Tired of feeling like you have to post endlessly on social media to land design clients? I’ve got you covered! In this episode, I’ll show you how to build a thriving design business without relying on social media platforms. I’ll share practical strategies to connect with potential clients, leverage SEO, and make the most of referrals. You’ll discover how to create meaningful relationships that lead to real business opportunities.

 

Listen to the episode here:

Spotify  –  Apple Podcasts  –  Amazon Music

 

You will learn:

• How to tap into your existing network to find new clients
• Effective SEO techniques to boost your online presence
• Strategies for asking for and receiving valuable referrals
• Tips for showcasing your work and expertise without social media
• Ways to follow up and stay connected with potential clients

Say goodbye to social media overwhelm and hello to a more personalized and effective approach to landing design clients!

 

Aventive Academy’s Resources:

Free Client Portal for Designers: https://aventiveacademy.com/client-portal/

$12k Client Attraction Masterclass: https://aventiveacademy.com/attract-clients-workshop/

The Wealthy Client Blueprint: ⁠https://aventiveacademy.com/wealthy-client/

12-Week Business Program for Designers: https://aventiveacademy.com/profit

The Creative CEO Accelerator: https://aventiveacademy.com/accelerator

 

---

 

TRANSCRIPT:

0:00
I don’t get clients through social media, and you don’t have to rely on social media either.

In the past couple of months, I’ve met many designers that used to get a lot of leads through Instagram or TikTok or even Pinterest, but now, like something’s off.

0:19
They’re not getting as many clients as they used to, and they’re trying to figure it out.

So instead of you waiting for something not to work and so that you have to figure out pretty quickly, how about you focus on all these different strategies so that you can start getting clients not just through social media, but through all these other things.

0:42
I mean, I don’t get clients through social media, as mentioned, and we get clients through, yes, LinkedIn, it is technically social media, but I don’t post or I don’t post very often and that’s not how I get clients.

It’s all through DMs.

0:58
And then also I get clients through blogs, through our website and going to networking events.

1:24
Welcome to The Profitable Graphic Designer Podcast brought to you by Aventive Academy.

I’m your host, Kady Sandel.

I’m a brand strategist, designer, creative director, and the CEO of a successful six-figure design agency based in Austin, TX, serving clients worldwide.

1:42
After mastering the art of building a profitable and sustainable design business, I decided to help you achieve the same success.

I teach brand, graphic, and web design business owners how to attract more clients, increase their pricing, and develop design businesses that provide the financial freedom and time flexibility you’ve always dreamt of.

2:02
We offer online programs, courses, and templates that you can use along with our coaching accelerator and mastermind high-tech experiences for creatives.

You can learn more about starting and growing your design business at aventiveacademy.com.

But for now, grab a cup of coffee and join me in today’s podcast episode.

2:24
Let’s start with me explaining why I wanted to talk about this and why I feel so passionate about maybe not completely like not using social media, but not relying on social media.

2:40
I do have a lot of friends in the design space that did rely on social media, on posting and attraction marketing.

And something happened, like they don’t know what happened.

I don’t know what happened either, but all of a sudden their engagement on social media, specifically on Instagram, went down.

3:03
And so not that many people see their posts, their stories, their reels, something’s not working.

Their content quality stayed the same or is even better because they’re trying harder, but the leads kind of dried up.

3:21
They’re not getting enough leads, therefore they don’t have enough clients.

Therefore, they maybe have to lower the prices because they’re trying to get anyone and everyone just because they don’t have enough clients.

And I really want to address this because if you rely on social media, your business is not sustainable, is not stable.

3:44
Maybe it’s maybe, you know, it can be sustainable, but it’s not stable.

You can lose your business tomorrow.

I’m not saying that Instagram is going anywhere.

You know, sometimes people would say, like, oh, you need to build your email list because if Instagram disappears tomorrow, I’m like, Instagram will not disappear tomorrow.

4:03
Like, it’s not going anywhere.

However, if something happens, if you get hacked, if you lose your account, if simply just your Instagram becomes kind of cold and you’re not getting enough engagement, you’re not getting enough clients, enough leads, like your business is not stable.

4:25
So let’s talk about all the strategies that can help you stay in business and can help you grow your business without relying on social media.

I am someone who has never gotten a client through Instagram, like ever.

4:42
We don’t even post on social media.

We don’t post on Instagram, TikTok. I don’t even know if we have, we don’t even have an account on TikTok or Pinterest or anything like that.

And that is because if you use different strategies in order to get clients and my focus is really on getting high-ticket clients.

5:02
And I believe that yes, they all have Instagram accounts, but I don’t believe that that’s the best platform to use to try to attract high-paying clients.

I believe that LinkedIn is the best for it.

However, I mean, LinkedIn is still social media.

5:18
But what I want to say is that if you are relying on social media, this episode is for you.

I do also want to add, but I’m not saying that social media doesn’t work.

It does work.

I know many designers that, you know, went viral.

5:34
That not, I mean not just going viral, but also just getting inquiries, posting amazing posts and reels and before and after and designing logos and showing their face and being really consistent.

And it can work.

5:50
It really can.

I mean, every single marketing strategy does work, but let’s cover how you can still attract amazing clients without posting or without being on social media.

So the first thing that you can do is leverage personal connections.

6:07
And I know that that’s easier said than done.

And I’ve heard this advice when I was just starting my business.

And as someone who didn’t know anyone in America, this advice didn’t apply to me.

Like literally it just didn’t work because I didn’t know that many people.

6:23
My family is not here.

I didn’t have friends and it just didn’t work for me.

However, if you are someone who can, you know, tap into an existing network, do that, reach out to friends, family, colleagues, like whoever you know and tell them, hey, this is what I do and this is who I help with this and that.

6:46
Do you know anyone who you could introduce me to possibly?

Like, maybe they’re not my ideal client, but maybe they know someone.

Just ask.

You have nothing to lose.

Attend the local events.

I’ll just talk about going to networking events.

7:02
It’s so important.

Industry conferences meet up to meet new people.

Networking in person can really leave a lasting impression.

I love going to networking events and I know that, you know, for many introverts and I know that a lot of creatives, a lot of designers are introverts.

7:21
This can sound like, oh, I really don’t want to do it.

And I, I mean, I understand.

But when going to a networking event, as soon as you start thinking how you’re going to meet amazing people, how you’re going there to make friends and not to sell, you’re going to see how easier things will be.

7:43
And you don’t have to go to a ton of networking events.

Go to one or two a month, like that’s it.

And you don’t have to stay for too long.

Stay there for 30 minutes, 45 minutes, whatever.

Set a goal.

And this is what I was doing.

7:58
So I would usually go to this one networking event.

It was called Network After Work.

And again, I’m extrovert, so for me this was easy to do.

But I would go to this event, it’s over two hours, and my goal was to meet 15 people.

That is a lot, so you don’t have to do that, but that’s really good.

8:20
It’s a really good number of people that I would meet and then I would collect their business cards and reach out.

I wasn’t into giving them my business cards because then I don’t know if they will reach out.

Most likely they will not like this.

8:35
I have their contact information.

You can also join professional organizations and associations related to graphic design, brand design, web design.

Like really, these groups often have networking events.

And this is really cool because now you’re not going to an event where you’re going to meet potential clients, but you’re going to meet people who can be your referral partners.

9:02
Referral partners are people that offer similar services or different services to the same target audience.

So what that means is if you are a brand designer, connect with web designers.

If you’re a web designer, connect with website copywriters.

9:22
If you are a web developer, connect with designers.

If you are a graphic designer and you design, let’s say presentations, connect with a brand or web designers.

You know, so connecting with designers is still like really valuable and awesome and maybe you have a niche.

9:39
Let’s say you do branding for health and fitness and you meet someone who does branding for real estate and when they meet someone who is into health and fitness, they will send you a referral and vice versa.

9:54
Like it works really good.

And if you focus on building genuine relationships rather than just like, yes, collecting business cards, but not pitching and really like don’t try to sell it.

Really take the time to get to know people and understand their needs and offer value without expecting anything in return.

10:16
Let me give you an example.

So I have a potential client at this moment, a skincare line.

She reached out a couple of months ago.

She explained what she’s looking for, how many products she’s going to have, which is three, that she’s looking for, you know, brand strategy, visual identity labels, three boxes and the website, Shopify website.

10:39
And I sent her a quote and she said, oh, that’s too expensive.

I’m not sure that I can commit to that.

I also have to work with a manufacturer and my expenses are already climbing up.

Like, you know, I’m already spending way more than I thought.

And now plus your quote, I really don’t know if I will be able to afford that

.

10:58
And I said no problem, I totally understand you’re a startup.

You’re literally just starting now.

So how about you focus on getting the right formulation, getting the right product and we can talk down the road.

A couple of weeks later, I wanted to follow up, but not in a pushy way.

11:17
And so what I did, I went on Google and just tried to find her competitors, but did really quick research, like it took me three to five minutes because I already knew what her skincare is going to be about and why and how she’s trying, how she will try to differentiate her skincare line.

11:41
So I went to type that in and I was, of course, able to find companies that already do what she’s planning on doing and whatnot.

And so I sent her like, Hey, how are things going?

Were you able to find a manufacturer and all of that?

11:57
By the way, I was just looking online like who your, you know, potential competitors would be.

And these are three websites that I found.

Have you heard of them?

And she responded something like, Oh my God, thank you so much.

I have not heard of them.

12:13
This is so helpful.

I am actually going to order their products and to try them on and things like that.

And so this is literally me just sending help.

And yes, I’m hoping that she’s going to choose me for her future branding needs.

And I honestly feel really cool about this project.

12:30
I would, I would love, love, love to work on it.

However, I can’t, you know, since I have a branding agency, I can’t just like lower my price because I have a team.

And even if I didn’t have a team, I know my standards and I don’t want to go lower.

So, you know, this is how I provided and offered value without expecting anything in return.

12:52
And let me give you one more example.

I was just working with one wellness co-working center here in town.

They’re trying to open in 2025 or, you know, 2026.

And I literally was like, hey, do you have a realtor?

13:08
And they were like, no. Well, let me introduce you to this realtor.

I loved him.

I worked with him, I think he’s awesome.

And I connected them.

And then I also told him, oh, by the way, here is, you know, this guy organizing these events, you want to come with me and you know, like I’ve really provided a lot of value without, like, honestly without expecting anything in return.

13:34
And of course they decided to work with me.

So, you know, and this can be like in the form of, you know, advice.

And now when I say free consultations, I really want to be careful with that.

Free consultations.

I don’t believe that you should do free consultations, but you can offer a little bit of advice for free.

13:59
So during our sales call, if you’re looking into their website and you’re like, oh, why don’t you add a call to action here, like a button or something, you know, just a little bit.

So not too much, but whatever.

And then also when you go to these events, follow up with people you meet, really send a personalized email or message, mention like something specific from your conversation to show you were paying attention, something that they mentioned, like maybe they just bought a red bike and you remember that.

14:33
So just mention things like that, like really build these meaningful relationships and this is how you’re going to get clients.

It’s really powerful and it’s really all about leveraging that personal connections.

Before we continue with this podcast episode, I just want to quickly remind you that if you’re a design business owner whose dream is to have a successful and profitable career so you can enjoy the freedom and flexibility that comes with it, then I have something for you.

15:06
The Profitable Designer Program is my signature 12-week system that will help you improve your business, sign amazing high-paying clients, and truly achieve your financial and lifestyle goals.

Visit aventiveacademy.com/profit to check if you can join us now or if we are currently not accepting more designers into the program.

15:29
In that case, you will be able to join the waitlist and be the first to know when we open the doors again.

Now we’ll go back to the episode in a second, but I just want to add that designers who completed the program were able to sign five-figure design clients 10 times their pricing, reach six figures and beyond, make $20,000 per month while working only a few hours a week and more.

15:55
Here is what Julia said: It really has everything you could ever ask for to build a six-figure business that will allow you to have financial freedom and that’s why I personally did it like I wanted that flexibility.

So if you want to be my next success story and achieve results like these, visit aventiveacademy.com/profit.

16:16
Now let’s go back to the episode.

The second option that you have in order to get clients without using social media is utilizing SEO.

SEO stands for search engine optimization and is how Google finds your website, right?

16:38
So just make sure that your website is optimized for search engines.

What that means is use relevant keywords related to your services throughout your website.

So if you’re a logo designer, try to figure out how you can pop up when someone types a logo designer in the search.

17:02
And this is like the hardest, right?

I gave the hardest example, but I was just talking with James Barnard on my website and he said that once he figured out that he wants to focus on SEO in order to get clients, he put a lot of effort into those keywords.

17:23
Logo Designer in London and he had them throughout the whole website and just a few months later his website was on top every single time and someone would put in like Logo Designer in London.

17:39
It’s amazing.

I mean, that’s how I am getting clients.

That’s how I’m getting a lot of clients actually through my blog.

I have a blogger that writes for me.

He provides four blog posts every single month and then my manager would post them and I get clients.

17:56
It’s a really, really good structure.

So you could do something like that, create high-quality content that answers common questions or solves problems for your target audience.

And again, this, you know, could be blog posts, maybe case studies or tutorials, whatever you feel confident or comfortable with.

18:20
And you can always hire people just like I have a blogger because it would take me a long time to write a blog.

English is my second language and honestly, I just don’t feel like doing it.

So I would prefer to have someone who can write for me.

18:37
Now a really cool thing that not many people do is use local SEO tactics.

If you serve a specific geographic area and even if you don’t like honestly, even if you don’t, include location-based keywords and register your business on Google My Business and try to get as many reviews as possible.

19:01
Clients would honestly often put brand strategy, visual identity, logo design, website design, like whatever service they need, and then the location they want to work with someone local.

Even though it really doesn’t matter where we are at.

19:19
I just completed a $30K project with someone who wanted to work with me because we are local and we can always meet in person.

We have not met yet.

Like we did everything over Zoom.

It’s really didn’t matter if I’m here in Austin or in California or even in Europe.

19:37
It really doesn’t matter.

But some people really prefer to work with people, you know, locally.

Now, I also want to mention that when you have a blog, like something that’s very cool, very useful, educational, engaging content, something that does showcase your expertise, whether that is when it comes to design or just educating people about like branding or website design or development.

20:05
And when you have content that is shareable, that encourages backlinks and this will help.

Improve your search engine ranking and drive organic traffic to your website, and you can also use SEO tools to research the best keywords and track your progress.

20:28
There are many different tools, but you can even just use Google Analytics and you will see what people are typing, what they’re looking for, what page they land on.

When, you know, they get to your website, what’s their next step and things like that.

20:43
And you can change that.

So it’s amazing.

Tip #3 for getting clients without using social media is maximizing referrals.

Literally asking for referrals.

Reach out to your past clients and ask for referrals.

21:01
Happy clients are often willing to recommend your services to others.

And if you don’t ask and they don’t know and no you don’t stay on top of their mind, like no matter what you have to ask for it.

You can offer an incentive for referrals.

You know such a make a discount on future services or small gift or whatever.

21:21
This can motivate your clients to spread the word about your business.

But honestly, I have not found this successful and sometimes I would even feel offended.

What I mean by that is I was just talking to someone, they do web development, app development and he offered me like 10% of whatever referral that I send them.

21:46
And I was like, you know what, I’m not your salesperson.

I don’t feel like doing that.

How about I just friendly send, friendly, send you a referral and you send me a referral

back.

How about that, you know, like let’s just have that meaningful connection and not transactional connection, if that makes sense.

22:05
So I would not, I would not go in like I would really not go into that.

Like it just doesn’t make sense.

Doesn’t sound good to me.

You could send a small gift and I did that in the past.

One girl, one photographer once sent me a really good referral and I signed them as a client and then I sent her kind of like a gift box with some candles and honey and bath bomb and kind of like a self-care box and it was amazing.

22:36
I think that’s really cool.

Now when it comes to building a referral network, connect with other professionals in related fields and that’s what I already mentioned like web developers, marketers, photographers, ads managers, like people who have the same target audience but offer different services.

22:57
So for example, a marketing agency might need a go-to designer for their clients’ branding needs, but they don’t offer any visuals.

I just got a client like that.

Someone came to me, they’re looking for website design and they do marketing and they will be working with this client on some other things like social media and things like that.

23:20
But they don’t do visuals and they don’t design or develop websites.

So they came to me.

You can provide and you should provide excellent customer service and really exceed your clients’ expectations because satisfied clients are more likely to refer you to other clients.

23:40
With that said, there is something that we use that our clients love and that is our client portal.

You can download it completely for free.

Just go to aventiveacademy.com/client-portal.

23:57
It’s amazing.

And I’m going to also put the link below this podcast episode.

But it basically has absolutely everything that you and your clients need throughout the project.

And they will be super satisfied.

And I know they will send you clients when they have this amazing experience that really helped them.

24:18
Whatever you help them with, the next thing I want to talk about is connecting again without posting on social media, but with direct engagement.

So yes, using social media platforms, but in a way that you’re going to directly engage with potential clients rather than just posting content.

24:40
You would send personalized messages, comment on posts and join relevant groups or, you know, discussions.

That doesn’t mean you have to like cold DM, but just figure out how you can get into their inbox.

How can you maybe comment on something?

24:56
How can you maybe ask them about something?

And just like really building that relationship.

Like don’t think how you are trying to get a client, but think how you’re trying to make a friend.

LinkedIn is particularly valuable platform for professional connections, so use it to network with potential clients, join industry groups and share your expertise and again, connect with people even on this, you know, social media platform, connect with people that offer different services to the same target audience.

25:30
Like this is so, so, so important.

And the other thing I know that this is still social media, but again, it’s without posting is joining online communities and things that are, you know, related to graphic design and also your target industries.

25:48
So for example, you can join graphic designers group on Facebook or whatever you find something very similar.

And you can also join, let’s say, a fitness group or something for health and fitness entrepreneurs or on LinkedIn, you know, so if that’s your target audience.

26:07
So basically you’re connecting with referral partners, but also with your target audience.

And nothing is like cold pitching or DMing or anything like that.

So now that you met a lot of different people either through networking events or yes, through social media, you have to follow up and stay in touch.

26:29
They have to remember you.

So schedule regular follow-ups but don’t be too annoying with potential clients, past clients and even new connections.

So simple like checking email can keep you really top of mind when they need design services or when they hear that someone else needs design services.

26:52
You can use a CRM tool to manage your contacts and keep track of your follow-ups and this really helps ensure that you don’t miss any opportunities.

This is so important.

You can also have newsletters and email marketing.

27:08
You can start a newsletter to stay in touch with your network, like share updates about your business, industry news, and useful tips.

Of course, if you’re just talking about your business, nobody’s going to follow.

Nobody’s going to stay on your email list.

You have to provide value.

27:25
Personalize your emails to make them more engaging.

Like use their first name and mention something specific to their business or needs.

Like really try to make it all personal and connecting.

The other thing is I want to leverage testimonials and case studies for case studies.

27:46
I’m sure you’re aware of that.

That’s like your portfolio.

I mean, it is your portfolio, but a case study is like an in-depth portfolio where you also have a description of each piece and it’s not just visuals, but it’s walking potential clients from start to end and so they can imagine how or what it will look like when working with you.

28:09
It’s amazing.

I always give advice to all my designers, my design students, or, you know, people who are inside courses and programs, masterminds, accelerators and so on at Aventive Academy, that you should never have a portfolio, you should never have visuals only.

28:31
And while they are important really.

Clients want to see how your visuals or how the visuals you have created have helped other people either grow their business, get more clients or more products, like whatever their end goal is.

28:47
So, you know, just always include, always have case studies over portfolio.

And then in your case studies, put testimonials, ask your satisfied clients for testimonials.

Like really positive feedback from real clients can be a powerful tool in attracting new business.

29:07
And especially if you’re working now on your SEO and blogging and people come to our website and they see all these testimonials, like it’s going to be, it’s going to work like it has to work, you know, it works for me and it works for many of our students and it will work for you too.

29:24
So again, develop case studies and then in those case studies have testimonials.

My advice is to have like visual elements, then text, then visual elements, then text.

And that can be like logo design in black and white, then text, then logo design in color, then text about those colors, then maybe just colors or just fonts or whatever it is.

29:47
And then at the end you could include testimonial and a call to action for people to reach out to you.

One more thing that is amazing when it comes to attracting clients through or without using social media is utilizing public speaking and workshops.

30:08
And again, I know that this might not be for you if you’re an introvert, but hosting workshops like really, I mean you can have webinars and you can have pre-recorded workshops and webinars.

They don’t even have to be in person, but offer workshops or webinars on topics related to what you offer, either that is branding or website or graphic design.

30:32
And this positions you as an expert and allows you to showcase your skills, like really.

And you can partner with local businesses or organizations to host these events in person.

You can be a guest and this can expand your reach and introduce you to new potential clients.

30:51
This is what I’ve done so many times, especially before COVID, and it worked amazingly.

Like really, really good.

And really look for opportunities to speak at industry conferences, seminars, or local events. Like public speaking can significantly boost your credibility and visibility, sharing knowledge and expertise in a way that provides value to the audience.

31:17
Don’t pitch and this can lead to new connections and potential clients.

OK, I think that that’s it for today’s episode, but I do have some final tips for client acquisition without social media.

31:33
One is be proactive in seeking out new opportunities.

Don’t wait for clients to come to you.

Try to do everything and anything you can in order to attract them to you.

Focus on building long-term relationships rather than short-term gains.

31:50
Don’t pitch. Continuously improve your skills and stay updated with everything design related and really not just design related, but sales and webinars and workshops and, you know, figure out how to get clients.

32:07
Look into industry experts, look into people like me who are getting clients consistently.

Like look into what we are doing.

Really being an expert in your field will naturally attract clients.

Be patient and persistent.

Building a client base takes time and effort, but the rewards are worth it.

32:27
I know you will get there.

And really, by implementing these strategies we talked about, you can effectively attract and retain design clients without relying solely on social media.

Focus on building genuine connections, optimizing your online presence, and leveraging referrals and testimonials to grow your business.

32:48
OK, I hope that this was helpful and I’ll see you next time.

Thanks for tuning in to The Profitable Graphic Designer Podcast.

But wait, before you go.

If you enjoyed this podcast episode and want the chance to access one of our online courses for free, simply leave us a review on Apple Podcasts.

33:07
Each month, one lucky reviewer gets to pick a course as a token of our appreciation.

And here’s a reminder.

We are here to help you build the design business of your dreams.

Whether it’s creating compelling proposals, attracting $10K clients, pricing your design

services, improving your portfolio, reaching six figures and beyond, or helping you stand out, we’ve got you covered.

33:33
I invite you to join over 1000 designers in my signature 12-week program, The Profitable Designer.

Visit aventiveacademy.com/profit.

And also don’t forget to hit that subscribe button.

That way, you’ll be the first to know when each new episode drops so you never miss out on future content.

33:53
Until next time, be sure to connect with us on Instagram at @aventiveacademy, where we share valuable business tips, stories, and resources for brand, graphic, and web design business owners.

Bye for now, your host Kady Sandel.