Finding work can be the toughest part of being a freelance graphic designer. Graphic design is a very competitive business. Survival as a freelancer requires designers to think outside the box and utilize less commonly thought of resources such as email marketing and job boards.
Google is a great source of local leads. Many printing companies do not have an in-house graphic designer and they hire freelancers. Additionally, some of the sales people may not like the house designer(s) and would prefer to work with someone else.
Search Google for “printer your city, state” or “printer major metropolitan area” and find printing companies that have a good size sales staff. Locate a general contact and email them a brief introductory letter with a link to your website. It is essential that you request that they please forward your email to the entire sales staff. Repeat every two months as needed. Sales staff can come and go, so persistence is important.
ThumbTack.com
ThumbTack is a job board where you can post an ad for free and they submit your ad to various search engines. Write the most compelling ad you can and promote the link with social media accounts like Facebook and Twitter. A catchy ad and a little promotion will bring clients to you.
Warrior Forum
The Warrior Forum is a forum for Internet marketers. Since Internet marketers often build websites for their clients, there are frequent posts from marketers looking for help in their Website design forum. You can also try posting an offer for your services in their Warrior Products and Services forum. Internet marketers also hire graphic designers for a wide variety projects other than website design.
DigitalWebbing.com
Digital Webbing maintains a Talent Search Forum where you can post an ad for your services and respond to other members’ ads. The site is for comic book creators, but many of them hire freelance graphic designers to design logos, banner ads and promotional videos for YouTube. The biggest advantage of Digital Webbing is that there is less competition from other graphic designers. The downside is that many of the comic book creators are on a tight budget and you may have to sift through many low-paying ads before you find ones worth your time.
Freelance Switch
Freelance Switch is another website with a job board. Most of the opportunities on Freelance Switch are specifically for website design, however if you search the ads you can find other assignments as well. To view contact information or to post an ad offering your services, you have to sign up for an account.
Pitching your services via email and job boards does require time and effort, but it is significantly less frustrating – and often more lucrative – than competing for work on freelance bidding sites. Targeting niche markets like local printers, Internet marketers and comic book creators also has the extra benefit of word of mouth advertising. If clients like your work, they will refer you to others.
About the Author:
Deborah is a freelance professional specializing in helping others find their career paths, online and off. She loves writing for a myriad of blogs and is a regular contributor on the Ultrasound Technician site.
