The power of online marketing is no secret — with social media, SEO, email, websites, mobile, apps and various technologies, you’re faced with a number of opportunities for promoting your brand. Despite this growth, research by marketing intelligence company Smart Insights found that 49 percent of brands do not have a clear digital marketing strategy, and the effectiveness of their marketing ultimately suffers as a result. As a freelancer especially, it’s important to build a strong plan to get your name out there as you don’t have a team of people backing you. Here’s a look at a few online strategies you can employ:
Personal Branding
What service are you providing? What makes it stand out among your competitors? What’s your style and brand personality? These are some of the questions you should be asking yourself before executing any marketing, as consistency is key to personal branding and a strong following. Once identified, it’s important to speak about your brand in a variety of ways. Global direct sales giant Amway, for example, employs both visuals and text to educate its audience about its brand — from providing information about the products the company sells to educating outsiders about its direct selling business model. Strong visuals such as photos, video clips, infographics, tables and graphs can draw your readers in on all chosen platforms. Remember that potential clients are exposed to advertising all the time, so consider what can make your message unique.
Email Marketing
For freelancers, a weekly or monthly newsletter that updates people on new content or promotes your freelancing brand can be an efficient and effective way of reaching audiences. Include strong visuals in the email newsletter to catch the attention of people when they’re in their inboxes, and match that with links to your website, social accounts or new content elsewhere — it could be different each time. According to research posted by Smart Insights, open-rates for email newsletters is an average of 24 percent across all industries, which means it can be helpful in driving traffic and improving the performance and reputation of your freelancing brand.
Create Content for Other People
No matter the nature of your freelancing, partnering with the right people and brands online is a fast way to increase your audience base. Why slowly build your following yourself when you can leverage other people’s existing audience? Publish your articles on other brands’ blogs, partner with them on social media and try and hyperlink your site on their content. This way, you’re not only exposing your name and brand to people who are viewing your content, but you are also reaching those following these partners. When deciding on who to partner with, think of the brands that attract the audience you want — do they align with your brand and industry? If so, you’ll be more effective in reaching people who are interested in following you as well.
Utilizing the online space as a marketing tool is a fast and effective way of expanding your reach and following. With so many options to promote your brand, ensure you strategize appropriately beforehand and identify your personal brand, and then employ variety in all your marketing efforts. Email marketing and partnering with others are some of the most effective ways of marketing online so be sure to include these in the mix.