B2B marketing for freelance creative contractors
‘Actively manage what are known as ‘Whales’ most attentively’
‘Actively develop as a better Manager, Leader, and Strategist’
Unless you get over any hang-ups that you may have about self-promotion or find a business partner(S) that you can work with and who has significant skills in this area, then you are doomed to be scratching around from contract to contract with no significant fee growth. It’s unlikely that work and clients are going to come storming through your door in the first few years of trading as an independent entity (and if it/they do you might consider re-positioning yourself as a B2B marketing guru or at least finding events to explain how simple it is). There is much to learn, often by trial and error. Ask others and your clients what works to catch their attention and what their definition of great service is. What is important too is not the resource that you have at your disposal to Market with but what capabilities are available in your organisation.
Anybody can improve their Marketing skills. There are different dynamics to consider – are you are looking to improve viral skills such as promotion via Google Adwords, Youtube, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, persuasive and engaging web content, Mailchimp campaigns, etc.? Of course some capabilities in these areas may be useful. However many long term fruitful business relationships come from more personalised one to one contact via networking, event attendance and appointment setting (you would be surprised in how much Youtube content, blogging, and books there are on this subject). It has been said too that foot soldiers network, generals know where to gather. Which Trade Bodies are worth becoming more familiar with and which Conferences that people gather at are two variables worth investigating? Reaching a committee position or having some tasks assigned after becoming more prominent in such a trade body may not be the worst idea via developing a prominent position in your industry.
Business Development & Marketing
Higher-level business development capabilities, such as brand management, innovation and customer relationship management should be integrated to your thinking and business development strategies from the start. Customer relationship management is often known as Account Management, and it’s something that established businesses put a lot of thought and effort into effecting smoothly. Regular meetings with significant customers or their representatives can produce insights into preferences and pathways that no other method can, ditto such regular get-togethers in appropriately relaxed settings can unearth real-time industry or sector understanding of how markets and processes are evolving. End to end customer support – initial feedback but also after sales service and genuine concern for the medium-term outcome of the service you provide are welcomed by most customers.
Two specific pointers to developing your own and your entity’s marketing capabilities. Many different populous and one to one Marketing topics have been provided in this article. However, it’s important to choose which channel of interaction that you think of as being most important for business promotion and improving your skills and the business’ capability within each one.
Campaigns & Marketing Stratergies
If ultimately stuck for inspiration you can always just keep an active eye on what the competition is up to, and use their schemes as a starting point to evolve your campaigns from. Marketing capability as previously referred to may merely be the sum of many individual marketing activities.
Over time too developing superior management capability as an aim improves your impact through all functions, not just direct customer interface functions such as Marketing and Sales. Setting out with an ethos to actively develop as a better Manager, Leader, and Strategist will sprout results in all aspects of business operation and development.
PR
A quick word on PR. It’s a slightly misunderstood area in terms of what a Public Relations entity could do for you but Carrot Communications provide the following useful guide on their website as to what can be expected from a PR company and PR campaigns…
- To have a voice in your industry. This could be on blogs, in news media, videos, social media – anywhere your customers might see you. Start small, but think big, and build your voice over different channels
- Good content that gets people talking about you and sharing on social channels
- Increased web traffic (but don’t just measure referrals from media; your traffic might come from increased search that results from greater awareness)
- Increased exposure over time
- Improved search rankings through improved ‘authority’. PR should always work closely with SEO
- A gradual build in brand recognition, and association with specific messages among your audiences
Other agencies are available as they say on the BBC. In some ways that is merely an acceleration of what we have communicated previously in this section.
Finally some observations on the Las Vegas way of handling clients to their Casinos. Whilst they welcome everyone and understand that a wide appeal of their facilities keeps a buzz about the place, ultimately they actively manage what are known as ‘Whales’ most attentively…this approach may not work for you but at a certain point, significant clients are needed to make the next step-change in your business fortunes.
Do you feel that you have a Corporate Identity yet that others could relate to?
Call us now, regarding these services in the London area and how we can help, on 020 8108 0090/strong>or complete the enquiry form and we will call you back.