30 of the Best Online Marketing Resources for Freelance Designers & Others
Posted June 23, 2011 in Marketing, Tools/Resources
Online marketing is an essential part of any business. It is as important as brochure and postcard printing, as television commercials, and as face-to-face networking. Most business owners know that within the realm of print marketing are a vast number of tricks, resources, and options to learn.
The same is true of online marketing.
With everything available for freelancers from banner ads to Google Adwords, affiliate marketing and SEO marketing, article marketing and online press releases, marketing on the web can set anyone’s head to spinning before they even begin the process.
Very often, freelancers are in charge of every detail of their business, including marketing. As mentioned before, marketing in and of itself can be very daunting, but when it is one of a hundred tasks that you have to accomplish every business day, it can be very tempting to just keep putting it on the back burner. Or maybe you attempt some marketing task now and again, but for the most part have let your original marketing efforts run themselves.
However, online marketing, like print marketing, needs to be monitored. This is why it is important for you as a freelancer to know about the many helpful resources that are available online. If you are just beginning an online marketing campaign, there are also plenty of excellent help at your fingertips.
In an attempt to help fellow freelancers, I’ve compiled a list of resources that you may need for your online marketing campaigns. With this list, I hope to save you time and to provide you with some of the best tools to help you succeed.
Advertising and Marketing Resources
Make the most of your advertising and marketing efforts with these five amazing tools:
- Adwords. One of the most popular forms of advertising on the web, Adwords places ads on Google searches. The site comes with a dashboard on which you can monitor your campaign.
- Professional On The Web. This site is a great place to interact with other professionals. Sign up and display your links from across the web, your services, and your portfolio.
- Text Link Ads. This company places text ads onto websites with high traffic. Not only does this service improve your traffic count, but it also helps you to sell more products because visitors have come to your site to make a purchase.
- Review Me. Receive reviews of your products, offers, or services from highly valued bloggers. Top bloggers with high traffic sites do the reviews, providing you with much needed exposure.
- Adbrite. This advertising exchange platform matches advertisers and publishers for a perfect fit. Get maximized ROI with this company’s incredibly sophisticated program. They serve impressions on over 100,000 sites a day.
SEO Tools
Search engine optimization is key for making your website a success.
- Google Webmaster Tools. Make the best of the way Google sees your site. Google sends you traffic so make sure to optimize for Google.
- Search Engine Rankings Checker. See your rankings in a few major search engines.
- Rank Checker Firefox Add-on. This is an exceedingly helpful add-on for watching your rankings, one of my favorites!
- WordTracker. Search out the right keywords to bring in traffic on this website.
- Online SEO Tools – The Ultimate Collection. A comprehensive list from Search Engine Journal gives you all the tools you need to be successful with your SEO campaign.
Forums
Forums are a great place to build relationships with your online community. Learn from others online with the following forum sites:
- Webmaster-Talk. Coding, design, SEO, hosting, and more are available from Webmaster Talk.
- WordPress. Get support from the WP forum.
- Digital Point. This Internet marketing and SEO forum can really be a valuable asset to learning secrets of marketing online.
- DesignersTalk. This forum is primarily focused on design with a few additional topics like advertising and SEO.
- Web Design Forum. Sign up to discuss a variety of different topics from design to affiliate marketing.
Stock Libraries
Need photos, fonts, icons, or templates for your website? The following are some of the most popular sites for finding such necessary items:
- ActiveDen. Buy stock audio, Flash, video, and fonts for as little as 50 cents!
- Veer. This site is royalty-free rights managed with illustration, type, photography, and more available at an affordable price.
- Stock.xchng. Free stock photography with prices ranging from free to very affordable.
- Ice Templates. Website templates in Flash and HTML are available on this site.
- Template Monster. The largest website template company on the web, you are sure to find the look you desire here.
- MyFonts. Tons of fonts and a font identification tool make this site a favorite for many.
- VectorVault. Find high quality vector illustration sets at very reasonable prices and available to download right to your desktop immediately.
Web Tools
When you are ready to set up a presence on the web, check out these sites:
- Squarespace. This publishing system for blogs and websites starts at only $12 a month.
- Rackspace. Excellent customer service and hosting, some consider this one to be the best of its kind.
- Media Temple. Media Temple offers hosting that is easy to set up and use.
- SiteKreator. Have an instant website in less than 30 minutes. All you have to do is add your customized content.
- StrongSpace. Online storage for your important files is a must for most freelancers these days. This one can handle your largest files.
- psd2html. Build html websites from Photoshop files through this site.
- PublicSquare . For easy publishing on the web, try this site. It maintains your blog so all you have to do is focus on blogging and communicating with your readers.
- WordPress. Probably the most popular among freelancers, WordPress makes creating and maintaining your website as easy as possible.
Marketing is not a task you should forgo simply because it is too daunting. Create a plan. Gather the resources you need. Then, commit to completing at least one online marketing task a day.
Keep the momentum going and you should soon your efforts bring the results you desire.
Your Turn
What are your favorite freelance design resources?
Image by Tony the Misfit
Related posts:
- Online Business Marketing Is Much Like Marketing Offline
- Online Marketing Is Great – But What About Traditional Marketing?
- Marketing Calendar for Beginner Freelance Designers
- 2009 Marketing Calendar for Experienced Freelance Designers
- The Purpose of Online Marketing Strategies
About the author: Tara Hornor has a degree in English and writes about marketing, advertising, branding, graphic design, and desktop publishing. She works for PrintPlace.com, an online printing company that offers postcards, posters, brochure printing, business cards and more printed marketing media. In addition to her writing career, Tara also enjoys spending time with her husband and two children.
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42 Comments
Gold
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:06 amVery good.
I like a lot of doublespeak.
Again, well gone!
Evan Skuthorpe
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:54 ama nice collection, thanks.
Freelance Jobs Guru
June 23rd, 2011 at 3:05 pmThe World of Online Marketing is a tough world to be in but it is in posts like these that we find hope! The other resources you’ve given are somehow common to me but the majority are very much refreshing, most especially the SEO Tools since I was having a bit of a trouble on that note before.
I’ve currently ventured into this world with little hopes of making it out but I now have changed that view.
Cheers from the Freelance Jobs Guru!
Tara Hornor
June 23rd, 2011 at 3:20 pm@Gold – Glad you enjoyed the post!
@Evan – Thanks!
@Freelance Jobs Guru – I’m glad you found the SEO links to be useful. I hope that you find success in your venture!
Jessica
June 23rd, 2011 at 8:02 pmVery good list, thanks!
I really need to get going with SEO.
For online storage, I’m using dropbox :)
Tara Hornor
June 23rd, 2011 at 9:46 pm@Jessica – Glad you liked the list. Hope it helps get you started on your SEO! And thanks for sharing!
ASpikes
June 24th, 2011 at 5:49 pmGreat article and links :) It was very helpful
Tara Hornor
June 25th, 2011 at 11:52 am@ASpikes – I’m so glad that it helped!
E. Keith Owens
June 26th, 2011 at 1:57 amAs an internet marketer you know the value of good online marketing tools. You can save lots of money and time with the right online marketing tools..But what I hate most about being an internet marketer is subscribing to dozens of monthly recurring tools and services that I barely know how to use and having to track all those user names and passwords! .This one tool IMToolSuite includes a capture page creator web conferencing station contact manager video email auto-responder and much more..Check it out for yourself. .Talk to you soon..Thank you for visiting this blog!.Feel free to if you have any questions..To Our Home Business Marketing Success ..Inspiring Dreams Empowering People Transforming Lives.
Jason
June 26th, 2011 at 1:58 pmTara,
Great article and a really helpful list! I think that while online marketing CAN be daunting it’s mainly because people think they have to do EVERYTHING.
Really, you have to understand exactly where your market is and whether or not any one marketing activity is an effective way to REACH those people. Adwords isn’t effective for every business, just like SEO isn’t effective for every business.
So the real trick is to fully understand your buyers and then use the right tools to attract them.
Tara Hornor
June 26th, 2011 at 8:23 pm@Jason – While I believe you are right about not all online marketing methods are for every type of business, I also believe that every online business can benefit from at least a little SEO. Every business, even an unusual one, still needs to submit its site to Google and choose at least a couple of keywords to use on its site.
I do agree with you, though, that it is very important to know your target market and know to what they will respond positively. Thanks for sharing!
PJ Rosenberg
June 27th, 2011 at 9:45 pmThanks for the list. To my surprise I found a few new ones.. thanks again and I stumble this page so other can find it as well.
Tara Hornor
June 28th, 2011 at 11:18 am@PJ Rosenburg – Thanks for the stumble! And I am happy that you enjoyed the list!
chazzkorvex
September 19th, 2011 at 3:13 pmAwesome list – I signed up for number 2 – I’m going to check out the SEO Tools now – Thank You :)
Tara Hornor
September 19th, 2011 at 3:23 pm@chazzkorvex – I’m glad that you have tried out one of these resources…I hope any more you sign up for work well for you! :)
invest liberty reserve
March 6th, 2012 at 7:36 amHello There. I found your blog using msn. This is a really well written article. I will make sure to bookmark it and come back to read more of 30 of the Best Online Marketing Resources for Freelance Designers & Others | FreelanceFolder . Thanks for the post. I will definitely comeback.
Tara Hornor
March 6th, 2012 at 3:02 pm@invest liberty reserve – Thanks! I’m glad you found this article useful.
Online marketing connect
March 14th, 2012 at 11:20 amOnline marketing (a.k.a digital marketing, online marketing, web marketing or e-marketing) uses the power of Internet advertising to promote products and services directly to…
Sam
April 12th, 2012 at 12:27 amCool links!
angry birds free
May 6th, 2012 at 8:15 amHello there! This is my 1st comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I really enjoy reading your posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same subjects? Appreciate it!
Tara Hornor
May 6th, 2012 at 3:40 pm@angry birds free – Follow me on Twitter to see some more posts like this. :) @TaraHornor is my Twitter name.
Penney Barajos
May 29th, 2012 at 8:16 amRetains us locating its way back. Bookmarked for potential sessions
Chua Lay Hoon
July 23rd, 2012 at 10:10 amDo you want to learn how to develop backlink strategy and help you achieve first ranking in a short period of time? Well…for sure you are wondering how. I will give you a guide in which you can create your own backlinking strategy and develop you own unique twist as well. A easy to follow that will surely put you on the top.http://marketingonlineguide.com
feel free to visit if you want to learn the technique to be on top.
Marianna Mills
September 12th, 2012 at 7:24 amI have a few questions and suggestions about the marketing tools. We are now using one of the known online marketing system, but we want to move to a marketing tool http://www.teamwox.com. The problem is, how do we make the transition to a different system, because a lot of files and documents, tasks that are already built? What solutions can you offer us?
thank you
Vipul Sapariya
November 24th, 2012 at 6:29 amAppreciated with your work, it really helping online marker to promote their products on Online
Sekhar Saha
December 13th, 2012 at 4:43 amHi Tara
Consider including this: techshu.com/docs — having documents and guide for web marketeers and developers.
Thanks
Paul C
January 8th, 2013 at 11:23 amGreat post ;) Very useful listing of tools. For seo activities, personally I’d like to recommend Colibritool.com also. – smart and powerful tool. They have GA integration, site’s traffic, keywords suggestion, conversion measurements and more ;) When we started with it, they had some free trial so I thing they still have it.
Thanks for listing again! :)
Sassie Porche
February 8th, 2013 at 2:28 amThanks for a wonderful post!. I want to learn more about SEO. Regarding the web tools I wonder why some of the web tools in the blog are expensive. Is that the best on the web? Great Service with Expensive price?. Maybe it’s not about the price is the service right? That’s why I want to share with you guys what I found. HTML Guys, they also do conversion from PSD to HTML and HTML to WordPress. With an affordable price that you will never hesitate to try. http://www.htmlguys.com, check their website.
Cheers,
Sassie Porche
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