Fellow graphic, brand, and web designers! Does this scenario sound familiar? You’ve just wrapped up an incredible client project and you are already turning your attention to where your next project is coming from, or where you can find your next design clients?

But here’s the kicker… you do not have a waitlist of leads who are ready, primed, and waiting to work with you. So you feel like you have to go back to square one to find your next design client. Cue the stress and anxiety!

If we’re being honest, this method of feeling like you have to reinvent the wheel every time you want to find a new design client is not sustainable, and it is not going to support you on your journey to reaching your unique revenue goals. So instead, let’s switch that method of hustle and stress for a sustainable, easeful method that allows you to find your next design clients without feeling overwhelmed! 

Keep reading to learn my go to method to find your next design clients below.

My Go-To Method To Find Your Next Design Clients

In the ten years that I have worked as a designer, and over the years that I have coached fellow designers to build purposely profitable businesses, I’ve seen this topic come up time and time again. And it makes sense! As service providers, we are always looking ahead to where our next lead is coming from because when we are able to generate consistent clients then we are able to generate the consistent revenue that helps us keep our businesses running, right? But, like I mentioned earlier, if you don’t have a system in place for generating leads for your design business this can feel a little stressful.

Where I see designers getting stuck in this process is believing that to find your next design clients, or creating a lead generation method to have a steady stream of ideal clients, has to be complicated. Does that resonate, friend? You might be believing that finding your next design client needs to be this multi-step process where you need to be creating content for the hottest social media app every single day. As a result, you then feel the pressure to show up in a bunch of different places online.

Now, for some people that works because they enjoy that process. But I’ve found that showing up everywhere on every platform and using that as the way to find leads isn’t sustainable or life-giving for many. So if we are going to step into this season of pursuing our ideal design clients in a way that honors our time and energy, it’s time that we break up with these get-rich-quick strategies and instead focus on short and long-term lead generation methods that deliver the results you’re looking for.

I want to remind you that connecting with your ideal client and doing this sustainably and consistently can be easier than you think! This does not need to be hard. It’s only hard if we choose to make it hard. So instead, let’s look at how you can consistently connect with the kinds of clients who will value your work as a designer, shall we?

Step 1: Find where your past or current clients are coming from

If we want to understand how to consistently go after the kinds of quality clients that you’ve worked with in the past, it’s important that we use the data that we have available to understand how they found you in the first place! The reason why I am such a big believer in tracking where your inquiries are coming from and where your clients are coming from is because that is information that informs us about where it makes sense for you to be spending your time online.

For example, if all of your inquiries if all of your client projects are coming from word of mouth referrals then why are you spending a ton of time creating this elaborate content for Instagram if Instagram is not where your ideal clients are? On the flip side, if all of your inquiries are coming from Instagram but you’re still creating content for Facebook,Tik Tok, and Pinterest and you’re showing up everywhere which happens to be emotionally and energetically depleting you, that tells me that that’s not the best use of your time based on the data you have. 

When we focus on following the data this allows us to focus on creating quality content versus creating a mass quantity of content for multiple platforms. Which means less content creation with more impact for us!

Step 2: Know the problem you solve

In my experience, it’s not just enough for us to know where your clients are coming from. We need to intimately understand what problem you solve through your services or what value you provide through the work that you do.

When we understand the pain points that your clients are wrestling with, we are then able to communicate with them in a way that makes them feel seen, heard, and valued. And on top of that, it allows us to communicate with your clients in a way that puts their mind at ease so that they can trust that you are the expert that they have been looking for. Which makes the entire sales process so much easier for all involved!

Where I see a lot of designers getting stuck is focusing on creating content that highlights the features of their work instead of showcasing how their work solved their clients’ problems or empowered them to go after their goals. Instead of just showcasing your most recent client project and showing off the beautiful design work that you did and calling it a day, you would want to show off that most recent client project and talk about the goals that your client had. Then talk about the solutions that you generated as a designer, highlighting the goals your clients were able to achieve post-launch as a direct result of your work, or how they experienced an increase in sales, confidence or all of the above. 

When we highlight how our work as designers connects our clients with the solutions they need, it becomes easier to stand out in a sea of other talented designers online. Because instead of trying to be more talented or have a better design aesthetic than the competition, you are able to hone in on becoming an expert in providing the value or solution that your ideal client needs. 

Step 3: Market yourself consistently

If we know where to find our ideal clients and we’re focused on creating quality content that speaks to their pain points and outlines the clear solution they need, then it’s important that we do this consistently in order to generate the demand for your services that you’re looking for. 

But when it comes to connecting with their ideal clients consistently, I see a lot of designers wrestling with the belief that consistency in their sales process or in their lead generation processes means that they need to be creating content all of the time. And that’s just simply not the case.

Consistency and frequency are not the same thing, friend. So if you’re believing that in order to be consistent on your social platforms, or that you need to be showing up every single day, that is not going to serve you as well as creating a schedule of showing up that does align with your energy and your availability. You can show up consistently even if that means showing up once a week or once a month because you get to choose what that frequency looks like! 

Every business is different and every audience is different, so when you’re choosing how you define consistency when it comes to marketing your business and generating quality leads, it’s important that you create a schedule that honors your availability and energy. 

Once you determine what that looks like, just keep following that schedule, keep showing up at that rate, and that will begin to train your audience on when they can expect to hear from you or engage with you.

There you have it, friends! Going out and finding your next design clients while creating a lead generation process that’s going to serve you well does not need to be complicated.

If you’re looking for some additional resources that can serve you well as you are beginning to hash out what your unique lead generation methods look like, I highly recommend checking out this episode on the podcast where I go into more detail about short-term and long-term lead generation strategies.

Using brand strategy to find your next design clients

And if you are a designer who is looking to take your business to consistent profit month-after-month by leveraging brand strategy as your superpower then I would love to invite you to check out a completely free, on-demand training I’ve created it just for you! In this training, I share how you can exponentially increase your income as a designer by using brand strategy, and I share the exact method that I’ve used to take my design business from struggling to a sought-after six-figure business! You can click here to learn more and claim your free seat.

After tuning into this training, you’ll be able to:

1. Charge more for your services so you can experience consistent income without working crazy hours or taking on hundreds of clients
2. Kick imposter syndrome to the curb and position yourself as the expert your branding clients are searching for
3. Get out in front of your ideal clients without hustling to be seen online
4. And so much more!

Click below to grab your free seat to this on-demand training, and I’ll see you there!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN ME FOR THIS FREE MASTERCLASS