Once you’ve started your freelance career and found your feet in the world of self-employment, you’re ready to start growing your business. At this stage, it’s all about elevating your client experiences, growing your client base and reaching new people, and investing back in your business to grow.
Keep Your Clients Coming Back
Curate the experience
It’s five times more expensive to attract new clients than it is to keep existing ones. And the key to keeping those existing clients is to curate an amazing experience for them throughout your work together. Think about things like:
- How easy it is to communicate with you
- How they can give feedback on your work
- How reliable you are at responding to them
- How clear the process is
- The quality of your work
- What extra touches you add to the process
Champion your clients
When you have worked with a client and finished up a project, don’t forget about them! Celebrate the launch of their new designs, send them a gift at the end of your project, share their successes on social media, or think of other ways that you can continue to champion your clients even after your project is finished. They’re part of your success story and on your team, so treat them with gratitude and celebration.
Check in on your clients
41% of freelancers find work from their previous clients, so it’s also important to check in on clients regularly once your project is finished. 1 month, 6 months, and a year after you finish working with them, (if they haven’t been back to work with you already,) get in touch. Ask them how things are going, if they need any help with or have any questions about the deliverables you gave them, and if there’s anything else you can do to support them. Keeping in touch, being available, and supporting them on an ongoing basis is a great way to continue building client loyalty as a freelancer.
Finding More Clients
Market your business
Your initial clients will likely come through friends, family, and people in your existing network. But to grow your business and get in front of more clients, you need to start actively marketing your business and building an effective sales pipeline that brings you potential clients regularly. This could include strategies like:
- Social media content
- Email marketing
- Blogging
- Podcasting
- YouTube videos
- Twitch streaming
- Paid ads
- Speaking
- Printed marketing material
Grow your network
Since consumers referred by a friend are four times more likely to buy, another great strategy is to grow your freelance business through networking. The more people know who you are and what you do, the more likely you are to be recommended for work or for collaboration and marketing opportunities. So focus on genuinely engaging with people in the design industry, as well as people in the industry you want to be working with, and creating a community of people who know and support you.
Encourage referrals
Over 33% of freelancers get their jobs through referrals, so encouraging and requesting referrals could be one of the best ways to find your next contract. When you finish a project with a client, make sure to ask them for feedback, a testimonial, and any referrals they might have for other people who may value your services. You can also offer a referral program where they earn credits or other rewards with you for referring you to others.
Investing in your business
Get a mentor
One of the best ways to get to the next level in your business is to learn from someone who is already there or has been there. A mentor will help get the best out of you, guide you to where you want to go, support you along the way, and push you to grow. Find a mentor or coach whose approach and values align with yours, and if they don’t already offer mentoring, see if they would be interested in mentoring you.
Level up your skills
Your freelance business isn’t going to grow if you aren’t. It’s important to regularly uplevel your skills in things like networking, marketing, financial management, project management, or skills to transition to a new field or niche. Depending on what aspect of your business you’d like to grow and develop, make sure to actively uplevel your skills in that area through books, videos, podcasts, courses, downloads, and other available resources.
Upgrade your tools
When you started your freelance business, you likely got started with what you had on hand and kept things quite lean at first. But as you grow, it might be time to upgrade your tools to make things easier, faster, and better. That could include better computer gear, design software, project management tools, and other things that you use throughout your business. Investing can be scary, but consider the return on investment, weigh it up in your budget, and decide whether it’s worth the investment to upgrade that tool.
Want to know the next step to growing your freelance graphic designer business? Read the full guide here.
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