Need Clients

[Youtech&Associates]

I am fresh out of college and just started up my own web design firm in the Chicago land area. I have a big reputation here in Naperville so I have pulled a few big clients like LA Tan, and 200 North Dearborn which is Chicago's #1 condominium developer. I'm doing great and I am getting clients from their recommendation, but the only problem I have is how do I go about getting more clients? What steps do I take to market a web design firm? SEO? I have been, not to good right now but I'm learning. I have been hiring friends to get me clients but most are small business with low budgets. Tell me what you would to.

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[vangogh]

Welcome to the forum. If you already have a reputation and some big clients you might just need some patience. You'll find a lot of clients will come to you through word of mouth, but that can take a little time to get going.

If you want to make it go faster you need to market yourself better. There's more to marketing than I describe in a single post, but the basic idea is to get the word out that you exist and convince people you're the best choice for them.

1. Decide who your customers are. It's not everyone. Figure out as much as you can who your customer is
2. Find where your customer spends his or her time. Do they visit the same online communities? Read the same magazines?
3. Build a presence for yourself in those locations. Advertise in the magazines. Contribute to the online communities.
4. Convince potential customers your the best choice to solve their problems. How you do that depends on the first 3 questions.

SEO fits into the above by being a place your customer spends time (everyone searches) and by optimizing your site and pages you'd be building a presence. You'd need to identify your customers to determine what to rank for and you'd need to get them to click on your link in the results and then have your site convince them to contact you by matching the information with what they're searching for.

There are plenty of other channels beyond search engines you can try too.

[KristineS]

Social media might be an option for you if your target audience is there. I know of several companies who have done very well with social media locally. The first trick to making this work is to make sure you follow strategically. You want to follow people who are in your community and people who could potentially be your customers, plus local big names or organizations that most people interested in local happenings would follow.

Second, you need to contribute to the conversation beyond here are my services and please give me money. Answer questions. Comment on local happenings. Form relationships and then casually drop in what you do and that you're looking for clients. If existing clients are already on whatever sites you choose to use, ask them to recommend you and support your efforts.

[Angelina86]

Social Media - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Blogging, YouTube etc
SEO
Word of Mouth (very effective)

[J.Voelkel]

I agree with Angelina86 social media is a great way to promote your business. Another good way to promote your business is to use promotional merchandise.

[Harold Mansfield]

And of course you could advertise.

[huggytree]

define who your customer is....be as narrow as possible....after youve been in business a few years you'll be able to exactly define it and all your customers will fit into that niche about 90%

then you have to figure out how to advertise to that niche

id look for ways that dont involve the internet....look for a way to meet business professionals directly....just throwing your name on face book and expecting business from it wont get you much....yea its easy and free...thats why all the web guys do it.....but it may not work well since it seems 20% of our countrys population are now web designers

good job on scoring some high end clients....now get a list of some more and send fliers to them, ask for meetings...find out who the contact people are at each business.....repetition works (its what i use)

[Harold Mansfield]

I agree with Huggy in that you shouldn't just rely on the web if your intent is to do more business locally. But if your intention is to do business with anyone in the country or the world, and you don't have the budget to send flyers in all 50 states, and 182 countries, nor fly to meetings all over the globe, the web is the only way that you will have any chance of being found and communicating with them.