Marketing Jhonny
Registered Member
- Dec 10, 2010
- 87
- 27
Feel free to give me any advice or w,e 
Im starting a web design firm... comments,advices accepted!
- Thread starter Marketing Jhonny
- Start date
Jeevs
Supreme Member
- Dec 14, 2010
- 1,372
- 1,652
Feel free to give me any advice or w,e
Well...in order to get advice or suggestions...you need to tell what exact points you are working on buddy...how can ny1 advice without even knowing what exactly you are doing and what missing!! For example..say I posted "I have a website..I need your advice,suggestions"....what would you reply?? Nothing I guess!! So please understand this and explain that on which point you need suggestions..I also have a logo design company...but I can't advice you blindly..without knowing anything about your work.
Marketing Jhonny
Registered Member
- Dec 10, 2010
- 87
- 27
Well basically we (another developer and me) are working on the brand,keyword,research,information for the prospects,keyword research and developing the website as we speak...
Marketing Jhonny
Registered Member
- Dec 10, 2010
- 87
- 27
Buuuump! :d
May I suggest one product I bough (I'm not affiliated in an way) that I found really interesting (it taught me a lot even though I did very few jobs before changing tacks)? It's the web design business kit on sitepoint. Cost a good bit, but worth every cent. You can find it on the sitepoint site.
Also, don't sell yourself cheap!! You'll get treated as cheap! At least give different alternatives, with expensive options and cheaper ones. Most people will probably go for cheaper options, but the higher priced options serve to make the cheap options seem better value and to make you look as if you do high cost work even if you haven't gotten a single job yet.
Also, nobody knows you're small on the net, so use that to your advantage! Check out beyondthepedway dot com for some interviews with people who started from scratch.
Be sure you find a method to get paid - either half before half after, contracts, or something else. Just make sure you give the scumbags (few, but present) no excuse not to pay you. And if some wiggle their way out of paying you, take down the site (NEVER give them any control before getting paid) and keep going, don't get discouraged.
Hope these few tips help. Good luck with your venture!!
Also, don't sell yourself cheap!! You'll get treated as cheap! At least give different alternatives, with expensive options and cheaper ones. Most people will probably go for cheaper options, but the higher priced options serve to make the cheap options seem better value and to make you look as if you do high cost work even if you haven't gotten a single job yet.
Also, nobody knows you're small on the net, so use that to your advantage! Check out beyondthepedway dot com for some interviews with people who started from scratch.
Be sure you find a method to get paid - either half before half after, contracts, or something else. Just make sure you give the scumbags (few, but present) no excuse not to pay you. And if some wiggle their way out of paying you, take down the site (NEVER give them any control before getting paid) and keep going, don't get discouraged.
Hope these few tips help. Good luck with your venture!!
Couch Monkey Media
Elite Member
- Nov 8, 2009
- 2,787
- 1,146
It takes a little time to build trust for local business to work with you.
You site needs to be well done. Plus you will need a list of sites that you have done.
As far as seo you will have a hard time booking someone unless your site is ranked for some good key terms or you already have a customer that you have ranked.
Starting a design company or seo company is harder than what you would expect to really get it up and going and making some good money at it.
You site needs to be well done. Plus you will need a list of sites that you have done.
As far as seo you will have a hard time booking someone unless your site is ranked for some good key terms or you already have a customer that you have ranked.
Starting a design company or seo company is harder than what you would expect to really get it up and going and making some good money at it.
I have recently set up the same type of business. Basically i have yet to advertise but i befriended a person in the local enterprise board while starting my business. She was that impressed with the business plan i gave her i now get 2 or 3 referals a month from her. I over deliver with these clients on a webdesign package, by including back linking and seo with hosting at a reasonable cost. Then i up sell social networking and video marketing. My competition is quite bad really so can be done without much effort.
Then my customers seem so impressed they refer me on to others.
Then my customers seem so impressed they refer me on to others.
xplicit
BANNED
- Jul 21, 2008
- 1,113
- 1,062
All I can say is good luck to you. I have been doing it for the past 5 years and it seems everyone wants to go to overseas because they can do a site for a fraction of the cost. Although the quality isnt all that great, buyers these days are looking to save a buck.
So with that being said, you have to sell yourself not your designs. When people trust you then they trust your skills. Most of my business is from repeated clients (most form BHW), once you prove to them you know what you are doing then you will have a repeating client.
And local business is the way to go right now, with sites like guru, hireafreelancer, and the others, it is very hard to compete with the prices.
So with that being said, you have to sell yourself not your designs. When people trust you then they trust your skills. Most of my business is from repeated clients (most form BHW), once you prove to them you know what you are doing then you will have a repeating client.
And local business is the way to go right now, with sites like guru, hireafreelancer, and the others, it is very hard to compete with the prices.
ppcmaster
Elite Member
- Dec 26, 2008
- 1,504
- 174
1. Try to sell your services to local businesses. That should help you price your service better than what you can make online. Options available online are plenty, so there is little chance of you making a decent margin when you sell your service online.
2. Go with a vertical focus into the business. i.e. develop a brand that is made exclusively for specific markets such as legal, real estate, dentists, etc. You don't want to say "We can build you a website" in your pitch. You want to say "We specialize in developing and maintaining websites for lawyers since we understand their requirements better than most..."
3. Try to offer full service options to customers. Do not restrict yourself to just to building the site. Offer them content, SEO, etc. If you can't deliver, tie up with reliable partnering companies and co-ordinate to make it work for your customers. Many of the web designing company I know of are happy to say NO to any other business other than that of "website development". This approach has more demerits than the merits, I think.
4. Sell, sell and sell. You will not survive with a few leads a month. You are going to need to close a dozen of orders a week to make this a profitable venture for you. Money is in managing many many small orders. There won't be a few orders that will pay all the bills. Sell faster than you can deliver. This will cause a lot of delivery issues initially, but cash is what is going to put your delivery in order.
5. Most importantly, adopt a "Ready, Fire and Aim" approach to most things. You will never get it right first time. Keep at "doing" and the rest will fall in place gradually.
Hope this helps!
Wishing you the best,
Josh Caldon
www.contentyogi.com
2. Go with a vertical focus into the business. i.e. develop a brand that is made exclusively for specific markets such as legal, real estate, dentists, etc. You don't want to say "We can build you a website" in your pitch. You want to say "We specialize in developing and maintaining websites for lawyers since we understand their requirements better than most..."
3. Try to offer full service options to customers. Do not restrict yourself to just to building the site. Offer them content, SEO, etc. If you can't deliver, tie up with reliable partnering companies and co-ordinate to make it work for your customers. Many of the web designing company I know of are happy to say NO to any other business other than that of "website development". This approach has more demerits than the merits, I think.
4. Sell, sell and sell. You will not survive with a few leads a month. You are going to need to close a dozen of orders a week to make this a profitable venture for you. Money is in managing many many small orders. There won't be a few orders that will pay all the bills. Sell faster than you can deliver. This will cause a lot of delivery issues initially, but cash is what is going to put your delivery in order.
5. Most importantly, adopt a "Ready, Fire and Aim" approach to most things. You will never get it right first time. Keep at "doing" and the rest will fall in place gradually.
Hope this helps!
Wishing you the best,
Josh Caldon
www.contentyogi.com
IKbentim
Power Member
- Mar 14, 2009
- 606
- 660
Wow how are u not sued by google?? that site is an exact copy
ba55meister
Registered Member
- Mar 4, 2011
- 62
- 9
well said. I'm doing freelancing for a few years now as well. Good clients are the ones that know that you do quality work so they refer you to their friends etc.
If you come accross someone moaning about that they can get the site done elsewhere for $100 then just let them go, they will never be good clients, soon they will learn from their mistakes and be back on the market withou $100, with a crappy site looking for a new one
I have run a web design company for a few years now - it was not that easy to get into as I had no idea where to get clients from. Break that barrier and you are good to go. so:
1. Make your own website look amazing. It doesn't have to be overly techincal with html5/css3/jquery all over the place, it just has to impress potential clients, not you piers.
2. If you can, find a phrase (local will be best to start with) that you can get to number 1 for and seo your site for and back link the hell out of it.
3. If you can't get organic visitors you are going to have to be pro-active - print business cards and mention your service everywhere. Try and get family and friends or forum members to recommend you. Other wise get a list of local companies and cold call them/flier them, whatever.
4. You are going to need a portfolio so either offer to do a few charity sites for next to nothing (you will get a sweet gov link for your troubles) and add them to your portfolio. Failing this create some awesome designs for fake companies and put them in ur portfolio - i have seen plenty of people do this.
5. You might want to go low with your prices to start with to undercut the competition so that you can get some initial business and referrals. Once things pick up, up your prices - try not to undervalue your services just cause someone else maybe cheaper.
6. Upsell - once they have a website they are going to find they are not getting found - offer SEO services and backlinking, or PR services.
If you need any advice let me know
1. Make your own website look amazing. It doesn't have to be overly techincal with html5/css3/jquery all over the place, it just has to impress potential clients, not you piers.
2. If you can, find a phrase (local will be best to start with) that you can get to number 1 for and seo your site for and back link the hell out of it.
3. If you can't get organic visitors you are going to have to be pro-active - print business cards and mention your service everywhere. Try and get family and friends or forum members to recommend you. Other wise get a list of local companies and cold call them/flier them, whatever.
4. You are going to need a portfolio so either offer to do a few charity sites for next to nothing (you will get a sweet gov link for your troubles) and add them to your portfolio. Failing this create some awesome designs for fake companies and put them in ur portfolio - i have seen plenty of people do this.
5. You might want to go low with your prices to start with to undercut the competition so that you can get some initial business and referrals. Once things pick up, up your prices - try not to undervalue your services just cause someone else maybe cheaper.
6. Upsell - once they have a website they are going to find they are not getting found - offer SEO services and backlinking, or PR services.
If you need any advice let me know