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HOW TO SET YOUR FREELANCE RATES - A GUIDE FOR FREELANCERS & CONSULTANTSThere are many factors which business owners must consider on a daily basis as it relates to the running of their business. Things such as how to find good help, where to acquire supplies and how much to pay one's employees are all pertinent matters which must be addressed. There are a few ways to go about figuring out your rates when it comes to how much to charge the customers."FINDING YOUR NICHE AS A FREELANCE WEB DESIGNER - & START YOUR OWN SMALL BUSINESS "
by Chad Hardy
I am tired of hearing about how there are too many web designers on the Internet now and you can't make money designing websites any more. This is not true! Yes, I agree that there are a lot of so-called web designers that have created more competition than I would like, but this is where your knowledge of your clients comes into play.
To make it in the freelance web design world nowadays you have to have a niche.
What is a niche? Glad you asked... According to the dictionary a niche is: "A situation or activity specially suited to a person's interests or abilities" To put this in web designer terms, a niche is a market that you design websites for.
For instance, your niche could be designing Real Estate websites, or maybe Medical websites. In other words you don't just design websites, you design websites that are specifically created for a small segment of people.
HOW TO FIND YOUR OWN WEB DESIGN NICHE MARKET
Since this is the key to becoming a successful web designer you must first identify your niche. There are several ways to do this:
The Ways to Start a Successful Freelance Web Design Business with a Niche
1) Look at your hobbies and interests.
If you like gardening you can design websites for nurseries, greenhouses, landscape companies, etc. If you are into restoring old cars, you can design sites for car clubs, auto dealers, and more.
2) Look at your professional connections.
Do you know a few doctors? Talk to them about designing a website for them. Once you design their site they will be happy to refer you to other doctors. You could go even further and design only Dentist's websites.
3) Look at your current clients.
Do you see a trend within your current clients? Maybe you have designed a lot of websites for Minorities or maybe only Politicians.
Your niche must adhere to the following:
1) Individuals in the group have the same specialized interests and needs.
2) They have a strong desire for what you offer.
3) You have (or you can create) a compelling reason for prospects in the group to do business with you instead of with someone else.
4) You can easily reach individual prospects within the group.
5) The group is large enough to produce the volume of business you need.
6) The group is small enough that your competition is likely to overlook it.
BECOME A FREELANCE WEB DESIGN EXPERT IN YOUR NICHE
Once you have discovered, or created, your niche, the next step is to "become" a part of your niche. What I mean by this is you need to gain a better understanding of your niche; Why do they want a website? What are they expecting from a website? What kind of features do they need? To find the answers to these questions you need to ask potential clients for their opinions. But, if you are not part of their circle of friends this could be hard. So what you have to do is join their organizations, read their publications, attend their meetings, etc.
Creating a Web Design Niche Gives You 2 Advantages Over Your Competition:
1) The more your potential clients see your face and hear your name the more likely they are to come to you when they want a website designed.
2) You become known as a web design expert for their industry. Everyone wants to work with an expert, not just some "web designer" off of the street.
MARKETING TO YOUR NICHE
Of course you still have to get your name known within your niche before they start using your services.
Here are a few basic ideas on marketing yourself to your niche:
1) Network:
While you are attending their meetings and conferences, talk to people. This is probably the best way to get your name out there and usually the most overlooked method of marketing yourself.
2) Public Speaking:
Once your name starts getting passed around you may find opportunities to be a speaker at a breakfast, luncheon, conference or other meeting. You could talk about the benefits of Realtors having a website, or what ever your niche may be.
3) Free Website:
If you are trying to create your niche or are just entering it you may want to design 1 or 2 free websites for your niche. But, just because you aren't getting paid don't make the mistake of rushing through it and doing a sloppy job. A bad website will speak much louder than a good one. So do the best job possible. You might want to ask your free client to not to tell everyone that you did the site pro bono (free), you don't want everyone trying to take advantage of you.
4) Advertising:
Once you start making some money you may want to start placing small ads in your niche's publications or sponsoring an event they are having.
MAKING THE MONEY IN YOUR WEB DESIGN PROFESSIONAL NICHE
Here is the best part of having a niche -- more money! That's right, you are now an expert and experts charge more for their specialties. Your niche will be paying you for your expertise, you are no longer just a web designer off of the street, you are now a ...
* Real Estate Web Designer
* Home Business Web Designer
* Medical Web Designer
* Equestrian Web Designer
* Casino Web Designer
* Legal Web Designer
* Christian Web Designer
* Heavy Metal Bands Web Designer
* Portal Web Designer
* E-commerce Web Designer
* Cold Fusion Web Designer
* Under $500 Web Designer
* Over $50,000 Web Designer
You get the picture... It is up to you to decide if you are going to succeed or not. Take this idea and make it work!
Chad Hardy is the owner of The Web Design School and the editor of "The Web Designer's Journal," a weekly eZine for web designers looking to start a web design business. For more information:twdj-subscribe@thewebdesignschool.com
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