I get it, sweet friend. Marketing yourself as a designer is tough. Being able to confidently talk up your services doesn’t always come naturally. And putting yourself in the spotlight on a consistent basis is one of those things that makes it hard to run a business, am I right?

So today I want to share three quick ways you can market yourself differently as a designer, stand out in a crowded industry, and truly connect with the kinds of people you want to work with.

3 WAYS TO MARKET YOURSELF AS A DESIGNER

TIP #1 – LEAN INTO YOUR STRENGTHS

If you are figuring out how to stand out from the crowd, but aren’t sure where to start—you have to lean into your biggest strengths.

What I mean by that is there are so many incredibly talented designers out there. You and I both know that we work in a saturated industry. But that doesn’t mean you have to stand on a pedestal with a megaphone shouting out into the void on social media.

Instead, you can lean quietly and confidently into your unique gifts, strengths and talents as a designer. Allow that truth to help set you apart.

If you have a strength of really guiding your clients through a strategy based process because that’s how your amazing mind works—then talk that up! Make that process so well known.

If you are a designer extraordinaire with an incredible gift with illustration and web design, that is a strength you absolutely need to focus and highlight!

When we are confident enough to lean into our strength as a designer—then we create the space for our ideal clients to understand just how we are different, how our work adds value, and how they can see themselves working with us.

TIP #2 – LET THE RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

The second tip to marketing yourself as a designer is to let the results speak for themselves.

There is nothing worse than feeling like every time you post on Instagram you’re standing in the thick of the crowd, shouting your lungs out, hoping and praying that someone will notice you and your services.

That attitude and mindset can bring a lot of frustration, stress and insecurity to who you are and what you do.

It’s important we flip the script and instead of putting your services at the forefront of it all and hoping someone will be interested in that approach, we focus instead on the results your work delivers.

My favorite way to make this happen? Highlight the ways your offerings empower your clients to reach their goals.

When we can highlight the results that our work delivers, that’s when we really take control over how we are being perceived on social media and within our marketing efforts.

Results are what you should be shouting from the rooftop.

TIP #3 – MAKE YOUR CLIENT THE HERO OF YOUR STORY

Once you make your results the highlight of your marketing there’s one more thing that is so important—you need to make your client the hero of that story.

If you are struggling to be seen online and uncomfortable with this idea of really putting yourself as the face of your brand, I get it.

But there are definitely still some great opportunities for you to bring the focus onto the very real people that you work with so that potential clients can see what it’s like to work with you and they can see the transformations that you provide.

Instead of focusing on posting a behind-the-scenes of your logo sketching process every single day, be sure to include your clients and their stories as well.

This can really humanize the work you are doing and provide social proof to future clients of the impact your work provides.

As you are calling attention to your clients and their stories, you can clearly tie in the results you were able to deliver to your clients. If you are receiving testimonials from your clients at the end of every project together, then this is the perfect opportunity to weave in those kind words with client spotlights and project results.

HOW TO STAND OUT IN A SATURATED INDUSTRY

Marketing yourself as a designer doesn’t have to feel like a mix of trial and error or a disingenuous process along the way.

I wholeheartedly believe you can simply lean into your strengths, let your results be the focus of your work and really highlight your clients as the amazing individuals they are to create all kinds of incredible content that really positions you as the expert and helps you stand out in a very noisy and saturated industry.

If you are ready to discover your unique strength as a designer so you can leverage that in your marketing approach then I’ve got something just for you!

I’ve created a fun, easy quiz for designers just like you to discover your #1 strength as a designer. In less than 90 seconds, you’ll reveal how you stand out from the crowd with some actionable ways you can leverage this strength within your design process.

Head on over to the Brand Designer Quiz and begin to market yourself with confidence, sweet friend.

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