Congratulations! You've decided to venture out into the beautiful world of freelance and offer your web design services.
Right now, your brain is likely buzzing with excitement and overloaded with ideas on how to bring everything together. You're probably somewhere between enthusiasm and freak-out mode and wondering how to market your new business to get the ball rolling and keep the clients coming.
First thing's first, don't freak out! All of the buzz and excitement is normal. And to keep you on the right track, here are a few things you can do to successfully market your web design business.
Having a marketing plan is essential to your success and simple to do. So, before you jump in head first, make yourself a roadmap. Then, take some time to do a little research and answer some essential questions like:
Maybe you decided to start this freelancing adventure because you're sick of your 9-5 and want to replace it as fast as possible.
Perhaps you want a side-hustle to help with debt and foresee slowly transitioning to a full-time freelance career. Whatever the scenario, this is a vital piece of the marketing puzzle and can help you stay passionate about your goals.
Write your 'why' down somewhere visible to be reminded of daily. Grab a post-it and put it on your computer or log it as a recurring event in your phone calendar. Either way, make sure you revisit it often.
It's great to be a generalist in your area, but since the competition in web design is fierce, you'd be doing an excellent service to your business by niching down. Doing this is the remedy if you want to be in demand and position yourself to endless clientele and more revenue.
What does 'niche down' mean, exactly? Well, it means that instead of a generalist, you are a subject matter expert for something in your line of business. For example, you could design for any of the following companies:
A Hypothetical: You've started freelancing, and your very first client is a hair salon that desperately needs a web designer. You went back and forth with the client, worked out the kinks, did your research, and delivered impeccable results. A few weeks later, another hair salon requested your services. You're more than willing to take on this client because you’ve done the research.
You know that stock photos don't go over well with hair salon clients, and they need to have pictures of the actual employees doing work. You're also aware that the site needs to be user-friendly with the option to book appointments and resolve issues quickly online, among other things. And just like that, a niche is born.
If you haven't signed up as a freelancer on legiit.com, you should do so immediately. It's simple, and doing this gets you in front of thousands of business owners worldwide who require your services. Aside from becoming increasingly popular, Legiit was created by freelancers familiar with the gig economy and succeeded in creating a fair system for both buyers and sellers. Some of the perks include.
With millions of people on the internet worldwide, there are endless possibilities for marketing your services. And since your job is designing websites, put yours to good use. In other words, don't just use your site as a portfolio; make it work for your overall strategy. Here are some ideas.
Most everyone has a social media account of some sort, and whether it's personal or business, we're all plugged in. And that's why social media marketing is such a huge deal. However, to do it effectively, you can't be a scroller- you have to engage and post consistently. Content creation is not an easy job, especially across multiple platforms. So you want to make sure that you choose the best sites for your business and your ideal client. Here are some places to think about,
Remember when you made your marketing plan and researched your competition and your perfect client?
Well, here's where all that hard work and information comes in handy. If you understand your competition and find their weaknesses, you can fill in the gaps appropriately with your services and fine-tune what you're offering. Knowing your perfect client sets the stage for your entire marketing strategy. This person(s) is who you're targeting in your emails, social media, blogs, etc.
And if you know them well, and you have their pain points on lockdown, then you're not selling services- you're selling solutions.
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Hello! My name is Andrea and I'm a 43-year-old professionally trained creative w...
Hello! My name is Andrea and I'm a 43-year-old professionally trained creative writer. I specialize in Blog Writing, Article Writing, Content Writing, and much more. I can help you find the right, creative words that keep your readers engaged. I'm comfortable writing on most subjects and ready to write for you.