Want to be a more successful Sales & Marketing professional on Guru? We asked one top Guru employer and one successful Guru freelancer in the field to share their insights. Read on to learn how you can better market yourself and win more jobs!
A special thank you to Richard Dolmat, CEO of Digital Sound Magic Media Solutions for sharing his perspective as someone who’s hired sales & marketing freelancers. We’d also like to thank Tom Clark of CR Brands for sharing his tried-and-true methods to success as a marketing professional.
Tips from Richard Dolmat, Guru Employer
Make a Great First Impression
“The first thing I look at when viewing a freelancer profile are the opinions and feedback of previous clients. For me to feel inclined to contact you, you also need a nice profile picture, well-worded bio, and a full portfolio. You’ll never get any leads or ‘bites’ from potential employers if you only have a 3 sentence bio and a default grey avatar profile pic. Be proud of yourself, be proud of your work.”
Fill Up Your Portfolio!
“I’ve had numerous times where I would look at a freelance marketer’s profile and they’d have NOTHING in their portfolio. What’s the point? Why are you even bidding on my project when you have NOTHING to show? People prefer to see samples and examples. If you’re a graphic designer: showcase your top 3-4 pieces. If you do web dev: link or provide screenshots of your top projects. It takes me literally a few seconds to determine if we can work together simply by looking at a few of your samples. Make it easy for us.”
Use Keywords Specific to Your Specialty
“I always search for keywords that are directly related to my needs. I like to have a really narrow search and not go too broad. I don’t use any filters for my searches, just keywords and then I will start looking at each freelancer one-by-one. Guru.com has an amazing database of qualified freelancers from around the world. You are competing with 1000s of other qualified individuals. Use as many specific keywords in your service and portfolio descriptions as you can.”
Be Prompt and Communicative
“This should be a breeze for any sales or marketing pro…you deal in communication! I like to “test the waters” by sending an invite or asking a freelancer a question to see how quickly they reply. I test my top five choices this way for any particular project we need at Digital Sound Magic. I’m glad to pay a freelancer their full asking price when they give me full, comprehensive answers and show me value and genuine consideration for my issues!”
Tips from Tom Clark, Guru Freelancer
Choose a Niche
First things first – find out from those you know and trust what area of marketing is the best fit for you. Ask your clients and trust their feedback. Just as the Creation complements the Creator, Marketing complements Design; so listen to what your clients have to say, identify your strengths, and carve out a niche when building your profile. In my case, I’ve been implementing marketing strategies, brand development and design to launch new products to market.
Share Your Expertise
Be well-read in the areas you have chosen to target. Share your knowledge and your own experiences and opinions on a blog. Post updates of your recent work and showcase other skills besides marketing that you have to offer. Describe case studies and share how you went about helping exceed each client’s expectations. blog – http://www.crbrands.blogspot.com/
Let Your Passion Show
Stay focused, excited and passionate about what you do, and let that be apparent through your profile. Mention key words or quotes that move you or things you believe in. Talk about how you have helped to make a difference in the world we live in. Share what you have done for nonprofits that may be looking for well-thought-out strategies that will make them appear more professional.
Still have questions? Ask the experts in our Guru Answers community, or leave a comment below.
