I have recently started a website which caters to project outsourcing. The url is http://www.webmasterprojects.com - Webmaster Projects is an online freelance marketplace that allows buyers to outsource projects and get quotes from freelancers web & graphics designers, programmers, content writers, SEO executives. Do you have any ideas to promote this site? Please help
If I were you, I would try making some jobs for your own website. For example: You ask for a redesign of your own website and get people to bid through your marketplace. This will get your site bigger while attracting more freelancers. Putting yourself in the position of people looking for freelancers in the future will give you information that other people might get, and you can improve from there.
This market is certainly not saturated but extremely expensive if you are the only individual investing in your project. I once helped with creating a marketing plan for such a freelancing marketplace site. Having investigating the top competitors (Getafreelancer, Guru, eLance, etc.), the list of threats has risen significantly. You have to create yourself some opportunities first before spending on the promotion. Moreover, you need: * a mission for the site * marketing and financial goals * a budget Also charging participants for projects means that you got nearly zero chances of getting reputable since no one would really want to pay a middleman that can not provide a different/better service than other well-known companies do.
Thanks for the wonderful suggestion Duality, however, I have already implemented this and got done 2 projects from the freelancers on my site and paid them I have found a few areas to improve as far as FAQs and information are concerned which I will try to do this week.
When I was launching the site, I initially planned to keep it free but than after much thinking I did not do it because I have found that things which are offered as free are more often misused. For example, a buyer can create a project without having much interest as he has nothing to pay which will eventually waste the real freelancers. Moreover, if anybody is serious he should not have problems paying for a service. I give $2 to sign up as a buyer or freelancer so he needs to pay on $3 for his first project which is not a big amount. Thanks for your suggestion anyway. I will re-think about the decision It is possible that you try to re-call a few more points that you prepared when you created a marketing plan for another freelance marketplace? ... and thanks for your reply & your time.
I still have that marketing plan... somewhere... Of course, I am open to discuss your project more in-depth. Just PM here with an open time or what exactly you want to know. One thing ahead: You have to stand out in this niche to make those serious buyers you mentioned think serious of your service, too. There are certainly a couple of ways to make your service better than GAF for example, just because there are many glitches in GAF.