What is the best method of marketing to gain new clients for a Graphic Arts Firm?
We use social media facebook, instagram, twitter, Linkedin etc. but it doesn't lead to sales all the time.
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Mar 31, 2014
I am making an assumption that your graphics art firm is a small company that has very few sales people and gets most of it s business from word of mouth? Don't be upset, as this is a very good thing. It seems to appear that the graphics art community is a very intimate environment. You are fishing in the right ponds, but the problem is that you have the wrong hook on the line. The key is to create the image and reputation that you are the expert for all sizes of projects. Your website is the pole and you have to use it is such a way that more and more people are continually keep coming closer to your boat. This process includes illustrating your different level of talents, samples and your breadth of expertise. Next thing you know you have multiple fish in the boat by just showing off these talents. The key is marketing them in the right manner. Now here comes the big hook. Reach out to me so that we can talk in more detail and forget these crazy parables. Please contact me at your next convenience so that we can get together to discuss the options and see if there is a way we can do business together.Thanks Louis for your time and I l look forward to your contact.
Mar 28, 2014
Start a Facebook page and then showcase your graphic arts on a daily basis. Make sure you post it one at a time with a small description of the requirement of your client. The share and invite others to your page. Be consistent and in couple of months you will see results
Mar 27, 2014
Louis!
Welcome to the club, my friend! I feel like this is the question that all designers, particularly freelancers, have on their minds every day. What I've come to learn is a balance of both print and digital means is a solid way to go, but also buttress that by getting involved in your community. The great thing about mosaicHUB is it allows us to get involved in a community full of possible prospects by exhibiting our expertise. At the same time, go to events and meet-ups nearby. Mail promotional materials out to businesses or even other agencies that you'd like to do work for. And then double that with the weekly Facebook or Twitter post.
Ultimately, there's no better driving force for sales than word of mouth. Keep doing kick-ass projects, take good care of your clients, and they will talk to people. I hope this helps out. Feel free to message me if you have any other questions. I love connecting with other designers!
Mar 27, 2014
Hi Louis,
Did some quick web research and have some quick suggestions. First you mentioned the social media channels. You have not optimized them so I am giving some suggestions here.
Before you market you need to make sure you get these things in order, especially the Google+ business page piece because over 79% of people who are even given a direct referral to your business will check you out online.
Don't have the time and space to give all the reasons why but...
Remember that social media is part of an overall strategy. As you build out that strategy you should focus on optimizing the "real estate" on each social property before moving on. In my opinion you should also make sure you start with Google+ business pages
1. First order of business should be to optimize your Google+ business page. Completely fill out the business information. Max out the photos. Add a cover photo and your logo. Link your YouTube channel to it so the video of you on Channel 12 for being a Super Bowl Vendor shows up on there.
See if you can reach back out to the five people who gave you testimonials on your website and ask them if they would visit your Google+ page and either write new reviews/testimonials or ask them to cut and paste them there. They have to do it themselves. You can't do this for them.
2. Optimize your BingPlaces page (bingplaces.com)
That way when people look you up it doesn't look like you are out of business because you have not content on those pages. Also helps with SEO and will get your phone ringing more often.
LinkedIn. Have your key leaders all optimize their profiles on LinkedIn. Have all of them also link to and display the Channel 12 video and other videos as you make them. You should do at least a simple video slide show showing your work and all the cool clients that you have just like you do on the website. This should also be on all your social media platforms that allow videos.
Post links to your blog posts from your website to your LinkedIn company page so it has some content.
3. Facebook. Not trying to be rude but take another picture of Wendell where he is smiling as he looks over your capabilities overview and post it and delete the one that is up there. Want to project a warm welcoming vibe. Ask some of your customers to stop buy and give you some ratings on your FB page. Add your contact information website address, email address and phone number to bottom right corner of your cover photo graphic to make it easy to find.
4. YouTube Channel - Optimize. Change your cover photo. Ditto with adding your contact info to the cover photo and add a icon photo.
5. Twitter - Add contact email and phone number to cover image so it is easy see.
Ask as many clients as you can (that you know will leave 4 and 5 star reviews) to leave you reviews on your Google+ business page. Ditto with writing recommendations for you and the other company officers on their LinkedIn profiles. And as stated above to leave reviews on FB page.
NOW, if what you want is a quick inject of revenue, the fastest way to generate some quick sales is to reach out to inactive customers with emails, phone calls and direct mail pieces and let them know you miss them and offer them special pricing to come back.
To get new clients, do a referral campaign, maybe even a contest where for every referral a client gives you will donate $50 to a popular charity OR if you think a prize would be better come up with an idea and say for every referral they get a chance to win the prize.
Online, for your particular business I think Pay Per Click advertising in the best option on Google, Bing and LinkedIn ads. The ROI is easily measured. Easy to test and optimize ads and then scale once you get it right. And its an easy way to be on the front page of the Search Engine Results Page for any industry related keyword that makes sense.
I saw on your LinkedIn company page that you listed commercial printing. If you would not run into conflicts of interest it would be great for you to.
There's more but hope this gets you started. I don't usually go into this much detail here on MosaicHub but wanted to give a little extra love after I saw your company is an SDVOSB.
Take care,
- Jack
Apr 1, 2014
Thank you very much for taking the time to research my company and giving such great feedback, it's really appreciate d. I will follow your suggestions and keep you updated on our progress. I thank you once again.
Apr 3, 2014
You are more than welcome Louis. All the best. I just noticed I did not complete one of my suggestions. Here is the complete thought.
"I saw on your LinkedIn company page that you listed commercial printing. If you would not run into conflicts of interest it would be great for you to joint venture with some commercial printing companies. Go after some big players and refer business back and forth."
You are getting a lot of suggestion about posting content on social networks. You can save yourself a lot of time and effort by using tools like Hootsuite and If This Than That ( ifttt.com) to automate the syndication and scheduling of your social content publication. The free version of HootSuite should be more than adequate to get you started. It's all exciting but can be overwhelming. Don't let it be. Chuck your efforts into one channel at a time and then when you have those set up just use this last suggestion to automate.
Take care and All The Best
Jack
Mar 27, 2014
You're in a service industry so business to business (B2B) marketing tactics are needed with some print marketing materials to distribute. Some effective B2B marketing tactics are; join the local business chamber of commerce and attend regular meetings, attend marketing and advertising industry events, attend local business networking functions etc.
Develop a services menu brochure or newsletter with intro specials to position your business packages and help people visualise and understand what you offer. Integrate these specials on your website and distribute them with email marketing and business PO box marketing. Cold call and drop into local businesses and give them your newsletter or design packages brochure etc.
Another direct method I like is to geographically target all the businesses around your current clients, and tell them you do the graphics for this client they know nearby. It's like a Clayton's Referral and opens doors much faster than having no approach plan.
You can see how we market our web/graphic design services and view our newsletter specials at www.2020impact.com.au/specials.html
Good Luck
Cheers
Troy
Mar 27, 2014
All great answers. If you are more locally focused, I would start by finding a good low-price printing company that you can harness and become not only the graphic designer, but become the printer! It will never be as quick of turnaround as a local printer, but chances are good that you will be able to beat the pants off of your local printers. I can't give away all my secrets, but they are pretty easy to find.
Then, just get some of your own material printed focusing on your PRINTING service and beat the street. This is an easy way to get someone to give you a test run. Hope this info is helpful.
Mar 27, 2014
My company runs some successful Pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns for Signs by Tomorrow and Minuteman Press. PPC campaigns are a great way to get in front of consumers looking for your services.
Another suggestion is to make some changes to your website to help conversions. You can send all the traffic you what to a website but if it difficult to get your contact info. they will move on to another site. even having to click on to a contact page you will loose visitor. So having you phone number on every page eliminates them for having to got to another page to find your number. You also might want to consider having a form submission on every page. I would add your phone number to the header of all your pages. Maybe ad a live chat program also. I have seen live chats increase conversion up to 30% on some of the campaigns I have ran. You also might want to think up a strong call to action. The visitor need to know why they should do business with you rather then your competitors.
My company builds all our websites with a couple things in mind. Easy to navigate, find information easy, good call to action, and make it as easy as possible for the visitor to contact you. With this we have had great success and have turned some poor preforming website into gold.
So, bottom line sometimes it not the marketing we are doing its the website that looses them. Also look into Google Analytic to track the success of your web traffic.
good luck,
Mar 27, 2014
Reputation is now everything. if you don't have a five star reputation and some media authority your competitor that does will win over and over. I offer some free training on how you can accomplish this at www.braddixononline.com/special at the bottom. i hope that helps, too much to cover here. Once you understand this truth you can get all the customers you need. In fact until you get this right all other advertising is wasted money. A business should spend at least 20 -30% of their marketing budget on reputation marketing.
To Your success,
Brad Dixon
Mar 27, 2014
Critical points to consider:
There is no "best method".
Social media is not a method. It is simply a channel.
I suggest that you get your positioning first. How do you want to be perceived? What have your best clients said about you?
What problems do you fix? What type of clients do you prefer to work with?
Mar 27, 2014
Develop a compelling business advantage statement and elevator pitch that differentiates you from all others in your market space..
Determine your target market and ideal client. Start small and then venture out as you grow.
Develop your marketing messages using the marketing equation.
Ask current clients for referrals.
Advertise in the medium that your target markets sees. Use direct mail, email, postcards, cold calls, social media.
Mar 27, 2014
Social media, video with direct email distribution........you will need to hire a marketing firm or several with a good data base. I have a good base in the power sports business that I can send a PR out if you are interested. Regardless, it is going to take direct connection from someone that has long time relationships with the recipients of the message.
Mar 27, 2014
Video email marketing! It has been tested and confirmed that videos get opened more than text email. Make it easy for people to look forward to receiving news from you. I can only imagine you already have an array of different arts you can showcase (eg different templates of your designs) via email or newsletter video marketing.
All the best,
TalkFusionDallas - Bridging Communication gap with the power of video.
We do full service graphics from design to production.