Are you trying to start your career in marketing? Does everyone around you talk about adding things to your portfolio but don't show you how? Well, I'm here to walk you through the process of creating one. The good thing about your portfolio is that it's all about you! Think of it as your resume, but just be prettier and better! Having a portfolio to show prospective employers allows them to see firsthand what work you can do. First, I will explain the importance of a portfolio and then give you a step-by-step process to help you create your own.
What is a Marketing Portfolio?
A marketing portfolio is a place where you can showcase all of your best work to show future employers. It gives the employer a clear indication of what you have worked with and the style you have for creating. According to Hootsuite, it's also a chance to get visual, creative, and stylistic and make an impactful statement about who you are and what you can do.
Why Should You Create One?
Having a marketing portfolio to show employers sets you apart from other potential hires. Your portfolio says a lot about you and about what you can do for the future of their company/business. According to HubSpot, regardless of your level of expertise, this guide is meant to help you create a portfolio that not only stands out but also truly represents you.
What Contents Should You Include?
Before I get into the step-by-step process, there are some things that you should gather ahead of time to make things run more smoothly. These are key ingredients to your portfolio to best show your skills, creativity, and style.
Short Bio: make sure to include a bio about your expertise, background, and interests. You can also add a mission statement about what marketing means to you and how you are willing to input that.
Resume: your past work experience is an important factor in the interview process. You can either add a link to your full resume or take a summary of it to include in your portfolio
Contact Information: When you are sharing your work or portfolio with someone, you always want to make sure that your contact information is listed. Make sure it is in an easy spot so that people don't have to go digging for it.
Home Page: Create a clean and simple homepage that contains all of your work in a nice, detailed, oriented version. Your homepage is the bread and butter to your portfolio so make sure it's easy to navigate through.
Testimonials: If you have any feedback from past clients, make sure to include that too! Employers love seeing what your clients have to say about you, and it shows that you work well with others.
Achievements/Certifications: These often get overlooked when including them in your portfolio. Employers want to see that you are going the extra mile to better yourself in your career, so add those certifications. Don't forget to add the date and year of when you most recently completed it.
Your Work: adding your work to your portfolio is a must and is what will most likely get you the job. Now, you don't need to add all of your work but what you think best describes you and your style.
Now that you have all of the content for your portfolio we can start going through the steps to create it. Let's get you started on making a lasting impression on your employers.
1. What Do You Want To Accomplish?
What is your main reason for creating your portfolio? Determine your goals and what you want to accomplish with your portfolio to ensure it's potential. You may have little experience or you might have a ton. Figure out who you want to attract and specifically target them with your portfolio.
2. Choose An Online Platform
This is usually where it gets sticky when trying to create your portfolio. There are so many platforms available to us, but which ones are the best? If you're just starting out, you'll want a more user-friendly website like WordPress, Siter.io, or Flickr. These are just a small portion of the sites for you to use. HubSpot emphasizes the websites above and many more.
3. Create An Intriguing Home Page
Think of your home page as the front page of your resume. It needs to be complex yet simple and lengthy, yet short and sweet. Be upfront with your content, and make sure it is easy to navigate through. Your home page, sometimes called a landing page, should showcase all, if not most, of the contents of your portfolio briefly. Adding a menu to the header is where you can put the full content of your work.
4. Create An About Page
This is where that short bio comes into use, but you have a whole page to talk about you, so make sure to make it worth their while. This is your space to add the little details that people often think aren't important. Show your creative side and really tell them who you are.
5. Client Testimonials
Testimonials are the perfect way to show potential employers your feedback and proof of your skills. Having testimonials improves your confidence, credibility, and overall expertise. According to Hootsuite, if you don't have any client testimonials or feedback yet, start asking your employers or previous clients if they'd be willing to provide one for you.
6. Add A Page For Certifications
Achievements and certifications are often overlooked these days. I'm sure you've heard the saying, "It's the little things," and this is where that comes into play. Google provides certification courses that you can continually update along with HubSpot. Employers pay attention to this thing, but most of the time, they aren't required, so they won't be listed on the job application. If you want to set yourself apart from others and impress employers start looking for certifications and continue to better yourself.
7. Show Your Work
This is where you have to choose which work best describes you and your style. If you already have lots of content created, that's wonderful, but you will have to decide which few you want to showcase. You can also add a small description to give the content some background. Adding a description adds more volume to your work and it tells the reader who and what you did it for.
In conclusion, having a marketing portfolio is a big factor in today's world. If people ask to see your work and you don't have a place to show them, it's a big disadvantage on your part. Let people discover who you are by sending them to a page that's all about you. Now that you understand what a marketing portfolio is and how to create one, you can use this knowledge to make your own.
References
Forsey, C. (2024, April 3). The 17 best free portfolio websites for creating an impressive digital portfolio in 2024. HubSpot Blog. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/free-portfolio-websites
Forbes Magazine. (2024, July 9). How to build a portfolio website that shines. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/build-a-portfolio-website/
Macready, H. (2023, November 16). How to make a standout social media portfolio [Free template]. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-portfolio/
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