Marketing in itself is a word that we immediately turn our noses up at. It's a word which has been associated with cheesy sales and techniques which big businesses use to basically take your money. But the truth is that we’re business owners too and we also need to make money AND adding to that, the services we offer also really help people.

We’re not just lining our pockets with pennies that we’ve cheated from people - we create something that is so valuable to our clients. And the only way these clients are going to find us is by jumping into a bit of marketing!

But marketing can be made so much easier if we can feel like we’re being true to ourselves, talking how we would as humans and creating content that gets us excited! So how do we do this?

PREFER TO LISTEN?

Listen to the podcast instead! An episode that perfectly fits this topic is here for you to listen below and if you want to listen on the go, search 'The Daring Designers Club Podcast' wherever you listen to podcasts for more design business insider tips, personal stories and advice.

Now, instead of automatically jumping from marketing to icky sales - try and switch it around so you’re thinking of marketing as the way to help people who need your help to discover you and to find the ways that you can help them show up online themselves or grow their business or start their dream projects.

Right let’s jump in to my more authentic methods for marketing for designers….

TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DO

There’s no way around it, if you want people to know what you do and how you can help them, you have to talk about it! It may feel weird at first because we’re not used to talking about ourselves too much, but as soon as you start it’ll feel more natural and you will develop a style to sell yourself that suits you! Think of ways in which you can talk about what you do in a way that feels natural. Post some behind-the-scenes of you working on some of your projects or talk about your day and how you’re going to fit your design work in.

IF IT DOESN’T FEEL RIGHT, DON’T DO IT!

It’s as simple as that. If you’re spending hours creating content for a platform that you don’t use yourself or if you’re writing blog posts you hate just because you feel like you have to - just stop! Forcing yourself into a routine isn’t going to make it happen and the truth is, if your heart isn’t into it, people can tell. That’s exactly the same for doing things you’re more excited and passionate about. You have to stick to what feels good for you, instead of what other people are doing. Spend that time doing something you like doing and that sells your services.

MARKETING TAKES TIME

There’s no way around it. If you want to do it properly and in a considered way, you do have to spend some time thinking about what you want to do planning your ideas, writing your content, and then making it a reality. Marketing can be tricky when you have other things to do as a business owner. The best way to get these tasks done is by setting some time aside to do them. Start small, maybe just an afternoon see how much you can get done in that time. Figure out a time that works for you, make it a priority and try your best to stick to it every week until it becomes a habit.

YOU ARE 100% UNIQUE

Of all the other people doing something like what you do or even people, you see as competition. None of them are you and none of them can do what you do. So make sure everyone else knows that too. You have a unique style, a unique voice, and unique services and there will always be someone who wants to work with you. Don’t worry about what other people are doing, you do you, share what you can do with the world and soon enough people will be filling up your calendar with amazing projects so they can get a piece of your magic.