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If you’re a website designer, you know that your customers are the life blood of your business. In order to keep them coming back for more, you can utilize various marketing strategies. But which ones are going to work best?
As a website designer you’ve probably been a bit overwhelmed – trying to keep up with everything is so time-consuming! I mean, there are new trends every month that you need to stay up to date on. It can be tough to keep all the information straight and even tougher to actually apply it all to your business.
Having a successful business is not an easy job. You need to be creative, smart, and flexible in order to succeed. Since I got my fair share of success, here are some of the best website designer strategies that I think every web designer should follow.
Why Website Design is a Unique Business
Financial success
Successful website designers can make a lot of money! According to The Balance Small Business, “A small design shop grossing $1 million in revenue with an eight-person staff would have annual revenue per employee of $125,000.” Even if you’re just starting out, your website design fees will give you some positive cash flow right away.
Be your own boss
One of the best things about running an online web design business is that you can be your own boss. If you don’t like working for someone else or for a big company, then this is the career for you! You get to work on your own terms and in your own time frame and set goals for yourself that fit into your lifestyle instead of someone else’s demands.
Set your price and negotiate your pay
Most website design companies charge by the hour. With a website design business, you can set a price for the job and get paid for it without haggling over every little detail.
Enjoy greater flexibility and freedom
Most designers work as employees of an existing company. With a website design business, you can work independently and be in charge of every aspect of your work life.
Choose what clients to work with
As an independent worker, you don’t have to take on any clients that aren’t right for your business. You can pick and choose projects that match your skill set, interests, and target market.
Identify new opportunities
When you run your own website design and development business, your mind will be open to new opportunities that you may not have considered before. If you see something that could potentially make money, you can jump on it right away instead of waiting for someone else to give it to you as a project.
Tons of work
Since there are plenty of companies out there looking for a good website design firm, this means there is plenty of work to be done. If you have an eye for visual aesthetics and great ideas, then a freelance career in web design could be just what you’ve been looking for. Starting your own website design business gives you the chance to do just that.
Main Website Design Business Challenges
Choice of web design trends
Web design trends change so rapidly that it’s difficult for designers to stay on top of all the latest developments. Often, it’s difficult for designers with some experience to keep up with new trends without additional training or courses from third parties. The problem is that many of the best courses aren’t available in the local area or are only available through costly online courses or boot camps that can be too expensive for new designers.
Dealing with clients
The biggest challenge of running a website design business is dealing with clients. You might be passionate about what you do and how you do it, but your clients won’t care about the things that matter to you and will only worry about their own needs.
Taking care of legal issues
Registering or buying the copyright to software/designs/logos/images/content/texts that are going to be used in the website and making sure they are legally bought and registered, obtaining license agreements with graphics designers/content writers if they are selling their work through you, getting registered trademarks, etc., all these legal issues will cost you a lot if not taken care of.
Pros and Cons of Website Design Business
Pros
- The satisfaction of a job well done.
- Greater responsibility for your future.
- Earning potential can be substantial over time.
- A chance to help others succeed.
- You can promote your business online.
- You can receive feedback on what you can improve.
- You get to show off your business in the best way possible.
- You get to be found by people searching for your product or service online.
- You can easily integrate an online store with your website.
- Your customers will be able to see what they are buying before they buy it and this makes the buying process easier and faster for them.
- You get to save money on advertising costs by using your website instead of traditional advertising methods like television, radio, and print ads.
Cons
- Making sure you get paid for your services.
- Finding new customers who need your services.
- Keeping up with current trends in technology and search engine optimization.
Best Website Design Marketing Strategies
SEO
For website design businesses, SEO is a great way to drive traffic to the websites you create.
There are many ways that you can work on improving your SEO and this section will outline some of the best ways to do it.
1: Optimize Your Website Address
The design of your website address is really important when it comes to SEO. Make sure that you are using keywords in your domain name if possible, but also consider the length of your address and try to keep it as short as possible. If it is too long, people might not remember it, or type it correctly which will mean that your site cannot be found online for searches.
2: Use the Right Keywords
Keywords are very important for search engine optimization (SEO). They help web crawlers find your website and rank it accordingly compared with other results. When choosing keywords for your site, you have to be careful not to pick too many ones that are too competitive because they won’t be used anyway. Pick a nice balance between competitive and less competitive keywords to ensure that your website gets found when people look for things online.
3. Create a blog
Create a blog and include what customers love about your business as well as any new services that you offer. Make sure there’s a way for people to contact you through the blog so they can ask questions, request services, or contact you directly for more information.
Use email marketing
Email marketing is a good way for you to reach out to your clients and let them know about the latest news, updates, offers, and any other information that you want to share with them. It also allows you to remind your past clients about the work you have done for them, which in turn helps you to get more business from them.
Pick the right platform. Choose a platform that complements your business needs. If you run a website design business, it’s better if you use an email marketing system that allows you to integrate seamlessly with your website design platform so that you can capture subscribers directly from the web pages of your website design projects.
Use different newsletters for different interests. You should create newsletters and emails for different topics or interests of your clients. If you produce only one type of newsletter, it might not appeal equally to all of your clients—you may lose some subscribers as a result. For example, if you are offering website design services, create separate newsletters on internet marketing, computer security, and tips on how to use email marketing like website design business marketing strategies.
Tailor your emails to make them personal. Send emails on relevant dates, such as birthdays or anniversaries. Make sure you only send emails that are relevant, so don’t flood your customers with irrelevant emails. Send out newsletters with useful information that might be helpful to your customer base, but also remember to keep things interesting by adding some humor.
Make sure that you have a strong call-to-action in each email. This will prompt customers to act on something they find interesting in the email they’ve received from you. However, make sure that it’s not too strong as this can put off some people who might find it intrusive. Keep it simple and easy to follow so it doesn’t confuse any of your readers.
Social media strategy
Social media is all about engagement. The more you engage, the more people will engage with you. In fact, according to the Social Media Examiner, more than 85% of surveyed businesses said that social media helped them grow their business.
Treating your business’s social media accounts as an ongoing conversation is the key to getting what you want from social media.
Keep the conversation going by using these tips:
1. Respond to comments and reviews – Whether it’s a blog post or a Yelp review, make sure that you respond to all online feedback. This shows your customers that you care about what they have to say and places you as an expert in their eyes. It also encourages others to comment and share your content, which can lead to even more traffic and exposure for your business.
2. Post often – The number one way to keep the conversation going is by posting interesting content regularly. Without consistent updates, your followers might forget about your page entirely or lose interest in what you have to share with them.
3. Use hashtags – Hashtags help people find your content when they’re looking for it specifically on social media. You can use trending hashtags related to your niche or industry or create your own and add them into relevant posts so people can find you more.
Reinforce your brand
If you’re a web designer, the chances are that you’re passionate about what you do. You believe in the power of your skills to help your clients achieve their goals.
You’re probably not so keen on marketing, however. It comes across as a bit ‘pushy’ and hard sell-y, which isn’t really in keeping with the more creative side of web design.
What follows are some tips on how to reinforce your brand in order to market your business effectively.
1) Be consistent with your branding Make sure that all of your promotional material is consistent with the style you have already established for yourself. This includes everything from business cards and stationery to your website, to the style and tone of the copy you write. If you have an established website, make sure that its design matches that of other materials too.
2) Write quality content Creating quality content is a great way to reinforce your brand. This can be in the form of blog posts, articles, or even guest-blogging on other websites. People will soon associate your name with good content and this can be incredibly valuable when it comes to marketing yourself as a brand in itself.
3) Make sure there are consistent colors and fonts By using similar colors and fonts, it creates an overall cohesive feel for your website design. This gives your site a more professional look and one that is much more recognizable for new clients. It also shows that you care about how your company appears on the web, something which many companies seem to neglect. This can help give you an edge over competitors who don’t put as much effort into their branding efforts.
4) Visual identity is vital to the success of your business and its brand. First impressions matter so always be sure that whatever materials you use are consistent and well-designed. No matter what materials you produce, whether it be brochures, business cards, or other promotional material, make sure that everything has the same look and feel so it will reinforce your brand image in the minds of your customers.
Define your target customer
To define your target customer, you must first understand what a target customer is. Your target customer is your ideal client and the one who will be willing to pay for your services.
Understanding your target customer will help you better focus on the kinds of customers you want to attract, as well as which methods to use in order to reach them.
Direct marketing is a broad term used for any marketing method which delivers your message directly to your target market.
Direct marketing can be defined by six major characteristics:
1) Personalized messages.
2) Measurable results.
3) Better targeting of potential customers.
4) Lower costs and space requirements.
5) Ability to quickly change messages.
6) Speed of delivery.
To be successful in business, you need to know who your target customer is so you can reach them with your marketing and sales efforts.
Here are some tips on how to figure out who they are:
1. Look at your business. If you’re already established as a business, look at what you already sell and who buys it. What demographic group is most likely to buy from you?
2. Think about your customers’ needs. Keep in mind that just because a particular group of people has certain characteristics doesn’t mean they all have the same needs. For example, people of different ages may need the same product for totally different reasons.
3. Ask your customers directly. Sometimes the best way to get this information is to ask customers directly what they want or what they’re looking for in a product or service like yours.
4. Use surveys and polls to gather information about groups of people who might be similar to your target customer. You can do this by using online tools like SurveyMonkey to create surveys and polls that will reveal some basic demographic information about respondents.
Tweet tips and tricks
Tweeting tips and tricks in an attempt to market your website design business can be one of the best ways to get found through social media. It is easy to do, and you can share your knowledge with other designers and webmasters.
This can make them feel more confident about their own skills, as well as make them more likely to contact you when they need help with a website.
Paid campaigns
Paid advertising is a great way to get your website design business noticed. It’s easy to set up and you don’t have to wait for clients to find you.
But it’s important to do paid advertising strategically so it doesn’t end up costing more than it’s worth. When considering paid advertising, remember that most new consumers are going to go with their first impression rather than doing further research, so it’s better to start off with a low-cost option.
You can always upgrade later if your business takes off.
Here are some of the best options:
Cost per click (CPC). When you pay for this kind of ad, you only pay when someone clicks on your ad and goes to your website. This is a good way to make sure you’re getting real traffic and not just “eyeballs” that aren’t interested in buying anything.
Cost per thousand impressions (CPM). This is another cost-effective option because you only pay when someone sees your ad. The more people who see the ad, the more people who will click on it if they’re interested in what the ad is offering.
Cost per sale (CPS). If you’re trying to sell products or services directly from an ad, this type of paid marketing makes the most sense.
Build a community forum
Building a community forum on a site like Reddit is an excellent way to market your business. It’s also a good lead generation source.
Before you start, you need to know what to do and what not to do. You can’t just go ahead and open up a forum on any topic at any time and expect it to work for you.
Here are some steps you can follow when creating an online forum that engages your customers and builds trust;
1. Start with a purpose in mind. What do you want the community site, blog, or forum to accomplish?
2. Brainstorm topics that may appeal most to your chosen audience and brainstorm every topic under the sun that you would like to write about.
3. Narrow down these choices by researching the competition and determining what subjects other forums or sites are addressing that could be of interest to your target customers.
4. Write a one-sentence description of each topic that encompasses what the subject is about and why someone might want to read your take on it. Make sure they are easily understood by everyone and briefly outline the direction of where you would like this subject matter to go if enough people respond favorably to it.
Incentivizing sign-ups
Incentivizing sign-ups is an effective way to market your website design. The concept is simple: Give away something of value in exchange for a visitor’s contact information.
The most common incentive is a discount or coupon code, but it could also be a free eBook or other valuable information.
Trying to get someone to sign up for your mailing list? An incentive will help you achieve that goal.
Here are some ways to incentivize sign-ups:
1. Free eBook. This is one of the best incentives because it’s so useful. Give away an informative and relevant eBook in exchange for a visitor’s email address and you’ll have a highly engaged subscriber within minutes.
2. Coupon Code. A discount can be a powerful incentive, especially if it’s substantial enough to make the deal worth it for the buyer. There are plenty of free coupon code generators available online (just Google “coupon code generator”), so it doesn’t cost you anything extra to offer one as an incentive for signing up for your mailing list.
3. Survey. Surveys are good when you need more information from your subscribers, such as age range or preferred platform (email, SMS, etc.). It can feel uncomfortable asking these questions directly.
4. Free web design samples. Everyone loves free stuff and if you’re able to create something unique for those that sign up for your website design services then you’ll be sure to get some attention and really make an impression on potential customers.
Final Thoughts
In today’s crowded web design market, you need to come up with innovative ways to get noticed. The best website designer marketing strategies utilize tried and true methods, combined with new approaches to reach prospects where they live: on the Internet.
