Am I Barking Up the Wrong Tree?
There are hundreds of ways to advertise yourself as a designer, but you want to make sure that you are going after the right people. It’s pointless to spin your wheels going after people that have no need for your services. Here are a few things to look into before you start to market or network.
1. Am I speaking the right language?: It’s important to make yourself look and sound a certain way for a certain market. If you are going after a conservative market, don’t show them work that won’t apply to them.
2. What About Design Firms?: Approaching a design firm as a freelance designer can be a great way to drum up business. You might think at first that a design firm would have little need for a freelance designer, but quite the contrary. Larger design firms often are approached with projects they either don’t want, or can’t do. If you can get your foot in the door with a large company, make sure that you stay fresh on their mind. Send them emails regularly, call them from time to time, and build a relationship with them.
3. Direct Mail: I’ve never had much luck with direct mail. It’s expensive, and the payoff has never been worth the work. I find it’s important to keep your name out there, but direct mail is not the best way to do it. Instead, create an email newsletter that you can send a quick update on what you are doing. Keep it short!
4. Offer Incentives: Tell your existing clients that you work with that you will give them a discount if they can send any business your way. When a client sends one of their associates your way, the new client already has an idea of what you do, your prices, and what kind of work you can do, creating less problems down the road.
Loading ...
about 8 months ago
I’ve tried to contact pretty much every design firm in the state (except for those who’s work is far from desirable). I get no return calls, no return emails, no replies to mail sent. I couldn’t get a foot in the door if I broke into their studios. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a recent graduate, or because they don’t care to give the time of day, or couldn’t be bothered. Honestly, I was just looking for portfolio assessments at the time – now I just feel so put off I don’t really want any association with these firms.
about 7 months ago
What annoys me are firms who post ads looking for a designer-developer-production-guru-artist-type-who-will-do-all-this-and-get-my-coffee-too-for-only-35K. Would you hire a CEO-CFO-Secretary-receptionist-with-car-sales-experience?
I have seen very few coders who are great designers, and met very few designers who are great coders. And I certainly haven’t known *anyone* in either category who will work for peanuts.
There’s nothing wrong with looking for someone who can wear a few different hats. However, looking for an improbable all-in-one solution in a struggling/starving labor pool, simply to save money, is disingenuous.
about 7 months ago
May I just say how happy this site makes me. Whenever I feel that Wild Design Thing go RAWR… I know it has a place to go.
about 7 months ago
I have been fortunate to get alot of business from other firms. The money is great, but then you have to deal with their so-called experts who always seem to criticize everything. It’s like you are stepping on their ego and they want to keep you in your place so you don’t take their job. It kinda sucks that alot of times you cannot add the work to your portfolio, especially when the work was for a fortune 500 company and viewed worldwide. I have also found that they are unrealistic on deadlines, like I had been sitting and waiting for the blessing of the giving me work and I have no other clients.