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5 Ways to Add Value to Your Work as a Web Designer
October 7th, 2010 by
Nathan Hangen |
Stumble It!
Delicious
Let’s face it… we’re in a day and age where someone can buy a domain, hosting, and install a premium WordPress theme in the same time that some designers take to respond with a job quote/request for proposal.
On top of that, many designers are attempting a race to the bottom by lowering rates and adding a myriad of services they wouldn’t have offered years prior.
It seems to me that times are a bit rough, and as a result, designers loosen standards in order to get — and keep — more clients.
But there’s a problem with that: You don’t have the stamina to race to the bottom. None of us do.
Our time is worth much more than that, and our sanity even more so.
But what do you do? How can you compete with people that offer cheaper services or are willing to do the work you don’t want to do?
The answer is simple: You don’t.
Here are some tips and ideas for adding value to your work as a web designer.
1. Stop Racing to the Bottom
Rather than chase nickel and dimers, consider moving in the opposite direction — chase the people that have money and are willing to spend it. This might even mean raising your rates (scary, I know) or being more selective with the clients you take on, but it’s an important step in making the game work for you.
I recently had the opportunity to interview several of the top designers in my field and one of the similarities between all of them was the fact that when the market wanted them to go lower, they chose to go higher. And it worked.
I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but the reality is that if you’re fighting over scraps, then you’ll have nothing but scraps. However, if you can raise your rates and take fewer clients in the process, then you can focus on doing nothing but great work.
2. Cater to a Specific Demographic
Obviously, if you are going to raise your rates, then you need to be able to provide the value to match. One of the best ways to do this is become the go-to guy or gal for a specific niche rather than trying to become a one-stop shop.
If you do best with mini-sites (e.g. single page websites and vCard sites), then become a mini-site designer. If you do best designing niche blogs, then brand yourself as the niche blogging design guru. If you prefer corporate sites, then pitch corporate clients.
It’s easy to think that in trying to serve everyone, you can make more money, but the truth is that as a consumer, I want to know you are an expert in doing what I need you to do. If I need a logo, I go to a logo designer, and if I need a blog, I go to a blog designer.
Brand yourself as a specialist rather than a generalist, and you’ll be much more of an attractive option for your target market.
3. Know What Your Market Wants
Now, if you’re going to target a specific audience, then it’s important that you know how to best serve them. For a Silicon Valley startup, you might need to focus on high conversions and optimization. If you’re working for authors, maybe you need to learn how to make their books look great.
I’ve been on both sides of the coin, and each time I’m amazed by designers that prefer the harmony of their design over my ability to get more newsletter subscribers, buyers, and readers.
On the other side, it’s important to remember that not every client knows what works best in their industry, but that doesn’t mean you should turn them down. Remember, you’re the expert — so act like one. Don’t be afraid to share your expertise. In many cases, this will give them even more confidence in your vision.
4. Don’t Forget the Little Things
Aside from my work as a freelancer, I also own a few web shops, from which I sell a variety of eBooks and other learning courses. When I’m designing these sites, it’s important that the product, logo, and website all match. That being said, I’m amazed by how many designers might offer to design eBooks but not the website hosting the book. It happens the other way too. Designers love to stick to one thing, such as site design, while completely ignoring a client’s need to have a book to match.
There are many little things that designers miss (nuggets of opportunities). Here are a few examples:
- Web banners
- Social network brand design such as Twitter background/profile design
- Avatar photos for a uniform social media brand
- Icon design
- eBook template design such as a PDF template for eBooks or whitepapers
Your clients might not know they need these things. Take the initiative to start the conversation.
Now, I’m not asking you to become a one-stop shop, but try to put yourself in your client’s shoes. What do they need? Many times, it’s more than what you’re offering.
5. Follow Up
I’m amazed by how many designers miss this important part of the marketing process. You’ve done all of the work to get the sale, to design something amazing, and to make money, but then you forget about follow-up.
Why?
A customer is your greatest asset. Not only are they a perfect feedback mechanism, but they also make great returning customers.
Do you keep your clients on an email list? If not, how are you going to let them know that you’re offering a sale or a new service?
Sometimes, they might contact you for a quick favor, or a question about their site. I believe that it’s important you respond quickly and with an offer to help. Believe it or not, good designers are tough to come by, and people love to hold on to the good ones.
Simply offering help, post-sale, is a great way to build a referral marketing funnel. If you keep them happy, they might tell a friend, or several. Heck, they might even blog about you.
In my experience, referrals not only make the best customers, but are the easiest to obtain.
Simple Strategies Work
You don’t have to become a marketing freak, but using a few techniques from that Marketing 101 class can come in handy, especially when times are tough. Instead of looking for more ways to cut rates and reduce costs, look for more ways to provide value and differentiate yourself from the competition.
This is how you build a reputation and become an asset to the community rather than someone just groveling for clients.
If you don’t value your own work, then who will?
Related Content
- 7 Tips for Giving Effective Design Project Quotes
- 20 Questions to Know for Avoiding Website Project Disasters
- Aggressive Expansion: 8 Tips for Finding More Clients Now
- Related categories: Project Management and Web Design
About the Author
Nathan Hangen is a serial entrepreneur and author. He’s the co-founder of Soundtrackster, a premium shop for royalty free music, as well as The Fountainhead Society, an entrepreneurial movement taking the world by storm. Follow him on Twitter to learn more and check out his personal site.
A secretive, Republican-leaning group has spent an estimated $3 million on a TV ad making the false claim that government spending is "not creating jobs." The ad first appeared Sept. 7 and was still running nearly a month later. The ad shows a man in a business suit digging an ever-deeper hole — a visual metaphor for the nation’s ever-expanding debt. It could also be a metaphor for Public Notice, the sponsor of the ad and yet another group whose finances are also something of a black hole.
Public Notice was formed this year by a former press spokeswoman for several Republicans. The group has spent $3 million so far on the ad, which has been running on national networks and national cable outlets, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group, a unit of Kantar Media. But where the money comes from, and how much more the group intends to spend, is a mystery. "We do not discuss our organization’s finances," the group’s executive director, Gretchen Hamel, told us in a telephone interview.
The ad itself is mostly factual — with one key exception.
- It says: "We’re 13 trillion in debt," which is an understatement. The total is currently above $13.6 trillion, counting both the debt held by the public and all the money that the government owes to itself, including the Social Security trust fund.
- It says that the debt is "almost the size of the nation’s economy," which is close enough. The nation’s economy, as measured by gross domestic product, is projected to be $14.8 trillion this year, and $15.3 trillion next year, according to the most recent economic forecast by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
- The ad says Washington’s spending is "unsustainable," a judgment that can hardly be disputed, given that the federal government was spending more than $3 for every $2 that it took in during the fiscal year that just ended, according to CBO’s most recent monthly budget review. (Final figures for the fiscal year are still being tabulated.)
Where the ad goes wrong is its claim that spending "is not creating jobs," a false assertion echoed in several Republican campaign commercials. As we noted in our Sept. 27 article, "Did the Stimulus Create Jobs?", the stimulus package increased employment by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million, according to CBO’s estimate. Some independent economists put the total even higher.
The group attempts to back up its claim by citing the fact that the total number of jobs is lower and the unemployment rate is higher now than before the stimulus spending began. That’s true enough, but proves nothing about how much worse things would have been without the stimulus spending. It’s accurate to say that government spending hasn’t created enough jobs to offset those that have been lost, but simply wrong to claim that it hasn’t created any.
A Financial Black Hole
Hamel would say nothing about who gives to her organization, or even whether or not it accepts corporate funding. The group says on its websites that it is organized as a Limited Liability Company with tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. That leaves it legally free to accept such funds, without disclosing its donors publicly.
Hamel says of Public Notice, " are not a ‘political group.’ We are an education advocacy group." Her ad, however, calls for viewers to "find out how together we can hold Congress accountable." Not that there’s anything wrong with being a political group.
Before forming Public Notice, Hamel had a long history of working for Republicans. She was a press assistant for former GOP Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, then press secretary to GOP Rep. John Carter of Texas and later for the House Republican Conference. She was deputy assistant U.S. trade representative during the final years of the Bush administration.
I always thought he was pretty liberal, but then also shows up on Fox News. When he's on Fox, it's as if he's a different person. Very odd. Permanent link to this item in the archive. He said something on Fox that caused NPR to fire him ...
New Moscow Mayor, Russian Fashion Week and the Spartak – Chelsea match were among the most heavily discussed news items this week among Moscow expats.
Lindsay Lohan appeared before Judge Elden Fox at the Beverly Hills Courthouse this morning for her latest probation violation hearing, and it appears as though spending the last month at the Betty Ford Center helped convince the judge ...
eric seiger eric seiger
Tweet
5 Ways to Add Value to Your Work as a Web Designer
October 7th, 2010 by
Nathan Hangen |
Stumble It!
Delicious
Let’s face it… we’re in a day and age where someone can buy a domain, hosting, and install a premium WordPress theme in the same time that some designers take to respond with a job quote/request for proposal.
On top of that, many designers are attempting a race to the bottom by lowering rates and adding a myriad of services they wouldn’t have offered years prior.
It seems to me that times are a bit rough, and as a result, designers loosen standards in order to get — and keep — more clients.
But there’s a problem with that: You don’t have the stamina to race to the bottom. None of us do.
Our time is worth much more than that, and our sanity even more so.
But what do you do? How can you compete with people that offer cheaper services or are willing to do the work you don’t want to do?
The answer is simple: You don’t.
Here are some tips and ideas for adding value to your work as a web designer.
1. Stop Racing to the Bottom
Rather than chase nickel and dimers, consider moving in the opposite direction — chase the people that have money and are willing to spend it. This might even mean raising your rates (scary, I know) or being more selective with the clients you take on, but it’s an important step in making the game work for you.
I recently had the opportunity to interview several of the top designers in my field and one of the similarities between all of them was the fact that when the market wanted them to go lower, they chose to go higher. And it worked.
I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but the reality is that if you’re fighting over scraps, then you’ll have nothing but scraps. However, if you can raise your rates and take fewer clients in the process, then you can focus on doing nothing but great work.
2. Cater to a Specific Demographic
Obviously, if you are going to raise your rates, then you need to be able to provide the value to match. One of the best ways to do this is become the go-to guy or gal for a specific niche rather than trying to become a one-stop shop.
If you do best with mini-sites (e.g. single page websites and vCard sites), then become a mini-site designer. If you do best designing niche blogs, then brand yourself as the niche blogging design guru. If you prefer corporate sites, then pitch corporate clients.
It’s easy to think that in trying to serve everyone, you can make more money, but the truth is that as a consumer, I want to know you are an expert in doing what I need you to do. If I need a logo, I go to a logo designer, and if I need a blog, I go to a blog designer.
Brand yourself as a specialist rather than a generalist, and you’ll be much more of an attractive option for your target market.
3. Know What Your Market Wants
Now, if you’re going to target a specific audience, then it’s important that you know how to best serve them. For a Silicon Valley startup, you might need to focus on high conversions and optimization. If you’re working for authors, maybe you need to learn how to make their books look great.
I’ve been on both sides of the coin, and each time I’m amazed by designers that prefer the harmony of their design over my ability to get more newsletter subscribers, buyers, and readers.
On the other side, it’s important to remember that not every client knows what works best in their industry, but that doesn’t mean you should turn them down. Remember, you’re the expert — so act like one. Don’t be afraid to share your expertise. In many cases, this will give them even more confidence in your vision.
4. Don’t Forget the Little Things
Aside from my work as a freelancer, I also own a few web shops, from which I sell a variety of eBooks and other learning courses. When I’m designing these sites, it’s important that the product, logo, and website all match. That being said, I’m amazed by how many designers might offer to design eBooks but not the website hosting the book. It happens the other way too. Designers love to stick to one thing, such as site design, while completely ignoring a client’s need to have a book to match.
There are many little things that designers miss (nuggets of opportunities). Here are a few examples:
- Web banners
- Social network brand design such as Twitter background/profile design
- Avatar photos for a uniform social media brand
- Icon design
- eBook template design such as a PDF template for eBooks or whitepapers
Your clients might not know they need these things. Take the initiative to start the conversation.
Now, I’m not asking you to become a one-stop shop, but try to put yourself in your client’s shoes. What do they need? Many times, it’s more than what you’re offering.
5. Follow Up
I’m amazed by how many designers miss this important part of the marketing process. You’ve done all of the work to get the sale, to design something amazing, and to make money, but then you forget about follow-up.
Why?
A customer is your greatest asset. Not only are they a perfect feedback mechanism, but they also make great returning customers.
Do you keep your clients on an email list? If not, how are you going to let them know that you’re offering a sale or a new service?
Sometimes, they might contact you for a quick favor, or a question about their site. I believe that it’s important you respond quickly and with an offer to help. Believe it or not, good designers are tough to come by, and people love to hold on to the good ones.
Simply offering help, post-sale, is a great way to build a referral marketing funnel. If you keep them happy, they might tell a friend, or several. Heck, they might even blog about you.
In my experience, referrals not only make the best customers, but are the easiest to obtain.
Simple Strategies Work
You don’t have to become a marketing freak, but using a few techniques from that Marketing 101 class can come in handy, especially when times are tough. Instead of looking for more ways to cut rates and reduce costs, look for more ways to provide value and differentiate yourself from the competition.
This is how you build a reputation and become an asset to the community rather than someone just groveling for clients.
If you don’t value your own work, then who will?
Related Content
- 7 Tips for Giving Effective Design Project Quotes
- 20 Questions to Know for Avoiding Website Project Disasters
- Aggressive Expansion: 8 Tips for Finding More Clients Now
- Related categories: Project Management and Web Design
About the Author
Nathan Hangen is a serial entrepreneur and author. He’s the co-founder of Soundtrackster, a premium shop for royalty free music, as well as The Fountainhead Society, an entrepreneurial movement taking the world by storm. Follow him on Twitter to learn more and check out his personal site.
A secretive, Republican-leaning group has spent an estimated $3 million on a TV ad making the false claim that government spending is "not creating jobs." The ad first appeared Sept. 7 and was still running nearly a month later. The ad shows a man in a business suit digging an ever-deeper hole — a visual metaphor for the nation’s ever-expanding debt. It could also be a metaphor for Public Notice, the sponsor of the ad and yet another group whose finances are also something of a black hole.
Public Notice was formed this year by a former press spokeswoman for several Republicans. The group has spent $3 million so far on the ad, which has been running on national networks and national cable outlets, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group, a unit of Kantar Media. But where the money comes from, and how much more the group intends to spend, is a mystery. "We do not discuss our organization’s finances," the group’s executive director, Gretchen Hamel, told us in a telephone interview.
The ad itself is mostly factual — with one key exception.
- It says: "We’re 13 trillion in debt," which is an understatement. The total is currently above $13.6 trillion, counting both the debt held by the public and all the money that the government owes to itself, including the Social Security trust fund.
- It says that the debt is "almost the size of the nation’s economy," which is close enough. The nation’s economy, as measured by gross domestic product, is projected to be $14.8 trillion this year, and $15.3 trillion next year, according to the most recent economic forecast by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
- The ad says Washington’s spending is "unsustainable," a judgment that can hardly be disputed, given that the federal government was spending more than $3 for every $2 that it took in during the fiscal year that just ended, according to CBO’s most recent monthly budget review. (Final figures for the fiscal year are still being tabulated.)
Where the ad goes wrong is its claim that spending "is not creating jobs," a false assertion echoed in several Republican campaign commercials. As we noted in our Sept. 27 article, "Did the Stimulus Create Jobs?", the stimulus package increased employment by between 1.4 million and 3.3 million, according to CBO’s estimate. Some independent economists put the total even higher.
The group attempts to back up its claim by citing the fact that the total number of jobs is lower and the unemployment rate is higher now than before the stimulus spending began. That’s true enough, but proves nothing about how much worse things would have been without the stimulus spending. It’s accurate to say that government spending hasn’t created enough jobs to offset those that have been lost, but simply wrong to claim that it hasn’t created any.
A Financial Black Hole
Hamel would say nothing about who gives to her organization, or even whether or not it accepts corporate funding. The group says on its websites that it is organized as a Limited Liability Company with tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. That leaves it legally free to accept such funds, without disclosing its donors publicly.
Hamel says of Public Notice, " are not a ‘political group.’ We are an education advocacy group." Her ad, however, calls for viewers to "find out how together we can hold Congress accountable." Not that there’s anything wrong with being a political group.
Before forming Public Notice, Hamel had a long history of working for Republicans. She was a press assistant for former GOP Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, then press secretary to GOP Rep. John Carter of Texas and later for the House Republican Conference. She was deputy assistant U.S. trade representative during the final years of the Bush administration.
I always thought he was pretty liberal, but then also shows up on Fox News. When he's on Fox, it's as if he's a different person. Very odd. Permanent link to this item in the archive. He said something on Fox that caused NPR to fire him ...
New Moscow Mayor, Russian Fashion Week and the Spartak – Chelsea match were among the most heavily discussed news items this week among Moscow expats.
Lindsay Lohan appeared before Judge Elden Fox at the Beverly Hills Courthouse this morning for her latest probation violation hearing, and it appears as though spending the last month at the Betty Ford Center helped convince the judge ...
eric seiger eric seiger
