Freelancing & Self-Employment in the Creative Industries 2

As a freelancer, marketing your product or service is vital. This section details some effective methods of marketing yourself, listed under the three areas of Developing a Personal Brand, Networking and Marketing. Keep in mind that this list is not exhaustive – there are many other ways to market yourself and with the high number of freelancers working within the creative industries it is essential that you come up with innovative ways to seek out potential work.

Additionally, it is important to think about both initial marketing to make com-panies and clients aware of you and your services, as well as ways in which you can promote yourself going forward in order to ensure you obtain work on an on-going basis and expand your potential client base. You do not necessarily have to spend a lot of money on marketing – a little effort can go a long way if you make time to promote yourself on a regular basis.

GaininG Work ThrouGh Self-PromoTion

1. DeveloPinG a PerSonal BranD

Before you begin marketing, you should be clear on what you can offer to a client:

• What are you selling? • Why should they choose you over someone else? • What makes you better or more effective than others?

Having a clear and consistent identity or brand will make it easier for you to sell yourself and for clients to recognise you and your work. This can be done by various means, some of which are listed in the following pages.

• Content for a business website will include information about the product or services you offer and how you can be contacted. If appropriate, a digital portfolio should be included as well as details and images of recent projects and testimonials.

• When creating a website, use an appropriate URL that is easy to spell and to remember as well as one that is consistent with your overall brand.

• You can search suitable and available internet addresses and register yourself at Nominet HMRC Choosing your business name – some advice from HMRC about what are required to do.

• The website should also link to any other online marketing platforms you use such as social media profiles and blogs. • Check your website content regularly to ensure it is up-to-date and

includes the most relevant and recent work.

• There are various free resources for creating websites such as www.wix.com

• Look for ways of maximising the chances of your site being found by potential clients, for example using search engine optimisation.

• A blog is a website in which the blog author ‘posts’ items on a regular basis. This can be used to market your services and availability, increase your network, discuss relevant topics or industry-related news e.g. the use of a new technology within the industry, your thoughts on a tool or material you are using for a project as well as your response to a news article or industry trend.

• It can also provide details of projects you are currently working on or a

WeBSiTe

BloG

combination of the above. Blogging is a great way to demonstrate skills and knowledge along with passion for the creative industry that you specialise in.

It is essential that a blog is updated regularly to ensure it works as an effective marketing tool.

• Creating a portfolio of work is a highly effective way to showcase your skills and previous projects/experience/press cuttings to clients.

• Potential clients are often more interested in seeing what you can do than in your qualifications and portfolios are a useful marketing tool.

• Tailor the work you include to ensure you show the most relevant to the client – you should demonstrate the range of skills you can provide but also show you understand their business and what they are looking for. You also need to think about how you put together your portfolio (online in digital form or as a hard copy). If it is a physical portfolio then you should bring along additional copies to any meetings so you can leave examples with the client.

Some good sites for creating your online portfolio include:

Behance Shown’d Portfoliobox All You Mahara Blurb

• If you are starting out and have no previous project work think about including work from your degree or take on a project independently in order to create your portfolio.

• You might also consider working for no fee in order to have work to record and include in a portfolio. If you choose this route then be selective about the companies and projects you take on to ensure the end results showcase your range of skills. Undertaking initial unpaid work may lead to a paid contract once you have demonstrated your skills and motivation, and could also provide a positive testimonial to support your marketing.

PorTfolio

• However, be extremely careful about underselling your skills. It takes confidence to charge the going rate in your industry and if too many people work for no pay it can undermine the industry as a whole.

As with all marketing information it is essential to keep your portfolio organised and up-to-date to include recent examples of your work.

There are a huge variety of social media platforms and this is a highly dynamic and developing area of technology that may change quickly over time. It is therefore very important to keep up to date with which platforms are the most appropriate for any particular area of industry and use them accordingly.

It is highly likely that potential clients or employers will search for you online before hiring you so ensure that your personal branding is consistent throughout and equally importantly that all personal content that can be viewed on the web is positive and professional.

For example, remember that you can create a separate Facebook page for your professional identity but remember to manage your personal Facebook settings appropriately.

If you use a lot of social media platforms you can manage your posts and keep them consistent by using tools such as Hootsuite in order to update all platforms with the same posts. Top Tips for Creating a LinkedIn Profile include:

1) Profile - create a professional profile that includes a photo and key industry-related words so that your profile will be easily found.2) Connect with others – start off with people you know and then look to follow up with people you meet at face-to-face meetings and events.3) Follow - organisations that work within the sector including those you would love to do work for to keep on top of industry trends. 4) Interact - join relevant groups and comment on discussions related to

Social meDia & online PreSence

the industry or your area of interest or expertise to demonstrate your knowledge and passion for your work.

Top Tips for making the most of Twitter include:

1) Profile - make sure your profile includes a biography (detailing what you do) and a link to your website/blog/portfolio.2) Follow – use Twitter to develop a professional brand and follow relevant people such as current and potential clients as well as other freelancers within the industry. It can also be a great learning tool allowing you to read information and resources from others.3) Interact – users are not going to follow you if you just follow others and do not tweet anything yourself. Tweet and re-tweet useful information such as links to useful articles or resources, answers to work-related topics and updates on your work. Use hash tags (#) to categorise your tweets, for example #freelancing #musicnews 4) Search – the search tool on Twitter allows you to find content on a chosen topic. You can either type in a phrase (just like you would on a Google search) or search using relevant hash tags e.g. #freelancejobs

• A prospective client will want to see proof of your skills, and a CV may be something they ask for. • It is essential you take time to tailor your CV – ensure it contains relevant

information and specific examples to provide evidence of your skills, knowledge and experience. • Be sure to include links to your portfolio and social media profiles. • Creative formats for CVs such as video CVs are becoming more popular for

certain industries and may be something to consider.

CV information and resources:

• Creative CVs • CV Parade • Creating an Infographic CV • The Talent Manager • Edinburgh Napier Careers

cv

2. neTWorkinG

Simply put, the more people you tell about your services and what you can offer, the more contacts you will have in your network and therefore more potential leads for generating work and also obtaining referral or repeat business. Building up your contact list in order to sell yourself and your services requires confidence - however the rewards are many. Not only will it help you with getting work, but will also be of great use when you are seeking advice, information and support. It is important to be proactive when networking - stay in regular contact to keep in touch with what’s going on in the industry and keep people updated on your work - you may find it useful to keep a list or database of your contacts.

Tips for effective networking:

• Mobilise your network. Speak to friends, family and/or relevant employers you know through previous work and tell them about your business and the services you offer or have flyers /business cards printed and give these out as well as using social media platforms. • Attend relevant courses, meetings and events both locally and nationally

to expand your knowledge and meet industry related individuals that could help with your business such as other freelancers and agency or professional body representatives. Try to collect business cards as well as give them out and follow up with new contacts via LinkedIn or email.

• Link up with other freelancers who offer different but complementary services – this will enable you to offer a wider range of services to clients and potentially gain referrals from contacts generated from other freelancers.

• Be nice. Being helpful and doing favours not only builds a positive reputation but also means that contacts are more likely to help you. Support for developing networking skills from Edinburgh Napier University: Confident Futures – Students can attend workshops designed to develop a wide range of skills including creating convincing proposals, goal setting and networking.

3. markeTinG Your ProDucT or Service

There are many ways in which you can market your services directly to potential clients. Using a range of methods will help reach out to a larger potential client base, and some of the more effective methods include:

• Social media – use social media platforms to promote your services and update clients, both previous and potential, of your work and costs. Social media can be used to offer some special deals on products or services that can reach a large client group quickly and effectively. • Advertising – create and distribute posters and leaflets or place an advert in

local directories, newspapers or trade publications. This tends to be expensive and does not necessarily result in a high success rate in terms of gaining business so use a variety of methods.

• Online directories - professional body websites often include a members’ directory.

• Email – send a regular email update to your contact list which also provides a link to your online portfolio or examples of your work.

• Online job boards – job boards specific to the creative industry such as Elance, People per hour, Behance, Fiverr, freelance.com and oDesk.

• Speculative applications – do your research to identify potential clients and companies that could benefit from your services. Create a powerful speculative message stating the services you can offer and how they could add value to the organisation and include your CV or links to your portfolio and other social media. Send this via email or letter to an appropriate contact within the organisation and look to follow up after a week if you haven’t had a response. Resources for advertising your services and finding work:

• Freelancers In The UK • E4S • Freelancers.net • The Marketing Donut