The clients who value the actual strategy you put into your designs seem to be the secret unicorn clients who don’t exist. Instead, you’re stuck working on projects that aren’t a great fit with clients who just want a website and really don’t value the work you do.
But what if, instead, you can have clients who are in it for the long haul and value your strategic design? They’re excited about achieving their goals, rather than having you create a static piece of art with no function. Isn’t helping others achieve their goals why you got into design in the first place?
After doing about 20 website strategy reviews for designers, I’ve seen some common mistakes popping up over and over again. So today, we’ll talk about 4 places you’re going wrong with attracting strategic design clients through your website.
You’re not sure how to attract them in the first place
A big struggle I heard with the launch of Design Your Own Pixel Perfect Production was that even if you know how to design a strategic website that gets results, you’re not sure how to attract clients who value those results to your website.
Without a plan, you’ll attract one of the good ones every once in a while by chance, but once you get intentional you can do a whole lot better. Start by thinking of what those strategy-focused clients are interested in learning about. What social media and blog content can you write to bring them to your website?
The trick is, these clients aren’t all going to consciously know that strategy is what they care about, but you’ll be able to start bringing it to mind through your content.
You don’t know how to speak to them about strategy without the word “strategy”
We all know that our websites are instantly more effective once we start speaking to our audience members in their own words. But the word “strategy” is tricky. A strategy is exactly what you’re putting into place with your web designs, but a lot of clients aren’t going to really understand what that means or how that benefits them without you putting a little twist on it.
If you are currently using the word “strategy” and your audience isn’t full of business-minded people, you may want to reconsider the exact words you’re choosing to use to draw them in.
If you’re not sure how to get started with these two steps, don’t worry, I’ve got something perfect for you at the end of this post!
Your homepage doesn’t start the right journey
A homepage is such an important part of a website, especially when you’re trying to speak to a certain type of client. With social media, you’re never guaranteed that a person will find you through your homepage. In fact, they probably won’t. But if someone lands on a blog post and likes what they’ve seen, it’s very likely that they’ll hop over to your homepage to learn more.
A big mistake I saw with homepages in the website reviews I did was that they’re not starting audience members on the important journey that’s required to turn them into a paying customer. Almost everyone had at least a few of the important components, but they weren’t being used together for the best possible results.
Your services page doesn’t speak to them
If your services page (or website in general) only states what you do and doesn’t focus on the end-result you’re getting your clients, it’s going to be a lot more difficult to attract clients in general, let alone the ones who really value a strategic and effective website.
Take a look at your services page. Is it talking more about what you do or what your clients’ lives will look like after hiring you?
If it’s talking more about what you do or simply lists out what your clients will get, it’s time for some updates.
Do you struggle with attracting strategic design clients?
If you’re finding that you tend to get clients who just want a pretty design by next week, you’re probably finding yourself feeling frustrated with clients you don’t really want. The only way to make it better is by attracting clients who value what you do, the process you use, and the final results you get. Not only are those people more patient and understanding throughout the project, but they’re going to be willing to pay more and put your hard work to good use.
If you’re ready to attract more of these types of unicorn clients, grab your spot in the Elevate Your Website For Strategic Design Clients event. In this free 4-day event we’re going to talk about some big changes you can make to attract the right types of clients through your website and even how you can bring it to a whole new level.
Elevate Your Website For Strategic Design Clients will run from April 24-27 and will consist of both live video and daily emails, both with actions you can take to start seeing immediate results. The topics we’ll cover include:
- The top 3 mistakes you’re making on your website that are keeping the right kinds of clients from hiring you
- How to explain the value of strategic websites without using the word “strategy”
- Finding your end-result and where to feature it on your website to attract the right clients
- A live Q&A and the next steps in making your website attract the right types of clients (hint: your homepage, services page, and content)
The best part? Everyone who participates will be entered for a prize, valued at over $200! Woop woop! (I’m always in for learning and free stuff)
If your’e ready to stop with the headache clients and start attracting the ones who want the results you can get them, click the button below to grab your spot in Elevate Your Website For Strategic Design Clients!
10 Steps To Go From Hours Of Code To Development-Free Design
