So you are a freelance web designer/developer or you want to be one and your number one goal is to offer your services to potential clients all over the world, from the comfort of your own bedroom or basement. The real problem is that you do not have a clue where or how to start your journey, and this can be really frustrating, especially for beginners.

Well, the good news is, I’ve been through this situation and I know exactly how you feel, therefore it only makes sense to share with you how I broke through.

Some people start by saying, I don’t have any work in my portfolio or no one knows who I am and what I represent or I have no real experience or I don’t know how much to charge for my work and so on. But I am telling you right now that all the “I don’ts” and “I have no-s” are excuses for failure. The first thing you have to do is push the START button.

What do I mean?

Let me explain.

I will call myself a taxi driver here that’s looking to pickup passengers and drop them off at their destination, in order to get paid. So let me assume I‘ve prepared myself (got out of bed, brushed my teeth, taken a shower and dressed up) and I am ready to start my day.

So I get into the car and the first thing I need to do to get moving is push START.

All I have just said here is that I’ve learnt all the skills required to provide a service and I need to START getting clients.

How to push the START button

I mean it when I say push the START button and do not hesitate. Here is how you do it:

If you are a web designer/developer, I want you to do these things:

Choose a name you want to represent you (brand name)

Create a Facebook fanpage and Instagram account for your brand name

Design a simple banner and logo that represents you. Use them on each account you’ve created.

Once you are done with these 3 steps, follow up with the following:

Create 2–3 landing pages (E-commerce, design agency and Corporate website). Add more if you can e.g logos, banners e.t.c.

Post your works on the accounts you’ve created and talk about your process of creating them (Medium is a great place to start, if you don’t have a blog or YouTube channel).

Tag and follow anyone you feel can relate to you work (designers, developers, business and so on) — This is actually one of the ways you get followers and make people pay attention to your work.

What you have done here is that you have branded yourself as a web designer ready to receive clients. Now you need to get moving and of course pickup passengers (i.e. clients).

Some taxis expect passengers to approach them for a lift but this is not an effective way to get clients. You actually want to move around to see if your client is out there (especially those that don’t know where to find you). In that case, let’s get moving.

How to get moving

To attract clients in your region, follow these 3 steps:

Look for local business in your area that are putting up ads on newspapers, billboards, and local commercials.

Look for what you can offer the business that pays for ads and make sure it’s something you can deliver on***.

Engage in a dialogue with them either by e-mail, or phone or social media.

You can do the first point online, as well as in person. Many businesses put up ads because they want to sell more and increase their customer base. However, they might not have a website or their current website may be buggy or have a bad user experience.

With the second point comes an asterisk. It means that you really have to be sure that whatever you bring to the table offers some sort growth or advantage for that business. You are not just looking for a client to pay for your services, rather you are looking for a client that can always count on you whenever they need your expertise. This point cannot be underestimated as it can really drive your growth as a freelance web designer/developer.

Once you are done identifying the problem, don’t be afraid to contact the business to start a conversation. Even if your services are not needed immediately, they may come in handy at some point and you will be the first one in line for the job.

Conclusion

Fellow web designers and developers, this is how you get started with getting clients. Do not make excuses like I once did, be patient and put in the work. Soon enough you’ll be an expert at landing not just any client but big clients.

In another tutorial, I will be talking about “How to retain your clients”.

If you found this tip helpful, please share to let others know how to find it 🙂 Thank You!

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