Abstract
At this point you should be excited. You have created a Web portfolio and uploaded it to the Internet. You and your immediate circle of friends and colleagues may know about the site by now. Potential employers, potential clients, and other important contacts may not be aware that you have posted a Web portfolio. During the launch and promotion stage you will reach out to your audience with marketing communications that launch and promote your new Web portfolio. In this chapter we will discuss the launch and outline vehicles and methods that you can use to promote your Web portfolio. We mentioned previously that the Web portfolio is a product. The Web portfolio truly embodies the meaning of a product. Pride and Ferrell (1987, p. 12) defined a product as a good, service, or idea. As a good, the Web portfolio represents you and to work as physical entities that can be bought. As a service, the Web portfolio can promote you as a freelancer who provides specific services. As an idea, the Web portfolio contains your philosophies, your images, your concepts, and your themes. And with all products the Web portfolio needs launch and promotion. Marketing and communications activities and vehicles are what drive launch and promotion. So to begin, we will talk about marketing and communications and how they fit into your strategies for getting your Web portfolio seen by the right people.