How To Win Clients For Your Graphic Design Business

Graphic designing is no joke; the job requires constant dedication and perseverance to reach even the breakeven point. If you are a freelance graphic designer or run a graphic designing business, you would want to read the next few points very carefully. It is all about winning clients and monetizing your hard work at the end of the day. Even with the best talents on hand and all the right resources, you can still end up on the wrong side of the fence.

Graphic designing is about visuals and attracting eyeballs with your works. We have gathered together a few tips from our experience to help you put your work on the map.

If you don’t have a portfolio, make one.

A portfolio website is a must for any person who is into graphics. How else would you put your word out there? Not only that, the portfolio website needs to make a lasting impression on the visitors. These are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Choose a hosting provider with affordable packages but do not compromise with the server quality. Your website’s loading speed is an essential factor. Visitors lose interest if the website loads too slowly.
2. Make your text-based content minimal and focus on visual aids.
3. Choose a robust CMS to work with; WordPress, Wix, Pixpa; all of these work well. Decide on a theme first and stick to it to maintain continuity. 
4. Design the website yourself if you can do it and can spare the time. If not, hire a professional website designer that will help you with this 
5. Place CTAs in appropriate positions. Do not rush your visitors into engaging with the your wordpress website. For example, your forms and newsletter subscription buttons should be in the middle or at the end of the page after the user has understood what you do.
6. Place your best works at the top. The first impression is the last impression, after all.

A portfolio website shows that you have a digital presence and a well-established business that can cater to your clients’ requirements. It also lets the user understand what you do at their own pace. 

Know your audience

It depends on whether you choose to build a customer base around your works or your works around a customer base. The former is always a better option in terms of ease and from the point of view of an artist. Knowing your audience will help you understand the kind of content they expect from you. You can then make content to target a particular set of people and pull in business from them. Not only this, when you understand the kind of people you work with, you can build your strategies around them such as deciding how much to charge for your work and how much time it will take to deliver the work to them. You can design projections and work your way to them.

Use technology whenever possible.

Marketing can be streamlined with the help of software designed to boost productivity and efficiency. Using digital tools also shows that you are professional. A few tools that can help you market are:

1. MailChimp: Designed for running mailing campaigns and making customized emails for clients.
2. Close.io: A customer support software that can help you deal with tickets and customer-related complaints quickly and efficiently.
3. Slack: Slack is a wonderful tool for team management and communicating with clients.
4. Trello: Trello lets you design project workflows and share them with your clients and team members. You can update your clients with the progress of the project.

Make content which is optimized for search engines.

SEO is not a new concept anymore. When your website is optimized, it ranks higher on search engine results. This is an amazing way to get inbound organic traffic without paying for it. Also, if you do run paid campaigns on Google, you will have to infuse less money because your website efficiently handles the traffic. SEO is essential and should be given due attention from the very beginning. Every content you publish should be following the best practices of SEO. So research those keywords and stick to them!

Social Media is a friend.

In the wave of social media that is sweeping the world, it would be really unwise not to use its potential to attract potential clients. Social Media platforms such as Instagram are a fantastic alternative to a website portfolio, although the portfolio website’s added advantages should not be disregarded. The aforementioned platform is especially helpful for photographers and graphic designers. You can run marketing campaigns directly from these social media platforms as well. 

1. Instagram is great for showcasing your works.
2. Twitter is helpful in sharing your views and engaging with your audience.
3. Facebook campaigns and shops can help you pull in new business from unlikely sources.
4. LinkedIn can be used for building professional networks and turning your business from B2C to B2B.

The advantages of social media are many, but the number of people using it has to be the main highlight. Your small business can turn into a big deal if you reach out to these platforms’ right people.

Also Read:  How to Earn from Photography Business

Customer satisfaction affects referrals.

Last but not least, your quality of work will be a deciding factor in your success. Pay good attention to your clients and offer them support at all times. Use software such as Close.io to deal with grievances and issues. It is crucial to collect the client requirements early on and keep them engaged and updated throughout the project’s timeline. Make sure you address their problems quickly and positively. A satisfied customer can initiate a domino effect for you. Word travels fast, and referrals are the primary source of business for successful freelancers and graphic designers. Your business can be successful just by word of mouth. If you are looking for inspirations in logo design, check out these examples on logo ideas from 48hours logo.

Offer discounts and do a few free projects.

Clients love nothing more than paying less for a good day’s work. If your budget allows it, squeeze in a few discounts. You can also attempt to do a few projects for free to build your portfolio and gain a good reputation. Working for free does not imply compromising with quality. A few days of unpaid labour can help you cash in more money than you predicted in the first place.

Conclusion

Attracting people is one thing and delivering to your promises is a whole other deal. Under commit and over deliver; this mantra for success will go a long way. If you stay honest to your work and follow the rules correctly, success is bound to come sooner or later.