Are you stuck finding new web design clients? Whether you own a web design company or work as a volunteer, it can be challenging to expand your audience and attract clients.
Speaking from experience: there are times when I can’t find people who are interested in my work. If that’s the case for you at the moment, let me tell you not to worry.
This guide will analyze the best practices I use to attract new web design clients and how you can easily customize them to meet your needs and preferences. First, we will explore why it is necessary to use more than one way to gain clients in 2022.
Why Should You Look for Innovative Ways to Attract Clients?
Let ‘s start with a personal conviction: There are many customers to cover the supply of our niche. A common mistake most web designers make is looking in the wrong place.
Don’t get me wrong, the quality of your work is always the most important thing. The better your services, the more clients you will get in the end. But if you want to create your talent online, you need to expand your audience.
Remember that the market is very competitive. And so you need to follow certain steps and choose the best platforms.
7 Best Ways to Attract Web Design Clients in 2022
While there are many ways to attract web design clients online, some prove to be more effective than others. Let us explore them one by one:
1. Using Volunteer Markets as Upwork, Indeed
Whether you own your web studio or are just getting used to being a freelance web designer, volunteer marketplaces are a great way to attract new clients. The same goes for well-known web design job programs like Dribbble, Twine, and WordPress Jobs.
But in general, volunteer marketplaces are more efficient because these platforms attract thousands of buyers / clients every day. The best way to attract clients is to create and polish your profile and respond to relevant job offers.
However, it is equally important to choose a platform that is not only exploited but also has many clients in the web design niche. While Upwork and Indeed are the two most popular, several other platforms meet these requirements, including Freelancer, 99 Designs, Guru, Upstack, TopTal, and PeoplePerHour.
2. Search LinkedIn
Many argue that social media platforms are the best way to attract web design clients these days. While this is true to some extent, not all social networks have the same impact on professionals. I discovered that LinkedIn is the biggest platform on which a web designer should invest time and effort.
The reason is simple; the goal of the platform is to bring professionals together. So, if you create an excellent LinkedIn profile, you can quickly expand your audience and find people who are interested in buying services. The process is quite simple as all you have to do is:
- Create a professional biography: State what you do and who you can help through your services.
- Optimize Your profile (personal information, website and portfolio information, etc.) and Experience sections (previous projects).
- Use the LinkedIn filters to connect with individuals and companies.
- Tailor your invitations and respond by DM to your invitees.
This may sound like a lot of work, and believe me, it’s. However, if you want to attract more clients through social media platforms, LinkedIn is the best way to go.
3. Pay attention to your Portfolio and Website
Regardless of how many links you have on LinkedIn, your clients need to have confidence that you are the best person for a project before you are hired. And there is no better way to do that than to have a comprehensive portfolio and website.
Websites like Dribble and WordPress allow you to create portfolio websites quickly and efficiently. As a web designer, you can treat your website as a personal project and use your knowledge of UI and UX to beat your competitors.
4. Create Social Proof
In short, social proof is a way to prove to your new clients that they should emulate the behavior of your existing clients by hiring you for their project.
To do this, you can create a page with Google reviews, collect testimonials / references, capture screenshots of your conversations with clients and capture their feedback. Then all you have to do is present them on your portfolio website, in your posts / social media stories, etc.
5. Use of Word of Mouth
Instead of asking your existing clients for referrals, you should try to build a deep professional relationship with them. This will help them to automatically recommend your services by word of mouth.
In many cases, word of mouth has been proven to be much more reliable than traditional methods of advertising (email marketing, SEO tactics).
6. Speak at Events and Podcasts
Say you are an experienced web designer, and you just need to expand your target audience. In this case, speaking at events is a great way to build authority. Of course, being a public speaker is not easy, especially if you are a beginner.
This is where podcasts come in handy. By appearing as a guest on podcasts (or webinars), you can easily make your name known, connect with people interested in web design, and ultimately attract new clients.
Start by finding communities (e.g., Facebook groups for web design) and communicating with people who are active (or just interested) in the web design niche.
7. Give Free Advice to Your Audience
Don’t get me wrong, I know that offering something for free is not the best thing to do. However, by creating free content and offering free advice, you can get people to pay attention to your talent.
Similarly, answering questions on social media platforms and creating valuable content is a great way to turn your social media visitors into customers.
Wrap Up
Remember that the most important thing in attracting new clients is the quality of your work. This may sound obvious, but believe me, it’s more than just a rookie’s mistake.
Let’s get close to this; The tips listed above will allow you to work harder but smarter. After all, that’s all you need to build authority as a web designer and attract new clients.
Image featured by Pexels.
