stop stinking at social media: a freelancer's guide
TRANSCRIPT
A Freelancer’s Guide to Marketing Yourself
Tweet Along!
• Servi-Tech Communications -@ServiTechComm
• Mark Vierthaler - @Mark_Vierthaler
• Monica Springer - @monicaspringer
• Kansas Professional Communicators -@KansasPC
Why Use Social Media?
• Increase brand recognition – When you’re a freelancer, your name is your brand
recognition. By giving potential clients more doors to access you, you increase the likelihood of them finding your work.
• Increase brand loyalty – Social media only works when it’s a conversation instead of
a one-way broadcast. A Texas Tech study showed brands that engaged enjoyed a higher rate of loyalty.
• More opportunities to get business
Why Use Social Media?
• Establishing authority– Establish yourself as an expert in whatever area of
communications you specialize in. Share the knowledge, but don’t give away the product.
• Increase inbound traffic– If your website is your main marketing tool (and it should be as
a freelancer), almost all of your posts need to push back to your site.
• More affordable marketing costs– Compared to traditional marketing offerings (newspapers,
magazines, radio, television, etc.) social media is a much more affordable option.
Google+
Blogs
Snapchat
Vine
YouTube
How to Get Started
• Be a resource, not a sales pitch
– People do business with people they know, trust, and like. The old idea of how the sales pitch works is fading away.
– Establish yourself as a source of knowledge in your field, and people will be attracted to your online presence.
How to Get Started
• Find your voice and sell with it
– Find what it is about your work that sets you apart.
– Don’t just copy what others are doing.
– Your voice is your brand.
How to Get Started
• Optimize Your Social Profiles
– Don’t leave your profiles blank. Make sure you’re utilizing all areas of the Facebook page, Twitter profile, etc.
How to Get Started
• Make it Easy to Get Ahold of You
– You want to turn these efforts into business, so make sure people who want to hire you actually know how to get ahold of you.
How to Get Started
• You Don’t Need the Newest Tech
– You don’t have to have the newest technology to get a dedicated following. If you want people to engage, you don’t have to have tens of thousands of dollars of equipment. Your camera does great, what matters is creating quality contact.
How to Get Started
• Follow the Rules and Be Patient
– Social media, just like any other marketing effort, takes time to build up a dedicated base. Make sure you’re not taking short cuts, and you’re being patient.
– Followers will come as you establish your brand your voice.
Putting it into Practice
• Create your own web page or blog – you need an online home for your portfolio.
• Create a Facebook page for your freelance business and invite family, friends, and former/current clients to like it and share it.
• Twitter – Listen (err… read) for the first week or so. Learn what people are talking about, how and when they engage.
Putting it into Practice
• Get. On. LinkedIn.
– Get involved with freelancer groups. Engaged in conversations. Connect with companies you want to work with
– Use the job boards to see who’s hiring for what. These are great times to pitch your services in the stead of a new employee.
What Not to Do
What Not to Do
What Not to Do
What Not to Do
What Not to Do
What Not to Do
What Not to Do• Don’t attack potential, current, and former clients,
customers and employees.• A local Dodge City restaurant has TWICE held
profanity-laden angry exchanges with customers and former employees• One told a customer to never come back because
she was a b****• Second one (about a year later) accused a former
employee of theft• Both stayed up for several days before the owner
took them down.
What TO Do
What TO Do
What TO Do
REMEMBER:
• Find your voice
• Engage with your audience
• Actively seek out the jobs
• Own your mistakes
• Don’t hide critics
• Use problems to prove your dedication
• Have fun!
