In the run up to my new e-course’s launch on Wednesday March 10th, I’ll be giving away 10 courses for free.

The offer is inclusive to fans of the Red Lemon Club Google+ Page

For a chance of getting hold of a free, instantly downloadable copy of the course: ‘The Freelancer’s Guide to Winning Incredible Clients through Google+ Mastery’ (and several bonuses), which shows freelancers, and entrepreneurs, everything you need to know to use Google+ for winning great, ongoing projects and clients, you need to do the following:

1. Log in or sign up for a Google+ account.

2. Go to the Red Lemon Club Google Page, and add us to one of your circles if you haven’t already.

3. Write a wall post or comment stating why you want the course.

..And that’s it!

The ten winners will be announced through the Google+ page, as well as the Red Lemon Club site on Tuesday Feb 6th.

Good luck!

My course for freelancers on using Google+ to win clients proudly launches on 7th February. To help me get the word out, I need some help from you guys.

For some of you who can help with a tweet or two on Twitter, I am giving away 5 free 60-day visible advertising spots right here on Red Lemon Club, as well as Ape on the Moon (100,000+ visits per month combined) and the RLC newsletter (4700+ subscribers). That’s worth $200 each! So you get plenty of promotion.

On top of that, I’ll send you a free copy of my new ebook ‘5 Steps to a Solid Twitter Network‘ worth $27, which shows you exactly how to build up a large and targeted network on Twitter.

These ads will be pushed up to the top so they’re nice and visible. I can personally help with banner design if you need it.

Just copy the following tweet into your Twitter ‘What’s Happening’ box for a chance to win:

Get ready for NEW e-course for freelancers from @redlemonclub on using Google+ to win great clients. Learn more: http://bit.ly/wlXZIR

Winners for the ad spots are announced here, on Sunday evening 5th February.

Best of luck!

Surely having a presence on Facebook, blogs, LinkedIn, Twitter and more, is enough for sharing content and promoting ourselves! Facebook alone can prove to be an enormous time-burner.

I’ve spent a lot (I mean a lot) of time researching Google+ and I’ve had had plenty of experience on Facebook, including writing some guides on it. From this, I’ve discovered a wealth of great things that highlight Google’s new project. What Google has on offer is something that really will, and already is, shaking things up in a big way.

Even though Facebook has its uses, particularly in engaging with a source of already established friends, the benefits Google+ can provide for creative freelancers like us are really worth noting.

Here are 10 ways Google+ is better for creative freelancers than Facebook:

1. Better for a portfolio.

Google+ is ideal as a secondary portfolio for your work. Images can be presented with more variation and there are some great editing features through Google+’s Creative Kit to add further variety and tweaking. You can also have a set of 5 recent portfolio pieces right at the top of your profile.

Sharing your work is really good because you can choose exactly who sees your updates and various albums (art directors for example), and you can add Google’s ‘+1’ feature to images so that they can be bumped up to the top of image searches in Google, for added exposure.

For videos, as Google owns YouTube, videos can be integrated easily within Google+ too.

2. A better system for people actually looking for creatives.

Art buyers and others looking for talent will want access to a stream of new work from people they are interested in following. The ‘circles’ element of Google+ allows users to organise streams into various groups so that they don’t have to see every update from everyone. Buyers can filter through just ‘illustrators’ for example. This is what the creative industry needs.

3. More professional environment.

Google+ is attracting a more professional crowd, mainly for its features and benefits for businesses.

This is where creative freelancers need to be to make the most of a presence of other professionals that can work with them and provide work for them. For the time being, Google+’s user-base is smaller, which means being able to stand out more too.

Google has made it easy to reduce clutter and noise on Google+ through allowing users to restrict the content they see and take out elements within profiles themselves. This combined with the fact that the interface and overall design is cleaner and better designed, adds to the professionalism of it.

4. Integration with other Google products and services.

Google+ has the benefit of being part of the Google family, and this means being able to integrate them into the system. A lot is yet to come, but things like Google’s superior search engine, Gmail, Picasa for pictures, YouTube and Documents will bring big benefits to a presence on Google+.

5. Better security of personal data.

As well as allowing you better control over who you share things with, Google+ is much better for security than it’s less experienced Facebook.

With Google’s ‘Data Liberation’ tool, you can be very explicit about what gets shared, and where, as well as what doesn’t. There is total control for all your creative work, and all your information on Google+.

6. Have critique circles.

The circles feature in Google+ is great for being able to share certain updates with people you’d like to gain feedback from over your work. On Facebook, sharing work means all your friends see it, which is impractical.

7. Ability to bookmark.

Google+ allows you to bookmark content you like that come through your friend’s feeds, as well as your topic-specific Sparks feed from around the web. If you see something that inspires you that you want to keep, you can share it with one of your own circles, names something like ‘Creative Inspiration’ and be able to refer to it later.

8. Better for collaboration.

Adding people you want to collaborate with to a specific circle, if they to do the same, allows you to send through updates that can be shared with the ‘team’ you are collaborating with. This also allows you to manage projects with multiple people involved, in a similar way to Basecamp, but for free.

Apart from chat, Google+ ‘Hangouts’ is another method for collaboration, which allows groups to discuss projects via a simple video feed.

9. Better for building a focused professional network.

Because Google+ allows you to follow the updates of anyone, you are in a great position to build connections through being aware of people’s content, and then engaging with that content. Engagement is what builds relationships and builds networks.

This kind of interaction is restricted in Facebook through only allowing people to see the updates of people that have accepted them as a friend.

Google+ even allows you to share content with people who haven’t yet chosen to follow you. If they have selected ‘Incoming’ under their ‘Home’ page, this opens up their stream to people who have them in their circles. This is another way to get your work and your brand out there and build a network.

10. Great for getting inspired.

Google+ has some excellent features that allow you to specify certain topics you want to follow in real time from over the web, for one, in the form of the Sparks tool.

Use Google+ to follow well known creatives if you wish, to see their own streams of content, that you can categorise into specific circles.

The photos area in your profile allows you to see all the pictures coming through from you circles, which can provide for some very quick inspirational reference as well.

These aren’t the only cool elements on offer that I’ve seen, so have a look at Google+ yourself.

If you want in-depth guidance on using Google Plus properly, check out our new course on using Google+ tailored just for freelancers that we are launching…

What else do you think creatives can use Google+ to benefit from?

When I thought about it, I knew the reason why I wasn’t getting any commissions. Being away for a while meant I was not in any potential prospect’s field of vision (on their minds). Because I had not been talking with prospects or people in the industry for a while, and wasn’t updating my work and generally networking; online and offline. I was out of sync with my industry.

And this is more than likely the reason behind your ‘work slump’, or your ‘not getting any commissions’ phase. People just aren’t thinking of you. Horrible, isn’t it? If people aren’t thinking of you or talking about you, you are less likely to get commissioned, especially by previous clients. Simple as that.

Some of you guys might be guilty of spending too much time working creatively and wondering why you aren’t getting commissioned when you haven’t been out and about talking about your work.

Well, I’ve scraped together a few of the key methods you can use to get back in the minds of those that can hire you quickly, so that you can get back to working again!

- Begin pinging people. By this I mean reaching out to people to get back in their ‘headspace’, via phone or email or social media. This can just be a hello, without any mention of work. It can work wonders just to re-establish contact with someone, even if they’re not directly a potential client.
Continue the dialogue if the first ‘ping’ leads anywhere.

Ongoing dialogue with someone is a good thing when it comes to promoting yourself, especially when it gives you a chance to mention what you are working on and your availability.

- Start some online conversations. This could be through a social media status update that gets people engaged with you, which could lead to discussing your work and so on. Going to an online forum likely to attract prospects is another good place to start contributing.

Online conversation is good, because it allows you to expend your digital self on the world without exerting too much energy. In a world where physical energy is scarce, this is a good thing. Obviously real-life interaction takes precedence.

- Go to one or two events this week that centre around your industry/field. It doesn’t need to be a ‘networking’ event, just something that draws in people that share an interest that relates to the work you do. Get talking. Just take it step by step.

- Talk and share a little more about your work than usual with people. That’s right, you need to spend the next week sharing and talking about your stuff as much as you can without annoying others. We’re talking about getting back on track in terms of getting commissions as quick as possible, so this will help.

This also includes adding work updates to a set of creative sites for example, making a point of handing out your business card when you otherwise wouldn’t, and contacting new potential prospects and people indirectly linked to your industry like bloggers.

- Share your knowledge. Write a good blog post about something you know about and promote the heck out of it or write an article or two for some other sites, especially those that are well-visited.

It would be a good idea to start a bit of a dialogue with the owner of a better-known blog before you start offering your writing services. This will build your credibility as a creative pro and get your name and thus work out there.

Your comments and further ideas are encouraged!

1. Make Good Offers and Promises

Don’t sit back an wait for work to come to you. Make offers to help your clients improve their business. If you think you can improve their branding…say so. Make and keep promises that are valuable to your clients. Promise delivery dates and milestones.

2. Over Deliver

Over-deliver….always. Delight your client with something extra they are not expecting!

If you produce videos, provide a DVD of outtakes from the production. Over-delivering will immediately differentiate you from 99% of your competition and will drive WOM (word of mouth) through the roof.

3. State Your Conditions of Satisfaction

Before beginning work, state your conditions of satisfaction (COS) verbally and in writing. What do you agree to deliver? When? When do you expect to be paid? What must happen for both parties to declare they are satisfied?

4. Confirm Satisfaction

Immediately after delivering your work, confirm that the client is satisfied. Now is the time to ask for referrals. If they are not satisfied, why not? Review the conditions of satisfaction with them. Who deviated? You or the client?

5. Invoice on a Timely Basis

Immediately after confirming satisfaction, send your invoice. The transaction and feeling of satisfaction is fresh and rooted in the client’s mind. This will contribute to you getting paid faster.

6. Get Paid

If you diligently adhere to the first five commandments, getting paid on a timely basis is usually a no brainer.

However, if you do not receive payment within your specified payment terms, be proactive about collecting your money. Don’t let your psychology take over. “It’s unprofessional to request payment”. “The client might think I am desperate for money.” Hogwash. Its your money!

Be firm and prompt about collecting your money.

7. Create a Strong Support Network

Being a creative entrepreneur can be lonely. To be successful you need a group of peers who share the same ambition for success. Cultivate these people. Meet with them on a regular basis. Share best business practices. Don’t whine. Motivate each other.

8. Create a Strong Contractor Network

If you are doing good work, making good offers, and keeping your promises, you will encounter a joyous problem…you have more work than you can handle. What to do? Find high-caliber contractors that can help. Its not easy. Most people do not share your ambition or commitment to quality.

Be constantly searching for those people you can trust to increase your capacity to do more.

9. Evolve to Fixed Price Engagements

Billing by the hour is a nice safe place to start. However, to fully leverage your talents, you must evolve to offering fixed price engagements to your clients.

Become an expert at defining the COS and estimating the time involved. Then be bold. Offer a fixed price fee. Clients will love you. They don’t like the uncertainty of open-ended, hourly projects.

10. Niche Thyself

Become an expert in a few industries (ex. healthcare, manufacturing). Build your identity in that community.

Domain experts command a higher price for their services. Why? They remove risk for the client. If you know my business, you will be more productive and your offers will be more aligned with my concerns.

This was a guest post from Scott Miller.

Scott Miller is a serial entrepreneur, having started service and software companies.  Scott is presently founder and CEO of the Bee, an online invoicing and bookkeeping tool for creatives and other small service businesses.  Scott writes about best practices for service businesses at Get the Bee.

I’m pleased to say I’ve had nothing but very positive feedback from everyone. Some of the responses I’ve received recently by people who have read the book are below.

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‘An absolutely fantastic book, Alex has provided an invaluable resource for any aspiring or established professional creative.

I have been working as an illustrator for nearly five years. After purchasing Alex’s book, I discovered exactly what I was doing wrong in regards to promotion and exposure of my work.

In the space of a few weeks of using Alex’s methods, outlined in simple steps, I have generated a massive amount of interest and even gained more client work, especially good during the current economic climate. ’10 Steps’ has refreshed my excitement for my career and work.’

Phil Dunne, Illustrator

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‘Alex Mathers’ ’10 Steps’ was the perfect guide for me as I kick-started my illustration career. In art school, I learned about how to create my best work, but this book helped me figure out how to get it in front of the right people. It includes numerous creative and innovative ideas for self-promotion.’

Anna Raff, Illustrator

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‘It is the clarity of your book that I find to be it’s most inspiring aspect. In the world of self promotion, trying to figure out how to pull all of the possible avenues of exposure together and to prioritise them can be one of the most confusing and down right headache inducing tasks facing anybody in this industry.

You offer really clear and concise steps and guidance on how to go about tackling this. I found the sections on Networking and Bringing in Targeted Traffic to be especially enlightening, offering up areas of promotion that I had never considered before. Plus, your chapter on Direct Marketing has really assisted me with my current promotional activity.

The resources section is also fantastic, saving the reader literally days of trawling blogs, forums and directories.

All in all, your book is very clearly written and is a valuable tool to anyone making their way in this industry. What a wonderful resource.

Thank you.’

Tom Redfern, Illustrator and Designer

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‘As a complete beginner, 10 Steps has given me a good overview of the different types of online marketing, and moreover, a useful structure to fit them into. Without the book I’d be completely lost, but instead I’m focused and productive.’

Alexander Markham, Entrepreneur and Teacher

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‘I finished reading your book about 4 months ago, and I found so many useful tips. Focusing on exactly what I wanted to do, helped me develop in the areas I wanted, which is t-shirt design. I learned and networked with the right people and it helped me earn credibility and more popularity amongst my audience.

The book really help me re-focus on things I wasn’t aware of; it guided me, it did not tell me where to go, but it laid down all the available options.

Thanks Alex for this wonderful book, it was worth every dime.’

Mercedes Crespo, Designer

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‘Alex’s book is packed full of interesting advice and is a good point of reference for online marketing. It’s a huge guide but it also contains lots of smaller tips and tricks that are easy to implement. It’s probably worth the money just for the massive list of resources!’

Ian Ball, Animator and Illustrator

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‘I think your book is great, I tell everything that needs it to buy it.

My personal situation requires a little more time to apply all your ideas, but the most important thing that I realized is that a blog should be thought about very carefully. Your book is very useful for learning about social networks, which can be a very confusing place for me. Thanks a lot for sharing.’

Barbara Zonzin, Professional Photographer

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‘As a new member to the freelance creative world, this book has really helped me, not only understand the various general processes of self-promotion, but the specific means and steps by which to achieve them.

The book is full of links, examples and resources that comprise a complete know-all package for anyone trying to create a stronger online presence.’

Matt Wills, Designer

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‘I found Alex’s ebook to be most informative and very well thought out. The section that I personally found most beneficial was on advertising. As an event photographer, I am constantly looking for new ways in which to advertise & market myself online.

Alex provided the names of several online directories that I had not previously heard of, like Splut, Talk Photography and Guru.

I shall certainly be registering myself with these sites in order to meet potential new clients. In short, Alex’s ebook has proved to be an invaluable source of ideas!‘

Catherine Plant, Event Photographer

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Anyone else read the book? Please add your comments and views on it in the comments below.

Finding contacts on the Internet is a good way of building a network, and having a large and relevant online network is very useful. Taking this a step further and actually meeting some of these people is really valuable because it will cement relationships and trust with others even further.

Particularly for independent professionals like many of you, meeting new people and expanding your physical social network can be hard to do if you don’t know where to look.  Here are ten ways of finding, connecting with and arranging a meet up with people who can take your career to higher levels:

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is one of the major online networking tools for industry professionals, and used correctly, it can work in a very helpful way for you.  LinkedIn allows you to maintain a very decent level of privacy and emphasises the value of connecting with working professionals.

Using the site’s search tools can bring up a whole host of people to add to your network, who can turn out to be future clients, friends and colleagues. The messaging function on LinkedIn will enable you to talk to and build rapport with people that you could eventually meet further down the line. LinkedIn features job search options, tells you how many shared connections you have with people in different organizations and does all this while maintaining a very professional style.

2. MeetUp

MeetUp.com is a great online tool for any kind of social event planning, be it a business network or a friendly game of local tennis.  The site allows you to search by type of event and location.  A quick search tonight allowed me to find a plethora of activities from a “Free Networking Breakfast” in Chicago to a “Learning digital photography” social in London.

Pretty much anything you could be interested in, most anywhere in the world; you will find a group or event that fits the bill for you.

3. Facebook

Facebook is a great social tool, but many of us are only using it to keep in touch with our friends and not taking advantage of its many networking tools.  The Facebook search function is actually far more capable than you may realize, allowing you to search events and groups (the best networking tools on the site) by keywords.

Say, for example, you are a WordPress genius and you want to find online groups or physical events where you can meet other, likeminded WordPress-ites, a group search for “WordPress” leads you to a 4,000-strong group that discusses new plug-ins and themes while also promoting their services to other members.

A WordPress event search, on the other hand, helps me discover that there is a “Create a Free WordPress Site for Your Business” in Minneapolis, MN, that is totally free.  Perhaps offering a free course is the best way for you to promote your business and get new customers.

4. Trade Shows

Trade shows are happening all the time and they are a great opportunity for not only meeting people, but also for developing new ideas and finding new tools that will help you improve your business.  A trade show is your open invitation to introduce yourself to people who may well be in need of your services.

However, remember that trade show exhibitors are mainly looking to sell their services at trade shows, not to buy yours, so make sure you don’t take up too much of their valuable time: Simply walk up, introduce yourself, hand over a business card, explain your services and be on your way.

5. Twitter

Twitter is another brilliant networking tool if you are aware of the best methods to make full use of it, which is explained closely in my book on online self-promotion.  While you can set everything to post on your Twitter account automatically, I find that it’s the personal attention to Twitter that will see your Follower count skyrocket.  Find people with similar interests to you and start following them – they will often follow you back – and then start sharing news about your various activities with them and share useful links.

Then, here’s the most important part of Twitter, take advantage of the re-tweet options and create lists that include all your favorite friends or most relevant business connections – lists help you reach out to large groups without going public.

6. Stock Sites

For creative professionals especially, stock sites like iStockPhoto.com contain a wealth of creatives like photographers, illustrators and web designers that you could network with through the site’s message capability and forums. If you are a contributor, say of vector illustrations, you can find many other people who you share a commonality with. I know iStockphoto.com organise regular get-togethers for it’s photographer and artist contributors.

7. Gallery Openings, Launches and Exhibitions

A Google search will reveal plenty of gallery openings, exhibitions and other social events attended by creatives.  There are sites that exist like Artslant.com which provide information on various events like gallery openings that you could pencil into your diary and go to.

Facebook provides a particularly good source of exhibitions that are happening all over the world, and these can be searched for within the site. Exhibitions which showcase similar work to your own could attract the kinds of people you’ll want to meet, so go along with a friend, a business card or two and start up conversations with people.

8. Company Social Events

As an independent contractor or freelancer, you will not necessarily be invited to any of your own company socials, but if you can, try and get on a social level with the companies for whom you freelance, if they are local.

Do this by developing a strong relationship with them so they almost think of you as an associate.  You will also find good networking opportunities at company events of your friends and family, so if they’re looking for someone to accompany them to their social events, consider this a good opportunity.

9. Online Forums

Find a discussion board or forum online, such as DesignersTalk.com, and begin to engage in some of the discussions going on and make friends through there. You can nurture relationships here over time with other regular users of the forum and eventually arrange a meetup or social gathering. You can also use a forum to ask about events happening near you that others in your industry visit.

10. Business Networking Groups

A quick internet search will reveal plenty of networking groups in your area. Some will be industry- specific, like the many real estate networking events, while others will be more general. The great thing about networking events is that you know everyone is there for the same reason, so there’s no way you can be a nuisance, but you might find that there are too many freelancers like you and not enough clients to go around.

I know there are plenty of other resources that bring people together, so share those with us in the comments!

A big and growing trend has emerged for creatives to expand their reach (and income) through product-creation in the form of placing designs on t-shirts, selling prints, making knitted products, posters, toys and other merchandise.

Sites like Etsy, Threadless and CafePress are making this a viable and easy option for more and more creatives, whether this be in providing the means to sell products or actually help create them.

This provides for great extra income potential, as well as a chance to further market your own brand and work.

Steve Harrington’s collaboration with InCase.

This is all good stuff. However, there can be a noticeable difference in terms of earnings and self promotional power through actually collaborating with a brand (established or otherwise) to produce your own line of products or have your design as part of a series.

You could work with companies such as a clothing line, toy manufacturers, iphone skin-makers, gift brands, stationers and others.

So, to take uploading your work to websites a step further, make the move to contacting a brand, creative group or company you like and get a conversation going on potential collaborations you could contribute to. Get on the phone and arrange a meeting with them if you can.

Even if a collaboration doesn’t go ahead initially, taking action in this way will have a positive impact on your self promotion efforts and image.

You will be regarded as enthusiastic, action-prone, innovative and confident in your own work by those you contact and may be called upon in the future.

Above: Droplets from Jam Factory, and Tokyo Plastic’s collaboration with Terratag.

As Tahir says, this is hugely beneficial from a business side too, because it will get you thinking about how it all works within all the different industries and products you work with.

Here are some ideas on collaborating with companies that could get your work really noticed and boost your income:

1. Making toys with a designer toy company. For example, the ‘Droplets‘ toys through Jam Factory and Crazy Label.

2. Work with a T-shirt brand who you think could work with your style. Tokyo Plastic and Terratag are a good example of a collaboration as their styles appeal to a similar market.

3. Accessories for various gadgets like the iPad are a big industry at the moment. InCase’s collaborations with artists like Steve Harrington is a good example of a successful convergence of company and talent.

So have a brainstorm on what types of products or collaborations with other companies you could come up with and give appropriate companies a call.

Thanks Tahir for your ideas and work on this.

Your thoughts are welcome in the comments section below this post!

Social media sites can provide a treasure chest of new clients and exciting new projects for you if you know some of the tools to open it. If you are looking for regular work, it is possible to attract various great clients through social media in an efficient way, without wasting valuable time.

By now you have hopefully properly set up your various social media profiles, including providing a link to your work, which is all explained in detail in my ‘10 Steps’ ebook.

Here are 10 ways to use social media sites to get the attention of potential clients for you:

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1. Share updates on what you are working on. For example:

‘Well, now I can put my feet up! I’ve just added the finishing touches to my music poster: http://www.mywork.com’

2. Share pictures of your work or your awesome-looking workspace. This will get people excited about your work, especially as they can see it, and showing your workspace adds credibility and a personal touch to your self promotion. Twitpic is one such service that allows you to share pictures on Twitter.

3. Ask for feedback on the progress of your own work, by sharing a picture or link.

4. Post any recent updates you have made to your portfolio.

5. Express your joy at positive appraisals from colleagues, clients, fans. For example:

‘Got a great testimonial from my client about my last design project. So happy! [link to testimonial]’

6. Get a friendly conversation going with a potential client, or ask them a relevant question.

7. Get chatting about industry related things with anyone. New ‘tweets’ or updates that will interest potential clients will keep you visible.

8. Share news that will build your credibility as a professional, such as being interviewed for a blog or magazine, winning a new project, or when posting a new article to your blog.

9. Arrange to meet potential clients face-to-face using social media as a first point of contact. Nothing beats a one on one over coffee if you think you could bring something to the table with this person.

10. Ask a question to do with your work that generates discussion. Particularly on Facebook, this is a good way to get ongoing visibility on topics that will get noticed by potential clients if they are connected to you through this platform.

Remember that engaging with others on these sites is less about ‘selling’ and much more to do with getting into conversations and building relationships. So keep this in mind when making use of these ideas.

Another thing to keep in mind is to not restrict your online networking to only one person or one network. Keep an open mind and join other networks and talk with people in related but different industries. You never know what might turn up in the form of new work by engaging in different areas occasionally.

This might be all good and well, but if you have any interest in staying afloat in the industry over a substantial period of time, it is essential to understand a system that allows for winning new projects and selling products regularly over the long term.

Marketing expert Michael Port introduced to me the concept of the ‘sales cycle’, which takes the essential elements of self promotion, and places them within a system that you can use to set out a strategy of effective long term self promotion.

A sales cycle simply highlights the key stages that need to be incorporated into your campaign of promoting yourself and your work in order to secure bookings with new as well as previous and ongoing clients.

The crucial elements of a successful promotion strategy for not only service professionals but all businesses and corporations are:

Getting your product or service noticed.

Attracting potential customers or clients.

Becoming credible.

Building trust.

Developing a strong relationship with those contacts.

Bringing clients to take action in using your services.

I have used the concepts introduced by Michael Port and formulated a straight forward sales cycle that brings in all these important elements to allow you to attract great clients and regular work (as well as sales if you have a product).

The ten steps described in my new ebook address and put into action all of the stages of the cycle I will describe below.

These stages are what a client moves through when deciding whether to use your services or buy one of your products. A potential client or buyer can drop in and out of this cycle, and they don’t necessarily have to start from the beginning in order to hire you.

Addressing all the stages in your campaign is important in ensuring a steady stream of work and sales if you sell products.

You’ll need to keep this cycle in mind as you go about promoting yourself if you want to see optimum results in attracting new work from clients or in selling to customers.

The stages are as follows:

Stage 1. Get Seen

Perform tasks that will get your name in front of your target market.

This covers any activity that introduces new people to your work, or reminds people of it.

By itself, activity addressing this stage will potentially bring new fans, clients, advice givers, collaborators, buyers and more, to you and your work.

This can include social networking, bringing people to your website, setting up referrals, writing articles, sending out mail promos, leaving blog comments, guest blogging and so on.

Of course, there may be instances where others will do the work for you, such as featuring your work on their blog having seen your work, or someone sharing a link to your site on Twitter, for example.

It is possible for you to get work with clients or sell products through this stage alone. This is also possible at instances anywhere into the cycle. However, stopping at this stage in the cycle, will make it harder for you to secure long term work and/or sales at a consistent rate.

Stage 2. Link Up

Secure contacts that you can build a relationship with.

This is where you establish a secure link with a targeted contact that will enable you to communicate with them over time and build a relationship with them.

A secure link can be in the form of attracting a Twitter follower, adding a Facebook friend or fan, and ultimately and ideally, adding targeted people to your mailing list.

There are no risks for your contacts here. People are not expected to hand over their hard earned cash at this point.

Before securing a link with the right people, it helps to demonstrate a positive reputation, credibility and value as a creative worker. This includes things like being the author of a useful and original blog, having an accomplished portfolio of work, showing client testimonials and adding good, readable content through Twitter and Facebook.

These are the things that will provide an incentive for people to secure such a link with you.

Stage 3. Keep in touch

Work on developing a trusting relationship with your contacts.

This is the stage that cultivates trust, rapport and a long-term relationship between you and your target contacts that you have already created a secure link to.

This involves tasks that maintain visibility in front of contacts at the very least, but also tasks that build trust and familiarity, and allow positive interaction with your key contacts.

Such tasks include sending blog post updates to members of your Facebook fan page, ‘tweeting’ through Twitter, interacting with people on social media sites, sending out status updates on Facebook and broadcasting a newsletter containing tips and new updates to members of your mailing list.

Stage 4. Strike a Deal

Create an offering that will lead to work.

The next step is to move your potential clients or buyers into the next stage of the cycle, which is in hiring your services or buying from you. Although creating an offering in this way is an element of selling products, it is also an important step to take in selling your services.

For most creatives, an offering in this way would simply involve reminding your contacts that you are available for work, and that any referrals that can be sent your way would be appreciated. ‘Calls to action’ in the form of a link on your site that suggests prospects ask for a quote is another example of an offering.

What your offerings are is up to you here and will depend on your area of work.

An offering to attract work, such as a discounted service, or offering tickets for an exhibition, for example, as well as discounts on any products you sell are also options here. They are not essential, however, because the important thing is that people are simply aware of your work. This alone can lead to paid projects.

Prospects who would like to work with you will hire you if they want to, or they may act as vital referrers.

It is important to be aware of this cycle as you go about the steps discussed in my ebook, if you are interested in consistently and effectively selling your products or services.

Your thoughts as comments are always welcome!