Question

Topic: Strategy

Marketing Of A Freelance Site

Posted by Anonymous on 8/30/2007 at 11:23 AM ET 500 Points
Hallo Guys!
I have a question. Actually I would like to hear different opinions from mine.
So we are currently developing an international freelance site, that will start at first locally.
I need to form a strategy, for branding, marketing and advertising the site. All the regular approaches are a must (billboards, adwords, baners, mail marketing etc). I need to do something interesting, that is at the same time cheap and will generate visitors. The advertising budget is very limited, and if we don't target our audience precisely it is very likely that this could turn into a complete fiasco...
If anyone has any ideas, please help!
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 8/30/2007 at 11:26 AM Member
    Tell us more about the freelance site. Who do you hope to attract? What's your competition like? What makes your site different from others?
  • Posted on 8/31/2007 at 4:50 AM Author
    There is practically no competition for this site. There is only one site locally, but with a very poor design, structure and actually no one is using it.
    The main competition is from a regular job site, but I believe the product offered is different and the services offered will be not competing, but complimentary.
    The site will not be specialized so it will be possible to offer any service from web design to cleaning services.
    The target group is very broad - 18 -70 years old both male an female. So this eliminates any requirement to target any particular audience. People always look for extra income through additional work, the main problem is how to attract corporate companies looking for freelancers.
    Companies look for cheaper work force, while freelancers look for extra work and income. I believe it is a win / win situation as long as I am the first serious site offering such services.
    If you have any other questions I will be glad to answer.
  • Posted by Chris Blackman on 9/1/2007 at 11:11 PM Accepted
    Actually, I don't think there's any danger at all of your freelance jobs board initiative turning into a fiasco.

    Because from what you have told us so far, it is already clear that you have selected a fiasco as your starting point.

    If you really want to make a reasonable go of this, you need to get some strategic focus.

    How can you hope to offer a global service targeting all M-F 18-70 with a comprehensive marketing campaign on a very limited budget? Get real... That would take megabucks. You have no target market when you say everyone 18-70 like that. Make it narrower! The smaller the budget, the narrower the target segment needs to be!

    Have you done any research? Who wants to hire people like this? Who wants to work like this at the lowest-bidder wins type of rates (not me).

    What makes you any different from www.guru.com or www.elance.com, or, for that matter, craigslist?

    If you can't come up with a laser-like focus to start from, and a very distinct point-of-difference, you'd do much better to save your money and instead spend some time thinking of some other entrepreneurial idea.

    Sorry to be a 'black-hat' meanie, but my motivation is to get you to think more clearly about what you're really trying to do. The current idea you have, as you have described it, is DOOMED.

    Sorry.

    ChrisB
  • Posted on 9/4/2007 at 4:46 AM Author
    I want to thank ASVP/ChrisB for answering the question although the answer was extremely unuseful. But he gets all the points for this question as at least he cared to answer it. Everybody has the right of an opinion.
    Regarding this site, I will not come back as for the questions I asked so far, I didn't get a single interesting answer except things I know myself or can be found in books. The idea is to THINK! No real marketing profs can be found here, as real marketing profs don't have time to lose in giving REAL free advice. Every normal person knows that valuable ideas cost money. So guyz, I wish you good luck. I'm outty!
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