Have you ever caught yourself in a downward spiral, wondering how to get graphic design clients?

 

Wondering why clients would choose you as a freelance graphic designer? You know the feeling…when that nasty imposter syndrome starts questioning your capabilities.

 

It can be a doubly bad feeling when there’s a slow-down in inquiries at the same time. You begin to wonder…is anyone going to hire you, especially with the massive number of freelancers in the marketplace!?

 

At times like this, drastic measures are necessary. Pull out all the stops. Your self-pep talk isn’t going to be enough. Chocolate, caffeine, wine…do what you have to, but then grab this blog again and think about what we’re about to tell you.

 

We’re going to share our industry stand out essentials so you can stand out, get a steady stream of clients, and make more money as a freelancer. Here’s the nutshell of it:

• You’re not alone — every freelancer has a dark night of the soul (or two, or three..)!
• You’re not sunk — with a little action-taking, you’ll break free!
• Chocolate is always a good choice 😊

 

Maybe you’re toying with the idea of starting out as a freelance graphic or brand designer, but you’re still working at a day job. On Monday, you feel “Heck ya, I could do this and the profits from my efforts would be mine!”

 

By Wednesday, you’ve Googled the graphic designers in your area and feel like the competition is overwhelming. To top it off, the following weekend, your successful uncle who works in banking and finance pokes holes in your idea at a family dinner and asks, “What did your market research show?”

 

We have good news: he issue isn’t the number of graphic designers in the market, nor the quality of your market analysis. Competition isn’t a numbers game.

 

When you start out (or if you’re already freelancing but want to find graphic design clients in order to thrive), you’ll have an initial time when you learn the ropes of running your own freelance business and attracting clients. We have a few popular courses that will help you save time on this part!

 

So, let’s slow down your worries and turn your energy in a logical and positive direction. Let’s stop stewing about what might happen and learn how to make it happen.

Mindset is Critical

While improving your design skills is important, it won’t make or break your business success.

 

You already have training and experience, and you will happily spend hours improving with online courses and professional networking. But these skills and activities aren’t what will set you apart enough for new clients to find you and choose you.

 

So where should you focus your efforts to stand out and make your agency the appealing choice for potential clients?

 

For starters: your mindset. How you think, how you see yourself, and how you reorient yourself when dealing with challenges is critical. This is how you’ll train yourself to stay in the game, the number one rule in business success.

 

To help solidify your freelancing mindset, pick up a daily affirmation. Maybe you think affirmations were cheesy or cliché, but try adopting a mantra before you toss this simple idea aside. It will change you and your business.

 

Find an affirmation that reminds you of your potential, worth, and success, and post it on your computer, on your fridge, and on your bathroom mirror. Repeat it often.

 

If you don’t know where to start, what was your hero’s daily affirmation? What famous quote from them can you rework to have special significance?

What will keep you going when the day looks dark? What will give you a kick in the pants on low days and fill your sails on the sunny ones?

 

Here’s another way to think of it — what do you want your clients to feel when they interact with your agency? Use that thought to form your affirmation.

 

Here are some we found (we’ve paraphrased them a bit for you):

• From George Lucas: “Always remember, my focus determines my business success.”
• From Socrates: “The secret is to focus all my energy on building my success.”
• From Bruce Lee: “The successful freelancer is the one with laser-like focus.”

 

Doodle it during the day. Memorize it. Sing it. Chant it. Paint it. Make it yours. Own it.

 

This is your new mindset. It’s the words you will live by. It’s the words you will live up to, even on the days when you wonder whether it’s possible. You’re in. This is it.

 

Do you think every freelance graphic designer knows this is a stand-out secret for successful people? Nope. Do they do something about it and implement it in their day and their business? Not a chance! So, here’s where you are already beginning to stand out!

What’s Most Important for Standing Out?

Your freelance business will stand out in the crowd of graphic designers, not because of your superior graphic design skills….but because of your superior business skills. That’s right. Running a business well is all about how you operate the business – no matter what you are selling.

 

Sure, you need to produce a quality product. No one wants to buy worthless services.

 

But at the same time, if you sit around in a constant loop of improving your design skills… that is often a subconscious way of avoiding the harder parts of being a freelancer (like putting yourself out there, getting clients, and yes – being rejected at times).

 

If you focus 75% your professional development on learning how to operate a business well, you will stand out from the rest.

 

You can learn how to run a business well the same way you learned graphic design (and remember that you will be updating and upgrading your technical design skills with the other 25% of your professional improvement efforts).

Here are some ways to develop your freelance business skills:

• Take a small business course specifically for freelance graphic designers.
• Carve out 30 minutes a day to focus on business development skills — put it on your calendar!
• Find a group to join — young entrepreneurs, female entrepreneurs, creative freelancers…
• Start listening to small business podcasts and follow a quality blog (here’s another one of ours on the theme of freelance business development: Does Your Freelance Business Need a Niche?)
• Think big! What if your business suddenly got a client that brought in $200K this year? What business infrastructure would you need in order to scale? Learn about these elements now, so you’ll be ready when it happens.
• Join your local Chamber of Commerce or entrepreneur networking group.
• Find a mentor who can answer your what should I do now? Look for someone whose track-record shows the success you are aiming for.
• Build your network intentionally with online connections, phone calls, coffees, social events
• Research how to improve your marketing skills, as marketing is your business lifeblood. As a graphic designer, this will also include your portfolio quality and presentation.

Standing Out for Your Ideal Clients

To stand out, you need to know who exactly you want to stand out for. You need to know your ideal client!

 

Once you understand who they are, your business will be able to focus on getting them. This is a targeted approach that is essential for any small business, but particularly for graphic and brand designers.

 

It isn’t possible to impress everyone. Even if, in theory, you could sell graphic design or branding  services to every business in town, that’s not what’s going to happen. You will sell to a select few who are your clientele.

 

And, if you don’t know who they are, you will definitely struggle to find them – or you will end up with clients who are too cheap and difficult!

 

You need to stop right now and identify your ideal client. Use a narrow lens to picture your one perfect client.

 

Document it so you won’t forget, and you (and everyone who collaborates with you in your agency’s projects) can easily refer to it. This ideal client is different for every single designer, and your ideal client will likely change as your business grows!

At the end of this critical exercise, you need to determine what appeals to your ideal client? This will relieve your marketing, advertising, promotions, networking and sales questions with one simple answer.

 

Wherever your ideal client hangs out (especially online) is where you will be present. Whatever they like is what you will feature – on your portfolio, on your website, in your marketing. Whatever their problems are, you need to show that you have the solutions they need.

 

If you try to appeal to everyone, your potential clients will be lost in the blur of possibilities. But if you focus on your ideal client, you will find them and build a reputation with them.

 

Along the way, you will pick up some other clients who may not fit the exact “ideal client” description, but who have heard about your work. In other words, you will be in demand!

 

You’ll stand out to your ideal client, mostly, by being present in their sphere. Once you’re there, you’ll stand out in your industry, you’ll know how to get graphic design clients, and you’ll be the ‘go to’ graphic designer!

An Amazing Portfolio Is Essential

Freelancing in graphic design has one non-negotiable: you need to have a portfolio (online, of course).

 

If this makes you feel uncomfortable, if you have that niggling yeah, I know, I’ve been meaning to get to it feeling, we have good news! You’re normal….and there’s a solution.

 

First of all, procrastination is a problem that plagues the best of us. Take solace — you’re not alone!

 

But also know that those who stand out take the bull by the horns and wrestle it to the ground. This will take a plan and a bit of mental discipline.

Give yourself a deadline….for example, tell yourself that you’re going to have a portfolio you are proud of before a specific date. Challenge yourself (and accept the challenge)!

 

If you don’t know where to start, we have a free workshop to help you improve your graphic design portfolio so you can get clients. If you invest the time to implement our tips from that workshop, you’ll stand out with your top-notch, relevant, current, well-thought-out portfolio.

 

Maybe you already have a portfolio on your website and you want to take a look at how yours rates against industry recommendations? Take a look at our article and see if you have what it takes (in the article we explain how our agency learned to stand out with this fool-proof portfolio method).

Happy Clients Mean a Growing Freelance Business

Can we talk about human nature a bit? Did you know that business is a fancy word for a relationship? Sure, business is more transactional than personal or family relationships, but any interaction between humans follows a predictable pattern.

 

If you serve your ideal clients well, you will grow through word of mouth. Without any effort. Organically! (And, you don’t even have to cross your fingers and to hope to “go viral.”)

 

Happy clients tell others about you. It’s just that simple. Remember when you were trying to market to every business in your area? Potentially, they all could benefit from your graphic design and branding services, right?

 

But once you’ve focused, niched down, and become strong in your target industry (and of course, delivered excellent design projects), your ideal client will be happy.

 

People notice success and ask questions. Your clients will be proud to refer you to others, and those referrals will become your new clients! Did you know that the easiest clients to gain (in terms of lowest cost/time to land) are repeat customers and referrals from your existing clients?!

So, while spending 75% of your professional development time on learning how to run a business well, focus on giving your clients the best experience in the industry.

 

Give your clients an amazing experience to talk about. Stand out in the little things you do (calls, small gifts, thoughtfulness) and the standard things that you consistently deliver (prompt communications, meeting deadlines, proactive troubleshooting).

 

When you’ve figured out what implementing ‘best-in-class service’ looks like for your freelance business and its customer service, you can turn your daily motto into a customer service mantra!

• “Every day, I build my graphic design business by helping my clients achieve success,” or…
• “I focus my energy on building my clients’ success…and achieving mine!” or…
• “I am creative, I am qualified, and I have a laser-like focus on helping my clients succeed.”

 

Can you see how easy it is to stand out? You can begin today.

 

Did you think about making some notes as you read this article? Bookmark it and go back through, writing down our action points. As you focus on implementing the simple steps we’ve outlined, you will be doing exactly what it takes to stand out as a freelance graphic designer!