NeonThunder
Active Member
What have you done to promote yourself apart from social media
NeonThunder said:perhaps..............but what made you put it in a box?
More for neons benefit than anything... I'm literally the complete opposite of this lol.Sean Lee-Amies said:I sell myself as a strategic partner these days, not just someone who builds websites and designs logos. It's part of the transition from one off jobs to working with clients over a longer period of time, it takes a while to get to this stage but it means that clients actually start becoming friends that I talk to on a regular basis. This is a really great place to be with clients, because it means that you can start attending events with them, such as networking events - and you can bet that if you've done a good job with them, they will be pointing people towards your direction and singing your praises on the night. That really helps you stand out as someone who can be trusted - rather than someone who's only intention is to sell their products/services at the event! Plus, your clients friends could eventually become your contacts too, and if you're working with a lot of business owners, well I don't need to point out the obvious.
I'm looking at starting to meet people in the area, Just trying to find out what networking events etc there are. Best looking for new year now.Sean Lee-Amies said:Thanks for your input Scotty
Neon, I assume you're looking for more leads to chase down?
I think you really just need to let your work speak for itself. Do great work, in the time promised and find ways of promoting it on and offline.
I sell myself as a strategic partner these days, not just someone who builds websites and designs logos. It's part of the transition from one off jobs to working with clients over a longer period of time, it takes a while to get to this stage but it means that clients actually start becoming friends that I talk to on a regular basis. This is a really great place to be with clients, because it means that you can start attending events with them, such as networking events - and you can bet that if you've done a good job with them, they will be pointing people towards your direction and singing your praises on the night. That really helps you stand out as someone who can be trusted - rather than someone who's only intention is to sell their products/services at the event! Plus, your clients friends could eventually become your contacts too, and if you're working with a lot of business owners, well I don't need to point out the obvious.
I really cannot stress how important it is to start meeting people in your local area and simply just making new connections and doing good work
I have not spent a penny on advertising, coming up to three years in business, and I'm booked solid for at least the next 3 months.
Levi said:More for neons benefit than anything... I'm literally the complete opposite of this lol.
With my line of work being able to keep a design secret until release is important so I literally sell 'confidentiality' as part of my business model, it seemed a natural progression from signing lots of nda's (non disclosure agreement). I don't discuss clients, ie name drop, or work that I've done in the past with new or potential clients and I tell them why, I even have a non disclosure policy as standard with all projects. Now that doesn't mean I'm not willing to do what Sean does but most of the time I'm more like a silent partner fulfilling a particular purpose.
How you sell yourself really does depend on the type of work you do, the level of confidentiality that I employ in my work arguably isn't as important for general web and graphic design but it is worth considering.
Social Media is the root of all evil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Sean Lee-Amies said:You really have to have something to say when it comes to making the most out of social media, so if you don't have a blog, any free (or paid) downloads or anything else to say other than "Hi, I'm X and I do branding/web design/etc" then you're unlikely to get very far.
Any of the social media platforms can be used as a viable option for getting work, it's just a case of figuring out which ones to use and how. I think there's a view that if you are active on social media, social media should get you work - but really it is no different to the real world and the focus should be on meeting the right types of new people - preferably ones that want to hire you.