Starting Your Career as a Freelance Web Designer by Neil Tortorella

Author:Neil Tortorella
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allworth

CREATING AND IMPLEMENTING YOUR

MARKETING PLAN

Chapter 2 highlighted the components of a typical marketing plan. In this chapter, we’ll dig a little deeper. Taking the time to research and draft a plan will give you valuable insights into your business, your niche, and competition. Beyond this, a good plan will help you avoid the notorious “What do I do now?” syndrome. By planning your marketing, you’ll know what needs to be done, when, and for how much. Think of it as a road map that directs your freelance business toward success. Sure, there can be a few bumps in the road, but going through the exercise can put you in a much better position to win clients than your competitors who haven’t taken the time to plan their marketing.

Your marketing plan will consist of several subsets. These include the following:

Marketing Goals and Objectives

Goals are broad-based intentions. They’re the big picture. Objectives, on the other hand, are more specific and measurable. For example, you may have a goal of entering a new niche of building websites for cosmetic dentists. The associated objective might be to gain 10 percent market share of cosmetic dental practices within a twenty-five-mile radius by December 31, 2011.

Be sure to think through your goals and objectives to ensure they’re achievable. Generating one million dollars within the next month isn’t likely to happen. Signing five new clients just might. Set goals that will challenge you and then chop them up into smaller, quantifiable objectives that are attainable. Each objective brings you closer to your bigger goals. It will help you stay motivated and focused as you complete each step.

Situation Analysis

The situation analysis addresses where the market is currently at and where it’s going. It also looks into trends that affect the marketing arena as well as the competition. For web designers, this means how rapidly changing technologies influence the market, possible barriers to entry into a particular niche, and how the lowering of these barriers can affect your business. An example might be a trend where local small business owners trying to build their own website using various template solutions. It also takes into account how your services are positioned to meet audience needs and any changes or trends in how you get your services to the client.

Marketing Research

There are two types of marketing research—primary and secondary. Primary research is information you gather yourself. This can be data from surveys, phone calls, and e-mails to your target group, talking with complementary service providers that share the same audience and such. Secondary research is information from websites, articles, books, industry associations and journals, trade press, etc.

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