Marketing your Creative Services Online:
Tips, Techniques & Resources

The best tips and techniques for marketing your creative services on the web and beyond, as presented in Anne-Marie's seminar.

You have the creative talent, the work ethic, the hardware and software, and the skills to put it all together for a fair fee. Now all you need are the clients!

Many references abound for marketing creative services in the real world, but if you're not doing much as far as the Internet is concerned, you're missing a prime opportunity. This applies to freelance and small shop designers, photographers, illustrators, even writers.

I developed a seminar called Marketing Your Creative Services Online that I've presented to design associations and at the 2004 Mac Design Conference, and every time it got a fantastic response. I show how, with a little effort and barely any expense or programming skills, you can pull qualified clients from around the country, 24/7, while you're busy doing other things. Highlights of each session are my on-the-spot critiques and optimization suggestions for web sites created by audience members (who volunteered their URL for a public review).

If your group could benefit from this seminar, or your creative business needs some advice regarding your own online marketing, please contact me to discuss the details.

In the meantime, feel free to use any of the resources on this page (which I've pulled from a few sections of my seminar handout) for your own online marketing efforts.

DesignGeek Articles on Marketing Creative Services Online

Domain Names and Web Hosts

ICANN

List of accredited domain name registrars with links to their sites. Or try current favorites (all are accredited) register.com, godaddy.com, dotster.com, networksolutions.com
 

Web Hosting Ratings

One of the few legitimate, independent databases of web hosts and their user ratings on the net. Search by price, services, and more.

 

Web Hosting Talk

Before you sign with a web host, search this forum or post a message about the company and see what you get. It's stuffed to the gills with web developers and web host resellers who aren't shy about telling you why certain companies are awful and why others are dreamboats.

E-Mail Marketing (for opt-in lists only!)

DadaMail

Robust cgi program that handles blast emails and one-way newsletters quite handily, and it's under $50. Great support from developer!
 

Constant Contact

Popular hosted email list management service. Monthly fee if you don't want their ad on your emails.

Online Directories and Portfolios, mostly free

Chicago Region (look for similar ones in your area)

Chicago Creative Coalition
Chicago Creative Directory
Chicago chapter of GAG
IWOC (Independent Writers of Chicago)

 

National/International

AIGA member portfolios
Communication Arts’ Creative Hotlist
Photographers.com
Workbook
Creative Latitude
Portfolios.com
CreativePro.com Directories

 

Find an Online Directory in Your Target Market

Yahoo Trade Mags listing

Optimizing Your Web Site for Search Engines

Search Engine Watch

The best portal for anyone interested in what's happening in the search engine field and how they can optimize their sites for each one. Lots of links to submit your site too. Search Engine Watch offers a free newsletter as well as a paid membership to their site to reach more high-end, detailed content.

 

Google Information for Webmasters

They lay it on the line here. Follow their instructions and don't spam otherwise your site may be removed from their database.

 

Yahoo Information for Webmasters

Yahoo dropped Google's search database and started using its own early in 2004. Check out this page on how your site gets ranked by them, and the related questions that appear in the sidebar for all the info.

 

MSN Search Information for Webmasters

Microsoft is in the final rounds of testing its beta search engine, which is aimed directly between Google's eyeballs. This link leads to the beta engine's info on how it ranks your site and what you can do to improve it.