Advertising and the Recently Graduated Designer

You just graduated, and now you have college loans to pay back and no job lined up. What are you to do?

Freelance.

All design professionals freelance, whether you hold a job with a major corporation or not. It is one of the “perks” of being a designer. My current profession is not in the art design world, but I still freelance. I will do a logo design here and there when I need extra cash. It is better than moonlighting!

If your in the same boat as me you have a job in another field and design is a “side” thing. If so, there is probably not much need to advertise. Word of mouth and referrals from past jobs will suffice.

But, if you want to be a professional freelancer, you are going to have to advertise. Sorry kids, but there is no way around it. Otherwise, how will anyone besides your grandmother and your best friend know you are a designer? It is kind of like trying to sell your car, you make the effort to put a “For Sale” sign in the window, but you park it in your garage. Even though you intend to sell your car, people still won’t know it is for sale. You are going to have to get the car out of the garage in order for it to sell.

“But Corrie, I’m just out of college and I have no money!”. That is an excuse! You do not need money to advertise. You have to start at the bottom to get to the top. Here are some free (and almost free) advertising solutions.

Note: Keep in mind I do not consider business cards a “marketing” expense. They are the cost of doing business. Everyone in business has to have them, so suck it up and design some and print them out on your computer or have them printed professionally, I promise it is not something you will not regret.

• Craigslist.org: Cost = Free
  

If you are in a metropolitan area, craigslist.org is one of the best bets for you. Craigslist is an online classifieds website where people can post events, things they are selling, and SERVICES. You will be posting under Services.

First off it’s FREE! Second, it is a great opportunity for you to show off your HTML skills because it is a website. Worst case scenario, you waste 10 minutes of your time putting up a posting and you do not get a job that week. But trust me, if you do it again the following week and you do land a job, it will be time well spent.

• Networking Cost = Almost free, maybe a drink or two

Never has there been a better excuse to go out for a drink at your local bar. The first few times you go out don not mention to people your a designer, just be social. People are more likely to purchase from people they are familiar with and more importantly like. Your second or third time speaking with someone, be sure to mention you are a designer and perhaps even give them a few business cards. They may not be in the market for a designer, but a few weeks down the road a friend of theirs might be. They will remember that really cool, friendly dude/chick who is a designer they met at Sparky’s Bar and be sure to refer them to you.

• Cold Calling Cost = Free

Cold calling is a sales term for approaching random people you do not know and pitching them on a product. You can do this in person or on the phone, I recommend the former.

So dress up professionally one day with business cards and portfolio in hand and pound the street. Hit every business in your town. Walk in, be confident, ask to speak to the owner/decision maker, and introduce yourself and your services. You are selling yourself as a designer!

Make sure you have a plan before doing this. Examples may include pitching a local real estate agency on a “rebranding design package” where you redo their collateral and logo for a set fee. Restaurants pitches may include a new menu design. Target the package you are offering for each specific business owner.

If the owner is not in need of your services at that moment, be sure to leave them a business card (a business card CD is even better, but I’ll get to that in another post) and DO NOT FORGET to ask them for a few business owners/friends that they think might benefit from your services. It is better ask and possibly of get 2 jobs for one than to not do so where the best case scenario is to get one.

Cold calling may not provide instant freelance jobs, but it is yet another opportunity to network and become known for what you do in your community. I guarantee you your hard work will pay off eventually, resulting in a phone call for a job you never expected.

• Post Flyers Cost = Almost free. Just the cost of copies at Kinko’s

Design a really slick looking 8×10 flyer that you feel represents yourself and your style, and that advertises the services you offer and your starting prices (I always recommend starting prices. If you tell them to call and ask for a quote, people may not call for fear your services will not fit into their budget. By listing a price you give them an idea of your price points and if they can afford you). I would advise purposely designing it to be black and white to save you money on your printing. Be sure to design it with tear off tabs at the bottom with your contact information.

Don’t post these on public property! Every town/city has different laws regarding public advertisement so it is better to avoid trouble to begin with. Instead, post it on bulletin boards at local grocery stores, or even ask local businesses if you can leave them with a stack to place by the door for customers to take. Worst case scenario? Someone will say no and you move onto the next business. Eventually someone who needs a designer is bound to see one of your flyers and give you call. The more your name is out there, the more chances there are of people seeing it.

• Referrals Cost = Almost Free

Referrals are the bread and butter of most businesses. Happy customers recommend other customers to you. When you are starting out, it may be advisable to start a referal program. Pay your past customers for jobs they send your way! You do not have to pay them a lot, $25 – $50 should suffice.

When you make $500 on a logo design job that was refered to you, spending $50 on the refferal and netting $450 instead is not a huge deal. Especially considering you did absolutely no work to get that customer on your own.

Other referal ideas include discounts on additional jobs. For example, if you are doing a collateral design for a business, tell them if they refer any additional business to you that you will take 20% off a brochure design (or any other service you think would be “appealing” to them). It will make it worth their time, while costing you very little dough.

In Conclusion:
There are many free and inexpensive ways to get your name out there as a freelance designer in your marketplace. All it takes is a little leg work and creativity. Creativity is why you went to school for design… is it not?

Author: Corrie LoGiudice