If you are in the design industry, you have probably noticed that there is a large number of people offering the same services. You walk around the streets and all you see is design agencies and studios. With such stiff competition, getting new clients can be a daunting task. This post will discuss some ways you can market design and packaging consultancy in Singapore.
The service you offer you clients doesn’t really matter in this industry. You could be the best package designer and yet struggle to find clients. You need to consistently promote your business in order to stay above your competitors. The good news is, there are various methods you can use to reach out to potential customers. Before you start marketing your design services, you must first consider the following factors.
- Identify the target audience
Many business people don’t realize that in order to increase the number of customers you need to identify the target audience. This is especially vital when developing a marketing strategy. If you promote your services to the general population, you will land only a few clients.
Your target audience could be new businesses which are looking for ways to stamp their authority in their respective industries. When identifying the target audience, ask yourself who your services will benefit the most. It is easier to market to a specific audience.
- What services do you offer?
Design is a broad term. When offering design services, you are up against thousands of other designers. Your goal is to rise above most of them. One of the best ways to do this is to specialize in a certain services.
Some of the design services categories include print design, logo design, package design, and web design. It makes no sense trying to offer all this services. Narrow down to the services you are best at.
- Advertise your best pieces
Clients, in most cases work with clients who can do a great job. How will you show them that you’re good at what you do? Have some of your best pieces with you to show the potential clients.
Some designers make the mistake of showing potential clients almost all the work they did. If, for instance you received negative feedback on some work you did, it’s wise to remove it from your portfolio. You don’t want a people looking at a sample and deciding not to work with you. Showcase only your most impressive work.
Let’s now look at some marketing strategies you can use to attract more clients and grow your design business.
- Referrals
One can never go wrong with referrals. In fact, it is one of the best ways to grow any business. When people are directed to you by someone they know and trust, they won’t have second thoughts about it. Start by encouraging your clients to refer other people who might need your services. Chances are they know other people who are looking for designers.
You can also ask family and friends to refer other people to you. It is even better if you have created designs for them or explained to them your business. You can always count on referrals to improve your client flow.
- The power of networking
Networking is another brilliant way to market your design and packaging consultancy services. Start by attending local events and get to meet new people who may become clients. Secondly, organize a workshop and invite other businesses to attend. Ensure the workshop benefits all attendees. Many business partnerships are formed this way.
If you want to reach out to people who are unable to physically attend the workshop, you can create free webinars. Another important networking skill is building relationships with your clients/potential clients. You can do this by giving quick and detailed responses when they contact you.
- Build a website
A website is one of the best tools to market to an online audience. There are millions of Singaporeans who find designers through search engines such as Google and Bing. If you haven’t yet set up a site, please do so. A site usually contains details such as contacts, location and services you offer. You can use search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM) to attract visitors to your site.
SEO helps improve your site’s visibility on the internet. There are various ways to achieve this. One way is through ensuring that the site is easy to navigate and loads faster. There are also other techniques such as posting fresh and relevant content and optimizing for mobile devices.
SEM is where one advertises on search engines using platforms such a Google AdWords. A link to your site will appear on the sponsored part of SERPs. What one typically does is identify keywords internet users are likely to type into a search engines. When they type the specific keywords, your site appears on the ads section.
- Email marketing
Using email is another great way to market design and packaging consultancy in Singapore. Since you already have a site, get visitors to subscribe. If you don’t use email marketing, you will losing out on many potential clients.
Another way to collect emails is to offer an incentive to potential clients. It could be a discount on the first project if they sign up to your newsletter. Once you have the emails, focus on regularly updating your clients.
- Social media
When developing a marketing strategies for a design business, you can’t just leave out social media. The number of social media users in Singapore has increased steadily for the past few years. Some social media platforms you can use to market include Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
Each platform has a way it operates so you have to tailor each post to a specific platform. Do not post the same content across all platforms. If you are using Twitter for instance, post short statements and use industry hashtags to reach out to more people. Keep the accounts active by engaging your followers.
Offer more services
You obviously want to work with your current clients in future. What will you do to ensure the client comes back? You can offer additional services. Most clients will prefer working with you if you offer extra services.
If you follow the above strategies, you won’t have a problem marketing your design services. Always explore newer ways you can market your design and consultancy business in order to land more clients. As you market on the internet, techniques such as SEO and SEM can prove difficult to master. The good news is, MediaOne, a top digital marketing agency in Singapore can help you.
