If you want to talk about makeup authorities worldwide, both for professionals and consumers, MAC cosmetics stands in the top three. Mac Cosmetics is notable worldwide and locally and has extended to the shores of Africa.
MAC cosmetics used influencer marketing agencies to penetrate the African market successfully, and Bookings Africa is one of them. Our partnership with this outstanding brand has led to the unveiling of many exciting products which are accepted in Africa and beyond. The recent expansion we worked on was on Re-think pink for makeup enthusiasts and agencies.
The redefining pink project targeted breaking the popular norm of red valentine and accentuating pink in its place. Who says pink can’t be romantic? Re-think pink has shown us how fabulous pink tones can be.
The exciting part about this project is Bookings Africa’s involvement in showcasing this fav lip shades to Africans. Bookings Africa helped with the campaign of this project, and we provided top influencers like Kaylah Oniwo. Kaylah showed lipstick lovers how great pink shades would look good on any outfit. She understood the brand’s voice and interpreted it in a way MAC cosmetics consumers could better relate to.
What not to love about this re-think pink project? The shades? The tones? The great price? The benefits? Whatever lipstick shades from these lists of pink will go well for any look or occasion. You can rock it for a romantic dinner or use a neutral tone for your everyday look.
If you ever thought MAC cosmetics does well with producing red lipstick, you can be sure this new pink redefinition will be a boom. See what it looks like on any of our influencers and select your best look today.
Every freelancer knows that one of the perks of their career path is being able to work from home. Yes, it comes with several advantages that sometimes surpass what a regular 9-5 worker enjoys. However, the downside is that it gradually begins to affect every other aspect of your life as burnout can set in, leading to series of health challenges. The big question is- How do you achieve work-life balance in the gig economy? Is there a way freelancers can have family time and not miss out on big clients? This article answers this question with five tips listed below.
Fix work hours and stick to it
Start your week with a schedule for the week. What is the total number of hours spent on work tasks every week? If it will take you 25 hours to do a particular project, split the hours into the days of the week and make sure you don’t exceed them. By doing this, you will still be flexible with your freelancing job style, but you will also have time for other tasks. There might be exceptions on some days when the deadline is staring you in the face but ultimately, stick to what you have planned for all the tasks each week.
Include vacation fees to your hourly charges.
Whether you have a fixed price or an hourly price like on the Bookings Africa platform, endeavor to include your vacation expense into your rate. When setting your rate, think of the amount you plan to spend on yourself at the end of the year or during a hangout with your friends. When you have calculated the amount, divide it by the number of hours and include it within your rate. This small additional fee will cover the time you take a well-deserved break later in the year.
Create a reasonable work expectation
Suppose you are starting as a new freelancer; being selective on the project to take on might pose a challenge at the beginning. Regardless, setting a realistic expectation is always a better option. As a video editor who understands that it takes a long time to edit a video, telling your client about the feasible deadline creates a reasonable expectation. Even if you are new in the niche, it will be better to inform the client of the difficulty of doing the work. If you don’t already know what time it will take, you can monitor the time and tell your client later so that it doesn’t affect your regular everyday duties.
Dedicate a section of your home as a workspace
It can be challenging to separate your work-life from other aspects of your life, especially if you are at home 24/7. The best way out is to have a workstation dedicated to only work in your home. It doesn’t have to be the whole room that would be converted; it could just be a desk or a space with friends that is strictly for work. This will help you focus on work when you are in that place and think of other things outside that environment. This tip will help you increase your productivity level and help you create quality time for your family.
Create a “me time.”
The idea of self-care isn’t only for the 9-5ers. Freelancers in Africa can also benefit from it when they create time to take care of themselves. Instead of allowing work to affect your relationship, health, and general well-being, intentionally make time for those things that matter. If you have to set your alarm to eat well, drink water, call a friend, take a walk, or meditate, please do. Don’t just have your “me time” created in your head; write it on sticky notes, set reminders, be accountable to somebody, and you will gradually balance your work-life.
Most of the wealthiest people in the world do smart work because they understand how to work hard but still enjoy life. Freelancing is a gratifying opportunity that can give you great pay and a flexible working structure, but only if you follow these tips will you be able to harness its potential. Work hard but take care of yourself because health is wealth.
Currently, we have 46,374 thousand freelancers signed up on the Bookings Africa platform and earning daily. This is such a huge deal for us as a company and for Africa as a whole.
Africa is rich and vast with so many talented people who have much to offer the world, and we love how Africa is taking shape already. Bookings Africa is on a mission to ensure that by 2040, African freelancers will be the most sought-after Freelancers.
This is a defining time for Africa and there’s no better time to join the train than today. Become a part of the finest gig workers on the planet by joining Bookings Africa today.
With every service provider that is signed up, we have twice the number of clients willing and ready the book them. This just goes to speak of the open playing ground and the boundless opportunities that Bookings Africa has to offer to both clients and service providers.
You are doing fantastic! You just booked a client and you are on your way to making even more money.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, it is important that you have a quick chat with your client and you know, get to know them a little. This is where our Chat/Messaging Feature comes in.
To achieve customer satisfaction, communication is a big deal. You and your client have to be of one mind and on the same page.
Perks of using the Chat/Messaging Feature
Transparency: Our chat/messaging feature gives you the transparency required for any business deal. In case of any misunderstandings, you can always refer back to the chats for clarification purposes and the chats can serve as proof.
Ease: The Chat Feature is easy to use. Here’s how you do it:
-Log into your dashboard
-Click on the search bar, and look for the service you require
-Compare search option
-Click on the chat symbol to begin conversations with the Service Provider
Start chatting
Brilliant: You can tell when your client is online, offline, typing, or has read your message.
This chat/messaging feature is a cool way to keep your clients abreast of any changes or new developments. It works both on the app and website. Today is a good day to try it out.
Reviews are valuable assets service providers in any industry do not joke with. Why is that? Having a great review in a world full of many other freelancers in your niche sets you apart in the competitive market. When you are given an excellent rating, it is an affirmation for other clients to book you based on the excellent feedback. Beyond these, there are several other benefits of chasing client reviews. Read more.
It improves your credibility.
If you haven’t yet built a strong portfolio, find out how to create a standout profile before sourcing for reviews. When your profile is set, your client needs to know you are not just full of words. Having positive reviews will boost the credibility of your brand. Most clients look for freelancers with at least 80% positive reviews, and if you have that, you are good to go. Always remember to ask your client for feedback after providing any service on the Bookings Africa platform.
It contributes to a solid social media presence.
Whether you are delivering a service online or offline, you need to build a social media presence, which can be achieved by consistent good feedback. If you are a comedian or an entertainer and have videos of past events with reviews from customers, posting them on social media is another stand out strategy. If the clients are social media savvy, tell them to mention you on their posts so it will form an extensive network of social media reviews for your brand. You could also create a blog post that encompasses many of your testimonials and share it on your social media pages. Any of these strategies will help attract clients to your brand.
It helps your brand stay consistent.
The beautiful part about feedback is that it is contagious. If potential clients meet good feedback, they will unconsciously be interested in booking you, which affects them if the feedback is negative. Also, to keep your clients hooked to your profile and be ready to book you, your profile must show that you can deliver. When they finally book you, remind them to leave feedback and watch how your brand builds up to be a consistent service provider in your niche.
It helps with your brand SEO
If you have many mentions of your brand or name on a different website, it will be great for your overall SEO. The way it works is simple- if client A praises your job on Bookings Africa and client B takes your works to Instagram and tags you, before you know it, you will be appear on the search results. This is why reviews are essential for any business.
Hopefully, you are convinced that good reviews are non-negotiables for building a credible brand in any business sector. But, note that before a client can be willing to give positive feedback, you must have also played your part in delivering good services. So, invest in yourself, provide value and see how clients return the hard work with positive feedback.
Congratulations, you have finally gotten booked! But before you go to deliver your service either physically or virtually, there are some service delivery checklists to consider. Every freelancer needs to get familiar with the dos and don’ts of service delivery if they want to retain any clients. Some of these tips are common but emphasizing them again will guide you to delivering what the client needs and getting booked again. Ready or not to dive in? Let’s go!
Timeliness
If a client requests a mobile beauty therapist and explicitly uses the locator map on the Bookings Africa app to get someone close by, they only want the service provider quickly. If you are available and finally get booked, the first thing that should be on your mind is creating a first impression involving timeliness. Some situations might delay you a bit, especially in Lagos, Nigeria, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make an extra effort to show up on time. If you have to take Uber to make it faster, invest in that because getting there on time is a priority. Note that it is best not to accept a booking if you can’t get there in good time.
Friendliness
Even if you deliver the service virtually, let the client feel warmth in your tone; determine to stay friendly throughout the service and keep out distractions that might want to change your mood. If you are unsure of what the client wants, read our blog post that answers how to give the best customer service to your clients. Also, when delivering physical services to your client, start with a smile and end the service delivery with a smile always.
Respect
Every freelancer should aim at making their client feel respected, not only providing services. For instance, if you go to a groceries shop and the attendant rudely asks for your card or starts shouting at you for taking time to drop off your goods. How would you feel? The point is when they meet your needs by receiving payments, you also indirectly expect them to show a level of respect. That act alone can make you choose another store the next time. This is the same understanding every service provider must have before providing service. Give your best at all times.
Be clear
To maintain clarity during discussions, it is imperative you communicate with your client especially if you are going to be a little late for your appointment. Also, let your clients know how you will deliver the job. For instance, as a voice-over artist, you can get the project done without leaving your apartment or go to the client’s studio, as it is a flexible delivery option. If you only do home service, let your client be aware and if it is the other way round, still duly inform your client.
Set a Standard, don’t over-promise but over-deliver
Most freelancers make a mistake when they go for service delivery because they commit too much and deliver less. If you set a deadline for a client, you should be more than able to deliver at the stipulated time and not plan to ask for an extended time. If you have agreed on a time of meeting, you can exceed the client’s expectation to go before time. As a chef, you can overdeliver by making an extra plate which wasn’t expected before. Also, photographers can decide to snap more than the proposed number of pictures to give the clients varieties. The list goes on and on for other service providers to over-deliver when delivering service. If this is not a sure-fire way of retaining your client, I don’t know what is.
Here you go- the five service delivery tips you need to know as a freelancer. If you have other things on your checklist you want to share, feel free to drop them in the comment section. Nevertheless, don’t neglect any of these five if you want to get booked consistently.
Freelancers in the gig-market often have similar expectations and goals. They are either looking for ways to land a good client or to retain the existing ones.
None of these thought patterns is bad. But, Let’s think about the client and what they want when they make the decision to book a freelancer.
Here are 5 things clients consider before booking a gig-worker or freelancer.
A great portfolio
Whenever clients source for talents, they require proof of work done before. First on the list is the freelancer’s portfolio. You might have done great things in the past worth sharing, but a client would not know those things if it is not in your portfolio. It is safe to say that clients are moved by what they see, and a good portfolio is a perfect depiction of your skill. If a client would be ready to spend their time hiring you or giving their money, there must be evidence that they will get value for their money. Hence, constructing a well-crafted portfolio is the way to go.
Timely delivery
Some clients hire freelancers not because they are incapable of doing the jobs themselves but because they don’t have time to get them done. Therefore, it would be ineffective to hire a professional who couldn’t meet a particular deadline. If as a freelancer, you want to get great reviews and referrals from your existing clients, you ought to get all their tasks done quickly to meet the deadline. Plus, when you finish your work on time, it will allow you to pick up another gig and earn more.
Affordability
As a freelancer, offering work that is not overly out of budget is vital. This doesn’t mean you will reduce your value because a client isn’t ready to pay more. Instead, you should give them as much value as you charge. If as a makeup artist, your client is prepared to pay (NGN) 20,000 [$ 50] for simple makeup, you ought to do all you can to ensure the client is getting the value for that amount. So, you should always provide quality and value that is reasonably priced.
Friendliness and professionalism
What many clients notice among freelancers, which is a complete turn off, is the act of extreme professionalism. It is vital to maintain a professional relationship with your client, but you should try to create a balance with friendliness. Clients often see freelancers that are too formal as having a high level of rigidity which is not what they want in a business relationship. It is not wrong to show a level of openness so the client can interact freely. Yet, it doesn’t mean the client is ready to learn about your private life, so keep that to yourself.
High-quality results
What every client wants to see is good results. Yes, you need to be friendly, push out affordable prices, have a great portfolio and be timely, but the apex is to deliver high-quality results. The clients will know these by checking the testimonials of other clients, which will help them see if they can bank on you. This means you need to have built a good rapport with other clients and delivered excellently for good feedback. Clients want to do business with capable freelancers, and if you have what it takes, they won’t hesitate to book you.
So, if you ever thought clients have favourites, think again! What they have is a checklist, and these five are at the top of their list. If you have all these, you will become an employable freelancer. Good luck!
One of the ways to build authority and show expertise is to host online masterclass sessions. You can be an expert in your unique field and be unknown until you take a step to show a more extensive audience your expertise through sessions like masterclasses. By teaching a topic in your niche, you will not only be creating a name for yourself, but you will make money whilst doing so.
At Bookings Africa, we help individuals or organizations to host their masterclass session by using our online learning platform. Through hosting masterclasses you can build and increase brand awareness to a prospective audience.
In this blog post, we will outline the essential steps you need to host a successful online masterclass.
Top tips for a successful masterclass
Know your audience
When planning to host a masterclass session, one of the things to not overlook is finding out what kind of audience you will be speaking to. Many people often assume that all their audience falls into the same category, but that is often not true. There are three categories of audience you are likely to meet.
The experts- those skilled like yourself looking for new information in your niche
The learners – those looking to become like you
The onlookers- those who just want to know what you have to say because the topic interests them.
To satisfy these three categories, you must be able to share educational information, ingenious ideas and acknowledge them all. With that, you will be able to deliver effectively to all three classes of people.
2. Choose a high-demand topic or content.
Have a Masterclass checklist with a list of topics you can choose from (Take note to include value-add topics). Understand the problems you want to solve and have answers for definite questions your audience might likely ask. Going through a checklist would ensure that you have all your i’s dotted and t’s crossed.
3. Use storytelling to construct content
One of the significant-end goals of a masterclass session is to reach a bigger picture: online courses or webinars. Hence, if the content of your masterclass is not convincing or exciting, they won’t take action on any call to action. A good way to make your content engaging is through storytelling. By telling stories or relating the content to a story, it will help fuel the audience to listen to you more and even refer to your content.
4. Drive engagement always
A masterclass session is a live event, which means your audience needs to be captured throughout the lecture to encourage you to continue. During a session, you must ask questions to keep your audience engaged. Sometimes, the level of audience interaction will drop, which is possible if they need to attend to other things. Regardless, you can still keep the remaining people focused on you by throwing in a giveaway that many would love to respond to.
5. Check the competition.
Without a doubt, your content will not be the first in the market, which means there are competitors to study. Before pushing your content out, look at what your competitors are offering and what they are yet to offer. This will help you differentiate what you bring to the table and that of your competitors. Plus, you can address the topic differently from how others have been delivering. It will be more interesting for your audience to listen to a different method of delivery which is what you will aim at.
Here are your go-to tips you need to prepare for a successful masterclass session. Need assistance with setting up your first masterclass? Send us an email on the Bookings Africa platform.
Trusting a freelancer who you have never met to deliver on a task you paid for is quite daunting but it doesn’t have to be rocket science. In four easy moves, you should be able to identify the right gig worker fit for you.
Attributes of a Quality Freelancer
In the gig industry, one of the most troubling questions customers ask is, “How do I know which freelancer to hire amongst many options?”. With hundreds of individuals joining the gig market every day, it’s only expected that customers ask these questions.
Every quality freelancer or gig worker should have the following:
A good headshot: This seems inconsequential but it isn’t. If they take their appearance seriously, it is an indication that they also take their work seriously. A good headshot provides a brief insight into the personality of the freelancer.
A clear, crisp image, revealing their facial features, immediately communicates to the potential customer that the freelancer is authentic. A good headshot is a freelancer’s first take at making a good impression on the mind of the customer.
A unique bio: What you say about yourself speaks volumes to a person who’s just meeting you. As a client, you should read your potential hire’s bio and immediately feel the urge to do business with him.
A unique bio is concise yet carries all the relevant information. It highlights the unique value proposition of the freelancer and then shows the personality of the gig worker. When deciding on a quality freelancer to hire, look out for ingenuity.
Organized Portfolio: If there’s no collection of work attributed to the gig-worker, you should keep searching. Irrespective of if the gig worker is new to the marketplace, there should be something that shows us what kind of work they’ve done or are into.
An organized portfolio should showcase the style of work, the process of work, and the final result. For example, a makeup artist’s portfolio should show the before and after of a completed job; a graphic designer can upload a video reel showing the process of design from initiation to completion.
Good work should be showcased creatively, and compactly.
Reviews and Ratings: Based on the caliber of work a freelancer does, they should get ratings or reviews. Reviews give an insight into the quality of service a client received while ratings give an overview of how hire-able a freelancer is.
In the case where a freelancer is new to the gig market, the first three qualities should be able to cover up for a lack of ratings/reviews.
Why Bookings Africa?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, how people view work has drastically changed. Most individuals have opted for an easier, simpler life; and freelancing is the go-to solution for most persons. Any work that stresses you out should be outsourced. If you feel overwhelmed by it, you should hire a freelancer to get the job done for you.
The gig-industry has made it possible for customers to choose who they work with and pay at rates they can afford. There are also several gig platforms out there but if you are African rooting for Africans, Bookings Africa is your best bet.
With Bookings Africa, you have the option to Search, Compare and Book. On our platform, you can search up to 500 different categories of service providers ranging from Make-up artists to Writers to Accountants for your small business. Our platform also gives you the option of comparing prices and services and it guarantees a seamless booking process.
As a client, you are only expected to pay after your service has been rendered. We also guarantee our clients a complete refund if they feel dissatisfied with the kind of service they received.
How to Hire the Right Freelancer
As we stated earlier, choosing the best fit for you doesn’t have to be rocket science. Hire a quality freelancer in these four simple steps:
Pay attention: We made a comprehensive list of qualities to look out for above. To avoid dissatisfaction with the service received, pay attention to that list. If freelancers on the platform will not put in the effort to fill out their profiles, they probably aren’t excellent at their work.
It has therefore become imperative that any customer seeking to hire a freelancer on the Bookings Africa platform must be detailed in their choice of hire.
Compare: We also encourage freelancers on our platform to set comparative prices. We never advocate that people should charge less than what they are worth, however, we do encourage them to set prices that portray them as bookable.
While searching for your best fit, try to compare the prices, quality, and caliber of the freelancers in that category. Depending on the service you are looking for, we’d implore you to go for the best service provider your budget allows for.
Verify: Because we understand the complexities of the internet, the Bookings Africa Platform ensures that all service providers registered on our platform are verified. However, we still encourage you to do deep research on the potential hires.
You can certainly take our word for it but if you would like to further verify, that’s equally great. Check out their profiles on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. to verify their legitimacy. In case you feel concerned about a certain service provider, you can reach out to the Bookings Africa team via email- [email protected] and we’d be happy to help.
On our end, we run background checks as it is very expedient to us but we encourage you to also verify to your satisfaction.
Book: After verification, proceed to book your quality freelancer. Enjoy your service and don’t forget to leave a review.
The world of freelancing is a different yet, an exciting space that can only be truly understood from the lenses of service providers. This is why we are launching a series where you will get to meet those making waves in different fields and doing excellently with the services they provide.
In today’s series, Kaylah Oniwo shares insights on how she has scaled up her journey to influencing, the challenges she faced and how she overcame them. If you are as excited as we are, let’s dig in already!
Who is Kaylah Oniwo?
Over the years, I realized something about the popular phrase “ Jack of all trade, master of none”. Infact, this phrase was a turning point for my career. Before then, I was just a radio host doing my thing but when I understood that you can do so many things and still be good at it, I took up the challenge. Who am I? Kaylah Oniwo is a social media influencer, TV personality, radio host, fashion enthusiast and many more.
How did you build a connection with Bookings Africa?
It started with the relationship I had with the founder of Bookings Africa, Fade Ogunro. We had been great friends from way back, and I knew about her journey hosting radio shows to now, this great company she has created. Looking through the management of Bookings Africa, I can categorically say that in all my twelve years in media, this is one organization that is committed, professional and dedicated. My expectations are always met. Sometimes, I want to be selfish about the connection I have with Bookings Africa because there is so much to enjoy with the team. But recently, I have decided to tell as many people as possible about the great potential that awaits them here.
How was your transition into influencing, and how did Bookings Africa help in the journey?
It was an exciting journey for me as I started in the radio space because I wanted to be unknown. I wanted to be a fantastic personality on-air but still be free to move around like everyone else without worrying about being recognized. Fortunately, people started to identify me from Twitter and then Instagram that I couldn’t hide my face anymore. I started doing other things outside of radio hosting. I shared beauty, fitness, fashion tips and many other interests on these platforms and people started to know this other side of my personality. Messages started coming in from people that enjoyed what I do and wanted to pay for campaigns. One of such calls was from the Bookings Africa team, and they wanted me to jump on a campaign which I joyfully did. Interestingly, the call wasn’t because I knew the founder but was from the value I was already giving other brand agencies and companies. Even after I came on board for the first campaign, I was eager to join Bookings Africa full-time because of the seamless process the team provided.
Since you started influencing, have you experienced challenges in getting gigs?
One of the significant issues I faced was brands not understanding the value I provide as an influencer. I tried to make these brands understand that there are specific logistics that need to be placed before they receive the world-class content that I create.
There were certain disparities I noticed in the industry whereby more foreign influencers were valued highly than local influencers and this affected the average influencer’s business growth. I almost gave up but got inspired by Jackie Aina, A Nigerian-American Youtuber, who didn’t stop at ensuring that black women got paid their due diligence. Learning from her experience, I became more consistent and this was a huge value-add to my brand.
Lastly, I noticed brands reaching out to me even though their objectives didn’t align with my brand. I learnt that working with brands that were keen on forcing their brand voice on me didn’t turn out well. As an influencer, I have a specific voice I communicate with to my fans and changing it for a brand will just water down the purpose of the campaign.
How do you feel being one of the top influencers in Bookings Africa?
I feel great! But, I won’t take all the credit because I know it is an accumulation of the team’s effort that has brought me here and is taking me to the next level. Trust me; you are not even ready for what my brand has in stock for you this year.
What would you tell other influencers looking for ways to stand out?
This might sound cliche, but it has been a major point of my success story: authenticity and consistency. Billions of people exist in the world right now and as you are similar to many people you are also different from a bunch of others. So, your best bet is to stay true to yourself. What I have built today didn’t take a day but 12 years of consistency. Yes, I do believe in overnight success but a long-lasting success requires intentional consistent effort. I’m proud to say that if you mention top influencers in Nigeria or top media personalities, my name will pop up, but it didn’t happen in a day. So, “Do YOU” consistently and work on yourself. Pick a few people you admire, reach out to them, and learn from them. Ultimately, remember to put your version of yourself out there consistently. Also, don’t try to create an image that is not sustainable because it never leads anyone anywhere. Eventually, the bread will come!
What brands have you worked in so far through the Bookings Africa team?
I have worked with Estee Lauder companies, Net-a-Porter, Hermès, Pandora, MAC cosmetics and many more. I didn’t mention it all because there are so many, trust me! I also want to say something about Bookings Africa to those who haven’t joined- the time to sign up is now. Whatever skills you have, don’t wait till there are so many people in your field on the platform. When you sign up now, you will be among the top service providers displayed when you join quickly. Plus, this is not Bookings Lagos or Bookings Surulere but Bookings Africa, so somebody in Kenya or South Africa might just want what you do. So, sign up already! This is the real deal!
