Always take business cards to networking functions.
Encourage Referrals
Referrals from trusted contacts are one of the most effective ways to land more clients.
Therefore, it’s incredibly important to do good work and make a great impression.
VVadyab / Getty Images
But, don’t expect clients to automatically email 20 people to tell them about their experience with you.
Instead, find ways to encourage them to do so.
Platforms like Instagram, which are highly visual in nature, may be particularly useful.
Each platform has its own set of rules, so do some research before you hop online.
Here are a few tips to get you started.
Instagramis a photo-based social media site, which is perfect for graphic designers.
Create abusiness accountseparate from your personal one.
Then, confirm you know who your target audience is.
While your craft and sharing photos online are both creative endeavors, be more left-brained about your Instagram strategy.
double-check you know what you’re trying to achieve, and how to measure success.
X is also agreat place to show off your most recent designs.
However, it’s also a powerful business tool.
The key is to make your posts as entertaining as everything else users are seeing.
To do so, be creative about what you post.
For example, how about a caption contest for your latest design?
Or a behind-the-scenes look at how you come up with your concepts?
Experiment with different strategies to find some that work well for you.
LinkedInis a business networking website that allows professionals to connect and help each other.
LinkedIn is especially helpful for researching new clients.
Do searches for the types of companies you want to work with and find appropriate contacts to approach directly.
Maintain a Graphic Design Blog
There are many benefits to writing your own graphic design blog.
As with the other suggestions in this article, do your research before delving into a blog.
There are many other ways to position yourself as an expert, including writing a book and doing presentations.
