A Portfolio and Testimonials: Two Indispensable Tools to Help You Land Your Next Client!
As a professional writer (both of the content and literary varieties), small business owner, and, by default, marketer to the public of my services, I find it impossible to overlook, or for that matter to minimize, the importance of two particular components necessary for marketing services to prospective clients: a portfolio and client testimonials.
But this does not just pertain to writers. Whether your field of endeavor is graphic art, transcription, website-building, tourism, health and nutrition, or a myriad of other professions for that matter, building and presenting effective portfolios and testimonials is of the utmost importance. If you are seeking to "sell" yourself, these are "must-have" items!
Why?
Many prospective clients will request, whether personally, or in job-listings, work samples and references. Not having these two items at-the-ready can mean scrambling to organize them at the last moment, and further, it can mean sending an email, or multiple emails with many attachments showing past work which you have done. Having the material organized and on your site can mean only having to place a link within the email, directing the client-to-be to the relevant information.
Where?
The perfect place for your portfolio and client testimonials is on your website. With most websites you can make an extra page tab to include this material. Additionally, on your website, you can "jazz" things up. You can use color, change fonts, and include multi-media and pictures. You can make yourself a flashy, eye-catching presentation. It sure beats sending the relevant information in a plain email. You can also include links to individual items which you would like to display.
Disclaimer: I am about to include a shameless marketing-plug of myself to demonstrate the effectiveness of linking to portfolios. "If you would like to read my latest published work which appears in the Spring 2009 edition of Review Americana: A Literary Journal, published twice-yearly by The Institute for the Study of American Popular Culture, feel free to click the following link:
http://www.americanpopularculture.com/review_americana/spring_2009/maisel.htm
What?
What is a portfolio? It is, quite simply, the accumulation of all of the professional work which you have completed in your field of expertise. From that, you can select "special" items to put on display. Think of a car dealership. They typically have hundreds of cars. But which ones do they put in the showroom? The sleekest, shiniest, most impressive models; it’s their portfolio! Your portfolio is your means to display your wares to prospective clients and to say to them, "Do you want to know what type of work I am capable of doing for you? Well take a look at the type and quality of work which I have done for past clients!"
What are testimonials? They are recommendations, both solicited and unsolicited in which satisfied clients speak, hopefully in glowing terms, of the work which you have done for them.
How?
For portfolios: Quite simply ask clients, both past and present, if you can include the work which you have performed for them in your portfolio. Keep in mind that due to issues of confidentiality, secrecy and privacy, not all clients will be amenable and agreeable to the inclusion of their material. Furthermore, it is essential to remember, that once you turn the work over to them, the work is their property and permission to include the work must be obtained!
Remember, when building your portfolio, several obstacles and hurdles might need to be overcome. As such, you might need to be creative and do the following things which have worked for me:
1) If a client is not agreeable due to confidential information, offer to "black-out" confidential material
2) If a client wants to maintain confidentiality, offer to block out his or her personal details
3) If you are trying to build a portfolio (especially from scratch), you might need to try the following ideas which have also worked for me:
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a. Offer your services at a discount to those who are agreeable to letting you include work in your portfolio
b. If the going is really tough, offer your services for free to those who will agree
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For testimonials: Remember that just because a client sends you a thank-you email, it is not permission to publish their wording. Ask any client who you think is satisfied with work performed if they will provide a testimonial and/or recommendation. This is not the time to be modest or shy! Ask! The worst a client can say is "no." Again, if there are issues of secrecy or confidentiality, ask a client if you can use their initials, or as a last resort, if you can use their testimonial anonymously.
Who?
If you are a writer, include content-related material and links to published work in a portfolio. Are you a graphic artist? Knock "em" dead with a display of your beautiful works. A tour-guide? Include beautiful photos and descriptions of places where you take your clients. A coach or healer? Include descriptions of treatment you specialize in, descriptions of their effect and benefit and testimonials from those who have been helped. I am hard-pressed to think of any profession where a portfolio and testimonials would not be helpful.
The Benefit:
With a well-organized portfolio, you can have your marketing material ready at a moment’s notice. When you see an ad for a position which is open, in your cover letter, you can simply say something like the following: "In addition to the attached resume, you are cordially invited to click the following link which will take you to my portfolio and client testimonials. There you will see samples of my completed work and feedback from my satisfied clients." In addition to showing our skills and talents to a prospective client, it is also a demonstration of our organizational skills, something which any client will be hoping to see.
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Imagine, for a second, the car dealership I spoke of. What if the owner didn’t have a showroom and just said to you, "I have some really nice cars, they’re not here and you can’t see them, but I’ve got them." Would you buy? That’s the importance of a portfolio: visibility!
And remember, with proper marketing, there are people who will find your website on their own. If they have immediate access to your work-samples and testimonials, the chances that they will contact you increase markedly.
Portfolios and Testimonials: The "Icing on the Proverbial Cake"
Keep in mind, there is a lot of competition out there! Freelancing, no matter what your profession might be, is a "dog-eat-dog" world. The battle to find clients can be a tough one; the challenge to minimize down-time between clients and projects can be an agonizing one. A well-crafted portfolio and client testimonials might just be the "icing on the cake" which sets you apart from the competition and helps you to land that next job!
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Dear Reader,
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It is my sincere hope that you found this article to be useful and informative. If so, perhaps you would be interested in reading my most recent article. In it I discuss the pros and cons of Israeli freelancers and writers mentioning in ads and on their websites that they are in Israel. With anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiments, is it worth mentioning, or should we choose the path of "geographical anonymity?"
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http://jobshuk.com/yoni67/blog/2009/09/29/my-business-is-in-israel-to-mention-or-not-to-mention/
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Are you or someone you know looking for an experienced content writer? My name is Yonatan Maisel. Feel free to check out my profile by clicking the link below. There you will find a listing of the services I provide as well as a link to my website where you will find my portfolio, client testimonials and incredible affordable pricing: