This post is written by Ilise Benun, marketing coach for creative professionals, and the mind behind Marketing Mentor - the go-to resource for creative pros who want better projects with bigger budgets.
When I ask creative professionals how they market their services, most say, “Word of mouth.” And they say it with pride!
This makes me cringe every time.
Why?
Because word of mouth is not a marketing tool!
A marketing tool is something you do. It’s active. You control it.
Word of mouth is the opposite.
It happens to you. It’s passive. And you can’t control it – at all!
In fact, “word of mouth” is nothing more than a euphemism for “taking whatever comes along.”
It’s true that, sometimes, what comes along isn’t all that bad; it may even be really good. But if that’s all you’ve got, if that’s the foundation of your business, you may be in trouble and not even know it – until it dries up.
That means you are at the mercy of whatever -- and whoever -- comes along, and that forces you to take on any project, whether it’s right for you or not, even the clients waving bright red flags in your face.
In the last recession, too many designers (and all kinds of creative professionals, for that matter) took a big hit when their biggest clients pulled back & took the work in-house (or their clients disappeared completely).
People like you were left with almost no work. They had to scramble and take whatever they could find. Some are still in that position.
This is no way to run a serious business. You don’t have to rely on word of mouth – indeed you can’t.
But there is another option.
All it takes is one marketing effort per day.
Discipline yourself to fit that effort in—first thing if necessary—before your day is hijacked by client work.
You know now you need to be marketing your services regularly. You just need a little help—a kick start, a nudge, a prompt.
Download this marketing check list:
The Marketing Mentor Weekly Marketing Checklist
I truly hope this 7-part guide is going to help you make a few improvements in how you promote yourself.
My goal was to help you get a good grasp of what it takes to get new high-quality clients.
What's next?
Are you're ready to double down on the success of your business? Then I got marketing plans for all levels.
Choose the best one for you:
Top 2 Marketing Plans for Creative Professionals
The discount is added automatically at checkout.
For Newbies
Get the Work You Want Marketing Plan for New Creative Professionals
This simple, entirely downloadable marketing plan will tell you exactly what to do every day—without overwhelming you or your calendar.
The discount is added automatically at checkout.
Most Popular
Simplest Marketing Plan 4.0 for 2022
The three best marketing tools for 2022 + a monthly group coaching session.