If you want to get interactive or digital work, whether it's writing (a.k.a. content strategy and creative) or design (web sites, apps, mobile, etc) or illustration, does it take a different kind of marketing than you're used to?
That's the question I'm pondering as I prepare for the debut of the hands-on Business Bootcamp workshop I'm leading at HOW Interactive Design Conference next week (Oct 28) in San Franciso (and it's not too late to use my discount code "BENUN12" to register).
I think the answer is yes. Here's why (and tell me if you agree).
Because the interactive and digital realm is still relatively new. It's also highly technical; PLUS it's constantly changing.
As a result, your clients and prospects are less educated (i.e. more clueless and therefore more anxious) about what they’re buying, which puts more responsibility on the sellers (that's you) to educate the buyers so they feel comfortable buying -- from you!
So if all of that is true, what kind of marketing is required to specifically go after interactive work?
What marketing tools should be most prevalent or frequently used? (Interactive tools, we can safely assume, but which ones?)
What does your web site need to say? What needs to be in your portfolio and how should it be organized?
I think this also means that you have to be more confident (or at least come across as more confident) in order for them to be comfortable enough to say yes. Your insecurities aren’t going to help here; in fact, they will hold you back.
I’m not talking about fraud or deception. You must show confidence that you can get the job done, that they can rest easy because you can figure it out.
It's not that you are "the expert" per se but your can-do attitude will be the solution to their own natural insecurity.
What do you think?
