The Most Impactful Thing You Can Put on Your Website
When a prospective client looks at your website, you have a short amount of time to impress them. In a very short time, like under 30 seconds, you need to communicate that you are an experienced writer, have subject matter expertise and that you can do a great job for their company or agency. It’s a tough task. But done right, you can significantly increase your job offers with very little effort.
When prospective clients contact me, I always ask them two questions – how they found me and what about what they saw made them reach out to me. I always ask the question so I know which passive marketing techniques are working. The answer is almost always LinkedIn or my website by searching for “content marketing writer.”
But the first few times I heard the answer to my second question, I was surprised. New clients tell me that when they went to my website, they were very impressed by the brands that I have written for. And I know that the reason that they are very aware of my brands is that I have the logos of all of the big clients I have worked for sitting largely and prominently on my website so there is no way that you could miss them.
Why You Should Put Brand Logos on Your Website
When you go to my website and see IBM, Samsung, Verizon, Adobe, Hewlett Packard and Microsoft, you immediately know I specialize in technology, am very experienced to have written for these large companies and am a sought after content marketing writer to have this level of clients. These pictures communicate a great deal in a matter of seconds.
As soon as you have at least three prominent brands in your industry, I highly recommend putting the logos on the front page of your website. It takes very little effort on your part. It’s visual. It’s powerful. And it communicates so much about you very quickly.
They do not need to be all Fortune 500 companies like mine, but just companies that show your experience in the industry and communicate that you are highly sought after. Even if you are in a more obscure industry, brands or publications that are meaningful to your audience speak volumes as well.
How to Select Which Logos to Put on Your Website
When deciding which brands to display, you want to think about the type of client most likely to hire you and then think about what brands will communicate your expertise and experience. And then go take a screen shot of those logos. The brands that are best advertisement for one writer are not the right brands for another. You have to think about your specific target client.
For example, a healthcare writer focusing on patient information may want to put Duke Hospital, WebMD, John Hopkins and Mayo Clinic on their website. While a healthcare writer focusing on research might put National Institute of Health, GlaxoSmithKlein and X. A financial writer specializing in personal finance may have Chase, American Express and Quicken on their website while a financial writer that mainly writes about investing should consider brands like Fidelity, Ameriprise and Morgan Stanley.
And if you currently don’t have any high profile brands that you have worked for, I recommend focusing on landing a few clients for this purpose, even if you have to take a slightly lower pay than normal.
I used to struggle when I got on the phone with a client because you can’t just come out and say, “I’m an awesome content writer, I promise. Please hire me, I am really good at my job.” But when I started telling people the brands that I had worked for and they immediately knew my level of experience and I no longer had to sell them on my competence.
You know the old and very worn saying about a picture being worth a thousand words. I personally think that putting the right brand logos on your website are worth a thousand dollars or more.
Have you put your brand logos on your website? Share your experience and thoughts.
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Hi Jennifer,
I’ve thought about putting logos on my website, but have not done so because companies are touchy about the use of their logos. So, I type in the name of the client and hyper-link to their website. I have some clients who actually put in the contract that I can’t use their logos without permission or at all. Do you ask your clients’ permission to post their logos on your website?
Stephanie, yes if I had a client who said I couldn’t use their logo or name in my contract then of course I wouldn’t. Or if I thought for any reason a client might have a problem. But I have actually never had that situation, but know other writers who have.
I’ve never had a single comment about the logos being on my website and they have been there for years. Clients whose logos are there have looked on my website and never said anything. If someone had a problem, I would immediately take it down of course. The agencies I have worked for the clients for have seen the logos for their clients and never commented either.
New clients almost always comment on my list of logos so it’s obvious that I will put their logo there and no one has even said, don’t put my logo up there.
I’ve actually never even considered that anyone would have a problem since no one has said anything about their logo. But I feel strongly that writers should only do what they are comfortable with so if it’s something you don’t feel comfortable doing, then I definitely would keep doing what you are doing.
Yes, and like Jennifer, I think it works. I also mention national publications I write for if I need to speak with someone for a piece at a place that might not have the same heft. I find it 100% effective!
Very good point about it helping you get in the door for other pieces.
Agree this works well but don’t most brands have restrictions on the use of their logo?
I’ve actually never had anyone mention that they have an issue and many of the brands whose logos are on my site have seen the logos as well as the agency. But if it’s something that you don’t feel comfortable with, then you shouldn’t do it.
This post really has me thinking. It never occurred to me to put the logos of my clients up on my site, but I’m thinking this could be a very good thing for me as well.
Thanks for *always* bringing something valuable to the table, Jennifer!
I’m glad you found it helpful.
Thank you for always giving us valuable information. What if you wrote for a brand a very long time ago and can’t prove it? Should you still include it, if it’s a household name?
Hi, Jennifer. I think it’s a great idea to include brand logos on one’s website. It’s a great form of social proof! I have a question. I’ve written content marketing ebooks for company A that have been sponsored by company B. (Company A paid me.) Whose logo should I include? Is there a tactful way to include both?
That’s a tough one. Whose logo was on the ebook? Was it through an agency? I put clients up who I worked with through an agency all the time.
Hi, Jennifer. It wasn’t through an agency. It’s a tech publication that hires writers to produce content marketing pieces for their tech clients.
p.s. Both the publisher and the sponsor have their logos in the ebook.
Great information, as always, Jennifer.
Can you add a line of Logos to Linkedin profiles? How would you do that?
How do you get the logo graphics for use?
Yes. I think putting logos of major companies on our website lets visitors know that we’ve worked with some major brands. It’s an effective selling point.
I have some well-known brand logos on my website, and although most of them are B2C and I’m moving to the B2B space, I’ve decided to keep them there until I can add more B2B clients.
I’m not sure how effective that is to attract a B2B audience, but I’m working with what I have for now.
Thank you for this great advice. Previously, I’d just had a bullet list of clients. Now I’ve added in their logos here:
http://www.leahingram.com/content-marketing/
Thanks again.
Leah
[…] Add your brands to your website. I personally think that showcasing your brands is the best way to sell yourself on your website. With the graphics, you tell the potential client […]