Web design and development Startup

[steve.deffro]

My friend and I just started up our own website design company called Deffro Technologies. Our team is very talented and can make great websites and graphic designs, but we are finding it hard to find clients since we are so new and do not have portfolios like other established web design companies. Does anyone have any ideas on how to find clients in need of a web designer? :)

[nduncan]

Hi,

I would suggest PPC. Adwords can be expensive however it is one of the main way to get business leads. Other suggestions would be Google places and paid local directories.

[Harold Mansfield]

I suggest you go through this free marketing course created in conjunction with Google so that you have a better idea of how to determine, and target your market, and develop a plan to get them.
https://www.udacity.com/course/app-marketing--ud719

[DizzStudio]

My friend and I just started up our own website design company called Deffro Technologies. Our team is very talented and can make great websites and graphic designs, but we are finding it hard to find clients since we are so new and do not have portfolios like other established web design companies. Does anyone have any ideas on how to find clients in need of a web designer? :)

Welcome on board mate!

[BizAdvisor]

My advise to you, before marketing your company, is to build your portfolio. You don't need clients to build a portfolio. You simply need to have a collection of graphic designs and mock sites to allow clients to see what you and your team are capable of doing. To invest in marketing prior to having an adequate portfolio would be, more or less, ineffective.

[yoligrana]

Thanks for the advice! Seems we all are website designers / developers here! ;)

[ChadR]

I haven't looked at your site yet, but I'd make sure it talked about your approach to building websites. Detail what the client can expect and what makes your company different from all the other web design firms out there. Adwords, Facebook and LinkedIn PPC ads can be a good way to generate traffic to your site.

The best results we get on those running ads is when we make them super specific. Instead of writing an ad that says "want a new website?", write the ad like "are you a small business owner who wants more leads from your website". Then create a specific landing page on your site linked to the ad, same title/copy as the ad, and a clear call to action (ie free consultation, contact us, demo, etc). Don't drop them onto the home page and expect the visitor to know what you want them to do.

That should get you headed in the right direction for generating quality potential client leads online.

[KCMDigitalMarketing]

Some of my first paying clients I landed just by emailing them.

I checked out their website to see if there was anything wrong with it or anything to improve. (used a website checker program)

Then I emailed them giving them my ideas, what I could do, and the benefits after making improvements.

Email is the cheapest way to go. Next, would be to use Facebook ads. I run Facebook ads for my clients, and it's way cheaper to bring in more leads.

Last thing; what type of clients do you want? Startups, small businesses, entrepreneurs, etc. Not all are going to pay thousands of dollars for a website.