Marketing your services can be much harder than creating it in the first place and marketing often does not come naturally to sole traders and freelancers. Here are some simple pointers:

Decide what makes your work different:

• Think about what makes your work unique and why someone might choose it over something else. In other words, what is your unique selling point?
• Try and express that clearly and concisely (for example as a strap line) and use it in your written material (see promotion below).
• If there are a lot of people doing what you do “ think about how you can specialise e.g. a web design company specialising in websites for schools, a dance school for children specialising in street dance.

Presenting your work:

• Who is likely to buy your work? This might be other businesses or the general public. Think about where those sort of customers will go to buy and what sort of papers, magazines, websites they read. How can you get free editorial coverage in those media?
• Make sure you have a good collection/portfolio of work to present and short testimonies from past customers
• Make sure your work is well presented: well displayed, framed, packaged and labelled
• Have some information about you, how you work and what makes you tick. If people are buying creative work they want to know about the person who made it.

Pricing your work:

When pricing your work take into account:

• What is charged in other places for the same sort of work “ do some research
• How much it cost you – ensure you get a decent rate per hour to include covering all your costs plus a profit margin!
• How you want to be perceived: affordable, market average, premium/luxury

Promotion:

• Decide what you want to use as your brand name and/or logo so people can come to recognise it. This could just be as simple as your name in a particular colour or typeface. Use it on all stationery, business cards, and websites.
• When producing promotional material make sure you include a description of what your product or service can do for a customer/client.
• Make trying your service/product easy “offer tasters or money back guarantees.
• Keep a database of past and potential customers and keep in touch every so often. This could be via a newsletter, Christmas card or an occasional email about good news.
• Make sure you assess everything you do to promote yourself so you can decide whether it is worth doing again. Keep records on how many sales or contacts you get from each fair, networking event, advert, mailing or from your website.
• Use free promotional tools wherever possible e.g. press releases on an interesting story or new product.
• Make sure you network with others to meet potential customers; find out about your competition and meet potential collaborators. This might include going to launches, private views, seminars, conferences, performances as well as networking events.

Sales channels

• Think about the various ways in which you can sell your work or services. e.g. shops, galleries, web site, shows.
• Will you be working directly with customers or through other businesses? If through others you will need to build some commission into your prices for them.
• Recognise who your customer is and who the consumer is. Your customer may not be the consumer and their needs may be different. i.e. a dance school customer may be the parents, and the children the consumer.

Marketing is an essential part of your business. If you want assistance with getting started, or want someone to bounce ideas off (working as a sole trader can be difficult if you are used to working in an environment with other people) we'd be happy to assist, either directly or by putting you in contact with some of our talented associates who specialise in things like web site design, public relations and marketing.

If you'd like more information on how we can help you to market yourself simply call today for a FREE consultation on 0116 2247122.

Pro Active Resolutions Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this document, Pro Active Resolutions cannot be held beyond statutory liability for errors or omissions. The information is for general guidance only. You should neither act, not refrain from action, on the basis of any such information. You should take appropriate professional advice on your particular circumstances because the application of laws and regulations will vary depending on particular circumstances and because laws and regulations undergo frequent changes