The arrival of a new year is the ideal time to change the way we do things. For freelancers, business owners, and other professionals this often means improving marketing and use of social media.
But increasing marketing effectiveness doesn’t always mean spending money. In this post, I’ll examine five free or low-cost digital marketing assets you should be using in 2023.
1. A Linktree profile and QR Code
Linktree is a bio link tool which gives you a unique username and URL. Think of Linktree as a personal landing page with a menu of links to all your other URLs. Add the Linktree URL to your social media bios and make it easier for people to locate you.
I use the same user handle (@cwhcontentcreator) for all my social media accounts, including Linktree. I also embed the downloadable Linktree QR code in all my digital marketing materials, on my website, in my social media posts, and in my video branding.
Linktree plans run from $0 to $24 per month. The free plan doesn’t offer as much customization, but free is always a good starting point.
2. A digital business card
A digital business card is an absolute marketing necessity. There are numerous online services you can use, but I created my own in Photoshop.
After designing the card and inserting the Linktree QR code in Photoshop, I exported the file to a web format (.PNG or .JPG) and uploaded it to my WordPress website. Next, I copied the URL for the uploaded image and used it to insert the image into my Gmail signature. Then after importing the image into the signature, I linked the image to my Linktree profile.
Now, when I send an email from my business email, the business card takes the recipient to my Linktree URL whenever it is clicked. I also keep a copy of the business card on my phone so I can attach it to a text message.
3. A marketing one-sheet
Last year I wrote about designing a marketing one-sheet, a concise summary of your brand, product, or service. I prefer to design my one-sheets with InDesign but you can create one with online tools such as Adobe Express or Canva or even something as simple as Microsoft Word.
For the sake of time, I encourage you to take advantage of the free downloads in that post to design your own marketing one-sheet.
4. Recognizable social media branding elements
Consistent branding is often more memorable. This doesn’t mean using the same content repeatedly. Rather, it means a consistent approach to the way you package and present the content.
For example, I use custom templates for my own posts and those of my design clients. If it’s a video reel on Instagram, or any other type of posts, I have a few custom templates I’ve designed for different purposes.
The image above represents the multi-image Instagram post I used to promote this blog post. I use Photoshop to keep my design, alignment, spacing, and branding consistent for each social media template.
5. A digital portfolio, brochure, or eBook
Another marketing asset you can’t afford to overlook in 2023 is digital publications. Portfolios, brochures, and eBooks are great promotion tools. Creating them is a low-cost way to highlight your knowledge and expertise and stay in touch with clients and prospects.
The publication doesn’t need to be lengthy or fancy to be effective. A short guide averaging between 5 and 20 pages should suffice. Just make sure it offers timely information. I created the 12-page guide pictured above using PowerPoint and Photoshop. It saves me a lot of time with my marketing.
Get started now
With the new year only a few days old, it won’t take too long to add these valuable digital marketing assets to your 2023 content mix. The sooner you implement their use, the sooner you’ll benefit yourself. There’s no better time like right now.
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The arrival of a new year is the ideal time to change the way we do things. For freelancers, business owners, and other professionals this often means improving marketing and use of social media.
But increasing marketing effectiveness doesn’t always mean spending money. In this post, I’ll examine five free or low-cost digital marketing assets you should be using in 2023.
1. A Linktree profile and QR Code
Linktree is a bio link tool which gives you a unique username and URL. Think of Linktree as a personal landing page with a menu of links to all your other URLs. Add the Linktree URL to your social media bios and make it easier for people to locate you.
I use the same user handle (@cwhcontentcreator) for all my social media accounts, including Linktree. I also embed the downloadable Linktree QR code in all my digital marketing materials, on my website, in my social media posts, and in my video branding.
Linktree plans run from $0 to $24 per month. The free plan doesn’t offer as much customization, but free is always a good starting point.
2. A digital business card
A digital business card is an absolute marketing necessity. There are numerous online services you can use, but I created my own in Photoshop.
After designing the card and inserting the Linktree QR code in Photoshop, I exported the file to a web format (.PNG or .JPG) and uploaded it to my WordPress website. Next, I copied the URL for the uploaded image and used it to insert the image into my Gmail signature. Then after importing the image into the signature, I linked the image to my Linktree profile.
Now, when I send an email from my business email, the business card takes the recipient to my Linktree URL whenever it is clicked. I also keep a copy of the business card on my phone so I can attach it to a text message.
3. A marketing one-sheet
Last year I wrote about designing a marketing one-sheet, a concise summary of your brand, product, or service. I prefer to design my one-sheets with InDesign but you can create one with online tools such as Adobe Express or Canva or even something as simple as Microsoft Word.
For the sake of time, I encourage you to take advantage of the free downloads in that post to design your own marketing one-sheet.
4. Recognizable social media branding elements
Consistent branding is often more memorable. This doesn’t mean using the same content repeatedly. Rather, it means a consistent approach to the way you package and present the content.
For example, I use custom templates for my own posts and those of my design clients. If it’s a video reel on Instagram, or any other type of posts, I have a few custom templates I’ve designed for different purposes.
The image above represents the multi-image Instagram post I used to promote this blog post. I use Photoshop to keep my design, alignment, spacing, and branding consistent for each social media template.
5. A digital portfolio, brochure, or eBook
Another marketing asset you can’t afford to overlook in 2023 is digital publications. Portfolios, brochures, and eBooks are great promotion tools. Creating them is a low-cost way to highlight your knowledge and expertise and stay in touch with clients and prospects.
The publication doesn’t need to be lengthy or fancy to be effective. A short guide averaging between 5 and 20 pages should suffice. Just make sure it offers timely information. I created the 12-page guide pictured above using PowerPoint and Photoshop. It saves me a lot of time with my marketing.
Get started now
With the new year only a few days old, it won’t take too long to add these valuable digital marketing assets to your 2023 content mix. The sooner you implement their use, the sooner you’ll benefit yourself. There’s no better time like right now.
