1. Don’t Panic
The creative business workload will ebb and flow. Sometimes you’ll be slammed and sometimes the crickets will chirp. Know that for every time you are buried in work there will be a time in the future you will have a lighter load, and vice versa. They tend to balance each other out. So, if you’re currently in a time where things are slow. Don’t panic. Instead, get proactive doing some of the things listed here.
2. Strengthen Your Current Relationships
Make a list of recent clients and other industry contacts. What can you do to serve their businesses?
- Write and send a testimonial for someone you’ve hired.
- Write a LinkedIn recommendation for one of your recent clients highlighting their skills and abilities.
- Do some research about a recent client’s industry. Find an article and send it to them, “Saw this and thought of you…”
- Connect with recent clients on social media and comment on some of their content.
- Write a Google review for one of your client’s businesses.
- Take someone to lunch.
- Send a “thank you” message to someone you’ve worked with.
- Etc.
These are just a few ways that you can strengthen relationships with some of your current contacts. Get creative and come up with ways to stay on the radar.
3. Reach Out to Past Relationships
There is work to be found in reconnecting with past relationships that you’ve let go stale. Make a list of all of your past relationships and reach out to them to get back on the radar. Send a message like this,
“Hey ______. It’s been awhile since we’ve communicated. I loved working with you on ___________ project a couple years ago. I was just poking around some of my old emails and thought of you, hence my reach out. My business is doing well, we’ve added some new services since we last spoke; ________, ________ and ________. If you ever have a need, I would love to work with you again in the future.”
A message like that does no harm and it is a somewhat direct way to get back on your past client’s mind.
4. Update Your Portfolio
Remember your portfolio? The one you can never update when you’re so busy with paying work? Well now is your chance! Take some time to get recent projects posted as case studies on your site.
5. Make Concept Projects
What should you do if you don’t have any projects that showcase your abilities? Make concept projects. Ideally, your portfolio should contain real work for real clients, but if you don’t have enough of that, it is ok to make concept projects! Invent a brand. Design marketing materials. Show off your broad range of skills and then put it in your portfolio. Label it as a “concept project” and don’t think twice about it. If a client asks about whether it was for a real clients say, “It is a concept project to showcase our abilities.” (BTW – do a search for “concept project” on Behance.net and you’ll find thousands of cool concept projects designers have created.)
6. Invent Your Own Product
If you have time, design your own product. It could be simple little app. Then brand it and design marketing materials for it. Then make a case study showcasing your abilities in a real world project. This approach takes “concept projects” to a new, real world level.
7. Get Active on Social Media
When work slows down it is a great time to start getting active on social media. Pick a social media channel. Develop a content plan and start posting! And when your business picks back up, KEEP POSTING. Use this lull in work as an opportunity to create better marketing habits.
In addition to posting your own content, start getting active on other people’s accounts too. Likes, comments and sincere DMs is a great way to build trusting relationships.
8. Build New Relationships
Join a new networking group in your area or find an online business group and start meeting new people. Business is about relationships and when work slows down, you have time to meet new people and plant seeds for future opportunities.
9. Develop a FREE Lead Magnet and Buy Ads
Identify your target audience. What challenges do they face? Create a little Ebook that gives advice about how to solve those challenges. Then use paid advertising to drive people to the free Ebook. This approach will make more people aware of your business and position you as an expert in the eyes of potential clients. After you gather some leads, continue to market to them with more valuable content via email. This approach can work, but I recommend it lower on the list than most of the other things in this article.
10. Be Patient
Remember Newton’s Third Law, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” They same holds true in business. You need ACTION and work opportunities will come as a REACTION. You won’t find work with your head buried in the sand.
The big booming times don’t last forever and slow panicky times don’t last forever either. Remember, if you were qualified and landing work before this lull, you are even more qualified now. There will be more work in the future.
