The Covid-19 pandemic has made many people rethink their lives and their jobs. One of the major changes that has come about as a result of the pandemic is the growth of online marketing. While some businesses have benefited from the change, the majority have struggled to keep up with the demand.
If you’re looking to beef up your online marketing game, then you need to get creative with your methods. One way to do this is by making an online portfolio. An online portfolio is a good place to show off your work to potential employers or clients. It also allows you to show off your accomplishments in a digital format. Building up an online portfolio is a great way to gain credibility (and hopefully get a job). It can also be a great way to market your business.
Why An Online Portfolio?
The demand for digital marketers has increased exponentially during the pandemic as businesses try to keep up with the growing number of online shoppers. According to Cisco, by 2021, there will be a shortage of about 642,000 cyber security jobs globally.
In 2020, 74% of Gen Z said they would prefer to work for a company that provides digital marketing services compared to 68% of millennials and 66% of the general population.
If you’re looking to get a leg up in your career or looking for a new gig, then marketing with an online portfolio is a great way to do this. Not only does it show off your creative skills and knowledge of current events, but it allows you to build up a digital marketing resume that can be accessed anywhere, anytime. Having a digital marketing resume is akin to having a digital portfolio – it’s a way to market your creative skills and experience.
How to Make an Online Portfolio
If you’re looking to build a portfolio to help with your job search, then you need to be strategic about the type of content you include. The term ‘portfolio’ simply means a collection of work that you’ve done. An online portfolio can be any size or type of collection, but it tends to be small in terms of the number of pages.
There are several ways you can go about making your portfolio, but you need to choose one that suits your needs. If you have a specific kind of project in mind that you’d like to include, then go ahead and put together a collection of work that relates to this topic. Keep in mind that the project you pick should be something that will not only contribute to your portfolio but also be of use to your end goal. For example, if you’re looking for a job in marketing and you come across a project that requires you to write a press release, you may want to choose another project to round out your portfolio.
Curate a Portfolio That Suits Your Needs
When selecting a project for your portfolio, it is beneficial to think about what is most suited for your needs at the moment. Based on your previous experience and the type of work you’d like to include in your portfolio, curate a collection of projects that will best serve your needs.
For instance, if you’re looking for a job in marketing, then your portfolio can focus on your work in SEO or social media marketing. If you’d like to include PR activities in your portfolio, then pick a project that relates to an industry event or new product launch.
As you add projects to your portfolio, it’s a good idea to keep a record of what you’ve done. This can be done in several ways. You can create a Google document that will function as your portfolio, or you can use a content management system (CMS) like GitHub to keep track of all your completed projects. GitHub allows you to create projects, including web sites, blog posts, and marketing material, and then share them with the public. It also provides you with the tools to work on projects collaboratively with others.
Create a Word Cloud From Your Works
Another way to showcase your work is to create a word cloud from the text in your projects. A word cloud is simply an image of words with the size of the letters proportional to the frequency with which they appear in a text. For example, ‘marketing’ may appear in one place in your text and ‘brand awareness’ may appear in another. The cloud then helps you cluster similar words together. You can use a tool like Wordle to easily create a word cloud from your content.
When creating a word cloud, it’s important to keep the following tips in mind. First, make sure that the text you provide is of good quality. Second, use relevant words. Third, don’t use any sort of jargon or industry language. Finally, ensure that the font is easy to read.
Include Visuals
Visuals are always a good idea when it comes to marketing. They can help to tell a story, they can add credibility to your claims, and most importantly, they can be used to engage your readers.
Whatever you do, make sure that the images you choose are relevant to the content you’re producing. If the images don’t match the content, then it will look like you cheated when you created the portfolio. One way to add credibility to your marketing materials is to add a visual element. There are several free online resources that can help you with this. For example, Fotolia provides stock images for businesses and brands to use for free in their marketing materials. Likewise, Deposit Photos offers a creative commons stock photo library for photographers and content creators to use for free. Finally, Getty Images offers a premium service called ‘Images for Life’ that provides stock imagery for commercial and editorial use.
Keep It Organized
As you continue to add projects to your portfolio, it’s a good idea to keep it organized. This can be done in a number of ways. You can use a template, such as the one from FreshBooks, to keep all your projects in order. FreshBooks provides a simple dashboard that allows you to view your tasks and deadlines, set weekly budgets, and generate invoices. It also helps you to keep track of your expenses – all of this from the palm of your hand.
If you have a large number of projects, then you may want to create and maintain a master list. This can be done in several ways. You can use a spreadsheet to track your projects or use a tool like Trello to keep a collaborative overview of your projects. Just remember, whatever method you choose, make sure that it is simple and easy to use.
An online marketing portfolio is a great place to show off your creative skills and knowledge of current events. Not only does it allow you to build up a digital marketing resume that can be accessed anywhere, anytime, but it can also be a good way to market your business.