Regardless of whether things are hectic or just crazy-busy, try to treat yourself as if you were a client. I don't like to let my brand to fall by the wayside. I think it's a bit like a garden and it needs tending in order to grow. If your studio is ever having a quiet patch then invest the time in creating clever and inexpensive promotional tools, update your website, do all the creative things you never have time to do when work is overflowing!
Always smile at strangers! Some of the cheapest promotion is good old fashioned networking. It's important to build connections and develop relationships with people, each one can play a part in your success.Treat your clients like gold. The relationship you build with one client can be what leads you to meeting your next client. Make sure they are happy campers and they will talk about you to their colleagues and friends.
Maintain a focus on design. Good work is usually rewarded with more work!! So treating each project with due respect and making conscious design decisions can reap rewards for your business.
Build your online presence. Make sure you have a solid website and a profile on all the major sites like LinkedIn, the Loop, etc. Think business connections rather than pure social media! Facebook is still an option, but your actual presence on people's feeds as a business page is hit and miss, so organic reach is difficult, and paid efforts are even more questionable after the latest round of changes to the site's functionality.
Communicate like crazy! Tweeting, blogging, podcasting and public speaking are all great ways to lift your profile as an industry leader or field expert. It's all about the conversation, you just need to start it! Self promotion for creatives can be simple and cost effective, even free at times if you get clever about the way you do it! So what are you waiting for? Go smile at a stranger and blog about what happens next ;)
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