You probably know that getting exposure for your design business is important. Get it right and enjoy interesting projects, respect from your peers and more money. Get it wrong and your work can be draining and difficult.
\nSo how do you get exposure for your design business? It takes a little work but the rewards can be huge.
\nHere’s 10 easy ways you can get free exposure for your design business in 2014.<\/p>\n
\nIt’s no secret that people love free stuff. Creating a useful free good can earn you a lot of attention. Plus, the work you put in now can pay off for months or years to come.
\nThere’s two secrets to creating a successful free good:\n<\/p>\n
Be sure to get maximum leverage from your free good.<\/strong><\/p>\n \nMake it easy to share using social buttons. Post it on Dribbble, Behance, and any other appropriate sites. \nGetting exposure for your business is all about getting more qualified eyes on the work you’re doing. Guest posting on popular blogs is one of the most effective ways to get exposure. \nCreating a blog is one of the most effective ways to get exposure and built your brand. \nWant to shoot your credibility through the roof and become an authority in your field? \nSharing your work on design galleries is another way to share your work with a larger audience. Plus, it’s a great way to network with other talented designers. \nHost a webinar related to your specific design niche. \nDo you have any design heroes you’d love to partner with? What if you could work with them on a project? \nSad but true. Many designers tend to neglect their own site. Potential clients are making huge judgments based on what they see when they first land on your site. Be sure you’re telling a compelling story through your sites design, content and client work. \nSide projects are fantastic ways to generate buzz about your work. \nI can personally attest to the exposure you can get by selling goods on a site like Creative Market. +++++++++<\/p>\n
\nWant an easy way to share a free good? Apply to release a free good on Creative Market here<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>Write a guest blog post<\/span><\/h2>\n
\nGuest posting is useful because it gives you access to a large audience. It also gives people a chance to get to know you and builds your credibility.
\nBefore you pitch your guest post do a little research. Find out what kinds of posts are most popular on the blog you choose.
\nLastly, be sure to follow any guidelines they post.
\nTip: Be sure that you’re guest posting on sites your clients read. For example, writing an article for a graphic design tutorial site might not be very effective if you’re trying to get jobs doing design for retail stores.<\/em><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<\/span>Create a blog<\/span><\/h2>\n
\nYour blog gives you a chance to share you work in a more meaningful way. You can share your process, your knowledge and your passion.
\nBefore you decide to create a blog be sure you have the time to do it right. Creating a blog and then never updating it (or writing half baked posts) is worse than having no blog at all.
\nNeed a WordPress theme for your blog? Check out all the great themes on Creative Market here<\/a>.<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<\/span>Write a book<\/span><\/h2>\n
\nWriting a book is a powerful way to establish yourself as an authority in your field. With the rise of platforms like Amazon Kindle and the Barnes and Noble NOOK it’s easier than ever to publish your book.
\nWriting an eBook is easier than you think. Unlike printed books the average length for an eBook runs 10,000 – 15,000 words.
\nBest of all, when your talking to prospects about a certain aspect of design you can literally say you wrote the book on it.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>Leverage Design Galleries<\/span><\/h2>\n
\nHere’s some popular sites to share your work:<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n
<\/span>Create a Webinar<\/span><\/h2>\n
\nWhen you host a webinar you establish credibility and give people the opportunity to feel like they personally know you. And you probably know, people do business with people they know and trust.
\nPlus, once you’ve created your webinar you can repurpose the material into an opt-in offer for your websites newsletter, share it as a series of You Tube videos, and use it in your sales funnel to generate new leads.
\nNot sure how to host a webinar? You can host a webinar with GoToMeeting<\/a> using their 30 day free trial.
\nIf you need some templates for your presentation there’s some fantastic ones from various designers on Creative Market. Check them out here<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>Partner with other designers<\/span><\/h2>\n
\nWorking with influential designers in your field is a great way to get exposure, build credibility and meet your heroes.
\nResearch your favorite designers, see what kinds of projects they’re working on. Offer to do the less glorious part of the work. Most well known designers are busy. They’ll welcome the help and you get your name on the bill with a well known designer.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>Create a compelling story<\/span><\/h2>\n
\nBe unique, let your quirks shine. It makes you easy to remember and endearing. Be sure you have a fantastic photo. It’s well known in the marketing industry that a photo can do a majority of the selling.
\nDon’t use the selfie you took on your iPhone for your About page photo.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>Initiate a side project<\/span><\/h2>\n
\nThe best part is you can do something as quirky and unique as you want. Here’s a few examples of great side projects to inspire you:
\nWhen You’re a Stranger<\/a> – Hoodzpah Art and Graphics
\nLostType<\/a> – Riley Cran and Tyler Galpin
\nPetternify<\/a> – Sacha Greif\n<\/p>\n<\/span>Sell your goods<\/span><\/h2>\n
\nSelling your goods not only generates some extra income, it also puts your work in front of customers that like your work. Best of all, it prequalifies your audience because people that are willing to buy your work somewhere like Creative Market are more likely to actually pay a designer to do work.\n<\/p>\n<\/span>How do you get free exposure for your business?<\/span><\/h3>\n