How to Attract your Dream Clients

Since starting my business, it’s taken time to learn what draws my dream clients in. I’ve become knowledgeable in channelling my work towards the next goal, in turn attracting the client that will help get me there. Here are my tried and true tips for attracting dream clients.

Find your Purpose

The first step in your design journey should be discovering what makes you different. What can you offer that no one else can? It’s important to take time to understand yourself and your clients, so you can provide a service your dream clients actually need. Establishing a personal style, or niche will help you stand out from the crowd. It’s better to be an expert at one thing, than mediocre at everything. Make a name for yourself as "that person” and clients will seek you out for that specific service.

Have an Online Portfolio

Getting your work out in the world is one of the most daunting but rewarding parts of the process of attracting clients. Sharing your work online whether it’s on social media, your website or other websites like Behance or Dribble will give your clients another way to find you and connect with your business.

Engage on Social Media

Having a profile on social platforms will broaden your reach to more potential clients. You don’t have to use every app out there, but make sure the ones you do use remain active and engaged. Focus on the platforms that you enjoy and best serve your business. Always make sure you’re creating content that’s right for you and is actually useful to your audience. Don’t forget, people like to see the person behind the brand. So be brave and show your face, as this build’s trust with your followers and is more authentic!

Network

Whilst networking in person might be tricky given the current circumstances, networking online has just as much potential for bringing new clients to your business. Connecting with others in your community will prove invaluable for your brand’s growth. It’s important to create a positive reputation when networking - you never know who could help you out later on. A quick chat over Instagram or zoom could lead to recommendations, sharing of contacts or even opportunities for white label work.

Pitch to Brands

An alternative to attracting clients is being proactive and finding dream clients yourself. The best way to do this is to do your research! Find out who’s in charge of the creative direction of the brand, email them directly and use their name (rather than sending a generic cold email!). When you pitch to a brand, you might not hear back right away or immediately work together, but you will remain in their mind for future projects. Sometimes it’s who you know, rather than what you know, so making connections with people you’d like to work with will never be a waste of time.

Join Creative Communities

Joining free creative Facebook groups and communities will give you access to opportunities posted by other members. A couple of communities that I love are Creative Lady Collective Facebook group, Freelancing Females (website and Facebook group), Quill & Co.’s Quill Collective and ilovecreatives

Feature on Creative Websites

Seek out opportunities to be featured on creative sites where clients might be able to discover you. You can apply on sites like ilovecreatives.com - where you’ll pay a one-off $40 fee that gives you the opportunity to display a creative profile on their website - linking to your website, social media etc.

Create for the Sake of Creating

You’ve probably heard this many times before, but create for the sake of creating! Spending time on passion projects and design work that brings you joy is the best way to show potential clients what you’re capable of. It’s also great practice for your creative thinking and craft. A great place to start is by creating a fictional brand that aligns with the type of clients you want to work with.

I hope you can put some of these tips into practice to attract dream clients for your business. I would love to hear your success stories if you use any of these tips! Let me know in the comments below.