My No-Fail Marketing Strategy for Freelancers!

© Holly DeWolf

Recently I was asked by copywriter, editor and Certified Professional Resume Writer, Kirsten Fischer to contribute to an article for MediaBistro.com . She needed my input on her 5 No-Fail Marketing Strategies for Freelancers. I was all to happy to oblige since I contributed to her first book, Creatively Self-Employed: How Writers And  Artists Deal With Career Ups and Downs. Along with my input, the very knowledgeable marketing mentor, Ilise Benum added her thoughts as well. 

When it comes to marketing, I believe you need to be clear, concise and interject realism into your strategy. I discussed it simply here: 


"Be clear about your intentions and simply ask for what you want."


Ask for what you want.
No matter what techniques you use to market yourself and your business, it’s important to be 
clear about what you want. When Holly DeWolf, an illustrator and author of Breaking Into 
Freelance Illustration: The Guide for Artists, Designers and Illustrators, wanted to secure a 
publisher for a book, she asked a friend for advice. "I came up with an idea, wrote the proposal, wrote a sample chapter, and then I asked them to have a look at my work through my query letter. I had a book deal three weeks later," she notes.


Although publishing a book may not be that simple, DeWolf's point rings true: Be clear about 
your intentions and simply ask for what you want. If that's a new client, connect with them and then ask the prospect to review your portfolio or to set up a meeting. If you want to network with other creative professionals, ask questions about the group before you sign up. It's all about putting your intentions out there and being direct, whether through promotional mailers, email lists, or your website. You need that kind of initiative as a freelancer, because no one else is going to toot your horn for you!


"Promotion is basically your own form of show and tell with a permission-marketing twist," 
DeWolf says. "In a nutshell, you create your own opportunities by asking for them."