01/12/2013

Networking

When I first started my business, while still being in school I didn’t really do a lot of networking. I had no idea how! When I was done with school I searched for a job for a little while, but no luck. So I decided to give my business a year and then see where I was at. All of a sudden I had to put all mediums to work I had at my disposal. I started to blog more often and created a Twitter account and Facebook page.

I started to create multiple portfolio’s, wherever I could find (free) websites. Now, after a year, I can’t say it was really useful. On the one hand, it’s smart to be very ’visible’ online, but on the other hand t’s also a lot of work to keep up and most people find me through my blog and portfolio.

I was lucky, because I won a twitter course at a Webvedettes giveaway. I learned so much from them! But also received many affirmations that I was doing it right (which felt awesome!).

You have to network to create useful and fun connections. People in the same profession as you, with whom you can exchange knowledge. Printers for possible collaborations, potential clients and so on. I can absolutely say that I’ve been happy on several occasions that I’ve put the time and effort in creating my network. I’m not an expert, but here are a few tips:

PROMOTE
I hated (and still do) to promote myself. I want people to buy my things because they like them, not because I’ve been bothering them with it. But what I’ve learned (and what motives me to ignore the horror I feel) is that you have to show yourself, how else will they know who you are? So it’s ok to promote. I still do it in moderation, because I just think it’s really annoying to do it too much (and think other experience it like that too).

But when you’re proud of a design, it’s ok to say that more then once! On Twitter someone has to be online at the exact moment you post your tweet to actually see it. Try to promote something from different points of view, so that it’s not annoying for the ones who do see all your tweets. For example: the lovely colors, the great quality, the diversity, a comment from a costumer, sale offer, etc).

PLAN
Especially when you’re busy (and have several projects), it’s wise to plan posts on your blog, Facebook and Twitter. You can use Hootsuite, you can sign up for free (it’s a bit confusing in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it, it’s ok). I usually do this at night, when I get inspired, or feel like doing something different (than designing).

REGULAR
It’s smart to blog about the same theme/subject once a week. This way, people who are interested, will regularly come back to your blog. I write posts like that in advance and plan them. To promote them, to let people know they’re online, I also plan tweets.

BE YOURSELF
You want to show who YOU are, so do that. Don’t try to present yourself better, but also not smaller, do what feels right. The posts I put on Twitter, Facebook and the blog are a mix of my work, sometimes personal, but also useful tips and inspiration. I write what I’d like to see on other blogs too.

FINDABLE
When you tweet, use hashtags. If you blog or add a design/product to your website/shop, use tags. This way, Google will be able to find you. Don’t just describe literally what it is, but also associations. For example with the Snailmail magazine, I don’t only put ’snailmail magazine’, but also ’write letters’ and ’real mail is much more fun’.

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