Anyone can earn an extra income by freelancing, whether they are teenagers studying in school or seniors enjoying retirement. However, not everyone can afford an expensive laptop or workstation.
If you are also on a tight budget but have the right skills and a willingness to take on freelancing, the good news is you can manage all freelance work exclusively on your smartphone.
This article discusses how smartphones could fulfill the prerequisites for starting freelance work, the ups and downs, and which services you could freelance with your smartphone.
What You Need to Freelance Using Your Smartphone
To start freelancing, you must meet the following prerequisites:
1. Having the Right Skill
Having honed a skill you want to freelance on a smartphone would be a big plus. But don't fret if you don't have any skills yet.
Many of the services you'll freelance with your smartphone will not require extensive experience. You'll be ready by practicing them for a few days and getting used to the right tools and apps.
2. Choosing a Freelance Platform
The next step is to choose a freelance platform and become familiar with its workflow. Set up your profile, add your portfolio, and you are ready to start contacting clients.
Although you can browse freelancing websites to apply for jobs and communicate with clients through the web, the dedicated apps of freelance platforms like Upwork and Fiver make the process easier. Therefore, download the apps and familiarize yourself with them first.
Download: Upwork for Android | iOS (Free)
Download: Fiverr for Android | iOS (Free)
Other than offering your services on freelance platforms, learning the different ways you can showcase your services online can also help you in the long run.
3. Applying to Jobs and Managing Your Work
When you are ready to apply for jobs, download apps that will help you communicate effectively with clients, write proposals, and manage your workflow. Grammarly and Trello are good options.
While Grammarly can assist you with proposal writing, you can use Trello to keep track of jobs you've applied for and stay organized.
Download: Grammarly for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
Download: Trello for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
Therefore, once you decide the skill you'll freelance in, choose the platform with its dedicated app, and determine how you'll apply for jobs and manage the workflow with your smartphone, you're all set to start your freelance journey.
Benefits and Limitations of Freelancing With Smartphone
Even though working on a dedicated computer or laptop is convenient, there are certain advantages that a smartphone can provide. Here are some benefits you can have by freelancing on your smartphone:
- Location Independence: You can take your smartphone anywhere without being restricted to specific places. Whether you're on an extended tour or waiting for your food order in a restaurant, you can use the time to do your work.
- Increase in Response Rate: Using a smartphone, you can track project progress more efficiently and respond to clients immediately when you hear the notification sound.
- No Extra Burden: Since you carry your smartphone everywhere, you won't have to lug a laptop around.
- Better Focus: Instead of being forced to procrastinate for hours while navigating different tabs on a laptop, a smartphone will keep your focus on the task at hand.
The smartphone may give you a competitive edge in some areas, but it also has certain disadvantages compared to freelancing on a laptop. Here are a few of them:
- No Multitasking: While multitasking is more effortless on a laptop, you can only work on one task at a time on a smartphone.
- Less Productivity: You can't improve your workflow without access to all extensions and tools available on web browsers.
- Limited Jobs: Smartphones offer you limited jobs to choose from, so you might not be able to work on what you want or what you are already good at if you can't do it on a smartphone.
- Getting Off Track: While smartphones keep your attention on one thing, outside distractions such as texts, phone calls, or voice notes can cause you to lose focus.
Best Services You Can Freelance With Smartphone
Here are some of the services you can comfortably freelance using your smartphone:
1. Graphics Design
One of the most valuable skills one can freelance with a smartphone is basic graphic design. Although pre-designed templates make designing a snap, you still need a good sense of the design process.
Even though there are many apps for creating graphics, Canva and Desygner are among the most popular. These apps allow you to design logos, blog banners, brochures, flyers, social media graphics, remove backgrounds, enhance pictures, and perform other design tasks with your smartphone.
Nonetheless, if you can't afford the premium version of either app, you will have to stick to basic design using only the free templates.
Download: Canva for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
Download: Desygner for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
2. Social Media Management
With the ease with which you can design social media banners on your smartphone, managing brands' social media accounts would be quick and easy.
By putting together the media on your smartphone, you can either schedule posts on different social media platforms manually or manage everything in one place by connecting the social media accounts with apps such as Buffer.
If you are familiar with basic design principles, you can quickly start using your smartphone for social media management.
Download: Buffer for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
3. Freelance Writing
Writing is another highly demanded skill that you can freelance on your cell phone. Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and many other apps allow you to create, write, edit, and submit drafts using only your mobile device. Moreover, apps like Grammarly Keyboard will help you catch typos.
However, writing on smartphones has some downsides, such as a slower research process which reduces your writing speed, a smaller screen to work on, and the inability to use a CMS that's not compatible with mobile browsers. Still, if all you need to do is write, a smartphone would suffice.
Download: Microsoft Office for Android | iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
Download: Google Docs for Android | iOS (Free)
4. Voice-Over
You can also work as a voice-over artist with your smartphone. You only need to purchase a microphone, install a voice recorder app, and you are ready to record.
However, depending on the type of voice-over you want, you may need to experiment with different apps that allow the customizations you want.
Download: Smart Record for Android (Free, in-app purchases available)
Download: Smart Voice Recorder for iOS (Free, in-app purchases available)
5. Customer Support
Working as a customer support specialist could be the best service you can freelance with your smartphone. Among the job requirements are the ability to handle customer queries, resolve issues, and guide consumers on how to get the most out of products and services.
In addition to having a smartphone, you should also have good communication, a patient and empathic attitude, the ability to handle pressure, and professionalism. Those who are good at these can find such jobs and earn a living by using their smartphones.
Other Jobs to Freelance With Smartphone
Even though these five jobs should be your top priority, if you aren't good at any, there are many other untapped niches you can explore. When you visit the Upwork phone jobs page, you will find many jobs that you can do with your smartphone.
Likewise, you can also take surveys, promote other's products on social media, and offer virtual assistance. Therefore, explore different job opportunities and choose one that best fits your expertise and needs. Check out our article on getting started as a freelancer to freelance your services the right way.
Don't Stick to Your Smartphone Forever
It should now be easier for you to start as a freelancer using your smartphone. In addition, you would be familiar with the various types of work that you can do. Nevertheless, you shouldn't always rely on your smartphone.
Invest the money you earn from freelancing in a decent computer or laptop. Only then can you grow both financially and as a freelancer. However, freelancing isn't for you if you cannot communicate effectively, struggle to market your skills, or work without motivation.