Design firms thrive or falter based on their ability to attract new clients or secure projects from existing ones. All design firms require the ability to market their business to potential clients. Marketing is more than just sales, websites, and social media; it requires a planned approach. The following provides a few tips on how to market your design firm.
Marketing is not Sales
Many design firm owners view marketing as a necessary evil, equating it with sales and slick salespeople. Marketing helps develop brand recognition and keeps you top of mind. This is crucial when people need your services or referrals. Marketing also enables your business to expand and connect with your ideal clients.
Marketing is a good balance of research, branding, promotion, public relations, digital and content creation. Each requires investment of time and seeking advice from people who can assist you in developing a marketing plan.
Understand your potential clients
You need to conduct research and identify your potential clients. You can hire a marketing firm or conduct online research yourself. It is best to group clients into categories and rank them based on their potential. This can help you develop a marketing plan that aligns with your brand and message.
Know your brand and message
Before promoting your design firm, it’s essential to develop your brand and message. This requires some reflection and refining of ideas to establish a key set of points and a brand pitch. What is your brand? What do you do? Who are you? What problem do you solve? What don’t you do?
All too often, when people establish their brand pitch (brand and message), they feel the need to spend a lot of time developing logos, colour palettes, brand guidelines, slogans and a website. These are important, but the brand pitch can inform them in the future. It is more crucial to define your brand. People need to understand what you do and who you are. Additionally, it provides everyone with a consistent message when speaking to potential clients.
Create a marketing plan
All design businesses need a marketing plan to focus their time and investment efficiently. Firstly, your marketing plan should include your brand, competitors, current clients, potential clients, as well as your goals and objectives. Furthermore, it should cover your message and positioning (pitch), and, most importantly, an action plan. This action plan should encompass content, digital strategies, PR, events, awards, and partnerships. Additionally, the marketing plan should include a budget to determine the investment in content (such as photography and writing), events, partnerships, and sponsorships. By doing so, it ensures that you achieve your goals and objectives without overspending.
Consistency is key
All too often, marketing is treated as a task that someone or an internal group will handle. This results in inconsistent messaging and timing. As part of the marketing plan, it is essential to have a calendar, whether weekly, monthly, or quarterly, to track key events and milestones. The calendar should outline when specific marketing events (such as announcements and thought pieces) occur. This ensures your message remains consistent and balanced.
Marketing is a crucial part of business building and requires thoughtful planning, discussions, investment, and time.
Need Help?
I am available to guide you on creating marketing plans and collaborating with you to develop a strategy. This will help build your design business. For more information, contact me via email, damian@damianholmes.com, or use the contact page.