Self-promotion is one of the most critical things a freelance creative (in any field) must do. It is also one of the toughest things to accomplish successfully. I am learning this right now but quickly coming to the conclusion that if I stick to my gut, don't change my mind all the time (like the client you don't want to have), and come up with a successful plan to communicate myself and my business to my target market, it is becoming easier and easier.

The client that nit-picks is the worst. Don't be your own worst client!

The idea of promoting myself, marketing to the masses, and gaining world domination is only a dream. Reality is that it is a necessity to promote your services, communicate the benefits your services have, why you are better than your competitors, and the way you communicate that to your customers is essential. You have to keep you and your business in the eyes and minds of your target market at all times. You have to make a lasting impression through visual communications, your personality, and the truth that is felt in the statements, facts, and descriptions of what you do, why you do it, and how you do it. This, in turn, will create a customer that wasn't even looking for your services tell you the magic words you want to hear. It will make that consumer that is actively seeking your services turn to you for the job instead of your many hard working, well-known competitors.

I have researched creative, strategic ways to promote myself and my business and continuously ran into websites with way too many tips and tricks and non-sense ways to promote yourself that I just find unrealistic. Stick to what you successful freelancers (or even big firms) are doing, use common sense, and add your own personality to what it is you are creating to get your name out into the eyes of your target market. 

10 Self-Promotion Tips That WORK

Create a website and print portfolio

There are a ton of creative ways you can make a stunning or laid back portfolio for yourself. This is NECESSARY. It's 2010, hello! If you do not know how to use image editing and website development software, hire someone like myself to do it. You need your projects to look good and be interesting. It's called visual communication.

Along with a portfolio website, I would suggest incorporating your own blog into the mix. If you know how to write news, tips, tricks, tutorials, advice, or anything people would find interesting, relevant, or of some sort of help in your given field/niche, this will help you in a lot of ways that go beyond the scope of this blog post. In short, a blog helps with SEO and will most likely keep site visitors on your website longer because they will be jumping around reading all of your blog posts. That's a good thing!

Other necessities to include on your website is a contact form (or some way of contacting you), about you or your business, list your services if you offer more than one (which you probably do), and link to other useful social media networks you are a member of (look down a few more tips).

Look here for a nice article on creating a print portfolio.

How LO can you GO

A lot of people will argue with me on this, but a logo isn't the most necessary thing in the world. However, it will help you build a brand identity over time that will be professional and project a sense of emotions that your clients want to feel when doing business with anybody, especially a creative like you and me providing a service. Selling products is another story.

Design yourself a logo that represents your company, that will be recognized, that will be memorable. Read Why Your Business Needs A Professionally Designed Logo. Then read a recent post on my logo design process for a client. This will give you an idea of the importance a logo has and the extent of work and thought that goes into a logo design.

Business cards are priceless

Actually, depending on the printer you use (I get really, really good printing deals) they can range as low as 1 cent a card. That means that you can through them around like crazy. Create yourself a business card that incorporates your style of design. Much like a logo, it should be memorable, but the main point of a business card is to give a contact or a potential client a way to remember and contact you. Hopefully you gave a good elevator pitch on why your services will benefit their business.

Since business cards are so cheap, give a few to your friends and give referral incentives. Put them in business card holders at places that allow it. There are a number of ways to distribute them, just Google it. I like to leave them behind wherever I go, such as coffee shops, magazine aisles, book shops, restaurants, cafe's, etc… But really, give them to clients as a means of contacting you again. A good thing to do is exchange business cards and follow up with a phone call or a nice e-mail.

Direct mail and handing out postcards

Postcards are a great item to add to your self-promotion arsenal. You can use your business card as a template and just add a couple of sentences on why you do what you do, communicate effectively, list your services, etc. Then distribute them!

For example, I designed myself two different sizes. The first is a 4.25"x5" that I includes a coupon that I will display at select places. I only printed 100.

The second is a larger 5"x7" that has everything as the smaller version, minus the coupon. The reason it is bigger is to include the white space needed by my printer to include address that I supplied by a paid mailing list. Research a few different companies and get a customized mailing list for your needs. They aren't exactly cheap, but they work. Direct mail will get your name out there fast! Just make sure you communicate well.

Make use of door knobs

Design a door hanger and walk around in nearby neighborhoods and cities, all while getting out of the office, getting fresh air, and exercise. Definitely a win-win situation. This shows that you actually took the time out of your day and made an effort to grab potential clients attention. Use the postcard you created as a template for the artwork. All you have to do is re-arrange the composition, unless you want to run a totally different campaign with different information and artwork.

Boost Your Ego

Submit your work to design award galleries. This allows you to expand, gain credibility, and get feedback on your work from professionals and others who view your work. Most galleries, if not all, link back to your portfolio website for increased traffic. If you win an award you can brag about it to clients, on your portfolio, and boost your ego. If you win quite a few, you should feel free to toot your own horn as much as you'd like!

Here are just a few that I have found and participate in sometimes:

• The Dieline Awards - Awards for product packaging.
• Logo of The Day - The name speaks for itself.
  
• Productivedreams.com - A blog post on 20 websites you can submit logos too.
  
• Studio1c - A collection of website design award sites.
  
• The CSS Awards - I received an Honorable Mention from here :-)

Network

Make time in your day and schedule meet-ups with other businesses. Go to your local chamber of commerce or small business development center and participate in the networking events. Exchange ideas, business cards, and meet people. A lot of freelancer's say this is where the most income is generated. Search Craigslist and other local event websites to find something that is of interest to you. Get out there and exchange business information, meet contacts, and participate.

Remember that these events are not all about you! You do have a chance to explain what it is you do and the benefits your services offer, but make sure you give others a chance to do the same thing. Gain credibility and refer people to them. If you need a service or product offered by one of these contacts, and they need you, try and take money out of the equation and trade.

Write articles for other blogs and other publications

Much like your own blog, writing for a different websites' blog, a local newspaper, or some other publication will get your name out there and make people aware that you are there and you know what you are talking about.

Advertise in newspapers, magazines, and other publications

Although self explanatory and pricey, this is a great form of self-promotion. Don't just advertise in any of the above, make sure the readers of specific magazines and publications are people that fit your target market. Go to the publications website and see if they have their pricing information listed. If not, call them.

The MOST IMPORTANT one of all!

After you have completed work for a now satisfied and happy client, ASK FOR REFERRALS. Although not necessarily self-promotion, you are asking others to do it for you. A lot of freelancers will testify that this is the most successful way to get more clients. So do it!

These are just a few tried and true ways that you can get yourself to compile and complete a self-promotion strategy, that over time, will work in your favor. It may take a little bit of time, especially if you are starting from scratch, but every successful entrepreneur has been at the beginning. Sometimes more than once. I have.

Although, with these steps and the learning process that you come across while doing anything new to you, the benefits of promoting yourself are pretty much the only way you will gain awareness about you, your business, your services/products, and produce a stream of income. You need to be marketing and advertising all of the time. A good way to make sure this important aspect isn't slipping under the radar is scheduling an hour or two out of your busy day to engage and interact in social media, fine tuning your promotional materials, and creating new stuff after a while to keep fresh and keep away from being stagnant.

So I ask you, have you created a self-promotion strategy for yourself? Has it worked? What did you find was the most successful in creating the effect you wanted? Have anything else to add to this list that aren't too crazy of an idea to create awareness for someone starting out?