What marketing trends should you follow as a self-employed professional?

Today's customers have many choices for every purchase. So you should be able to differentiate between these choices. This distinction starts with the message you have for the audience. In this message, you should be able to target him exactly, his characteristics and needs. So this is where marketing through message personalization will be very effective.

Word of mouth is the number one most important growth path for self employed individuals. That’s always been the case and quite likely will remain so and the best way to cultivate that is by personalising your work and offer to what the niche target needs.

Indeed, personalized marketing is about crafting tailored messages and content to meet the unique needs and preferences of your audience. Utilizing data and insights, you can enhance the relevance and engagement of your marketing efforts, ultimately boosting conversion rates, customer loyalty, and referrals. The process involves audience segmentation, meticulous data collection and analysis, and leveraging tools and platforms that facilitate customization across communication channels. This targeted approach helps build stronger connections with your audience and drive more impactful results.

Being self employed consultant was my reality for a good 8 years. My product was physically me and my knowledge, education and time. Selling the product was mostly done by networking, relations backed up with examples, portfolio and especially testimonials/referrals from existing customers. Business is done with other humans and ultimately relationships. How you build relationships and trust is personal so use the ways that reflex you. Since that is what you are offering.

As a self-employed professional, focus on content marketing, personal branding, and leveraging social media trends for maximum visibility and engagement. Stay adaptable to emerging technologies and platforms to remain competitive.

In my experience, this is an enduring marketing trend. Because it’s more than promotion trend. It covers the whole 4Ps of marketing. How are you using this trend, content marketing, to develop products, price, partnerships, not just promote?

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. The goal is to engage the target audience, build brand awareness, establish trust, and ultimately drive profitable customer action. Content marketing involves the creation of various types of content, such as articles, blog posts, videos, infographics, and more, tailored to address the interests and needs of the audience. The emphasis is on providing information and value rather than directly promoting a product or service.

Most of the people thinks that content marketing is all about writing & publishing the article or blog. Content marketing is moreover researching on a particular product or services and presentation in-front of audience to make them aware that this is the reason you might need this… It all depends on the target audience and what’s how business want to reach them.

On social media, I always use very effectively REAL-TIME MARKETING. Connect your ads or posts with trending stuff, events, or news that's happening at that exact moment. It's all about being fast, relevant, and joining the buzz in real-time to catch people's attention! Let’s say Beyoncé is on a stage and her pants rip while dancing. If your company sells clothes, then make an ad by telling Beyoncé to buy next time clothes for you, because they are way more resistant! :)

As a self-employed professional, you should concentrate on building and maintaining an active profile on social media sites where your target audience is present in order to create a strong online presence. Make sure your profiles are optimised, post pertinent material often, interact with your audience, and be flexible when the platform changes. This calculated move increases awareness, establishes credibility, and strengthens ties within your sector.

Social media is about hitting the right audience on the right platforms. Choosing which social platforms to focus on means you won't waste your time and energy on places that won't pay off. Instead, you can connect with your ideal audience, raising awareness of your products/services. Testing different approaches on social media helps identify what resonates most with your audience. Being adaptable allows you to fine-tune your strategy based on what gains traction. Trends come and go, and the ability to experiment and evolve ensures that you’re not only current but also ahead of the curve, setting yourself apart in a competitive field.

Social media marketing is a powerful strategy for brand promotion. It enables you to connect with a vast audience, enhance visibility, engage with clients, and drive traffic to your online platforms. Key elements include creating and sharing content, interacting with followers, running targeted campaigns, and collaborating with influencers. Optimization involves selecting the appropriate platforms, devising a comprehensive social media plan, and monitoring performance metrics to refine your approach over time.

Social Media ist ein tolles Mittel um sich selber zu positionieren. D.h. sich als Personal Brand zu etablieren. Als Selbstständige empfehle ich im ersten Schritt einen Social Media Kanal zu nutzen. Mehr ist meist zu zeitintensiv und unrealistisch. Fokus führt zu weitaus besserem Ergebnis. Social Media bietet zudem den klaren Vorteil der direkten Kommunikation mit Deinen Kunden. Dies ist sehr wertvoll, um Vertrauen aufzubauen und auch direkt Feedback von der potentiellen Zielgruppe zu erhalten.

The attention of the audience of online platforms has been drawn more and more to videos and visual content. As a result, in any marketing program or any platform we take actions, we must consider the video as a tool.

Video marketing is a compelling tool for brand promotion. It grabs attention, evokes emotions, demonstrates value, and encourages action. Whether for education, entertainment, inspiration, or storytelling, video marketing offers versatility across channels like websites, social media, email, and blogs. To ensure effectiveness, define your objectives, understand your audience, craft compelling messages, and invest in quality equipment and software for production. This dynamic approach can significantly enhance your brand's communication and engagement strategies.

We retain 95% of a message when it’s in video format than only 10% in text format. That’s what brought about the explosion of video and especially short format content. People can absorb a lot of information in a short time through a video and not any other medium. Video marketing may be expensive and technical and time consuming but it works and it works amazingly well especially for self employed people whose ability to get hired is directly connected to how well-respected they are in their field. We all have relatively capable imagining devices in our pockets all the time. Make the most of it.

E-mail marketing is a powerful avenue for effective communication with your audience. It facilitates relationship-building, boosts retention, and drives leads, sales, and repeat business. Utilizing various types of emails like newsletters, promotions, announcements, and follow-ups enhances versatility. To enhance your email marketing strategy, focus on list growth, segmenting subscribers, crafting compelling subject lines and copy, and continuously testing and optimizing your emails for better engagement and results.

As a self-employed professional in today's dynamic market, staying abreast of the latest marketing trends is crucial. Here's how I approach it: - Digital Presence: Ensure a strong online presence through an engaging website and active social media profiles. - Content Marketing: Focus on creating valuable content like blogs, videos, and infographics for your target audience. - Personal Branding: Develop and consistently showcase your unique personal brand across all platforms. - Email Marketing: Implement an effective email marketing campaign to engage and retain your audience. - Adaptability: Be ready to adapt your marketing strategies based on market feedback and trends.

Sehr entscheidend ist die Betreffzeile. Die Betreffzeile ist entscheidend, da sie den ersten Eindruck vermittelt und darüber entscheidet, ob die E-Mail geöffnet wird. Sie weckt Interesse, beeinflusst die Öffnungsentscheidung, kommuniziert Klarheit und Relevanz, verhindert Spam-Filterprobleme und zeigt den Mehrwert der E-Mail. Insgesamt ist die Betreffzeile entscheidend für den Erfolg Ihrer E-Mail-Kampagnen.

Email marketing is a powerful tool for engaging with your audience, fostering relationships, and achieving marketing objectives.

1. SEO Marketing is the best way to attract traffic on your content and creating awareness about your content among the audience organically. 2. Most of the audience start searching on the Google & if you are implementing SEO tactics on your content, your chances of appearing in front of audience increases.

SEO marketing is pivotal for enhancing your online presence. Optimizing your website and content for search engines improves organic ranking, visibility, and targeted traffic. By focusing on elements like keyword research, content creation, technical optimization, link building, and analytics, you can attract qualified visitors actively seeking your solutions and convert them into clients. To elevate your SEO marketing efforts, adhere to best practices, leverage tools and resources, and consistently monitor and update your strategy to align with evolving search engine algorithms and user behaviors.

Mit SEO wirst Du (und Deine Webseite) als Selbständiger online gefunden (auch wenn Du mal inaktiv bist). Du wirst auf Google und Co sichtbar und kannst so regelmässig Kunden anziehen. Ich persönlich bin aus eigener Erfahrung überzeugt von diesem Marketingmassnahme und nutze dies auch selber. SEO ist für Selbstständige definitiv sehr zu empfehlen. Es braucht am Anfang einiges an Zeitinvestition. Eine Keywordrecherche und die Klärung der Suchintention ist ein Must und ein guter Text, der zur Zielgruppe passt. Dafür bleibst Du, sobald Du ein Top Ranking erzielst langfristig sichtbar. Social Media Beiträge im Vergleich verlieren jeweils sehr schnell an Sichtbarkeit.

As a freelancer you have the opportunity to be the expert that’s brought in for an external perspective. You can have zero biases to the brand you’re freelancing with and can give an honest view of what’s relevant for the brand. Staying up to date with trends becomes a way to show that you have a point of view, but be clear on what the relevancy is for the brands you’re freelancing for. Shiny object syndrome needs more freelancers to provide realistic and practical advice…

You don't have to do everything. I use a framework I call 1X5 for 0-2-person marketing departments. - One target customer - One core content - One main channel (like LinkedIn!) - One outreach strategy - One gateway offer (a low-cost, high-value offer with the intent to increase the know/like/trust factor). That's all you need! Quit burning yourself out trying to do all the things.

Utilize AI tools in a way that doesn't replace but improve. I don't think you will ever be able to automate certain parts of this work, but you can certainly be enabled better than others in the past that don't have these tools.

Many trends focus on promotion, but that just one of the 4Ps of marketing: product, price and place. Look for developing trends in those areas too. An example is internet marketplaces. Are customers trending towards such places? How would you succeed in such a trend?

I also enjoy using Guerrilla Marketing in all the campaigns I develop. Guerilla marketing is the sneaky, out-of-the-box way of promoting your brand without the usual big-budget ads. Instead of splashing billboards everywhere, it's more about creative, unexpected tactics. Think crazy stunts, eye-catching street art, or viral social media campaigns. It's all about getting people talking and buzzing about a brand in a clever and unconventional way!