There are nearly 60 million Americans working in the freelance economy with experts predicting that number to increase in the coming years. While skilled freelancers can actually earn up to 70% more per hour than other workers, it comes at the cost of higher burnout rates.
In the study above regarding freelance earnings, over half of freelancers noted that they wouldn’t give up their flexibility for higher pay, signaling that the freedom associated with freelancing is a major benefit of the gig but also a factor in burnout rates.
From setting up your freelance business to learning how to separate your personal and professional lives, using a Burner phone number is one of the best tools to have if you’re looking to optimize your life as a freelancer. Here’s how to use Burner numbers effectively.
Choose the Right Area Code
It doesn’t matter what you do as a freelancer, whether you’re a freelance writer, designer, or even musician, having a second phone number is the first step in establishing yourself as a business of sorts. This means that you’ll want to project a sense of professionalism, including getting a dedicated business phone number.
Instead of paying for a separate phone, simply invest in a Burner phone number subscription that allows you to have a second phone number attached to your normal phone. Then, figure out which area code you’d like to use. If your freelance gig caters to those in your local community, having a local area code they know can help increase trust.
On the other hand, if you’re trying to appear as a larger-scale marketing agency even though you’re just one person, having an area code from a larger metropolitan city can convey the idea that you operate in a larger office with larger clients.
Learn How to Set Up Text Autoresponder
Now that you’ve got your second phone number set up for business purposes, it’s important to learn how to set up text autoresponder. This is easily one of the biggest benefits of a Burner phone number for freelancers as it allows you to increase customer satisfaction and provide attention quickly when you’re busy with other tasks.
While this shouldn’t replace human attention when it’s possible, it’s a great way to provide clients with quick answers when needed. This can be especially helpful in weeding out certain leads. If, for example, you include your Burner phone number as part of a media kit you upload online as an Instagram influencer, you can set up a text autoresponder to reply to messages inquiring about your rates and services.
Avoid Burnout with Do Not Disturb
Because you’re not usually working out of an office from 9-5, freelancers are more prone to experiencing higher levels of burnout. In fact, Freelancer notes that the factors contributing to freelance burnout include unrealistic deadlines in order to win clients, isolation, and the inability to delegate tasks to others.
Part of the appeal of being a freelancer is the fact that you get to manage your own time. This means that if you want to take the morning off, you can work well into the night because, hey, you’re in charge. While this is a great perk, it can also become a leading factor in burnout.
To avoid this, use a Burner phone number to separate your work life from your personal life. And, when the time comes to turn off, activate the Do Not Disturb feature on your Burner phone number. You’ll effectively turn off all incoming work-related calls and messages while being able to use your normal phone for other things.
Add Burner Phone Numbers as Needed
As you get more into the swing of things, your freelancing gig will hopefully grow into a full-time business endeavor. When that happens, you’ll need the ability to scale your business operations, including adding more phone numbers as needed.
With Burner, you can add as many lines as you need, making it easy to begin to diversify your freelance work and keep things organized. If you decide to add more services to your freelance marketing gig, for example, you can add a new number for each service to keep clients and conversations organized. Or, if you decide you want to add an entirely different freelance gig to your life, you’ll definitely want to create a second phone number for that, too.
Interested in unlimited calling, texting, and picture messaging plus spam blocking for your freelance work? Create your Burner phone number today.