If you are a creative professional about to strike out on your own, in a way you have it made. Strange as it may sound, when starting a business (or a career) the fact that no one has heard of you can work to your advantage. As a relative unknown, you have the luxury of being able to construct an image precisely the way you want it to be built. Firms or individuals who are seeking to “relaunch” themselves may have reputations or perceptions that need to be overcome, but novices do not have this concern.

Whether you actually are a newbie, or you’ve simply decided to adopt a higher profile with your marketing, an assessment of current market conditions and some clarity about your own goals will be valuable tools. A good place to begin is by answering some basic questions:

Adam Hoffman: Logo-Matic (above)
Adam Hoffman (www.conyersdesign.com) knew he had to differentiate himself from other young designers about to enter the job market. He wanted not only to display his design talent, but also to prove he was an abstract thinker.

Hoffman created the tongue-in-cheek “Logo-Matic,” a device proclaiming the ability to create almost any logo. Of course, in the event the Logo-Matic failed, Hoffman’s contact information was available.

Who are you talking to?
Are you hoping to attract prospective clients? Reconnect with existing ones? Make contact with the media? Draw potential employees (or get a job yourself)? While a knee-jerk reaction is to say that the intent of your introductory piece or campaign is exclusively to generate new business, let’s remember that nearly every communications effort has a primary target market and a secondary audience as well. Carefully define whom it is you are talking to before you do anything else. You might find it helpful to identify someone in your mind—an archetypical persona that represents the audience you intend to reach. By keeping this character in your thoughts as you develop your introductory promotions, you can stay focused and keep your message on target. You can then evaluate the appropriateness of your communication to a secondary or even tertiary audience and adjust accordingly. This is not to say you want a one-size-fits-all approach, but with a little strategic thinking it may be possible for your self-promotion effort to do double duty as, say, a staff recruitment piece or a promo you use to secure media exposure.

In addition to inventing a character to talk to, you might find it helpful to converse with actual clients or prospects about what types of communications appeal to them. Would they be impressed by a comprehensive package that is just sent once, or do they prefer more frequent touches? Do they like e-mail promotions or printed materials? Ask if they’ve saved marketing materials from advertising agencies, designers or other creative professionals. Find out what they found compelling and what was not as appealing about the resources they show you. Consider doing some informal market testing of your own self-promotions—those already produced promos as well as conceptual ideas—to find out what sort of impression you’re presenting.

Brittni Heisterkamp: The Grass is Always Greener (above)
Seeking employment in Europe, new graduate Brittni Heisterkamp (www.brittnimorgan.com) developed a promotion appropriately themed “The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Pond.” The mailer included a mini-catalog of the young designer’s works.

What do they want to know?
A quintessential marketing mistake is for the seller to convey what he wants to say, not what the prospect needs to know. You may think, for example, that all that matters to your audience is creativity, when in reality they may be more concerned with deadline issues or your ability to provide strategic planning services. This is another area where your informal market test panel could prove valuable. Ask trusted clients—and possibly even prospects—why they made a recent decision to work with a creative professional or firm. Probe for specifics, especially if there were other service providers being considered. What were the factors that weighed most heavily in the decision? Why did they eliminate a group or individual from consideration? While you’re at it, look at your own reasons for doing business with the people you have come to know and depend on: What can you learn from your own decision-making process that will serve you?

About the author
Sheree Clark is managing partner of Sayles Graphic Design in Des Moines, Iowa; an author and speaker on organizational and business issues; and owner of Art/Smart Consulting, which provides selfpromotion and business strategies to creative professionals.

Read the full article in the December/January 2008 issue of Dynamic Graphics magazine

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