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51 Ideas for Marketing Your Design Services

Recently updated on May 29th, 2020 at 04:31 pm

From creating freebies to becoming an online expert, there are tons of great ideas you can use to market your web and graphic design services.

  1. Create an online portfolio
  2. Have a marketing plan
  3. Freebies are good
    Create high impact giveaways that will advertise for you. For instance; magnets, stickers, booklets, calendars, bookmarks, and gift certificates. (full disclosure, NDF sells these products).
  4. Use Flickr and other photo sites to highlight your designs
  5. Put your contact information on all printed materials
  6. Know who you’re marketing to – who is your target client?
  7. Get ideas from the 2011 Artist’s & Graphic Designer’s Market
  8. Join professionals groups and then network with other members
  9. Give how-to demonstrations
  10. Contact office supply stores and other related businesses to see if they’ll let you display your card and/or refer you
  11. Give design lessons online or off
  12. Become a local speaker – Organizations are often looking for speakers
  13. Create a referral incentive program
    Reward those clients who send business your way
  14. Offer a raffle prize/contest prize
    Create a design service giveaway you can offer to nonprofits and other organizations that are trying to raise funds
  15. Submit your contact information and services to all free directories
  16. Wear your designs by putting your logo/design on t-shirts and hats
  17. Create a vehicle magnet
  18. Sponsor a charity event
  19. Sponsor an event for one of your clients
  20. Offer a free consultation for potential clients
  21. Recruit friends and family to spread the word
  22. Create a catchy email signature
  23. Design your business cards with a coupon on it
  24. Be unique/specialize in something. For example:
    • fast turnaround – ads designed and sent in a day
    • skills to work across media – print to web
    • on call evenings and weekends
    • offer quick response promise
    • free proof reading service
    • develop a particular style
  25. Capitalize on your unique aspects by sending out a press release highlighting those aspects
  26. Participate in trade shows
  27. Use Holiday promotions
    Send a greeting card with a coupon or special incentive
  28. Write a book
  29. Use social events to network
  30. Say thank you, provide good service to everyone
  31. Stay hooked up on Linkedin
  32. Stay current, take classes
  33. Keep in touch with past clients
  34. Offer a newsletter
  35. Create an informative blog
  36. Keep an up-to-date website with work samples
  37. Provide a variety of cost tiers so people can choose to begin at a lower cost level with you
  38. Offer a discount or special promotion
  39. Make sure your own material, online and off, are the best examples of your work
  40. Create a video and put it on YouTube – Example:
  41. Make sure your content is as good as your designs
  42. Use social networking such as Twitter and Facebook
  43. Submit articles on design to online zines
  44. Swap links
  45. Be a guest blogger
  46. Offer a guarantee
  47. Contact new businesses (they often need designed material)
  48. Be an active commenter on related blogs
  49. Form partnerships with other professionals to create a package of services
  50. Become an Expert on Questions / Answers Sites. Here are a few:

    AllExperts.com
    Answers.com
    Experts Exchange
    Wiki Answers
    MyLot
  51. Watch IT/Graphic Design job sites
    • CGI Lance
    • City IT Jobs
    • Coroflot
    • Creative Freelance Web Designer Marketplace
    • Design Quote
    • Developreneurs
    • Dev Bistro
    • Freelance Auction
    • Freelance Central
    • Freelance Designers
    • Freelance Seek
    • Freelance Switch
    • Freelance Web Programming
    • Fresh Web Jobs
    • Geek Bidder
    • Get a Freelancer
    • GuruLance
    • Job Pile
    • Krop (creative and tech jobs)
    • NY Freelancers
    • Outsource Today
    • PHP Freelancers
    • PHP Quote
    • Planet Recruit
    • Project Pool
    • ProjectSpring
    • Programming Bids
    • Programming Outpost
    • Project4Hire
    • Project Simple
    • Freelance Free
    • Freelance Job News
    • Guru.com
    • iFreelance
    • Joomla Jobs
    • Joomlancers
    • Monster (has a Contract and Temporary Work section)
    • No Agencies Please
    • NUJ Freelance Direct
    • ProjectLance
    • Rentacoder

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