My plans as a freelancer in 2022 – and my 2021 growth
Freelancing is a lot of about growing in different ways, and that’s why I want to share my plans as a freelancer in 2022. I’ll share my 2021 numbers (they’re nice to look at), but I’ll also tell you why the KPI’s aren’t everything to me, going forward.
I’ll change things up next year, that’s for sure. Either way, I hope it’s going to provide some interesting insight when it comes to my work and my lifestyle.
By Stefan Nordström
- Freelancing digital marketing consultant
- 8 years of in-house and freelance experience
- Expertise: SEO, copywriting, newsletters, conversion optimization, digital strategy
- LinkedIn | Mail | Instagram
How do I evaluate my freelancing success? KPI’s?
When it comes to my freelancing, there are two main KPI’s I’ve been following over time: my invoiced amount and the number of visitors on this website. I started tracking both in January 2019. Another interesting growth platform is my Instagram, that recently surpassed 5 000 followers. But in all honesty, right now it’s more about my music and traveling than digital marketing.
Invoiced amount 2019-2021
During my three years as a freelancer, business has grown rapidly. Worth noting is that some of my 2021 income comes from a consulting job that was more 9-5 than freelancing in character.
- Invoiced amount 2019: 14 100 euro
- Invoiced amount 2020: 34 500 euro (+ 145 % compared to 2019)
- Invoiced amount 2021: 62 800 euro (+ 81 % compared to 2020)
Website numbers 2019-2021
My organic SEO work on this site has been paying off, as the amount of unique visitors has been growing steadily. The content work is an important focus of mine, even though I must admit the site is in dire need of a visual makeover.
- Website visitors (unique visitors) 2019: 2 025
- Website visitors (unique visitors) 2020: 9 825 (+ 385 % compared to 2019)
- Website visitors (unique visitors) 2021: 27 768 (+ 182 % compared to 2020)
But my life as a freelancer in 2022 will be have a different focus
So, I guess it’s time to kick those KPI’s into high gear? More money, more visitors, business expansion? Well, sure, that’s nice, but for me there has been a bit too much client work, and not enough development of my own platforms. The client work has also somewhat sidelined my life as a musician and digital nomad (the nomad part).
That’s why I think next year’s results really won’t show much development when it comes to profit. On the other hand, I believe it will when it comes to the web site statistics. The 2021 growth actually came without me working on the site’s content at all – I was simply too busy doing client work and traveling around.
This lead me to stop doing client work on Fridays, starting new-years. And I suspect I will cut down on it even more. The reason is simple; a freelancer that’s clogged with client work to the brim and doesn’t work on developing his own platforms is not much of a freelancer. Plus, I want to be able to work on music in a more active way again.
What are your plans as a freelancer in 2022?
Are you also freelancing? Do you follow-up and make plans in a similar way? Are you also thinking about what’s actually important, income or business development? Feel free to get in touch by adding me on LinkedIn or e-mailing nordstromstefan86@gmail.com.
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