One of my favourite parts of being a motion designer is that it is possible to work from almost anywhere. However, finding clients when you’re not attached to a studio or location is a challenge. Don’t despair! There are strategies to use to allow you to get clients directly and make it all possible.

Mair Perkins is an independent creative freelance business owner. As a motion designer that works remotely and direct to client, she knows a thing or two about staying gainfully employed while bucking the trend of being tied down to a studio. Most of Mair’s work is direct to clients. In today’s conversation, she shares how she finds these clients, or rather how she ensures that they find her. She really enjoys not working at a studio and talks about what it’s like to have the freedom to work from home.

We also discuss how a properly run social media presence, particularly on Linkedin can be a huge resource for helping the right clients find you directly. There are tons of little and big things you can do to make this work for you. I’m so happy that Mair came on to share them with us all!

Have you landed clients through Linkedin or other social media? Leave a comment!

In this episode

• Finding clients when you’re based far away from traditional animation hubs
• The advantages of not working in a studio
• Meeting other animators when you work from home
• Leveraging your website and social media presence to land more clients
• Getting testimonials and references to build your credibility
• Why not to ignore the altruism that can be part of your work

Quotes

“I find if I post stuff, like a finished video or an animation I made recently for an organization, then I’m more likely to get an inquiry from someone who works in a similar organization.” [22:25] “I try to take as much responsibility for the project [as possible]. A lot of the people that hire me are often employees in a marketing department, so they already have tons of things to do. They don’t want to be micromanaging something else.” [34:02] “Try to empathize or think like the clients you’d like to work with. Try to imagine why they might need an animation, what kind of search terms they’d use when looking online for one and what sort of worries they’d have and how you could alleviate those worries.” [41:16]

Related links

• Find Mair Online
• Follow Mair on Linkedin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube 
• Animorsels Meetups
• School of Motion
• Freelance Manifesto
• Episode 21: How to Shape the Life You Want Through Your Freelance Business
• aNEmates 

The Freelance Contract Bundle