3 efficient ways to spend on online marketing channels.
Remember that your freelance business is a company in its own right, so having a budget for advertising makes sense. With the right approach, using paid media can certainly pay off in terms of getting your name and brand out there.
Identify your target audience.
In order to maximize the effectiveness of paid media, start with the profile of clients you want to attract: eg. what are their types of business, their interests, their locations, the kinds of keywords they would use when searching for something related to your business. Identify this target audience profile and note it down. This should be used in your marketing campaigns to ensure you reach the right people.
Explore and make use of online marketing channels.
There are online channels you can use out there that are effective at driving traffic and don’t cost a bomb. Here are a few popular and useful channels to start with:
1. Facebook: Tap into Facebook’s huge user base by creating and managing a Business Page for your brand. Make sure that your ‘Info’ tab succinctly explains everything a client needs to know about your business. To build engagement with your brand and get people interested in what you do, post good content on your Timeline, such as interesting and relevant videos. From as little as $5 each time, you can also ‘boost’ your posts so they reach more people. If you’re looking to drive traffic to your website directly, Facebook allows you to create ads as well. You’ll need to understand Facebook Ad basics and some best practices in order for your ad to be approved. Keep in mind that for optimal performance of your ads and boosted posts, you should be specific in targeting the ideal audience profile you’ve identified.
2. LinkedIn: Besides being a networking tool, LinkedIn can also be a great way to market your freelance business. With a Premium account, you can use InMail to message people you’re not connected to, which makes it a potential avenue for growing your business by initiating contact with prospective clients that you’ve found. Be personal in your introductory message and end it with a call-to-action. To attract more attention to your business and to show off your expertise, you should also post LinkedIn blog articles on topics that interest your target audience.
3. AdWords: Google AdWords offers pay-per-click advertising in the form of text at the top of Google searches that links to your website. This makes AdWords a great marketing tool, as it’s directed at people who are actively looking for a particular type of service or solution. To use it effectively, start by asking a few key questions: Based on the target audience profile that you’ve identified, what would your potential clients be searching for when looking for services or solutions that you can provide? What keywords would they likely use? Answering these can help you identify effective keywords that you want to utilize for your campaign.