We’re only 6 weeks into 2022 and there’s already a lot to keep on top off. The metaverse is growing, our mates are selling NFTs, the TikTok algorithm gets more confusing by the second and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. To help keep things more manageable, we have put together a list of resources to help you stay ahead of the game as a freelancer in 2022. 

1. Paymo – for invoicing
   Whether you’re a solo freelancer or someone who regularly works as part of a team, Paymo is a great way to track your projects from start to finish, even allowing you to separate out sub-tasks in the implementation, planning and launch phases. The invoices themselves are easy to make and clean-looking, and the software offers all the other extras that are quickly becoming industry standard: time tracking, expense reports, etc. There is a free option which allows you to send three invoices per month. Any more will cost you around £10 a month. 
2. Sprout Social – for social media marketing
   Good social media marketing can transform the success of your brand. But without an arsenal of specific, powerful tools that align to your organisation’s goals, you can’t create or share valuable content, or attract new audiences or drive meaningful engagement. Sprout Social is a social media analytics tool that offers comprehensive analysis of all your social media activities with nice reporting features.
3. Wishu – for marketing
   Market your services on Wishu! Set up your profile, share your stunning portfolio and connect with like-minded freelancers and clients to build your work. 
4. Mailshake – for outreach
   Mailshake is a full-featured sales engagement platform which contacts thousands of prospects all at once with email outreach campaigns and automated follow-ups. Essentially, you’ll spend less time on administrative tasks and more time generating sales. 
5. The Creative Newsletter – for the latest creative news, resources, industry trends, passive income trends and more! 
6. Mention Me – for referrals 
   Connecting with customers and prospects is hard. Advertising costs are rising, budgets are tightening and consumers are bombarded with countless marketing messages every day. You need a cost-effective solution that cuts through the noise. That’s where Mention Me comes in. The Referral Engineering® platform accelerates growth for businesses and seamlessly integrates into your website so you can nurture customers to become lifetime brand advocates who shop often, spend more, and recommend your business to others.
7. Meditation and manifestation – for focus
   Not so much a digital platform but still a priceless resource nonetheless. As a modern day freelancer, it is easy to be distracted by multiple media channels and job leads which can lead to our creative minds getting foggy. Try to lie and/or sit on a yoga mat and write down your thoughts, personal and professional so that you are focused on generating work that leads to greatness, week in and week out.
8. Canva – for vision boards
   In order to aid your visualisation and manifestation, printing a vision board of your goals and desires is a great source of focus. Canva enables users to create digital collages so you can find all the relevant images on Google, Instagram and Pinterest and form the vision board that will manifest your goals through 2022 and beyond.