How to get your foot in the door?

[jecrt]

Ahhh - i missed that part. Obviously when your target market isn't anywhere near you, your marketing has to change.

I guess that was my point - I don't have a target region. Don't you think you're limiting your client-reaching potential when you focus on local business? Of your 100 responses, how many of them resulted in actual business? This is definitely different, but when I was an art director, we used to send out mailings each month and it didn't really seem to effect things all that much. We had much better numbers when we would do email blasts - always a spike in site visits and more return inquiries.

That's why I decided to send out cold emails as a freelancer. I have a few different drafts saved. I almost always get at least a response email. In the end, it costs nothing but time AND I never run out of potential clients. I guess I just feel like it's easier/more efficient to send an email with a link to your work (I don't even have a formal website - I started using a flickr page as a temporary portfolio, but it worked so well that I'm just sticking with it).

[ipshwitz]

Well you see, my target audience is small businesses. I run a marketing firm so person-person interaction is a must. This doesn't work well if I'm tripsing around the states.

Of those 100 returns, about 65 of them turned into jobs. Of the 65, 30 are repeate customers and 35 were a one time job. So that's a great ROI for me as 1. I made the boxes myself (and folded them all... hated it) and 2. the cost of the cookie cutters was about $50.

Mailers are probably the best way to first introduce your creativity to a company an hour away who has never heard of you.

I get stuff all the time from potential graphic artists. If I have a very creative piece of work in my hand, I'm going to choose that over the person who just sent me a link.

[jecrt]

I get stuff all the time from potential graphic artists. If I have a very creative piece of work in my hand, I'm going to choose that over the person who just sent me a link.

I guess different approaches work for different people. When I was hiring, I did enjoy getting tangible pieces, but I still wanted to see more samples. I was perhaps more inclined to look at a portfolio site if it was brought to me by mailer, but only if the mailer wasn't a turnoff. Looking back, I was probably more critical of tangible pieces than online stuff.

I'm also not looking to offer marketing services. I'm primarily doing illustration/surface design for manufacturing. I think you're right - with marketing, you probably do want a face-to-face meeting with clients, and vice versa.

I'm now interested to know; however, what you think of sites like this one? As a firm owner, aren't you guys normally against "spec work"? I think they're great, but that's because it's an easy way to bring clients to me as a freelancer.

[ipshwitz]

Defintely true. With a hard copy of something in your hand it is a lot more easy to be critical of it. And I also agree that I'd be inclinded to look at a portfolio or a website it it came with an advertising piece of some type as compared to just an email. However, that's just me and the demographics of this area... not all.

Personally I think sites like this are great. They are a great way to build a portfolio and to get your name out. Obviously you can't make a living with a site like this - but it's a superb way to start out and talk to other people and get insight from all over the world (potentially). It's not like you are being charged monthly membership fees or anything.

[jecrt]

Personally I think sites like this are great. They are a great way to build a portfolio and to get your name out. Obviously you can't make a living with a site like this - but it's a superb way to start out and talk to other people and get insight from all over the world (potentially). It's not like you are being charged monthly membership fees or anything.

well, yeah - but I guess the argument from many ad/design firms is that it "cheapens" the industry. Instead of a design firm being able to present a few ideas and charge a flat fee, clients on the sites can choose from many possible solutions. Which - I think - is great for clients. However it also means that designers are producing work with the hopes of being picked. If they aren't picked, they are essentially working for free. They believe that gives people the impression that designers shouldn't be paid on what is produced, but rather, on what is selected.

I don't think that's necessarily true - especially for people that are freelancers - as they have down-time to participate in sties like this. But - as you said you owned a marketing firm - I would think that you would feel like spec work sites were "horning in" on your clients. I'm glad you DON'T feel that way - I just think it a little unusual.

so - basically - thanks for being open-minded.