05/04/2009
50 Simple Marketing Ideas

First off, thanks to the great writers at FreelanceSwitch.com for this article entitled 50 Simple Marketing Ideas All Freelancers Can Use. I have decided to use this list as a guide and mark off the items I have completed as I go. Follow along with me as I market SMP Studios and, of course, feel free to use the ideas for yourself too!

  1. Start a blog
  2. Go to Chamber of Commerce events and other local business events
  3. Release products (icons, articles, etc.) that can be used for free with attribution
  4. Hand out business cards
  5. Guest post on blogs relevant to your skills
  6. Attend meetups in your area
  7. Place your brochures with printers, or other relevant businesses
  8. Organize a BarCamp or other unconference
  9. Network online with sites like LinkedIn or Twitter
  10. Share samples of your work online
  11. Respond to press queries on Help A Reporter Out
  12. Sponsor an event
  13. Suggest a story to a reporter or blogger
  14. Offer a coupon
  15. Create a free ebook and post it online
  16. Write a press release describing something special about your business
  17. Offer to speak about your specialty at networking events
  18. Answer questions on LinkedIn Answers, Yahoo Answers and other sites
  19. Comment on articles and posts
  20. Create package deals
  21. Develop a partnership with a freelancer with a different skillset
  22. Send out a useful newsletter geared towards your clients
  23. Provide a free initial consultation
  24. Join a professional organization
  25. Add yourself to directories, both online and in print
  26. Place promotional items in event and conference gift bags
  27. Run targeted ads
  28. Contribute articles to other companies' newsletters
  29. Volunteer your services to non-profits
  30. Contact companies that could use your services directly
  31. Attend alumni events for your school
  32. Contact past clients
  33. Attend events for your ideal clients' industry
  34. Join online forums
  35. Print t-shirts listing your website
  36. Have a giveaway or donate your time as a prize in someone else's giveaway
  37. Survey companies in your target market about their needs
  38. Optimize your website for search engines
  39. Hand out brochures that showcase your projects
  40. Get great testimonials from past clients
  41. Teach a class
  42. Brand yourself as a business
  43. Start a podcast or videocast
  44. Sell your services through affiliates
  45. Work with an agency
  46. Swap ads with other freelancers
  47. Send out a postcard or other mailer
  48. Package your promotional materials or services with other freelancers
  49. Tell happy clients that you’ll give them a referral discount for any new clients they send your way
  50. Celebrate the end of a large project with your client

Wish me luck!

Clicky Web Analytics