How to find the first clients as a web design startup

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With this in mind, finding those first clients as a Sydney website design startup can be tricky. You need patience and you want to consider the following.

Directly contacting businesses

This is the most effective way to find new clients for a web design startup and also, the one option that is usually overlooked. Many startup owners make the mistake of waiting for clients. When dealing with digital products like website design, there is this belief that everything has to be done online to get clients, which is not actually the case.

When the startup first appears, the big problem is normally a lack of portfolio. You can easily solve this by contacting the companies that do not have a website. Offer your services at a discount and build that portfolio, creating reputation and increasing your word of marketing results. Contacting can be done via phone, by going to the physical location of the offices of the business or even by email. Just make sure that you do not spam since that would hurt your reputation.

Creating paid/free themes

Most web design startups do have the necessary knowledge to create WordPress themes or at least site themes that can be offered for free. A link in the footer can easily point towards the main site of the web design startup. Alternatively, you can offer paid upgrades and start getting clients this way.

Creating products that people can use for a cheap rate can be really useful for any startup. Creating a full site or a completely customised CMS system can be expensive for most small to medium sized companies. If you just stay focused on that, you minimise the potential income when you first start looking for business.

Networking

Although you may think differently, networking is, was and always will be the foundation of B2B marketing. Your reputation as a businessman will have a huge impact on the success of your company. Getting first clients through the connections that you managed to achieve till now is a great way to start.

Just let everyone that you know that you opened a startup that offers web design services. See if there are friends or former partners or business acquaintances that may need such services. You can even participate in business networking events.

Always take a proactive approach

This is the most important thing at the end of the day. The fact that you launched a web design company does not mean you will be successful, even if you are the best at what you do. You have to keep looking for clients and you need to accept the small ones until you can actually get to the level at which you can go for better paid projects.