have some tips on self promotion 101?
can’t say i done much, and the stuff i have done either can not be shown or is not very real/tangible…
but i am curious to know how other people go about disseminating their services?
Promote withing your network of contacts…word of mouth business is priceless. I would start there. The effort put forth will be returned many more times over than shotgun self promotion efforts.
thanks for the advice, but lets say you network is looking really limited…what then?
Just put 90% of your effort into your portfolio. tangible or not. Half of oneandco.com are CAD renderings and never saw light of day. Of those that did, maybe sold 5. Who cares. For job placement, it’s about presentation and process of thought.
Portfolio speaks for itself, hands down. Then THEY call YOU. I never got a job from an ad, just cold mailers.
In case you’re curious about the rest: 9% corefolio and mailers, 1% haircut.
hahaha! that is classic deez! good, relevant information, mixed in with some funny topical insight. how did you let that post: question: to cut or not too cut?
devolve like that?
Do the mailers man, that’s what works for me. Haven’t done a cold call in 4 yrs (probably should though). I don’t like begging for money, cold-calling seems too much like that to me (I know, I have issues). So I send out the mailers, whenever I think I have a new one to show that’s different than the last. Then, if they like it and need help, they’ll contact me. It works, let the work speak for itself, then make sure you don’t burn bridges when you are given opportuities. Use it as a guage, if you put out the teasers and don’t get any inquiries, you may have some work to do on the teasers or projects, etc. Redo them as needed, same as the portfolio. But a place may not contact you just if they don’t have work at the moment, it might change in 2 weeks or a year. So once you make contact, keep in touch. You want them to think of your name when they think they may need some help for a project.
Advice I was given when I first started out was:
‘Never actively go looking for work because it looks desperate.’
So I’ve never advertised or done mailers, I’ve networked. I go to trade shows but I’ve never schlepped my portfolio around any booths. I’ve been on the other side of the fence and it looks a bit keen, TBH. I promote through a website, if they want to see my portfolio, it’s online, they have my card, the url is on that.
I pay for a listing in one online directory (yes I know that’s advertising), but for some reason, it doesn’t seem to look so, er desperate as other ads might.
I also do some free forecasting work for a trade directory - I get the exposure and they get the free content. A good deal IMO and again, it doesn’t look desperate! 
Also I agree with Skinny, you can give your card to someone, it might take them two or three years to call you. Just say hi to them everytime you see them, have a chat, don’t push things, you may or may get a call, you never know.
what is included in these “mailers”??
thks-
Mailers are just enough of your work to want them to talk to you in person. Could think along the lines of a magazine ad except more substance and that you are the product you’re trying to advertise. A couple of nice shots that show sketching, 3-d if you have it, renderings, etc…whatever you think will represent you enough to make someone want to know more. Keep it brief though, the info should be easily conveyed in a minute, nobody is going to read a book.
-Think about what you want the person getting it to do: First, notice it in the mail, pick it up, glance at it for a second or so, say “hmmm this guy is pretty good/worth looking into”, look for your name/phone/email, then sit it on their desk or pin it up for future reference, pass it to coworkers, etc. That user scenario should tell you what’s important, it all depends on your specific goals. It’ll probably look different depending on whether you’re looking for fulltime, freelance, consultancy, corporate.
Good luck.
i see…thanks!