In this episode we talk about how using social media for designers. Social media can be powerful for landing new clients, building your brand, and making career-defining connections. It doesn’t need to be daunting, as we break down some of the best ways to get started, and get traction on your social platforms.

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Show Notes for This Episode:

[1.00] The possibilities using social media as a designer are endless
[2.15] A look at Ian’s prolific following on Instagram
[3.50] The importance of understanding how your audience will vary on different platforms
[6.00] Do the returns of social media justify the time?
[8.00] We all have different backgrounds in social
[10.00] How Ian lands big projects via Instagram
[12.00] Portfolio websites aren’t as important as they used to be, now social media exists
[13.00] Appearing natively where people’s attention is
[14.00] Posting natively on your Facebook feed vs linking out somewhere else
[16.15] Understand a platform’s users, and use this to dictate which platforms you use for your business
[17.40] Should you put only your best work out there?
[18.15] Put out the kind of work you want to be hired for
[18.40] The importance of showing your process shots on social
[19.45] If you have multiple things happening in your life (which we all do) do you share all of these on social?
[20.45] The importance of humanising yourself
[22.35] People hire people they trust
[23.40] How to share your personality more on social
[24.55] How Tom pretty much defined Ian’s social career ? (humble brag!)
[26.00] How we all start off awkward when putting ourselves out there
[27.20] You naturally become more comfortable by simply doing it!
[28.45] Ian is starting to see benefits from starting on new platforms (even though it starts slowly!)
[29.15] It’s all about if the RIGHT person sees your content on social
[31.15] The power of influencer marketing
[33.00] Imagine all of your social profiles going away
[35.00] Why should you allocate your time to social? (what are the key benefits?)
[37.00] The importance of speed and patience
[39.00] The importance of documenting what you’re doing, rather than aspiring to be perfect
[40.00] Don’t be afraid to be rough in your work, people love following the process
[41.00] Putting out content becomes addictive
[42.30] The struggling of knowing what to post on various platforms, and how to juggle it all
[44.00] Don’t worry about perfect content strategy on all platforms, just get started
[45.00] Start establishing a body of work online
[47.00] Start looking for reoccurring themes in your audience’s comments
[48.15] Everything really comes down to just starting
[49.00] Quick fire tips for improving your social content as a designer
[56.00] Don’t give up, you need to play the long game with your social strategy
[56.50] You can’t shortcut social media
[59.00] Some closing thoughts about social


“A must for every creative freelancer (or those aspiring to freelance). Thank you for being so… honest! Such a wealth of information from people I admire who have ‘been there and done that’. Listening to the podcast every week feels like I’m among friends. Can’t wait for more episodes!”AG_GD