One of the things I get asked most about is how to get new clients. Finding clients seems daunting and out-of-reach when you’re beginning your creative career, but is also one of the easiest hurdles to overcome. The key is smart networking.
There are plenty of associations for creative professionals. AIGA is the huge one for designers. Graphic Artists Guild is another. Illustrators have The Association of Illustrators, while cartooonists are encouraged to join the National Cartoonists Society. Each has their member benefits, dues, and opportunities to connect with others. Although I highly recommend finding, joining, and becoming active in the one that best suits you, I would not advise stopping there. Especially not when gaining new clients is your goal.
You see, each one of those is full of other people looking for new gigs, just like you. Competition is fierce, and though not necessarily a bad thing, doesn’t exactly pay the bills. The real trick in gaining new clients lies in identifying untapped local resources, finding an ‘in’, and developing a strategy that caters to that group.
About a year ago I attended a local realtor’s association open house banquet. Most of the guests were people representing small companies new to the market. It was a great opportunity to meet a lot of new business owners and exchange a lot of business cards in a short amount of time. A day after the banquet, I sent each one of them a personalized follow-up email, letting them know that it was great meeting them. To the ones that replied, I sent another note saying something to the effect of,” you know, I have a great branding and sales materials design package for realtors that you may be interested in.” I did the same thing several months before that, when I asked an events coordinator client of mine if I could go with him to one of their association functions. To this group, I replied to their emails with offers to do menus (for caterers), promo catalogues (for rental companies), and invitation design (for wedding planners). From just those two events and the direct contacts I made, plus word-of-mouth recommendations that followed, I gained about 8 new clients.
Another idea is to take a good networking strategy with you to a large trade show or expo. If the expo is a state or national event that happens in the same place year after year, then do some research and find out where all the nearby bars, lounges, and hotels are. Chances are, after day one of the event, the special guests and the rest of the ‘in crowd’ from the show will be at one or two of those places for some after-work refreshments. This sort of informal social situation is one of the best possible places where you can introduce yourself to a potential client or business prospect. Play it easy and don’t sell yourself too aggressively– just have a conversation and a couple of drinks with them. Keep it brief, but interesting enough so that they remember your face the following day at the expo floor, when it’s more appropriate to talk business. If you’ve played your cards right, then you’ll have a competitive edge when you make your pitch. And you know that bar you were at last night? It’s likely that it’s where everyone will hang out each subsequent night for the length of the show. Use that.
Sometimes, a good, high-profile event may need some low-cost or free work to promote it. Get in contact with the organizers and offer your services up in exchange for a small ad in their event guide or playbill. Offer to design a poster, some fliers, signage, or event badges in exchange for the privilege of being listed as a sponsor of to have a small feeler included in their goodie bags. Maybe include a coupon on the feeler, or a promotion code that potential new clients can use for a ‘new account discount.’ Introduce yourself and exchange cards with as many people as possible at the event. When they (hopefully) see your ad or feeler, they’ll be more likely to take a chance on you in the event a need arises.
Keep your eyes open for off-stream networking opportunities and ways you can utilize them to gain new clients. The world is full of untapped client pools that are yours for the taking. All you need to do is shift your perspective away from tradition just a hair, and they will reveal themselves to you.
Do you have any cool non-traditional networking ideas that you’d like to try, or that have worked for you in the past? If so, tell us about it! Register for an account and leave a comment.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
