Marketing Forums: Necessary If You Expect To Be On Top
Do you have your eye on a new career as a graphic designer? If so, the first thing you should do is invest in an appropriate marketing hat.
The amount of technical knowledge required to succeed at design these days warrants more than just having Photoshop and some strong opinions. Designers are expected to understand their audience and how to promote themselves. This post hopes to pass along this wisdom, as well as offer up some tips for what marketing hats can be used for outside of professional work.
The biggest marketing hat to invest in is a logo-branded trucker’s hat. At the very least, it should be a branded band hat with an iron on patch. The reason for this is that everyone knows you can't drive anything without a trucker’s hat. It’s an unspoken rule and one you need to be prepared for if your dream job suddenly becomes reality.
Your customers will be able to identify you from further away because of your trucker hat (an extra bonus if you drive a delivery or postal vehicle). You will also be able to more easily lend a hand to your fellow truckers who may require services that your company offers.
Whether you are the owner of a family-owned business, or a single independent designer, having a trucker hat is the best way to get noticed wherever you go.
Do not invest in just any old trucker’s hat though. A cheap one is worse than no trucker’s hat at all because it sends the message that you plan on being poor forever and don’t care about success. We can all agree there is nothing worse than looking down on someone who has worked hard for years for just enough money to buy an average quality trucker hat.
I personally prefer a trucker’s hat with the logo of my business and the colors of my choice. For anyone who wants to get more specific, you can add additional logos and colors in different patterns to make your hat even more interesting. The possibilities are endless, as long as you have a trucker's hat.
There is another problem when it comes to judging others by their trucker’s hats however, and that is the possibility of having inferior quality hats. Unless you are willing to invest in high-end quality leather or do extensive research into materials for making trucker hats, you will have trouble finding a good one at an affordable price. You will easily spend $100 on a hat that lasts for about a year or less.
I personally recommend investing in branded trucker hats if you are still considering going into the design field. You can find them at most warehouses and sometimes even in local shops. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of finding one (or have your business logo on it already) then wait until you have some cash saved up and buy one from Amazon like I did, starting around $20.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind having an expensive hat, but only because quality and usefulness matter more than price. I like to think of trucker hats in the same way I do my work. They are both durable, useful, and attractive, but they can never be perfect.
It’s important to remember that while a designer is always expected to have a trucker hat on them at all times, the reverse isn’t true. Unless you are specifically tasked with designing a logo for the trucking industry (rare), then you probably won’t have much use for it when working for clients other than your business. Anyone who is going into freelance design will quickly realize what I mean when they get a job offer from someone outside of the business scene. It’s hard enough to get off the ground without having to give up your trucker hat in the process.
That is why it’s a good idea to have a few other marketing hats at hand, as well as one or two additional designs to put on them.
A few advertising options include baseball caps and beanies. The baseball caps are more suited for day-to-day use but work great for family get togethers over the holidays where you will have the opportunity to earn some money from relatives who will be happy for you when they see you brought your own branded hat.
The beanies are a more versatile option and can be used for other occasions as well. They come in a variety of materials and patterns. The common pattern is a solid color, but you may want to buy one in the style of your business’s logo as well for some added flair.
A funny marketing hat option would be having fun with your own designs, mostly because it will get you more attention from people who aren't familiar with your work. If you have the talent and resources, I would encourage people to try out their own versions of logos on hats or maybe even sell them online at places like Etsy (if you are willing to put up with the headaches).
Whether your clients are looking for a logo or designs, a shipping company needs to have a trucker hat. Marketing hats are good enough reasons on their own, but having a branded hat makes you stand out from the rest of the crowd and allows you to effectively be noticed anywhere you go.
Even if you’re an independent designer working on your own, having one or two different hats will help in getting people’s attention when needed. Personally, I like to make sure I have one hat for work situations that require me to be more formal (for example when meeting with clients) and another for weekend activities that require casual wear (like going out with friends).
In the same way your trucker’s hat becomes a necessary accessory for anyone who drives a delivery vehicle, your marketing hats will become equally necessary for anyone who wants to succeed in business. It is the best way to get noticed, and if you do it right it will also help you stand out from the crowd.
... Read More Read More Next Post
Is The Founder Better Off On Their Own (Or With A Partner)? ... Read More Read More Previous Post
Why Your Business Needs Marketing Hats ... Read More Read More Next Post
Why You Need To Buy Logos From A Reputable Designer ...