There are expected to be 28.7 million software developers across the globe by the end of 2024, according to Statista. Standing out in such a crowded space can feel like a daunting task, whether you’re an old hand or a freshly minted coder. These five tips taught in top online sales training programs can help you market your skills in this vast and competitive digital marketplace.
Build a Great Portfolio
It’s no surprise your prospects will need to see what you can do before they can consider giving you a chance. Therefore, investing in a portfolio website is a great place to start. Keeping your website interactive and visually appealing can keep prospects browsing and clicking through your work. In the process, they’ll get a clearer picture of your skills and projects.
A brief description of each project and the technologies used will give your audience an idea of your niche. On top of that, highlighting the challenges you faced and how you solved them can help potential clients see your determination to find solutions. Finally, applying basic search engine optimization (SEO) techniques will make your portfolio easy for people to find. For example, placing relevant keywords in website copy and blog posts will help your portfolio show up for searches for your services.
Keep Your Skills Up to Date
The Influencer Marketing Hub recently stated in an article that “developers have to widen their coding knowledge continually.” This is because each day brings new demands, new coding languages, new libraries and new challenges. Many online sales training programs recommend keeping one eye on the current market’s demands and the other on future trends.
Although development can be a time-intensive vocation, it’s still vital to set aside time to deepen your professional skills through resources such as self-paced online coding courses. Other activities you can participate in to keep in top shape include:
- Webinars;
- Workshops;
- Boot camps;
- Offline courses;
- Video tutorials;
- Conferences.
Better still, spruce up your credentials by taking advantage of online training programs and displaying the certificates on your profiles, such as LinkedIn.
Show Your Expertise
Taking up an active role on open-source platforms or creating free-to-use projects can make your collaborative skills and commitment to the developer community stand out. Best of all, it can hook you up with potential clients. The platforms where you can share your work and earn much-needed exposure include:
- GitHub;
- Behance;
- Dribble.
You can then highlight your achievements on these platforms by creating online social and professional profiles that can act as a short resume. Marketing and sales training suggests it’s best to use a consistent username, a professional photo, and write a compelling bio that will make it easier for potential clients to single you out online.
Leverage Social Media
Research by Demand Sage found that there are at least 4.9 billion users on social media. While your online portfolio can be an effective way for potential clients to find you when they need a developer, social media goes a step further. By being active online, you can drum up interest from people who aren’t actively seeking your services yet.
Engaging in meaningful discussions, offering valuable insights, and answering questions on social media platforms are all ways of selling your skills as a coder. You can also share screenshots, videos, and links to your apps or website to offer potential clients a peek into your skills. In doing this, you’re also more likely to mint yourself as an authority figure in your field, allowing potential clients to build trust in you.
Besides promoting yourself, you can use the vast pool of knowledge freely available on social media to beef up your know-how. Many communities and influencers share tips, tutorials, and resources on these platforms, making social media an informal but solid training ground.
In a recent survey, Sculpt found that software developers lean towards these social media platforms, in order of popularity:
- Stack Overflow;
- LinkedIn;
- Twitter;
- YouTube;
- Discord;
- Instagram;
- Reddit;
- Facebook;
- TikTok.
Get Reviews and Testimonials
A recent Big Commerce report found that 72% of customers said reviews and testimonials made their trust in a company grow. In a separate survey, Power Reviews found nearly half (45%) of customers will only buy products that have fetched at least one review. These numbers clearly show that even the best-worded proposal stands little chance without a thumbs-up from happy customers. Testimonials are a strong vote of confidence that can make a case for your skills and work ethic.
Ask satisfied clients or past employers to endorse you on platforms such as LinkedIn. You can also request written testimonials that you can pin on your website’s reviews page. Finally, encouraging your happy clients to refer you to others is an all-time sales technique.
In sum, the online space is teeming with opportunities to market your development skills to a global pool of clients. By putting these tips to work, you can cement yourself as a sought-after coder in this cutthroat market so you win high-value clients.
