Passive Marketing for Freelancers
As freelancers we all have the need to dedicate time towards providing the services that produce our income, whether it is writing, designing, programming, etc. Of course, we also have the need to find that work in one way or another. Freelancers can market their services in any number of different ways, but passive marketing is capable of bring in new clients without taking up a considerable amount of time to find those clients.
In addition to the services that produce income, there are so many business-related activities that can consume our time, and of course marketing and promotion can be included here. While things like bookkeeping, invoicing, marketing, networking (and many more) are all necessary to run a business, they don’t directly produce income. Obviously, marketing is necessary for most freelancers, but if we’re able to generate leads and new business with less time investment, we’ll have more time for providing the services that make money.
There are a few ways that we can passively market ourselves and our services. If these methods are able to produce all of the business that we need, marketing and promotion will require a very minimal amount of time.
Your Portfolio
A killer portfolio is the ultimate tool for passive marketing. As the portfolio is seen by potential clients it will sell your ability for you. The online portfolio is available to anyone at any time, and it does its job without you being present or dedicating time to marketing. Additionally, the portfolio shows clients what they can expect from your work if they hire you.
For more on developing an effective portfolio, see Building a Killer Online Portfolio in 9 Easy Steps .
Referrals/Word of Mouth
When your clients, friends, and family are telling others about you and your services, they are doing your marketing for you. Having other people that market your services is actually more effective than doing it yourself. Potential clients will probably trust someone else’s opinion of your services more than they will trust your opinion of your own services. Clients that come to you at the recommendation of a friend will often have more trust and a better connection to you than the average new client.
Repeat Clients
If you have an ongoing relationship with a client you don’t have to spend time to find that work. The key for retaining clients, of course, is to provide great services that satisfy the client. Additionally, you’ll want to be sure that they are aware of all of the services that you are able to offer. Follow up with clients from time-to-time and see if they have a need for ongoing services or for additional work. Repeat clients are also a plus because they will tend to have more loyalty to you and you’ll be more familiar with them and what they need from you.
Online Profiles
Posting your profile at networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and other similar sites can give you additional exposure. Some aspects of social networking came consume a lot of time and wouldn’t really fit into the classification of passive marketing, but online profiles typically don’t require a large time investment and then can point people back to your primary website and your portfolio. When setting up an online profile be sure that it gives others a convenient way to contact you and that it clearly states the services that you offer.
What Types of Passive Marketing Produce Results for You?
Please share your experiences in the comments.
Whether you want to learn while you work out or to make that commute useful, Freelance Radio is the place to hear all the tips, tricks and news of freelancing.
Freelance Radio
With over 100 weekly strips and counting, Freelance Freedom is an institution around here. Check out of all NC's brilliant work in the archives.
Freelance Freedom Archives
Interested in contributing to FreelanceSwitch? Write for the foremost freelance community and help share knowledge for the benefit of all!
Become a Guest Writer
My passive marketing ideas? Does leaving comments on other people’s blogs count?
Actually, I find referrals the most useful. I’ve got a friend who is always pointing people who want design work in my direction. And occasionally, I buy him coffee or cook him dinner for it.
Very good advice – the friend and family referrals are so true! People are more likely to trust them and it’s free advertising! hurray! lol
During my years as a corporate designer, my ‘ace in the hole’ has definitely been the online portfolio. The key has been to, first of all, always strive to produce unique work; and THEN maintain a web portfolio that showcases this work clearly and prominently. These days, we do a lot more with our sites than in the old days. (We now maintain blogs, client areas, playground areas, etc. on our sites.) But so far, I’ve kept the main purpose of my website to showcase my work.
I’m currently redesigning my site to coincide with my new status as a full-time freelancer. It will offer more content and be a bit more ’snazzy.’ But the overall focus will still be on the portfolio…
Having a blog is also a great way to get clients. As a Flash developer, I’ve written a few simple tutorials on my blog. A lot of the people who end up on the site are trying to figure out how to do work of their own. If they can’t figure it out, often times they’ll ask me for help and suddenly I’ve got a new client.
This can be applied to any freelancing field. Taking a little time to post tips and help on your site can go a long way in bringing in new clients who already trust you as an expert in your field.
Good advices, but don’t you think you are getting repetitive?
Is the lady in the picture tired of massive marketing?
Referrals are always the best however, don’t overlook being credited for your work. Make sure that your tagline / number / website is quoted on any work you do (ask your client first!). This in a way can be referred to as passive referral – your work is selling your services for you and if its good it will attract attention.
I work as a website designer. After I published my portfolio online I got lots and lots of job offers each day. All I did is create a cool interface and posted my website on a few CSS galleries
The picture: sheesh. There are more original and professional ways of suggesting “passive.”
Mattc,
Yeah, I think that approach is very effective, It shows potential clients that you know what you’re doing and they’ll be more likely to hire you than someone who doesn’t display the same kind of knowledge.
Alexander,
CSS galleries are definitely a great resource for designers to get some exposure.
Would advertising be considered “passive”? Strange definition when the most obvious marketing idea isn’t mentioned. Free advertising (links on client’s web sites, listings in a freelance directory) and for-pay advertising (creating a good Google Adwords campaign) are both going to turn out to be more effective than posting your profile in Facebook or LinkedIn. And just as passive once you get set up.
Having a profile in Facebook or Linkedin is useful if you make comments or interact with other people on them. The profile itself doesn’t do much for you. How many people search for freelancers on Facebook?
My point is, you have to truly use those sites in order to get results from them.
Portfolios work fine for Designers. What about programmers? Most of the time the software you build is “owned” by your client. If you have been developing back-end software for corporate environments, what do you show?
Because I don’t have a “portfolio of software”, I started a blog to showcase my skills. Are blogs passive marketing?
I”’m a freelance web designer and all of my major sources of income have come from having an online provider profile on ifreelance and elance. I literally have people contact me through email asking for me to work as an independent contractor. Every time I have had success. I actually landed a full-time job from one of those contract work relationships. I say post a provider profile online at any freelance site. Some you have to pay, but 4$ subscription per month on ifreelance is worth it. If you can provide a good profile summary and show your best work, people will find you and inquire about your services. Its a way that I market myself when I’m not even trying simply by being present.
That was nice article. thanks for the info.
Events are a good place as well to mingle and make business contacts. Not sure how passive it really is, but meeting people in the industry at events or conferences can lead to work. I myself know a few people who got jobs through people they’d met at events.
Tip though, if you’re going make sure you have a bundle of business cards to pass on and several dumb ice breaker jokes. It can be tedious and even boring, but remember you never know who the people you meet know.
I’m all in favor of referrals, but make sure that the referral is good for you and your business. Don’t just take someone on because your client sent them your way.
I’ve noticed in my online stats lately, that i get a lot of traffic to my website from my comment postings on FreelanceSwitch and FreelanceFolder. So, maybe you should add blog commenting to the passive marketing list.
Portfolios/profiles posted on design-specific sites bring a large number of clients my way. Here’s just a few:
designerID ( http://www.designerID.com/ )
design:related ( http://www.designrelated.com/ )
Create Magazine ( http://www.createmagazine.com/ )
Graphics.com ( http://www.graphics.com )
I’m also listed on a wide variety on online directories. Participation in online business and design forums also direct clients my way – as does the posting of articles on a number of sites like FastCompany.com, biznik.com and others.
I feel sometimes you guys rehash the same old articles again and again.
As a freelancer, almost everyone you meet is a potential client – do not discount printers and other providers (or anybody else for that matter) that you work with — I was recently working with my client’s printer who like my work and referred me to some new clients!! always have your game face on!!
thanks guys. good tips to know…
rich x
Good article, I learned a lot. Thanks!
Thanks guys! I will be using these ideas!
Thanks a million!!!! It’s great to have a point to reference when motivation is low