There’s no doubt that clients are the most important capital of any business. Indeed, no business can survive without a satisfactory influx of new clients which result in profit in accounting statements at the end of the year.
This is not an exception for graphic designers. We need good promotion strategies that help attract new customers to our business. As you’ll see here, there are lots of ways we designers can attract new clients; some might deliver faster results than others. The best way to know is to test and measure the results each time to evaluate which tactics are having the biggest impact on your growth.
Market your Unique Selling Proposition
You need to find ONE specific thing that you do and all other graphic designers don’t. It could be delivering your final work product in just 3 days, doing minor corrections free of charge, or giving away a free business card design with a website design project. Whatever you use, consider how it will appeal to new customers and make you stand out from the competition.
Polish your marketing materials
BENEFIT is the most important aspect you need to focus at when writing your website, flyers, brochures or sales letter. Your materials shouldn’t be about how great you are but more about what the client will get from working with you.
So all your marketing materials should answer the one question that all potential clients might ask while reading them, which is: What’s in it for me?
Leverage connections to promote your business
You can use other people as your own sales force by rewarding referrals from your clients or having an attractive affiliate program. If you want to invest more, you can try a pay-per-click marketing campaign for instance with an attractive and irresistible offer in your sales page.
You can also increase your networking reach by joining activities in your local community, giving your services to charity or connecting and networking with old acquaintances. Consider increasing your online presence by joining online business communities through LinkedIn and linking your profile to your portfolio.
Improve your SEO
Having your site and content appear high in search engine results lists is undoubtedly a great way to attract new customers to your website or sales page. One effective method is through extensive backlinking, which can be amplified by contributing guest posts on reputable sites in your industry. You can also build a strong online presence through social media, by posting valuable comments in relevant graphic design forums, and writing online articles pertinent to graphic design trends. By doing so, not only you’ll improve your search engine optimization but also you’ll position yourself as an expert and leader in your field.
Keep moving…
You should always try new ways to attract new customers. If you haven’t tried cold calling, go for it and measure the results you get from it. Leave flyers at your local library. Send your portfolio links and well-written sales letter to relevant target markets like book publishers or printing businesses, for example. Just make sure to market your irresistible offer and your unique selling proposition in all of your promotional activities.
There are undoubtedly 1001 other ways to attract new clients to your business. Have you tried different strategies? I’d love to hear what worked for you, please leave your ideas in the comments.