Web work

Ph3n0m

Just curious whether other people on the boards (full time or part time) advertise themselves for web work or do they solely rely on word of mouth from client to client. Or does the power of the "press" really have any power in getting people new clients.

I know there has been great debate on professionalism and rates, and taxes, etc, but I cant for the life of me remember any threads that dealt with "if the work is out there, how do you advertise and get it for yourself"

Or is it a case that there is no longer any room for the "little guy".

Or could be that each person/company should identify a unique market and target it so.

opinions/thoughts?

gom

Its been about 6 months since I have done any web work, but recently I have ended up with 3 projects at the same time.
Word of month is what I use. Advertising isn't really worth it unless you have an excellent knowledge of Marketing and can target your client base perfectly or else you are very specialised...

My 2 cent on taxes. I haven't really earned enough to bother registering or even paying taxes on what I earn from contracts. But now it seems like the right time to start paying tax(just in case and all). I am not earning enough to register for VAT so that isn't important.

PSTA I think its called. Professtional Services Tax Avoidance... It basically is a consult tax credit that means anything you earn as a consultant is only taxed at 22%... That is how i'll be paying my taxes on a self-assessed basis. Or so I think

hostyle

Originally posted by Ph3n0m
Just curious whether other people on the boards (full time or part time) advertise themselves for web work or do they solely rely on word of mouth from client to client. Or does the power of the "press" really have any power in getting people new clients.

I've got all my clients via word of mouth while I've been unemployed the last few months.

Eoin

There is definitely work out there for the "little guy". If you have, or know someone with, back end scripting & database skills, there should be lots of small businesses that could want a site developed for under 2,000 euro that they can maintain themselves (i.e. a simple web based content management system). I would imagine that a web company would charge much more for it.

Word of mouth is the way I go for advertising, and it has worked out for me, but you obviously can't rely on this.

A cheap way of marketing (by no means guaranteed, but can be done at little cost), would be to first design a good site as a showcase, and then leaflet a load of small businesses). If you can throw up a few templates for different business to show that you are not restricted to a particular segment of the market, all the better. Like I said, it is by no means guaranteed that you will get any response at all, but it should be a cheap enough thing to do...

richardo

Totally agree with eoin_s.

One way of doing it is to do a couple of sites for minimal cost/free [say, a charity - for the feelgood factor!] and wait for the word of mouth. Word of caution - tell those clients what you are at or they'll be running aroud saying they know a great free web designer!!!

I've been running for the last couple of years and have a constant stream of work - ALL word of mouth.

Eoin

good point Richardo, thats exactly how I got my first paid job - did a free site for my club that I was able to use as a reference. If you have a site like this, you can continually update it with new technologies / skills etc to showcase your skillset.

richardo

We must have gone to the same school, eoin_s
One of my first sites was Jack and Jill. It was a plain vanilla HTML site at the time. It is now running back-end databases, a content management system, a forum and on-line credit card donations.

Since my last post [4 hours ago], I've landed another job - a recommendation by an existing client.

I rest my case M'lud !!

Ph3n0m

Originally posted by richardo
We must have gone to the same school, eoin_s
One of my first sites was Jack and Jill. It was a plain vanilla HTML site at the time. It is now running back-end databases, a content management system, a forum and on-line credit card donations.

Since my last post [4 hours ago], I've landed another job - a recommendation by an existing client.

I rest my case M'lud !!

congratulations - you are proof that there is work out there, if you want it

Eoin

Richardo - now that's just showing off!:D

seriously - fair play to you, with web companies charging huge prices for pretty simple web apps, there is lots of work for people like us. Do a good job on the first couple of sites, and they will tell a mate etc. I have had a nice flow of jobs coming in, and they have all contact me rather than vice versa.

My site is Seapoint Rugby Club - it isn't too hot on the design side of things, but it is all database driven so anyone with basic PC skills can update the content, results etc.