Without clients, you have a hobby - not a freelancing business.

Let’s change that.

I’ll share my 6 favourite strategies to find clients as a freelancer.

1. Friends & Family 👥

A lot of freelancers overlook this.

Send a simple message informing friends and family you are now a freelancer and can help them with their websites and/or marketing.

Be sure to convey your excitement and passion for this new venture. Let them know you offer custom website design services, and you create unique and competitive sites.

Always try to get across some USPs when discussing your work. Talk about pain points and how you can solve them.

Don't be afraid to ask friends and family for their support, and encourage them to recommend you to potential clients.

This can help you land your first clients and get some experience through referrals, which starts you off on a great footing.

And if nothing immediate, you’re building a referral network for future projects.

2. Communities 😃

I think this is the most underrated way to get clients.

It’s simple: join relevant communities, add value, help people, and opportunities will come your way.

Even simpler: Join Freelance Fam to get connected with (arguably) the best freelancer network out there for web designers 🙂. It’s totally free and full of super helpful people and resources.

There are so many benefits to joining a niche community:

• Network with professionals with similar interests - get insights, advice, and support from successful individuals in the community.

• Stay up to date with the latest trends and best practices in the fast-changing world of web design

• Actively participating showcases your skills and builds your credibility. Sharing useful content can establish you as an expert and attract clients looking for skilled designers.

• Active community involvement also increases the chances of referrals and new job opportunities.

3. Freelance Platforms 🎯 

If you’re familiar with my freelancing journey, I share how I started on Fiverr and turned $5 into $10,000+ from my first client. 

Freelancing platforms are not dead. They work - even today. It’s still possible to earn a great side or full-time income, and even 6-figures a year.

I’m a fan of goLance as it’s less competitive, the support is incredible, and they’re growing like crazy.

Tips to Succeed on Freelance Platforms:

• Create an engaging profile: clients judge the book by the cover. Make sure it highlights your skills, experience, and expertise. Include a professional photo, concise bio, and key accomplishments to draw clients searching for your skills.
  

• Build a solid portfolio: If you're new with little to show, create personal projects or work for friends and family to enhance your portfolio.
  

• Communicate well: Good communication on freelancing platforms is crucial. Respond to clients quickly, be clear, answer questions fully, set achievable expectations, keep clients updated on progress and respond to feedback graciously. 
  

Keep learning: To succeed on freelancing sites, keep boosting your skills and follow current industry trends. Learn new technology, participate in online events, and engage in web communities.

4. Google Search & Google Maps 📍

You want to find websites that rank at the bottom of the first page or have low reviews on Google Maps and pitch them your services. 

This is what you search on Google:

• "[service X city]"

• "X “near me”

Next: 1) Look for poor Google reviews/ratings

Anything less than 3 / 5 and a low quantity of reviews.

To help them, you set up an automated email campaign for their customers/clients 7 days after service, asking for a review. 2) Look for poor websites

You’re looking for bad SEO, bad design, no clear CTA, long loading times, etc. 

If you’re not sure yet what a successful website should look like, watch this. 

Once you’ve found potential leads based on clear room for improvement with reviews and website design/performance, it's time to reach out and pitch your services.

There’s a detailed process to follow here, and I cover it all step-by-step in this video.

5. Cold Outreach 📧

This is when you send a direct message to prospects wherever they hang out on social media.

A simple DM like:

Hey John, I recently helped Bob increase his XYZ by X. Would you be interested in a call to see if we can help you as well?

(along with a simple follow-up) can result in life-changing outcomes.

The same strategy applies to cold emails.

I recommend using LemList to automate follow-ups…

6. Partnering with Agencies 🤝

This is one of the best ways to learn and get paid. 

Agencies often look for freelance talent to help them when they have an overflow of work and don’t want to hire someone full-time. 

If you have a good portfolio website and you can show what you’ve done, it’s easy to pitch them your services.

How to pitch an established agency:

• Research the agency: Before contacting them, study the agency's services, clients, and brand.

• Highlight your expertise: Show your portfolio, emphasizing relevant projects. Mention any specific technologies or languages you're good at.

• Understand their pain points: Determine the agency's web design issues. They may need more expertise, resources, or improved skills. Present yourself as the problem-solver and explain how your abilities can meet their needs.

• Offer to collaborate: Portray yourself as a collaborator, not a competitor.  Show how your freelance services can enhance the agency's team and boost their project quality. Stress your adaptability, accessibility, and eagerness to work with their team to reach common goals.

• Provide testimonials and references: To ease their concerns, include testimonials or references to establish trust and credibility.

• Showcase your communication skills: Good communication is key with agencies. Prove you have great verbal and written skills and highlight your grasp of teamwork, feedback, and deadlines.

• Be professional and concise: Make a compelling pitch that shows your value, but avoid too much detail. Keep your pitch concise.

And that’s my advice on how you can find clients as a freelance web designer. 

Now go out there and get those paying clients! 

That’s it for this week. 

Cheers!