new clients
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- brodyR
what are some of the strategies you guys use to get new clients, work?
I tried direct mail, some cold calls but not a lot, now sure what else to do.
from phoenix
- arthur0
Email them with a simple intro, maybe a sample image or two, and a link to your site.
- brodyR0
what if I don't have their email..
- Then I guess you can't email them, can you?ukit
- Most of the time their e-mail would be available off their site though. Or search the CD's nameukit
- where would i do a cd's name search?brodyR
- are you FUCKING with us?monospaced
- lukus_W0
Talk to people you meet and let them know what you do.
- thisfreelancelife0
I wrote this up a little while ago, I hope it helps, it's the system I used when I first moved to New York to develop a client list.
http://blog.thisfreelancelife.co…- hey, I like your resources list on your site!Melanie
- Invaluable - thanks for all this.metal_leg_will
- Thank you.thisfreelancelife
- bjladams0
back in time i spent some money and printed up some really nice business cards for the wifes hairdresser- put a "cards designed by" on the back with the website, and gave them to her for free. great advertising and i've made the money back over and over with reorders.
- hellojeehae0
twitter? maybee.. i dont know if that works.
- Amicus0
Go to networking breakfasts in your area and trade shows for the industries you are interested in working in.
Keep in touch with anyone that seems genuine – whether or not they seem like a prospect, because they will most likely have contacts that you are interested.
A quick, personalised email with a marketing tip, or some web links you think they'll be interested in could do the trick. It only takes a good client database and a couple of minutes for each contact. If you spent half a day doing this every couple of months it is sure to pay off in the end.
The boss has been emailing an old supplier he used in the U.S. – we are based in Australia – and 6 years later he has been put in touch with a potential client worth upwards of $450,000 a year.
- brodyR0
nice, I'm doing a website revamp right now
- brodyR0
where would i do a cd's name search?
- a cd for what? an agency, magazine... You can usually find their name and then sleuth their email address.arthur
- Searching linkedin is a good way to find who works there, and who did.thisfreelancelife
- Amicus0
look at the website, and if it's not there then ring the secretary and ask for the name of the CD. Most will tell you. If they don't just wait an hour and ring back pretending to be a prospective client wanting a brochure or website and you want to talk to the creative in charge.
- jmilligan0
pitch a chiropractor on a brand revamp two years ago and wait for your phone to ring . . . today!
- brodyR0
you got that right..
- utopian0
referrals!
- scarabin0
when you register a new business part of the process involves having the name of it and basic info "published" on a paper you can get from the local courthouse. get that list of new businesses, make a badass mailer, and send it to everyone on that list every time it comes out. chances are many of those businesses don't have a site, identity system or print collateral and you can provide it for them.
just make sure your mailer REALLY stands out. when i registered my first company i got shitloads of snail mail spam from people who did the same thing. but ALL of the shit i was sent was just boring white-envelope stuff. get creative with mailer form and materials and you'll really stand out.
- utopian0
Have a slamming kick-off party, invite everyone, get press, have PR written, and local news coverage.
- monospaced0
lukus_W's suggestion to talk to people and get the word out really works. Let people know you're a designer and they'll eventually think of you when they hear something. If you're in the right situation, you might hear someone complaining that they need design work, and you can step into the conversation. I once walked into a restaurant and saw two women critiquing the menu signage, and I naturally chimed in. A few minutes later they hired me to redesign it...turns out I was talking to the owner.
That being said, I think this is your biggest problem:
http://ro5ca.com/- pro bono maybe?monospaced
- my my personal site is old and i don't use it anymore, I just opened a new shop.brodyR
- Amicus0
Web, graphics, info architecture and user experience???
Pick one (maybe two) of these and master that discipline. Based on your website you look like a jack of all trades and a master of none.
- Peter0
I let them touch me in the swim-trunk area.