Diesel Laws

The internet is such a huge portal through which we all connect. Yet still, marketing yourself on the internet is probably the most confusing and challenging task to date. If you want to know how to market yourself through the internet, you need to understand the basics – and no, I’m not talking about ad sizes, google results and the like. I’m talking about looking at the way in which we all use the internet.

We focus on a very small bit of information in a really quick space of time. If we are looking for something, we will find it through asking a friend, searching for it with the search engines and so on until we find what we are searching for. If a page doesn’t have the information we require after a 3-5 second scan with our eyes, then we are out of there! (Skimming down to the titles yet?)

So What does this mean?

The basics are that if you are putting your energy into only ONE marketing channel (1 website only, or 1 Facebook page) you are going against the grain of how we all use the internet. You will end up using so much effort working in one area and in most cases you will not reap the benefits you deserve.

So how can you fix this?

Simple. Spread yourself out! Start by utilising every free marketing channel available on the internet to get your name out there. In the following paragraphs I will list some great services that you should get involved in and start making the internet work for you!

Get a free copy of my e-book “How To Be A Freelancing Genius Pt 1: Building Your Name” which covers a lot of what I discuss in the following article.

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Facebook

- Don’t have a Facebook account? – get one. Now! Facebook should be at the top of everyone’s free online marketing list without a doubt. This service allows you to connect with over 300 million users (not all at the same time!) in terms of friendships, photo connections, games, groups and fan pages. There are so many more opportunities available through Facebook and I can strongly attest to the power of the network.

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Facebook Fan Pages

- Since Facebook changed things around a while back, Fan Pages have stepped in front of Groups as the best add-on for businesses. You can create a fan page for just about anything, quickly share it with your friends and get your business seen! I have actually set mine up so that every time I post on my blogs it will automatically post to my fan pages, making sure that the page stays fresh, and everyone can get the updates they want from being a fan.

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Twitter

- Everyone is using Twitter. Which is WHY you should be using it too. Not just because it’s fashionable, but because there are so many people keen to read about others lives, and I bet yours is worth reading about! I have mine setup so that it automatically posts a copy to my Facebook account which saves my time and energy and allows me the time to focus on building my business in other areas. People nowadays are taking mental notes of businesses using Twitter and consider the ones who do to be modern and up with the game – A huge advantage in the business world. You can even look after multiple Twitter accounts using tools like Tweetdeck or my personal favourite, HootSuite (I am not affiliated with these websites).

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LinkedIn

- For some odd reason, I have not been using this up until last week. Why I waited so long is beyond me as it is a sensational service to have an ‘online interactive business card‘. One of the most exciting features I have found is the ability to post recommendations on other peoples work and receive them for your websites/businesses. I have even copied some of the testimonials to my website so everyone can see them (You have to be logged in to see full profiles at LinkedIn). If you do a lot of freelance work like me then you will find it useful to have an ‘online resume’ to connect with professional clients all over the world, rather than just a website.

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Freelancer Unplugged

- If you are a freelancer, connecting with other freelancers is very important. That’s why my colleague and I set up Freelancer Unplugged, where you can create your profile, blog and groups to connect with other people in your industry. So far we have been able to connect a multitude of people in different fields, sharing sound advice and moving them closer to their goals. And the best news? It’s all free. Another outlet to spread your name and business into.

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Blogs

- Now please don’t confuse blogs with freelance blogging in this list. When I mention blogs, I am referring to the free websites you can blog on like Wordpress.com and Blogger.com. If you don’t have the money to set up a website with hosting, these free options will be perfect to get your message out. Although professionally designed websites are the ideal setup for your business/brand, you may only need a simple blog to post up your latest photos, thoughts, videos and more. If your content is good enough and you stay active, the fans will come.

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Freelance Blogging

- One of the best ways to get your name out there for free (even in the ‘real world’) is to piggyback on someone elses success. On the internet, it’s no different. If you can write articles for your favourite websites (a lot of them offer the chance to write for them) about the chosen field of interest, you can leverage it to get a lot of attention based on their reach. Most of them will give you the option to include an author bio and links back to your work – which is better than article payments in my honest opinion. And if you think for one second “Why would anyone want to read my thoughts and viewpoints”, then please reassess your decision to start a business! You have a voice – share it!

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Giving

- Over the years of designing I have done quite a few things for FREE upfront; in return for a recommendation, link-back or more contacts. By giving your services/products away to people (at your own choosing) you will get that good tingly feeling by helping someone get further without spending money. It is with giving that you will have strong human returns which, with the strength of social media, will keep your name in comments, status updates and blog posts worldwide, obviously pushing your work further. I have even gone so far as to design a new logo for a band I liked, sent it to them and they ended up using it! I didn’t receive/want payment for it as sometimes word-of-mouth is more important and will keep longevity in your business.

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Main Website

I have left this one until last, but I feel it is the most important. However, to have a personal/main website (other than a blog) with a custom design, domain name, email addresses and hosting you will either need to learn how to create a custom website yourself or contact someone like me to design one for you. Websites usually cost anywhere from $400-$5000 and it can be extremely confusing for anyone – even at its simplest levels – so leave it to the professionals! A personal website should be the first thing people see when typing your business name in a search engine like Google.com. Why? Your business website is the face of your brand on the internet, and it would really be a shame if someone searched for your business and the first results were something totally unrelated (Diesel Laws anyone?). One of the ways around this is to connect a blog directly to your website, giving you the look and the voice that you have total control over. If needed, I can offer fully functional websites for less than $999.

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In summary, the internet is a big place.

There are a thousand more ways to market yourself throughout the internet for free, including specific services for your chosen fields (art, music, design etc)  – so never stop searching. If you really want to succeed, you should have every item on the above list ticked off and more. You should also focus on constantly being active and engaging with new internet friends everyday – you never know what connections you will make! There are really no limits to how many websites you can join, how many profiles you can own and how many blogs you can write. And if you are worried that you won’t be able to keep up with the workload coming in from your new marketing strategies; keep in mind – that’s the best thing that can happen.

Yours in abundance,

Diesel Laws

P.s. If you know one friend who could benefit from this information don’t hold back – share it with them!

Get a free copy of my e-book “How To Be A Freelancing Genius Pt 1: Building Your Name” to advance your skills further!