and see the value of digital marketing, the more the demand for digital marketing or digital marketers in the country will actually grow because they believe in digital marketing. They will refer me to their other kumare or kumpare na nagra-run din ng business. They will not only refer me but they say na, you know what? The digital marketing really works and there are a lot of digital marketers out there.

Iniisip ko, “My rates will not make me rich but it will actually encourage more parang long time, long game yung ginagawa ko.” My brand is not into earning a lot but making sure that small business owners do digital marketing in the simpliest way, simpliest methods to understand and they can see value from.

What’s the daily hustle part?

This was three years ago, I would email clients at least 50 clients a day or leads or prospects. And then I’m not proud of this, I even thought of or actually did, I bought those email addresses wherein a list where you can bulk email and then just blast your emails away. I didn’t get anything good out of it because people will say, “you’re a spammer, you know what, you’re a bad person because you’re disturbing or interrupting me or something, you’re flooding my inbox or something.” It didn’t really look good so I just aimed for at least fifty per day, send my services, what I offer, back then. I didn’t realize that I need to personalize it or I didn’t know how to go about it, just blast them away. I also did to Twitter, I follow everyone whom I think would be a good client for me. And then instead of starting a conversation with them first I just post my resume or send them my pitch and it didn’t work. What I do now is every time I attend events, gino-goal dun to at least be able to talk to five business owners, local business owners. Lalo na yung mga nasa booths. Hindi yung nag-attend mismo, yung nasa booths. Kasi, if you go to the events and they actually paid for that booth slot, they are open to promoting. These are actually local brands who are interested in promoting or keen in venturing into different ways to promote their brands or their items or the products and even attend seminars or webinars or events that are sometimes not even related to their industry but they just want to have that opportunity to spread the word about their product, of their brand. I would want to know instead of pitching, services agad. 

I would like to learn more about them first. Na figure out ko if you genuinely ask them first to talk to you or encourage them to share what they have bago ikaw mag-share, kay Gary Vaynerchuck na strategy na jab jab ka muna. Tanungin mo siya na, “You know what? Ang ganda ng product na ‘to. Paano mo ginawa ‘to?” or something. Sila magshe-share ng story nila, tapos sabihin na, “ay, ikaw pala ano palang ginagawa mo? Nagbebenta ka rin ba?” That’s where I come in. So at least, open sila sa services ko. Kung makakakausap ako ng five business owners, nasa bus, na lima, in an event, masaya na ko don. Tapos balikan mo na lang sila after.

Where and what is the best way to start learning Digital Marketing? Like what specific topic to avoid being overwhelmed?

Well, I’ve been asked a lot of the same question. I would first ask them is, “why would you want to learn a lot about digital marketing? Do you have like an aspect or an area on Digital Marketing that you are really, more interested in?”

Before you actually go into learning a lot sa digital marketing and scouring the internet or the events, you need to determine first para hindi masayang ‘yung oras mo.

Know first what you are really interested in, what topics you’re interested in. Go to Google, search for a possible content and possible learning opportunities or pages, then go to Facebook and go to Twitter. Use the hashtag. Yung keyword na sinasabi ko, use that as a hashtag din. And then, that will actually save you time and energy to figure out kung saan pwedeng pumunta to learn more about it.

Don’t be overwhelmed kaagad, be specific, be intentional with what you do.

Can you name some of your specific/basic tasks as Digital Marketer?

Don’t forget, marketing, developing content of course, let’s say, I think writing a content for the specific product, specific brand, a launch of a product, that’s one. And then blogging about it, that’s a different thing because some brands don’t have the time or don’t want your content to show up one of their websites but they just want you to blog about them, about their products so that’s another.

Blogging is another thing that I do and events promotion. You promote stuff. I promote events, I mean promotion is one task that I do, either events, items, and then workshops. And since I manage teams din, I have a creative team. They’re also helping clients come up with a, covers ng Facebook pages nila, image ng blog post nila, to make sure that it’s important. You can do it on your own naman, the client can do it on his or her own. It’s just that, you need to put some thought into it din. Kasi if you’re promoting, blog post, sa image lang. Kung ano lang ‘yung feel mo na image, ilalagay mo. Anong feel mo lang na font ilalagay mo or color ng font ilalagay mo, it actually has an impact. If you have a brand na kung sa Facebook mo ang dominant ng color sa mga images mo is a white and green and orange, tapos sa post mo magbabago, you might not see it pero what I learned from my creatives team, is that masakit sa mata nila na parang nagbabago-bago. It needs to follow a certain parang flow.

Dapat may na-follow kayong certain colors lang, dapat dominant colors is ito, kasi may impact siya sa branding ng client mo or yours.

So that’s something that I do as well with my team din, and what else? Email or copywriting, we do that too, we have a client, local client and we’re doing copywriting for her and articles din, case studies, yon. I also have a recent, I included in my service ‘yung magma-manage ka ng Digital Marketing team, a small Digital Marketing team.

Kaya nabuo ‘tong Sarangola Media is I want to help, since I know I’m not an expert in everything. I don’t know a lot or everything. Mga ibang freelancers they’re actually good in what they’re doing so why not might as well tap them, for certain projects. That’s one service that I would want to grow din this year. To manage a small but efficient digital marketing team for small business owners, local. It will not be easy to deal with local business owners o local clients kasi nga for a lot of reasons. Pero they would pay off  kasi it’s the industry is going to benefit from it. ‘Yung awareness na you can trust freelancers. It will increase the confidence or trust ng mga local business owners dun sa freelancers na they’re capable. You just need to figure out kung sino ita-tap mo, kung anong skills ang ita-tap mo.

What do you offer on your email?

Instead of email pala, right now ‘pag nagse-send out ako, either on LinkedIn or on Instagram. Instagram actually works and not so much on Facebook. Sa email, not so much. I send more proposals or pitches sa LinkedIn, sa Instagram, and third na ‘yung Facebook tapos ‘yung email. I know powerful ‘yung email pero fourth siya sa’kin kasi I don’t check my email a lot. But since I check LinkedIn, I check Instagram, I check Facebook a lot, I’m more positive that I will not miss the moment mag-reply yung lead ko. Para hindi ko siya ma-miss sa email I’ll make sure I check it once in a morning, and then check it agan in the afternoon.

Ang ino-offer ko sa sine-send ko sa kanila, these days, hindi kaagad yung services, tinatanong ko muna sila, parang let’s say, “I see that you’re into this type of business, that you’ve been managing this business for a few years now and I’m just curious. Are you actively promoting this online?” or “Is your marketing team active, aggressive in their marketing strategy, marketing tactics, or marketing efforts online? Or have you experienced any or do you see any opportunity where you can probably consider tapping freelancers or freelancers for certain tasks for your brand or for your business.

Do you do Affiliate Marketing? If you do, what can you share or overview some campaigns that you had?

 I used to do Affiliate Marketing, that was four or five years ago. I hate it. It’s something, kaya sinabi ko sa inyo dati na there are stuff or things that you do na you don’t feel tired doing it. Affiliate Marketing, hindi siya forte sa’kin. I can help out in doing content and promotion, in increasing awareness, that’s related to Affiliate Marketing initiative. Pero Affiliate Marketing as an entire service? I don’t do that kasi it will eat up a lot of my time. It’s interesting, interesting siya kasi more sales ‘to eh pero if they ‘di mo abot ‘yung quota ng sales or a certain amount ng benta, they will not look at it na you’re very successful. I didn’t like it. It’s that type of business ‘yung pera pupunta sa bulsa nila pero hindi nila nakikita ‘yung engagement, the opportunities na pwede nilang gawin.

Is it worth it to do freelancing to local business?

It really boils down to your goals talaga. From the start, ano ba talagang gusto mong areas? ano bang goal mo? is it to earn a lot? or is it to grow your brand and eventually earn, still earn, grow your brand, and build that, parang growing your network and yung mga brands na nagtitiwala sa’yo, your portfolio? If that’s your goal, I can say na it’s worth it.

Pero this is actually a good opportunity for freelancers kasi una, wala tayong masyadong overhead. And even if you create, if you do quality service, and even if premium ‘yung ibibigay mo, I’m definitely sure na ‘yung rate na ita-tag mo for these big brands is nothing compared to the big agencies na din. Pag small business owners naman yung target mo, kuripot sila, yung goal mo dapat, yung perspective mo dapat is not to earn a lot from them but to gain, to build a lot of relationships with brands and to gain a lot of testimonials or parang advocates ng brand mo mismo.  You just need to have the right perspective. Kung iisipin mo kaagad kikita ka, it’s not worth it. It’s not worth it, tapos mahihirapan ka. Mahihirapan ka tapos haggard not minsan, all the time. Pero if you look at the bigger picture, if it doesn’t give you that, parang hindi mawawala ‘yung pagiging haggard mo, ibig sabihin hindi tama ‘yung perspective mo going there. So ‘wag i-stop pag-help mo sa local business owners. Kung ‘yung pagiging haggard mo eh hindi napupunan or hindi na-eerase ng mga magagandang nangyayari at nagagawa mo para sa mga kliyente mong local, pag hindi siya worth it, haggard pa rin everyday, stop. Hanap ka ng ibang mga kliyente na outsource na sa labas.

Do you have any final advice you’d like to give the freelancers?

Be intentional with what you do. Nakakaoverwhelm ang social media, internet and online opportunities. There’s a lot. Maraming nagrereklamong wala silang mahanap na trabaho, wala silang mahanap na kliyente pag freelance, bumabalik sila sa BPO or saan. Pero nandiyan yung mga opportunities talaga. Just be intentional in your activities, kung anong gagawin niyo, para maibsan ung overwhelming fact na marami kayong nagfri-freelance.

At least ‘yung ginagawa mo, alam mo saan papatungo. Make sure na ma-maximize every time. Let’s say if you post a quote, an image quote na galing sa’yo, kung kailangan mo mag-CTA or call to action, if you want them to go to your site right away, ilagay mo. Every chance, every opportunity that it can help build your brand or get you clients, do it. Kasi every time na hindi nag-wowork, at least you did your best for that effort, for that tactic. Kung nag-wowork, at least, makikita mo na every time na ginagawa mo, mate-test mo. “Ay, ito effective. Ito hindi.” So ma-fifilter mo na siya.

May nabasa kong Blue Ocean Strategy. Instead of competing, you actually make the competition irrelevant. Not because you’re the best, but because yung competitors mo will not consider you, actually, you will not have any competitors at all.

Yung Blue Ocean Strategy sa pagkakakalap ko, you don’t have to be the best sa industry, you just have to be the best you. Know what you have and then build on that and do it the way you actually do it. Wag mo ico-compare sarili mo sa iba para hindi ka maging competitor. Iwas ka maging competitor, at hindi ka threat sa kanila. Kasi iba yung approach mo kahit na pareho kayong may dalang kutsilyo pero yung kutsilyo mo is parang pang-fillet lang naman, itong kutsilyo niya parang pangtadtad ng mga lechon, hindi kayo kompetensya. Pero you can be the sharpest panghiwa ng lechon at saka sharpest na pang- fillet, yung ganon. Eradicate mo, eliminate mo.