7 ways to sell your creative services

Marketing, consulting and creative work is a great business to get into, but skill is just part of the equation. To find success, you need to know how to market your business. The first step is to create awareness of your business: People can’t buy what they don’t know about. Then you need to make it easy for people to buy your goods and services, whether that’s online or in person. Here are key tactics to investigate as you put together a plan to market your creative services, starting with those steps that build awareness and ending with those that help facilitate sales. 1. Create a website People discover new businesses and compare products and services online these days, so you need to create a website to compete. Your website should display your work and give prospective clients the information they need to hire you. When creating your website, make sure the layout is easy to navigate and the design communicates your key messages. Include a portfolio that showcases a swath of your best work. Also include a bio page on your website with specific details about you and your pricing, as well as your contact information, so prospective clients can learn about your skills and have an easy way to reach out to set up a consultation. 2. Start a blog Blogging can help establish your brand and build a following among interested clients as well as loyal customers. A blog is an excellent platform to showcase your recent work. You can also build your reputation as an industry leader by writing blog posts on the latest trends or developing ideas in the industry. Becoming a subject-matter expert and thought leader in your field creates awareness of your work and buzz for your business. 3. Engage in social media Social media can expand your portfolio’s reach to prospective clients and help you sell your work. Many professional marketers and consultants create business accounts to share their work. In addition to promoting your work on social media, make sure that you share any blog posts you write and add a link to your website. People won’t visit your site and blog unless you promote them, and social media can be an effective distribution channel. 4. Invest in paid advertising You should always promote your work to your circle of family, friends and customers, who in turn can recommend your goods and services to their own friends and acquaintances. But you also need to reach new customers. Paid advertising can be a powerful tool for finding new prospects. Social media platforms like Facebook make it very easy to target customer groups in your area that might be interested in your services, and at a reasonable price. You might also look into paid search platforms like Adwords. 5. Try email marketing It’s important to build an email list as soon as you start your business. People who sign up for email listings are already interested in your work and want to hear about offerings. Email marketing campaigns can incentivize this target market with discounts and giveaways. You can also create a custom email newsletter that sends subscribers to your blog, discussing current marketing trends and presenting your latest work. 6. Offer your services pro bono Collaborating with local schools or nonprofits is a way to get involved in the community while promoting your work. When you donate a session, you receive exposure and the chance to network. These types of events usually provide recognition for their partners, so it can be a way to get good publicity. 7. Partner with businesses and organizations in your community If you’re looking to promote your services as a marketer, think about partnering with local organizations or businesses related to the type of marketing you specialize in or that you’re most passionate about. If your strengths involve growing strong food and beverage brands, for example, introduce yourself to local restaurant owners. One solid partnership can lead to recommendations across their industry. Getting paid for your creative work Once you’ve attracted clients, it might be beneficial to create a contract so you both have mutual expectations of the scope of work. Contracts will also ensure that you get paid on time, making them crucial for your business. Square offers free digital contract templates with e-signature capabilities that you can customize based on your business needs. Once you’ve prepared a template, you can attach it to an invoice and send it to your client. This makes the selling process easy and efficient. With our invoice app, you can create, send and receive invoices all from one location. About Square Square is dedicated to telling stories of business, for business owners. Our team comes from a variety of backgrounds and share a passion for providing information that helps businesses to start, run and grow.

7 ways to sell your creative services

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