There's no promotion like self-promotion, and nobody is as eager to elevate your personal brand than you. Learning ways to advertise, or to promote yourself, as a worthy candidate can put you ahead of your competition and enable you to charge a premium for your services. Whether you're looking for a job in advertising, recruiting clients for your own independent brand, or considering a rate increase that will earn you more money for less work, finding ways to advertise your strengths will only enhance your prospects. Here are four ways to advertise yourself and your services that you might not have thought of.
The obvious place to start thinking about ways to promote yourself as a hot commodity is the social media campaign. Any self-respecting advertising professional, independent business owner, or freelancer should already have accounts at most of the major social media platforms. With enough friends and followers, a simple announcement that you're looking for work or accepting new clients should draw enough likes and retweets to bring you to the attention of the right people. LinkedIn, Google+, and even Pinterest can all be turned into ways to advertise your services if you work at it.
A slower and more traditional form of self-promotion is the classic word-of-mouth campaign. If you have a large enough social circle, simply putting out the word that you're looking for clients might bring them to you. While the first place to do this is in professional circles among your peers, it's also worth raising your profile as a marketing specialist among your family, friends, and more casual acquaintances.
Volunteering your efforts is an all-around positive way to raise awareness of your brand, give away a free sample of your services, and earn the esteem of others in a single stroke. Society is filled with ways to advertise yourself while volunteering your time and effort for a good cause. If your church is having a bake sale, you can offer to publicize it—as you can if the neighborhood association is organizing a community yard sale. Not only does this earn you a reputation for public spiritedness, it also showcases your abilities and your work ethic to a large pool of potential clients.
When all else fails, or when you just need something fast, you might consider the direct approach. Calling or visiting potential clients or employers will often make enough of an impression that, even if they aren't hiring at the moment, they'll remember you when they are.
One of the challenges of working in advertising is that you're always on. If you don't do a good enough job attracting the attention of your potential employers, it's reasonable for them to assume that you'll do the same kind of lackluster job for them. Learning effective ways to advertise your personal brand will get you attention, demonstrate your skill, and put you in touch with all the right people who will help you succeed.
(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)
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