Thursday, 19 July 2012

OPPORTUNITIES: Getting started with an online presence

In an age over-saturated by media and the immediacy of the internet, not having an online presence is a fatal mistake for a freelancer or business start-up.

An online portfolio or show-case of your work is an essential, and surprisingly easy, tool for any freelancer to utilise. Treat them as a flexible, interactive and easy to find business cards, and add info about you and your business, images and social media to connect and inform your visitors.

Photographers or fashion illustrators –upload your finest images and share them with potential collaborators and employers with an easy to follow link.


Freelance designers, garment makers and fashion labels – create a shop on many of the online boutiques – asos marketplace or etsy are great for start-ups – and even get an integrated shop and sell your designs online. We suggest secure payment such as Paypal to reassure your customers.


Stylists and art directors – websites of your images of your work are great for you too of course, but a blog or tumblr showing your personal likes, interests, connections and thoughts is a great way to display your style. Promote yourself, get followers and get your name recognised.
 
Carbonmade is a free portfolio site, great for illustrators, artists and designers, that is really user friendly and easy to use. The free version is limited to a certain number of pictures, but its great for starting out. Check it out here: http://carbonmade.com/

Etsy is the handmade marketplace. Their innovative personal online boutique style actually allows you to communicate with your customer and sell your wares. Click here for a blog post about good selling practice within Etsy for tips on making a higher profit on your sales. 

We will soon be including hand-outs about creating an online portfolio as a part of our Design courses, Skills Training Programme and of course Business courses.

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