How do I get new clients?
I just left a FaceBook page where this question was asked to the community of web designers/developers who subscribe to it, (not LEFT-left, but jumped out of the rabbit hole that has sucked some hours out of my day) after leaving the posted comment I’m sharing below at the end of a long list of helpful and funny and supportive comments from others there.
When I first saw the question I thought: Boy! how can anyone ask that without further context and expect professionals to just offer it up. But they did, in spades. And I realized that the need to respond and engage with others on the site was likely as much a driver of this activity as the initial individual’s simple and somewhat naive question. And so I added my two cent’s worth and now I have in writing some things I think about and know, but haven’t committed to page until now. So THIS is how I get writing done — tricking myself into doing it by doing it in comments. Hm. Here is what I said:
In answer to Nelson Murphy’s question:
I can’t see that anyone has mentioned public speaking or workshops as a source of leads for new designers and developers, but in the interest of the need for balance with the high tech, people need a bit of (as John Naisbitt once said in Megatrends (1982)) high touch as well. It worries me that someone actually has to ask how to get new clients and then I see that great response from the community of fellow wanderers in web development.
Get out from behind your keyboard and find groups that fit a likely target market (those with a background or profession or hobby similar to yours before you plunged into web design, perhaps like cosplay or ancient greek or agoraphobics who desire to travel to exotic places), especially if they don’t have a website or are likely to have some website-deprived members. You can tell, you know you can.
These groups often like having speakers at their meetings, so fill one of their dates and offer to speak about basic web design, or why you need a website, or why you don’t (reverse psychology of course everybody needs one), etc. Or put together a little training workshop, presentation or webinar to share for free and get the word out on sites or FB pages where the likely people will see the info. Bait your hook and toss it in the right part of the river. It can be fun and does get you out of the house a bit.
That’s content marketing, showing that you know about their needs and understand that chip on their luddite shoulder is just made of pride and fear but their secret is safe with you. Be a coach, not a superior.
Everything is an audition, so make sure you are out there doing it strategically and know that you don’t get them all. Remember the movie ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ and how Santa referred people to the other store down the street if Macy’s didn’t have what they needed? Find others of like mind and talent and support each other to develop a client base. Be Santa for them, if they can do things you don’t want to do, or cannot.
Every audition must be followed by reflection and the plan is tweaked to bring the best target for your business into focus. Eventually you may not have time to do those presentations. But they also give you a lot of participatory UX and market research data that you cannot get from a survey.
But when someone responds and you start working with them effectively, and you know you can -and do- do a good job for them, the ripple will spread. Be sure and get those testimonials, specific feedback about how you are to work with, your integrity and reliability, and that you know how to say no when you should. They will help spread the word.
Can I hear an A-men? Thanks.
Marketing is one of those business bits that many creative people want others to do for us, but it is about stuff only you can do well on your own behalf: understanding other people’s needs, initiating and building relationships with them and net-weaving (I’m averse to a word with ‘working’ in it) as an ongoing process. Even introverts like me can do it successfully by preparing well. And if I lose my PR staff or marketing team, I can still call my clients and they know who I am. That is, if I ever HAVE a PR staff or marketing team.
Oh, and have a sense of humour, like Sean Barton*. It really helps.
*(one of the commenting members in the stream- he said some very funny things but also serious advice)
