- Welcome to "The Journey".
Today, we're talking about 10 ways
to find more web design leads.
Finding new freelance web design leads
can sometimes feel like
you're just stuck on a hamster wheel.
You're constantly chasing the next project,
competing with hundreds of other designers for that same job
and really fighting to break through the noisy inboxes
of your potential clients.
To help you out, we put together 10 unusual
and underused sources of web design leads
for freelancers and agencies.
Starting off with teaching everything you know.
And I know this can sound counter-intuitive
but it's actually attract potential leads
who would pay to apply your expertise
and knowledge to their business.
And I think when it comes to videos,
we think, well if I teach them how to build a website
they're just gonna build a website for themselves.
And now I can look online
and watch video of how to fix a radiator on my car,
that does not mean that I'm going to go out there
and fix the radiator in my car.
But I did watch someone that is an expert,
they're local, probably gonna hire them to do that
'cause I just successfully watched them do it themselves.
Now while blogging these days
is more about the quality of content
than the quantity of content,
it's so critical that you publish new content
to your blog on a regular basis.
Blogging regularly demonstrates your credibility
and reliability to your audience.
It helps your site stay relevant to search engines.
- Yeah. And if you aren't a great writer, don't worry.
I mean, just try creating short videos, audio recordings,
podcast episodes instead.
But ask your past clients which formats they prefer
and pick the one you enjoy the most.
The next way to find more web design leads
is to create a gateway product
like short eBook or an email course.
So the best way to prove
that you're the best web designer for your prospect's needs
is to show them you know how to
not just that you can solve their problems.
- Mm-hmm.
And digital products also act as a gateway
into your more expensive services.
So pricing your product as an impulse buy
makes it easier to turn prospects into customers,
bypassing that, you know potential risk of investing
in high cost services upfront.
So buying a $5 eBook is much easier decision
than buying a $5,000 site redesign.
Next up, you can start an email newsletter.
I mean once you've created your content
or a gateway product, you still need a way
to get in front of potential clients
who may not yet be ready to start a web design project.
And newsletters, I love newsletters,
they keep you at the top of clients' minds
even if they're not quite ready to work with you
on a web design project.
- And owning a list,
that means that you're not subject to
the changing social media algorithms
or ever increasing cost of paid advertising.
But the most important reason to start email newsletter
is to really build trust with your audience
and nurture them from potential leads to customers
to paying clients for your web design services.
- Another way, become a podcast guest.
Ooh, I would love to do that.
Podcasting is taking off.
Nearly one third of Americans have listened to a podcast
within the last month.
I know that's been,
what's been in my ear buds all quarantine.
Building your own podcast audience, it does take time.
Instead, take advantage of other people's audiences
and become a guest on podcasts
your prospects are already listening to.
- Yeah, those podcasting helps you establish credibility
with potential clients who naturally see you as the expert.
And by borrowing this credibility from hosts
you can grow your audience much more quickly.
So start by finding the right podcast to target.
Ask past clients which podcasts
they are already listening to,
or search iTunes, SoundCloud
or Spotify for industry specific keywords.
Next, reach out to each host.
Make sure you don't just describe what you do
as I'm a web designer, can I get on your podcast?
That's not gonna go very far
but instead focus on how having you
on their podcast will benefit their audience.
Like, what are you bringing to the table?
- Absolutely. Which brings us to the next part.
Specialize in a particular service or niche.
Being a Jack of all trades,
web designer might feel like it gives you
a little more project variety
but marketing yourself to potential leads
is much more difficult
when you help everybody with everything.
So instead consider choosing something specific
like a specific service to target with your messaging.
And this could be either like a particular vertical
like websites for dentists or coffee shops
or a horizontal service you can offer
across many different industries
like Shopify store design or custom WordPress themes.
- Yeah. And that's absolutely great advice there.
And now another way to generate more leads
for your web design business
is to take advantage of your LinkedIn profile.
Now out of over 250 million active monthly users
on LinkedIn, only 3 million share content on a weekly basis.
So it allows you to really stand out from the competition.
It's also much more effective
for generating leads than other social networks.
So potential clients are already searching
for freelancers on LinkedIn.
And since visitors are in a business oriented mindset,
posting content is much more likely
to lead to engaging conversations and potential leads.
In fact, a study by HubSpot found that
visitors from LinkedIn converted
at nearly three times the rate from Twitter or Facebook.
- And also don't forget to lean on past clients.
I mean most freelance web designers rely on referrals
as their biggest source of leads
and past clients are your most obvious referrals.
And when asking for referrals, be polite,
keep the focus on the client as much as possible
and you don't want them to feel like
you're using them to get to their friends and colleagues.
Next up, write detailed case studies showing how you help.
And in terms of bang for your buck
it's hard to be a good case study as a marketing tool
for web designers, case studies are great.
They let you turn your customer's success
into sales for your freelance business
helping you attract and convert potential leads
and showing them the value that you can provide.
- Yeah, your case studies
should really showcase past clients
before, during and after you worked with them.
And it's important to focus, not on the work you did.
Again, you can use this content in email courses
or educational eBooks, but instead describe the benefits
in value that they experienced as a result of that work.
For example, as a web designer, don't just say
a client came to you wanting a new website
and I made them a website.
Now, once you've written that case study,
share it on your website and send it to prospective clients
when they first inquire about working with you.
Case studies can amplify your marketing and sales
and they'll help set you apart from the pack.
- Absolutely, Nealey.
And next up, partner with other freelancers.
You might be a first-class web designer
but no one can be great at everything.
Collaborating can be a great way
to both strengthen your work and generate web design leads.
And it's worth reaching out to other freelancers
not just to find new leads, but to make new friends,
build relationships and have real conversations.
And once you have a network of other freelancers
to back you up,
the referrals will start coming in naturally.
- Yeah.
And now start to think about these freelancers
as people that can really compliment your business.
So what are the service that you provide
that you do really well?
And what are some of the things
that your clients have asked you to do
that you either try to figure out
or just told them flat out no,
and then seek out those freelancers.
Now myself personally,
I do that with a local graphic design company.
They do awesome graphic work
but they don't want to mess with websites.
So it ends up being about half of my leads right now,
especially during these hard times.
So it's been a fantastic source for new web design leads
and I don't have to go out
and search for these leads myself.
- That's awesome, Nealey. I love that.
Thanks for sharing.
Another idea, start a side project or a side hustle,
as we say at GoDaddy.
Side projects can be another great way of getting yourself
in front of potential clients
even if they don't directly lead to sales.
So starting a side project
lets you show off your design talent and expertise
without the usual constraints
that come with client projects.
So you can go deeper and have more fun
when you're building the project on your own.
- So side projects are all about reaching new people
but as important to retain the connection with them.
Use your side project to drive leads
back to your web design services,
look for ways to capture contact details
so that you can nurture your new leads
and you might even end up with more work than you can handle
which is always a good thing.
- Yeah, no matter which tactics
you use to generate new leads,
business is all about relationships
and freelance web design is no different.
All right, that's a wrap.
You just learn 10 ways to find more web design leads.
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This is "The Journey".
We'll see you next time.