Many businesses rely on previous work as a way of marketing to other customers. People want to see what you’ve done before, so they know if they can trust you to do what they’re looking for. A variety of businesses might be in situations like this, such as:
- Graphic designers
- Architects
- Contractors
- Web designers
- Marketing professionals
- Artists
- Content writers
The list goes on and on, but all of these professions share a common trait. They provide services that consumers pay for. As such, you will have a portfolio of previous work that showcases some of your best stuff. You want to wow consumers, making them pay you to take control of their project.
As a consequence, a huge aspect of your marketing strategy revolves around this portfolio of previous work. You need to display it in a way that impresses your leads, helping you close a sale. So, here are a few innovative ideas that you might like to try:
Interactive web design
It’s always smart to have your portfolio on your website for people to see. Understandably, not everyone likes doing this as there is a risk that rival businesses can look at your work and copy it in the future. Still, displaying a portfolio via interactive web design is such a clever and innovative idea.
In essence, you have a portfolio page on your site that people click on, and the page loads up with all of your best projects. As they scroll down the page, your interactive web design moves things around to remove one project and display another. Instead of showing a list, you have one project that fades away, and the other moves into the shot. You can also have clickable sections on each project, letting people click on certain aspects of it and get more info on what you did. This is particularly good if you are a graphic/web designer as the interactive nature in itself showcases your talents!
Photo books
So many businesses can create a portfolio and put it into a small photo book. Small is the key here; you want it to be handheld, so you can hand them out to prospective clients. Sites like Inkifi do lots of pretty and minimalistic photo books that look really professional. You should take photos of your best projects, upload them, then create your photo book.
From here, you can print out as many copies as you like, using them as part of your marketing strategy. You can bring these to client meetings to convince them you’re worthy of their money. Or, you can mail them out to prospects, sending your portfolio straight to their door. Some businesses even use photo books as modern business cards. You include details on the front or back, and the portfolio shows off your talents. So, people can see what you do and how amazing you are, then call you straight away. Want to go one step further? Add a QR code to your photo book so people can scan it and be taken straight to your website!
Videos
Why show someone a photo or image of your work when you can show it in video format? Videos are often much better as it gives your prospective clients a chance to see more of what you do. For instance, instead of showing them an image of the kitchen you helped build, you can show a video that looks at all the fine details and provides a deeper look at the design.
This is also more professional than showing images, and your clients will really like it. It immerses them in your work, and they feel like you’re doing all that you can to really show them what you’re capable of. Of course, you need the video to be professional, and it helps if you have text on the screen as well. Much like the interactive web design idea, the text can pop up and target specific elements of your work. Going back to the kitchen example, the video could show the countertops, and some text with an arrow can point to the counter and give design information – such as the material used, color, and so on.
Videos are also more engaging, which is yet another reason to consider making your portfolio like this. You could either have one long video showing a selection of your best projects, or a video for each of them.
Virtual reality
Is this currently possible? Maybe not, but it’s an innovation that you should look into – if not now, then keep an eye on it for the future. The concept is that you use virtual reality to really show your previous projects to people. This works whenever your business produces physical work. For example, you build houses, kitchens, furniture, cars – whatever!
With virtual reality, you can show them your work up close and personal, without making them go anywhere. If you built a house, you could literally show them inside that house with a virtual reality headset! There’s also the idea of augmented reality, which might be more realistic nowadays. Here, you basically show them projections of your work without them leaving the real world. For instance, they are in a room, but they can use an AR app on their phone to look through the camera and see something that you created in that room. If you make custom furniture, they could view your most recent custom table in their dining room. It lets them see how it might look, so they can make a better decision.
As you can see, there are lots of different ideas of varying degrees of innovation. Some of them are more achievable than others, but they’re all worth looking into. The bottom line is that you want to make your portfolio as impressive as possible. It should captivate your audience and encourage them to inquire about your services. The chances are you exist in a saturated industry with lots of rivals to contend with. So, you need ways of standing out, and innovative portfolios could be just what you’re after.
