How Are You Promoting Yourself?

[court6478]

Ok, I'm facing an old problem and am looking for ideas, and am curious about the sort of methods others have used to promote themselves. As with most of us here, money is an issue, so what inexpensive ways have or would others out there promote themselves to prospective clients. What are you doing for leave behinds and promotional materials to keep your name in front of people, what has worked or hasn't? Please, can we keep this thread on topic? Some of you are prone to flirt and BS a topic to an early death. Let's not wander off topic, I think it is one that could benefit a number of us. Who's got something?

[PrintDriver]

Welcome back Court!

I've told many of the designers on this forum that I tend to keep cool postcards on my bulletin board. If the imagery or the idea on the face is really neat, and the info on the back, that's what I like. I once got a postcard covered in faux fur (it was from Aquent, though). We still have it up 3 years later.

Business cards are always a good thing. We keep those in a roladex. It would be good if the business card actually related a strength, like 'large format design' or 'brochures, custom logos, corp identities'. Make different cards if you like. Otherwise we write all over them.

CD's get lost, paper 'portfolios' gets lost. Useful things tend to hang around. Things like magnets (make sure they are good quality and will hold at least one sheet of paper up). My vendors give us pens, scale rules, letter visibility charts, calendars, enlargement percentage wheels, post-it notes, 3-d lenticular things, even cheap calculators all imprinted with their name. But I guess that may be different.

Specialization is for insects...

R.H.

[Mickey]

Case, I am in the process of doing a direct mailing of a 4x6 postcard. I went to mip.usadata.com/usapub/ (http://mip.usadata.com/usapub/) and bought a list of companies with less than 20 employees in my area and will send out 500 postcards at a time. This will only cost me a few hundred $ per mailing because I am printing all of the postcards on my phaser 780 color laser I just bought. Also if you want a cool Idea for a nontraditional premieum Item check out www.pocketduct.com (http://www.pocketduct.com) this is a product that my uncle invented and I do all of the graphic work for. You can have custom packaging made up with your logo and info on it to hand out. If you have any questions about it or want more info PM me I will probly be able to get you a break on the price.

http://home.wi.rr.com/mygraphics/konceptcreative.jpg

[Mickey]

Sorry Court, I called ya Case! oops

http://home.wi.rr.com/mygraphics/konceptcreative.jpg

[Ryan8720]

You could have edited the post and nobody would have know... Except for the edited message at the bottom...

http://edgewebdesign.org/ryan2.gif (http://www.edgewebdesign.org)

C:\DOS
C:\DOS\RUN
RUN DOS RUN

[casedsgn]

Court....I have a CD for you. My studio is trashed and I can't find your number anywhere so give me a call when you get a chance.