It’s no surprise that almost the entire world is online. And the corporate world isn’t far behind when it comes to clinging businesses onto the fastest growing, most revolutionary force of the decade: the Internet. The advent of internet has changed the face of doing business, by leaps and bounds.
But wait. Who provides this corporate makeover to businesses?
Yep, you guessed it right. Web Designers!
As the term suggests, web designers are basically online artists. From graphic and interface designing to authoring and search engine optimization, there are myriad of functions which amalgamate to form the fundamental crux of web designing.
Now, with the massive technology boost and rise of e-commerce companies, it is only obvious that freelance web designing is one of the hottest jobs prevailing presently. So, if that tech-savvy bug along with the creative genius in you wants to turn this knack into a full time job, you’re at the right place!
Here are 10 tips to become a successful freelance web designer:
Build a Smashing Portfolio
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Before you approach any prospective clients, you need to make sure of having created an instantly desirable portfolio. Use your gobsmacking ideas and put thought into making it. Now, if you don’t have any past experience working as a freelance web designer, this step may take a while. But approaching a client with a portfolio that reflects your creative acumen is always a good idea.
The highlight of your portfolio must be your work samples. Showcase your knowledge in the field in a huge array of website themes, homepage ideas, layouts, colours and user interfaces. Also, make sure to add in it your past accomplishments and previously created websites/pages, if any.
Self-Branding
“A brand is not just a name, a logo or a business card. It’s an experience.”
The first and foremost step to give yourself a competitive edge is to create your own personal brand in the market. A brand is simply your target customers’ perception of you. The trick of the trade is to showcase your service as a value-packed brand, to which clients attach a strong sense of belongingness.
Step one in the process of creating your personal brand is to display your presence. Secure a website in your name, which shall automatically help you get a ranking on search engines. Your website doesn’t need to be complex. It essentially should include information about your profile, your past and present associates and clients, links to your social media accounts, and your contact information.
Speaking of social media, an immensely effective way to communicate with people and keep them updated of your offerings is to create and maintain your official page on social media platforms.
Want to know a mantra for successful personal branding? Put yourself in the shoes of your customers and try to relate with what your brand wants to convey to you!
Effective Marketing
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Building on the previous point, there is no doubt that branding and marketing go hand in hand. A brand is almost non-existent till it is properly marketed to get people acquainted with it. Now, after creation of your personal brand, the immediate next step is to advertise it. Before talking about various platforms available, let me first slide into your consideration the most crucial step for ensuring the success of a marketing campaign, viz. identifying your target customers. The client base in need of freelance web designing services can be humungous. It is therefore a good method to break down the diverse group on the basis of various classifications, which may be sectors (educational, IT, hospitality, etc), or geographical location (proximity) or company size (big/medium/small), and the like.
After you have set your target customers, build a marketing campaign directly relevant to them in order to achieve the greatest impact. The various offline modes of advertising are pamphlets, flyers, word of mouth, etc. and online modes include social media marketing, blogs, videos, to name a few. The latter must be emphasized because freelance web designing is as it is an online service, plus online marketing involves minimal cost!
Networking with other Freelancers and Professionals
As the demand for professional freelance web designing services is through the roof right now, many web designers are breaking free from their fixed-compensation work and freelancing in hopes of financial and overall growth prospects. With this entrepreneurial trend having set in, collaboration becomes imperative. You must strive to build a closely-knit professional network of freelancers. Now here comes a noteworthy point: Don’t think of networking as a way to counter competition, but as a mode to pertain to a union witnessing mutually inclusive and interdependent emergence.
Maintain amiable relations with your fellow professional freelance web designers. If you’re running extremely packed with work and are unable to add a new company to your existing clientele, refer it to someone else. They will surely do the same for you at some point of time in future. Through networking, you can also reap benefits of expansion. For example, if a project is too complex or has a tight deadline for you to complete it single-handedly, you can take it up with one or more of other professionals as per suitability.
Maintain Amiable Client Relations
Shep Hyken rightly said- ‘All of your customers are partners in your mission.’
If you want a taste of achievement, you undoubtedly must meet all your customer expectations. There is no denying that happy customers are loyal customers. Thus, the key to success is to strike your clients’ fancy by delivering results that surpass their expectations.
But hold on. You need to keep a few things in mind in order to produce effective output. Firstly, listen to your clients. Understand what exactly their requirement is. If they give input to you regarding their preferred layout, colour scheme, content, and the like, here it out and adhere to it. If you carefully follow their discretion to form the crux of their website, and then add your touch of magic to it, there will be no scope for disappointment.
Secondly, appreciate client feedback. If they want changes, whether big or small, in the finished outcome, deliver the same. Going a little overboard sometimes to make your customers happy shall reap its fruit in the long run.
Finally, follow-up with them. A humble mail on a monthly basis and regular updates are a great means to keep in touch with your clients to remind them that you’re there whenever they require your services.
Meet Deadlines
It goes without saying that adhering to deadlines of contracts with clients is a fundamental thumb-rule for success in the long run. Missing deadlines and delaying work is considered extremely unprofessional and can single-handedly mar your goodwill, however perfect your work might be.
To ensure that deadlines are met, only a limited number of projects should be taken up at a time. Schedule your projects in a prioritized sequence and give yourself a little cushion of time to avoid any last-minute contingencies. However, in a rush to meet deadlines, don’t lose track of the quality of your work.
Remember, customer loyalty and retention is hugely dependent on effective delivery of end result.
Command Competitive Compensation
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As opposed to fixed compensation employees, freelancer web designers usually earn on a per-project basis, though the terms and conditions may vary from client to client.
Compensation is an important criterion for customers to choose whom to hire, especially in a specialized service industry like freelance website designing, where compensation is on a higher end.
In order to survive cut-throat competition, you must charge from your customers a competitive price for your services that is not too low, but just fair as per your service platter. Currently prevailing market rate serves as a good indicator to compensation-fixation. The purpose behind charging just the right amount is essentially to make clients choose you over others.
Be Professional
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The most remarkable perk of being a freelancer is the policy of no workplace restrictions. While this works well in performance of the work, on the face of it, you must come across as an utmost professional.
Now, doing this involves a lot of dimensions. I must emphasize that nearly all of the above points are a splendid blend of professionalism, viz. branding, maintaining customer relations, meeting deadlines, etc. In addition to this, maintain a small office place where you can meet your clients. You needn’t have a typical workplace for the same. A mere room turned into an office should work perfectly. It is also advisable to maintain decent work ethics. Communication, both verbal and written, must be performed in a highly professional mannerism. All of this reflects a unique image to your customers which they would definitely like to be associated with in the long run!
Maintain a dynamic skill set
With the currently prevailing rapid technological progress comes the bitter revelation that our existing knowledge and skills might depreciate quicker than ever. In a highly creative field like freelance web designing, skill upgradation is vital to produce competitive outcome. So how can freelancers ensure survival in the long run? The answer is simple: keep learning!
You should keep updated with all the new tech features being introduced in the arena of freelance website designing and educate yourselves on them at the earliest. The amazing result of this is the element of surprise for the client, which shall surely render him happy with your services.
Reinvent
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When you’re working in a creative field, reinvention is almost necessary to stay in demand. Customers every now and then encourage and desire a fresh perspective to work. You must consider every project as unique, even after all that overlapping of content and base. Call it clichéd, but redefining your thought process can work wonders for your output! Feel free to experiment with your designs and keep practising as you grow!
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