4 Tips To Land More Toy Company Clients As A Freelancer
As a freelancer, having the freedom and flexibility to dive into an array of different sectors is a perk, and one of the most popular choices is the toy industry. Not only is it a field that inspires both creativity and innovation, but also one of the most straight-up fun as well. After all, who doesn’t want to be a part of the toy making process? If this has been something you’re after, then we’ve compiled a few helpful tips to get started below:
Know Your Worth
No matter the industry, if you’re looking to set your sights on a new sector of work, then you need to not only know your worth based upon your skill set but also how that applies to the average need per the sector you’re looking to enter. With the toy industry, a lot of the skillsets for freelancers are primarily going to involve the elements of design, sales, marketing, or customer service, which can vary tremendously depending on your skill set as well as the size of the company. However, before we dive too deep into specifics, let’s first look at assessing your value, as well as how it can contribute.
A good rule of thumb in looking at job skills is applying whatever specific sub-set of needs you might hold to the overall industry’s needs. For example, as noted by Payscale, the average graphic designer asks for $29.02 per hour, which falls right in line with being the in-house person for a toy small to mid-sized toy company. An aspect that you could take on for improving your odds of getting the gig would be specifics like how to showcase the toys on social media in creative ways. Getting in the habit of thinking like this will help you refine and focus in on those skills that can help you land the perfect role. Remember, sometimes if you want the job, you’ve got to create your own role for it, ensuring you always hold your value.
Look At Industry Trends
With a more refined approach towards what value you can bring to the table, the next step is to start analyzing industry trends to study what type of toy company you want to be a part of. According to the Toy Association, in 2016, the toy industry brought in $20.36 billion in the US alone, which is a pretty sizeable industry. With how technology is playing such a prominent role, a lot of our classic toys are being replaced by smartphones and tablets, which is why you need to be mindful of how the industry is functioning around that.
The toy industry has a few different directions it’s been heading down. First, there’s been a surge in people going back to supporting local from American-made, artisanal companies, which has created a bunch of smaller, niche firms. Second, while the industry has been shifting to digital, that also means a lot of toy companies have been trying to improve their tech as well, giving a futuristic type edge to their work. With these two primary trends, the major players of the industry have been trying to keep up with the innovation, which has provided some great tech; however, as the toy industry isn’t just about what’s being built, but how it’s being sold, there are numerous avenues you can go down in regards to innovation.
Explore Innovation
A big part of the toy industry is companies offering different types of innovation across the board beyond just what’s being sold. This is primarily dealing with where they fit in the market, which as noted by Forbes, approximately 42 percent of startups fail because there’s no market need. A big part of avoiding those companies is not only by asking yourself where you see a company being successful in the toy industry but why.
An excellent example of this is the newcomer Jizels, which is disrupting the adult toy industry in a major way. With an innovative approach to custom toys, they’re able to tailor what they sell directly to the customer. As a freelancer, going after a company like that could have a lot of promise, especially since you can work within a wide variety of industry partners. Try to think along those lines when looking for new innovation, giving yourself the best chance of finding a company to grow with.
Play Up Profitable Skills
Finally, an important factor when approaching these firms is talking specifically about what you can do to help them make more money. No matter if it’s pitching yourself as a marketer and then compiling a social media strategy for their brand or a data analyst and working on a pitch for them, try to have your value presented to them with experience that backs up your claims. Because although that might sound easy, it’s also something that requires quite a bit of practice.
The biggest goal in showcasing your skillset is by first examining the overall elevator pitch you can muster. Let’s say for instance you’re a digital marketer with a knack for creating content to Generation-Z. To back up these claims, it’s important to showcase not only your own portfolio but also data that backs up your claims; for example, as noted Pew Research, 71 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds are on Instagram. You could showcase campaigns you’ve targeted toward that age group that went viral on social media. The more you can exemplify a quid-pro-quo agreement in price point, the better off you’ll be at landing more gigs in the toy industry.
What are you most excited about in landing more toy clients? Comment with your answers below!
