For Freelancers, Is On or Offline Advertising More Effective?

By: Yuwanda Black
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:42:59
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For freelancers, trying to figure out which method is more effective -- eg, on or offline advertising -- can be a frustrating task. Consider the following:

Freelancer A: "I placed an online ad and landed 3 new gigs and gained 8 new subscribers to my list."

Freelancer B: "Well, I placed a newspaper ad and received 13 inquiries and 4 new jobs."

Which advertising method works best -- on or offline ads? Like most things in life, that depends. On what? Primarily, your target market and your advertising budget.

Your Target Market: Who buys your product/service? Where are they most likely to become aware of your business? For example, if you are marketing your editorial services regionally, then neighborhood circulars, postcard mailings and flyers might work well, as your target market is businesses within a certain geographic area.

On the other hand, if you want to sell your services nationally and internationally, you might try an online marketing campaign.

Your Budget: If you don't have it, you can't spend it. So, to a large degree, the type of advertising you do will be limited to what you can afford to spend. However, don't let this be an excuse not to advertise or to make bad decisions in this area.

There are tons of creative, low-cost ways to get the buzz out about your business (flyers, charity work, postcards, bartering with other business, co-op advertising, etc.). Before you spend a dime, ask yourself, "Does this medium speak directly to the market I am trying to target?" If it doesn't, then you are wasting your money -- no matter how many prospects you may reach.

If you are selling dog food, it does you no good to market to people who don't have pets -- even if you reach 1,000,000 of them. They don't need your product, no matter how cheap it is. Remember, it is always better to reach a small number of well-targeted prospects, than a large number of general prospects.

Marketing Tip: Think of the minutiae of your target markets' lives. Where do they live, eat out, work, get their news, shop, etc? These factors will clue you in as to what type of advertising you should be doing.

Many freelancers rely exclusively on the Internet to reach prospects, but I believe you should reach prospects via their mailbox AND their inbox. After all, there's still nothing better than the face-to-face meeting to make clients become more loyal. A regional, "in your own backyard," direct mail campaign can lead to this.

In closing, the extent to which you will utilize one method over the other heavily depends on the factors listed above.

May be reprinted with the following, in full: Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: THE business portal for and about the editorial and creative industries. First-hand freelance success stories, e-courses, job postings, resume tips, advice on the business of freelancing, and more! Launch a profitable freelance writing career in 30 days or less -- guaranteed! Log on to learn how.

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