A portfolio of your previous work is crucial for professionals in any industry. Digital marketing is no different. Freelancers and agencies must keep a detailed history of past projects to prove their ability to others interested in their services.
In this guide, I will show you how to quickly build a digital marketing portfolio, even if you are early in your digital marketing career.
What is a Digital Marketing Portfolio?
A digital marketing portfolio is a collection of your best work, demonstrating your skills, experience, and results in digital marketing. It serves as a professional showcase of your expertise.
The portfolio contains past projects you’ve worked on, your qualifications and awards, testimonials and written reviews from past clients, and anything else that highlights your abilities as a digital marketer.
Why Do You Need a Digital Marketing Portfolio?
Digital marketing portfolios are key to winning new business as a marketing freelancer or digital marketing agency.
Potential clients searching for a marketer to help grow their business will review their portfolios before hiring.
You can spend as much time as you like telling your prospects how good a digital marketer you are, but at some point, you will need to provide details about your competency.
With a portfolio, potential clients can review your past work to understand better what they can expect to achieve when working with you.
If they see evidence of your marketing skills from previous projects, they will be more confident in paying for your services.
How To Build A Digital Marketing Portfolio
- Create a Portfolio Page
- Gather Your Best Work and Case Studies
- Add Customer Reviews And Testimonials
- Write Engaging Descriptions for Each Project
- Add Certifications and Relevant Skills
- Make It Easy to Contact You
- Promote Your Portfolio
1. Create a Portfolio Page
Your digital marketing portfolio should have a standalone page on your website to ensure it gets the attention it deserves. A dedicated page allows potential clients or employers to focus on your work without distractions.
Design your portfolio page to be clean, professional, and easy to navigate. Avoid cluttering it with too many images, animations, or unnecessary text. Instead, use clear sections, short descriptions, and a simple layout.
Each portfolio entry should include:
- A brief description of the project
- The goal or challenge you addressed
- A summary of your strategy and execution
2. Gather Your Best Work and Case Studies
The core of your digital marketing portfolio is the success stories that showcase the results you’ve achieved for clients. These real-world examples prove your expertise and demonstrate how you solve marketing challenges.
While it may be tempting to include everything, showcasing your best work is far more effective. Visitors have limited time, so you want them to leave your portfolio impressed, not overwhelmed.
Include in your portfolio projects that:
- Demonstrate measurable success (traffic growth, higher conversions, improved ROI)
- Showcase various skills (SEO, PPC, social media, content marketing, etc.)
- Overcame unique challenges (e.g., breaking into a competitive industry, or launching a new brand from scratch)
For example, if you successfully built a company’s digital marketing strategy from the ground up or helped a client stand out in a highly competitive market, these are valuable stories to include.
Whenever possible, include specific metrics such as traffic growth, increase in conversions or revenue.
3. Add Customer Reviews And Testimonials
While showcasing your work is important, nothing builds trust faster than social proof. A potential client may be convinced reading our own words, but hearing directly from satisfied customers can be even more persuasive.
First-hand reviews validate your expertise and credibility. They provide proof that your services have helped businesses achieve their goals. A good testimonial can address concerns, highlight your strengths, and make prospects feel more confident about hiring you.
The best time to gather customer reviews is after a successful project. Make it a habit to request feedback from clients when you feel that they are satisfied with your work.
In their testimonials, clients should add a description of the provided services, the outcome, and their experience working with you.
To help them with the process, you can write a draft testimonial which they can alter as needed and approve.
4. Write Engaging Descriptions for Each Project
When writing the description for each project, try to tell a story rather than just listing facts. A good project description should walk the reader through the project stages, making it easy for them to understand your role and the impact of your work.
Explain the client’s business (you may need to get the client's permission first), their goals, and the specific problem they were facing.
Then, describe the strategy you took to solve their problems. Highlight the channels you have used such as SEO, paid advertising, or content marketing, and emphasize any unique or creative tactics that made a difference.
5. Add Certifications and Relevant Skills
In addition to client projects, your portfolio page can highlight your expertise through certifications and industry-recognized achievements. Certifications validate your skills and demonstrate your commitment to staying updated with industry trends and best practices.
For example, earning Google Partner status or Digital Marketing Certification can instantly boost your credibility. Displaying these badges on your portfolio page reassures potential clients that you have the knowledge and qualifications to execute successful campaigns.
6. Make It Easy to Contact You
While showcasing your expertise is essential, your portfolio should ultimately drive action. You don’t just want visitors to admire your work—you want them to reach out and become potential clients.
To make this happen, include clear and compelling calls to action (CTAs) throughout your portfolio page. Encourage visitors to take the next step, whether scheduling a consultation, requesting a quote, or simply getting in touch.
Additionally, display your contact information prominently so prospects can easily find it. Include multiple ways to connect, such as email, phone, and LinkedIn, and consider adding a contact form for quick inquiries. The easier for someone to reach out, the more likely they are to take action.
7. Promote Your Portfolio
Creating a great portfolio is just the first step—you need to actively promote it to attract potential clients.
Use SEO and Blogging – Start a blog to showcase your expertise and drive organic traffic to your website. Writing about digital marketing topics can help you reach clients searching for your services.
Leverage Your Own Projects – If you’re new to the industry, showcase work from personal projects, such as your own website or social media campaigns. This proves your skills even before landing clients.
Engage on Social Media – Actively interact with potential clients on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. Commenting on and sharing relevant content can help build relationships that lead to business opportunities.
Network and Get Referrals – Ask happy clients for referrals and make it easy by providing a pre-written message they can send to their contacts. A strong referral can open doors to new projects and expand your portfolio.
Use Email Marketing – Start a newsletter with valuable marketing insights. Over time, this builds trust with your audience and positions you as the go-to expert when they need digital marketing services.
By consistently promoting your portfolio across multiple channels, you’ll increase your visibility, attract more clients, and grow your business.
Digital Marketing Portfolio Examples
Here are a few good digital marketing portfolio examples:
Marketing Portfolio Example for a Digital Marketing Agency
Web FX is a digital marketing agency that offers SEO, PPC, social media, web design, and email marketing services to clients in various industries. What you can learn from this page:
- Their digital marketing portfolio features case studies detailing their work for some of their most prominent clients.
- Each entry has a CTA button you can follow to learn more about the project.
- The individual project page provides context into the business and the project. It also includes more stats and details on the exact nature of the work the agency undertook.
- Their portfolio page also includes customer testimonials and quotes from past projects.
- At the bottom of the page, there is a simple contact form where interested prospects can contact the agency.
- The site displays badges for Google Partner, Facebook Marketing Partner, Inc. 5000, and other reputable organizations multiple times.
Example of a Portfolio for a Digital Marketing Consultant
Ryan Stewart provides omnichannel digital marketing services for brands looking to maximize growth. His website offers a great example of a portfolio for a digital marketing consultant.
On the portfolio page, you can find a list of case studies highlighting Ryan’s previous successful digital marketing projects.
Next to each project, stats show some of the results, and clear CTA buttons direct users to review the case study in more detail.
When you click to learn more, you can see the company's background information, Ryan’s plan for solving their problem, and how the plan was executed.
