There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who love what they do and feel very comfortable with the subject matter; and those who don’t feel comfortable until they try something new and find their voice. The first type will always have an easier time finding work, especially if they specialize in a particular field, while the latter could spend a long time working on their craft and building up a portfolio before they’re even considered for a position.
The good thing is, there’s no wrong answer and whatever you choose will lead you to your own personal success story. When it comes to marketing and copywriting, it’s important to have both types of people in your team. What this means is that you should consider having both an experienced writer and marketer to draft the plans and strategies for your campaigns as well as someone who can carry out those plans and strategies and push your content to the masses. In order to best determine who’ll be responsible for what at your company, you’ll need to consider how you intend to use the copy you write. For example, if you want to create lead generation pages or blog posts to attract people to your website, the marketer will be responsible for coming up with the content while the copywriter will be responsible for making it memorable and engaging.
Depending on your experience level, you may decide that a marketing manager who is experienced in copywriting and has managed similar projects in the past is the best person for the job. Or, if you’ve got someone with more experience in digital marketing who can implement the plans you come up with, that person might be the best fit. No matter what job function you decide on, the most important thing is that you pick someone you feel confident will do an excellent job.
The Evolution of a Portfolio
If you’re just getting started, the first thing you should do is create a simple wordpress blog. This can be a free platform or you can use a tool like Amazon’s AWS to create a professional-looking blog for free. Regardless, having a blog is a great way to show off your work and build your portfolio.
From there, you can take any number of paths. You can look for guest posts on other websites in your industry or search for online writing jobs to get some practice. Or, you can look for a market research firm that does investigative journalism and try to get published in a few of their reputable journals. The possibilities are endless when it comes to getting quality practice.
The Difference Between Practice and Experience
Everyone has experience with something, be it parenting, cooking, cleaning, or whatever else. But that doesn’t mean that they’re good at it. For example, most people have eaten pizza at some point in their life, but that doesn’t mean they can make it extremely well. Similarly, although most people have played video games at some point in their life, that doesn’t mean they can design a killer gameplay experience. Experience comes with doing something repeatedly and getting better at it with each try. Practice, on the other hand, is simply doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. For example, if you want to be an excellent cook, you need to practice making lots of dishes and trying out different techniques until you get it right. Practice doesn’t mean you’ll become an expert overnight; it means you’ll become an expert in something you continually work at.
Of course, this isn’t a black and white issue. You can have practice without experience, and vice versa. For example, if you’re a yoga expert but have never done it professionally, you can have plenty of practice without any experience at all. The takeaway from this is that both are needed but you can’t always expect one to lead to the other. If you’re looking for a job in marketing and copywriting, you need to consider whether or not you have experience in this field. If you do, great! You’ll be able to hit the ground running and prove your value to a business by producing quality work you can show off.
What Should You Include in Your Portfolio?
Now that you’ve got the groundwork laid out and had some initial practice, it’s time to start thinking about putting your skills to use. The most important thing to include in your portfolio is examples of your work. This can be in the form of a simple blog post, an e-book, or a lengthy magazine article. Whatever form it comes in, when a potential employer Googles your name, they’ll want to see your work so they can understand what you’ve done and what you’ve accomplished. This makes your work a valuable commodity that can help you stand out in a crowded field. Don’t just throw together some blog posts you wrote a while back for a hackathon; these are not professional. The same goes for any projects you did for your university or college. Whatever you did, put it in a format that is search-worthy
Where Should You Post Your Portfolio?
When it comes to online portfolios, you have many options. You can keep it simple and just have a page on WordPress that links to your work. Or, you can get fancy with a bio, a resume, and a list of your publications. The important thing is to have a page that is professional, easy to find, and has the necessary information for the reader. If they want to learn more about you, they’ll have to click on your profile and visit your webpage. If your page is well-designed and easy to navigate, they’ll have no trouble finding the information they need and hopefully decide to engage with you further.
How to Build a Portfolio When You’re Starting From Scratch
If you’re looking to build a portfolio when you’re starting from scratch, where do you start? More and more businesses are turning to digital marketing and social media to reach their audience. If you’re looking for a way to get your foot in the door, consider using platforms like LinkedIn to connect with other professionals in your industry. You can also look to see who linked to or mentioned your work in some of their publications. Finally, search for digital marketing news websites to see what content they’ve published on your topic. Not only will this give you an idea of what is currently trending but it will also give you some insight into how others in your industry are finding success.
Once you’ve got a small collection of examples, it’s time to start applying for jobs. For those who’ve been writing for a while and have a small sample of work, now is a great time to start looking for freelance writing positions. For those who are new to the field, now is the perfect time to start looking for marketing positions that deal with digital marketing, content strategy, or copywriting. The most important thing is to put yourself in the position to receive job offers; once you have, you can decide which one to pursue.
No matter what stage you’re at in your career, having a good marketing and copywriting portfolio is a great way to prove your worth and stand out above the rest. Just remember to continue practicing so you can become the best writer and marketer you can be!