Starting Freelance 03: Marketing Strategies
After I graduated, my original plan was to pursue a career as a graphic designer. That was about 8 years ago. Since then, the creative industry has undergone significant changes, particularly with the rise of AI, the evolution of social media branding and strategies, user-generated content (UGC), and the emergence of roles like content creator and user experience designer (UED). Graphic design seems to have become just one component of a broader spectrum.
This is a crucial step in my freelance journey. It's essential to show potential clients that I can do more than just graphic design. As such, I enrolled in a UX Designer (User Experience) course through Coursera to gain a deeper understanding of this multifaceted role. Before I embark on documenting my journey in this course, I'm focused on gaining a deeper understanding of the responsibilities that come with being a UX Designer.
This is a crucial step in my freelance journey. It's essential to show potential clients that I can do more than just graphic design. By taking this course, I want to prove that I'm dedicated to learning and keeping up with the changes in the creative world. This should serve as the initial step in my strategic marketing plan:
1. Skillset Expansion:
Engaging in a UX Designer course to broaden my expertise.
Another crucial aspect of my marketing strategy is the development of my portfolio. As I aspire to attract potential clients, showcasing my work is essential. While starting from what may feel like the bottom can be daunting, I've always embraced the journey of venturing into new territories. Beginning anything new requires a significant investment of time and effort, as well as often requiring skill or competence. There's a lot of work ahead, and I'll need all my discipline and motivation to reach my goals.
2. Portfolio Expansion:
Initiating the creation of a diverse portfolio to showcase my capabilities.
I aim to present myself as a versatile creative individual. I want to convey this without arrogance but with humility, understanding the value of my skill set. For instance, when someone asks what I do, I want to say I'm an all-round creative who does visual design work as a freelancer. That's how I start selling myself. Then, I back it up by showing them my portfolio to prove what I can do. So, it's about telling them what I do to sell myself and showing them what I've got to convince them.
3. Personal Branding and Persuasion:
Communicating myself as an adaptable creative professional and substantiating this claim through my portfolio.
In summary, my strategic approach involves expanding both my skill set and portfolio, along with effectively communicating my value proposition to potential clients. This aims to position me as a desirable choice in the competitive creative industry landscape.