You need a brand - or in non-marketing speak, you need to elevate your profile. This means getting your name out there. Since you're probably not in a position to invest in Google AdWord searches right now, one of the cheapest, best ways to do this is to participate in the community. The Flash market has always been more community oriented than any other market I've seen. I get more offers of freelance work than any of my local mates, and at least 75% of them are direct referrals from my tutorials.

Keep in mind, I stopped writing tutorials four years ago, and I think my freelance profile presently says I'm not even available for work. But people still write. Why? Because my tutorials show that I can do stuff. Not super-fancy, arty stuff, but run-of-the mill, every-day stuff which people need for their sites and apps. Further, my tutorials demonstrate that I can communicate well, which is always a good thing for a potential client to know, especially if there are distance barriers. And best of all (and we'll keep this between you and me, right?) they make me appear as though I'm an expert. Now there's a branding angle.

Experts are great! There's very little better for your brand than being thought of as an expert. And note I say "thought of". Truth be told, I no expert - I'm rusty nowadays. But the appearance of being expert still sells. Can't you see the client right now? "Wow, this guy's an expert. Check him out - he's published 30 articles! He's bound to be able to solve our problem and fast!" *begin writing email offering lots of money*

As self-serving as this sounds - and yes, this article isn't just to benefit you, but also ActionScript.org - the best recommendation I can give to anyone wanting to get their name out there is this: to contribute to the Flash community. Write Articles, write blogs, make open source files, answer questions on the web. And in every piece of work you do, link back to your killer portfolio website.

Spread your expertise far and wide, and believe me, they will come. Note I suggested linking to your own site - while writing a great tutorial and posting on your own web-blog is a good idea, ActionScript.org alone serves over 600,000 unique visitors per month, and attracts thousands of people looking for freelancers. Sure, post your content on your own site, but why not sign up as an author here, and post your content on ActionScript.org as well? I'd be willing to bet we get more traffic than you, and remember, you're trying to spread the word - someone who visits your website already knows about you.