How to build a successful referral based creative business.

 

When I first started my business, I felt completely overwhelmed with the question, “HOW AM I GOING TO GET MY NAME OUT THERE??” I lost so much sleep over where my clients were going to come from. Or IF they would come! So I dove into the logo and website design world following all the traditional advice:

  1. Build an Instagram Following

  2. Start a Blog/Newsletter

  3. Sign up for and attend ALL the networking groups

  4. Build your SEO and gain website traffic…

The list goes on. And there’s nothing WRONG with those things! In fact, I find value in all the advice I received to get my name out there. But while I was spending ALL this time, driving from network meeting to network meeting, initially, I wasn’t investing in what would become my PRIMARY source of NEW BRAND AND WEBSITE DESIGN CLIENTS…referrals.

 
 
The Real Difference Between a Logo and a Brand
 

How to get more high quality client referrals.

Now, I would be lying if I didn’t admit I get a fair share of clients through general inquiries on my website. And this speaks to the HIGH importance of a great website, a focus on SEO and gaining momentum in the social media world. But if I only relied on website leads, I would most definitely be questioning my career choices and would be working WAAAYYYY too hard trying to GET clients rather that doing what I love, designing for clients!

 

If you are only acquiring leads from your website, there’s something wrong with your process.

 

A large portion of your clients SHOULD be from referrals. Why are referrals so much more valuable than a random website inquiry?

  • They are 90% more likely to sign on with you after a consultation call

  • They are more likely to be an ideal client

  • They came to you through FREE word of mouth marketing

  • They allow you to stress less about your online presence.

So how do I guarantee I get those referrals?

For my logo, brand and website design business, the obvious answer is the quality of my work. I worked EXTREMELY hard building a process that gets me INSIDE the brains of my clients and their ideal clients to create brands and websites that only require 1 to 2 revisions. (Stay tuned for more on that!) But getting your clients to scream your name off the rooftops requires far more than quality work.

6 THINGS I DO IN MY CLIENT PROCESS TO GAIN MORE REFERRALS

Before I sat down to write this blog post, I jotted down a list of all the things I do that contribute to gaining those referrals. I then realized everything falls under one underlying theme: COMMUNICATION.

1.MAKE YOUR PROCESS CLEAR

Every single step of the process, from on-boarding to off-boarding should be CLEAR and defined in more ways than ONE. For example: on your website, client pages, emails AND over the phone. This leads nicely into my next point.

2. COMMUNICATE OFTEN ON STATUS

It’s really stressful on a client to make a large deposit on a project with you and then….crickets. Sure, you saw their money and signed contract come in, and you put them in your calendar. YOU know that, but your client doesn’t! Follow up! Have a drafted email that welcomes them to your process, tells them what the next steps are and outlines expectations! What they can expect from you, what to expect from them. This will also really help when it comes to managing timelines!

3. USE LOOM VIDEOS to communicate your vision

One of the BEST tools I integrated into my business this past year are LOOM VIDEOS. Because all my communication is done remotely, these videos allow me to create formal presentations of my work, as if we were in an agency meeting, making a presentation to a client in person. I LOVE to use these videos to walk clients through my thought process on the work I create. I also create HOW TO VIDEOS for my clients, personalized for them…anything from ordering their business cards online to making changes on their websites.

Since using LOOM I have:

  • Had a higher client satisfaction rating

  • Reduced number of revisions

  • Saved a significant amount of time writing EMAILS

4. BE A PARTNER: OFFER TO BE A POINT OF CONTACT WITH other contractors they have hired

Part of my process and services with each of my clients includes printer support. This means, that once I hand over a print ready file, I don’t just wipe my hands and say “good luck!” I will work with ANY printer and offer that they give my contact info to their printer should the printer need ANYTHING. Printers also love this because they can speak to someone who “speaks the language.”

While I am usually the one to create websites for my clients after completing creating a brand, there are times when my clients have a website they want coded from scratch or requires developers to create. In these instances, I also provide brand support and a point of direct contact to the developers, getting them what they need to develop a successful website.

Reducing my clients’ the need to play middleman:

  • Reduces their stress

  • Makes them feel like I am their partner

  • Makes communication CLEAR between the professionals, making the project easier and more successful.

5. SEND GENUINE SNAIL MAIL COMMUNICATION

Take your relationship with your clients to the next level. Take the time to write a thank you card. Maybe include a Starbucks gift card at on-boarding, welcoming them to your process and encouraging them to grab a coffee and start the homework you provide them. Follow up with a custom branded gift from PRINTED MINT. This closes that gap of the online world to the real world. You are a real partner in their new business venture and shows you actually care.

6. BE THERE AFTER THE FINAL INVOICE IS PAID

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard a client tell me they hired a designer and the designer either ghosted them mid project, are no longer working as a freelancer, or just don’t respond to emails from clients once a final payment is made. HOW SAD!!!! And honestly just so rude. I am CONSTANTLY reminding my clients, “I’m not going anywhere.” AND “I am always here.” There are ways to send emails 3, 6, 12, 24 months after a project is complete to remind clients you are still there to help without looking like you are trying to get money out of them. They may not need work from you but they sure will appreciate you and send other people your way.

KEY TAKE AWAY: RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

Communication is the backbone of relationship building. Good communication and a genuine investment in your clients’ goals and lives really will establish TRUST and many times, a friendship that lasts long past launch day. At the end of the day this really is what makes my job so rewarding. It also speaks to the WHY in my business.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,
as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
1 Peter 4:10

 

If you are looking for a partner as you dive into creating or growing the business of your dreams, I would love to talk with you.

 
Elizabeth Nelson