Guest Contribution by Claire Jane Ward
It may be somewhat overwhelming for a new UX design agency to find clients. Although a simple Google search will spit out a myriad of ideas, it’s hard to tell which of them are reliable, relevant, or even make sense.
However, there are several surefire routes by which pretty much any design company today gets customers. The tips described below apply to aspiring UX design agencies and freelance designers alike due to their similarities. You may rest assured, these tactics have been tried and tested by design agencies from all over the world and are currently actively used within the design community. Check them out, see how you can implement them in your company’s work, and enjoy finding new clients, especially if you’re a newbie to the field.
Tip #1. Go to Places Where Design Clients Are Already Present
Design clients are available both online and offline, and there are places you can find them in both cases. Just go to wherever they spend their time.
Such as offline venues, conferences, commerce meetings, seminars, and other events that gather people who might need help with product design. It’s also reasonable to visit accessible co-working spaces that may include potential clients. Just spend some time working there, meeting people, and discussing work matters over a cup of coffee (or something stronger). Don’t be too pushy, but don’t wait until someone suddenly asks you, “Hey, are you a UX designer!?”
No matter where you reside, the probability that your potential UX design clients are networking and having discussions within just 40-50 miles from you is rather high. Attending just a couple of meetings may help your business get on the right track and provide you with a good reputation (if you provide fantastic results, of course).
Speaking of online possibilities, you may join several Facebook groups that may have potential clients. And don’t forget about making natural connections via LinkedIn. If you can write or you have a good copywriter in your agency, you may publish guest posts in blogs or digital magazines that your potential customers are reading.
Tip #2. Take Advantage of Cold Outreach
Although there are people out there stating that cold outreach is irrelevant in this day and age, it’s hardly close to the truth. You’d be surprised at what you can achieve by merely sending cold emails.
It’s not hard to learn how to cold email, but it takes some practice to master. You should be concise and friendly while staying professional. Your letters shouldn’t be lengthy, and they should be relevant for the people you’re sending them to. It could be a bit scary in the beginning, especially if you haven’t done anything like this before – but anyone able to make sentences out of random words can learn this skill. If you have a copywriter, you can assign this task to them. Otherwise, you may consider finding and reading a few tutorials and guides about cold emailing.
Tip #3. Make Potential Clients Come to You
If you can make your prospective design clients come to you, it’s almost a done deal. You might be nearly buying the idea, but still have a question ringing in the back of your head: “How exactly do I do this?”
It all comes down to your company’s online presence. This includes social media ads, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing (SMM), guest blogging, magazine ads, paid articles, etc. The options are endless. Great online marketing creates a significant online presence, which leads to brand recognition, which results in clients seeking you out.
Although this strategy may take some time, if done correctly, it can pay off big time. You can mix your online marketing with the first two tips to boost the process.
Tip #4. Better Portfolio = Higher Client Conversion Rates
If you’re serious about making the right first impression and win clients, you should take good care of your portfolio, as this is one of the surest ways to increase your client conversion rates.
The one crucial thing you have to note is that your UX agency’s portfolio is not about showcasing work. Your company’s portfolio – which should be available on your website – is a place that converts visitors into customers.
To turn your portfolio into such a tool, focus on creating captivating calls-to-action, avoid adding links to any other parts of your site, and make sure it’s alive and well on your website. And, seriously, you’re a UX design agency, so you should look into it and make sure your portfolio page provides your users with just the experience you want them to have. Research, prototype, test, develop, and launch – as if it was a client’s project.
That’s How You Get UX Design Clients
UX design has become an integral part of any product design process, and the challenge gets thicker by the day. Therefore, if you’ve just started and are struggling with winning new clients, take a closer look at the tips described above and try to change something in your approach. After a while, when you have a good reputation, happy clients, and a reliable team, you can expect that, among other things, word of mouth will become an additional way for potential customers to find out about you and will come to you for assistance. Doesn’t it sound great?