If you’re looking for a new challenge, why not consider creating a marketing portfolio online? There’s plenty of talent out there and few things are as rewarding as creating a valuable resource for yourself and others. Plus, you can do it for free! Here’s how.
Step one: Choose Your Niche
One of the first things you’ll want to do is figure out what your niche is. What will you specialize in? You don’t need to go crazy and choose a niche that isn’t within your reach, but rather, something more within your expertise. For example, if you’re an expert in digital marketing, you might want to consider specializing in SEO or PPC (Pay Per Click Advertising). This way, you can create valuable content around those topics and grow your audience quickly. If you’re less experienced in the digital marketing arena, consider starting with small and medium businesses, since they’re the ones who usually need the help the most. The more experience you have, the more you can specialize in.
Step two: Create an Overview Page
Now that you have your niche, you can move on to the next step. Create an overview page for your business. An overview page is a great place to detail your expertise, as well as, provide potential clients with an idea of what your business is about. While you can use any website builder to create your overview page, why not go the extra mile and make it look professional? There are plenty of free tools online that can help you with this, such as Canva’s Business Card Mockup tool. Simply upload your business’ logo, set the text, and add in some professional-looking videos, images, and/or infographics to make it look incredible. Once you’ve created the overview page, consider adding in more detailed information about your expertise. Think of this as a mini-CV that highlights your key strengths and areas of expertise. For example, if you’re an SEO expert, you might want to create a page that details your strategy. If you’re a PPC specialist, you can create a page that discusses how you plan to optimize your campaigns to get the best results.
Step three: Create an About me page
Once you’ve got everything planned and laid out on the overview page, it’s time to move on to the next step. On your about me page, you can add in more information about yourself. This is also a great place to add in links to your LinkedIn profile and any other social media accounts you might have. Additionally, you can add in some case studies, awards, or other forms of recognition you’ve earned. Think of this as your personal Brand page, which can be located alongside your business page. The more you put in here, the more you’ll grow your personal brand. For example, if you have multiple case studies or awards, you can say something like, “See my case study on
X
to learn more about how I helped my client achieve a Y result.”
Step four: Create a Project Portfolio
After you’ve got your about me page set up, it’s time to move on to the last step. Create a project portfolio. A project portfolio is exactly what it sounds like — a collection of all the projects you’ve worked on. Now, it’s a good idea to keep your project portfolio on your website, but it’s not necessary. You can also keep it in a Word doc, or PDF, for example. The important thing is that you keep track of everything you do. Remember: this is your personal brand we’re talking about here. The last thing you want to do is lose track of anything valuable you create. You can also use this opportunity to detail the services you offer and the results you get. For each project, add in a short description of what you did and a few key points that can be used to highlight your expertise. Don’t be afraid to put yourself in the mix. If you’re asked about a particular project, you can say something like, “Ah, that was my first project for
XYZ
agency. I oversaw the whole process from strategy to execution.”
Once you’ve got your project portfolio in order, it’s time to test the waters. Why not submit your project portfolio to some agencies or individuals you’ve heard of? Alternatively, you can also reach out to some potential clients and see what they say. If you’ve built up a decent amount of content, you can always use that to highlight your work. For example, if you’ve authored a number of white papers and case studies, you can say something like, “See my
XYZ
case study for more information on
X
industry.”
Creating a marketing portfolio is a great way to keep track of your work. Additionally, you can use this resource to easily find and reel-in new clients. Plus, you can do it all for free!