Ask FreelanceSwitch: Marketing and Style

Credit: elenathewise on Photodune

In this issue of Ask FreelanceSwitch, we look at low-cost marketing and developing a style. Ask FreelanceSwitch is a regular column here that allows us to help beginners get a grip on freelancing. If you have a question about freelancing that you want answered, send an email to askfreelanceswitch@gmail.com.

Question 1

I’m 18 and just started my own freelance design agency, I recently registered the company and I’ve had a little trickle of work.

I’m looking for help on how I should get myself noticed and get myself out there on a low budget.

I’ve been using some of my income from working in a studio to pay for business cards, hosting, domains and other business expenses and i’m about breaking even this month with work so I need help on how to raise awareness or raise capital.

I’m also pushing out a few personal projects such as my own blog where I write about web design posts and my experiences of starting a business.

Having marketing materials for your freelance agency is definitely an important start. A good next step is making sure those marketing materials are making it into the hands of people who make decisions about purchasing web design. That almost always means some level of networking, either online or off.

Having business cards doesn’t do a lot for you if they just sit there in the box. You’ve got to put yourself in the same spots where your prospective clients hang out. That means attending networking events, as well as events geared specifically towards the sort of people you want to work with — if, for instance, you want to create web sites for restaurants, there are plenty of events geared towards local restaurant owners that you can attend, from kitchen equipment shows down to the local trade association’s meetings. You can do the exact same sort of targeted networking online.

Of course, that means that you’ll want to get pretty specific about the types of clients you want to work with. If you don’t know who you are targeting, it’s harder to find them. It’s also far more of an effective option when you’re facing a low budget: if you know exactly the type of client you need to find, you can target your marketing efforts. You can avoid wasting time and money on chasing potential clients who don’t actually match up with what you want to offer.

Question 2

I’m a wannabe freelance designer/illustrator, and am currently finishing my design degree.
My question is:

In a world where individuality and uniqueness is highly valued, how do you develop your own style? And what exactly does it mean to have a style of design or illustration?

With some illustrators and designers, you can look at a stack of work and immediately be able to pick out their pieces. That isn’t always true: there are plenty of illustrators and designers out there who do fantastic work, but are not so easily identifiable with just a glance or two. An identifiable style can be a lucrative asset for a freelancer, especially if it works well for the type of clients you prefer to work with.

Because style can be so individually unique — line thickness can be just as much a matter of style as color choice or even the size of the pieces you work on — there isn’t a way to instantly create a style. The most practical method I’ve found is to basically do as much work as you can. Over time, you’ll see certain trends in your own work. You can build on those trends, emphasizing them until they become a full-fledged style. Don’t try to force yourself into a style: your approach will evolve over time, and become more uniquely yours simply based on the amount of work you actually do.

Photo credit: Some rights reserved by elenathewise.