A Change of Mentality

Inbound marketing is basically everything you’ve ever thought you knew about marketing, flipped completely on its head. This process will allow your brand to attract qualified traffic instead of wasting your teams time, energy and budget throwing an outbound message to thousands of people who could really care less about what you do. Instead lets move that energy towards using the inbound marketing technique. It simply attracts clients that already desire the value of your product or service like a magnet by using tools such as Content, Social Media, and Search engine optimization.

Plan Ahead or Fail

When attempting a system like this, a set marketing plan is absolutely a must have. Every business either thrives or dies by its brand which is why it is crucial to identify your brands goals. Once you understand where you want your brand to be then move to establishing the challenges that currently stand in your way from achieving that goal. One issue most company’s have is their target audience. If you are reaching a properly targeted audience they will become the consumers of your business, an envoy of your message, and the voice of your brand.

Catch Their Attention

Lets talk about what is at the core of all inbound marketing campaigns, content and value. Sound simple? Its not. The truth is you have about five seconds once a potential client opens your website to clearly display not only what you do but why you do it. Thats it. Not only do you have to focus on an engaging message with an emotional response to what your selling, but it needs to be reached by all possible targeted audiences. Chances are with the society we currently live in your desired audience isn’t just opening your website on a typical computer, but by a multitude of capable devices, which is why it is essential that your message can adapt to cater to each one of them.

Make it Findable!

Search engine optimization (SEO), plays a huge roll in a successful inbound marketing approach. SEO increases your site visibility and content using keywords that help your brand establish a rank through search results. Lets break down the simplicity of it, the higher ranked your content or site is in a search engine’s list the better chance more qualified leads looking for not just a product but a value that you can deliver will come knocking at your door. Remember that clients don’t just purchase a product, they buy into the value of it, of your team, and what it stands for as a whole. With this inbound marketing technique it makes it much more simple for people to find the value that you have to offer versus just a product.

We understand this all may sound overwhelming but thats why we’re here.

What is Considered Art?

Wikipedia defines art as “The process or product of deliberately and creatively arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions.” OK, that seems about spot on right? All famous artists create their work to express themselves thought their chosen medium. So far according to this information web design can be considered art. I have heard arguments against that saying art is an expression of the artist, while many times what we are creating is an expression of our clients. There is a very vague gray area, because I think everyone can agree that commissioned art is still in fact art. I think the preconceived notion about art is that it is almost always created specifically for its presentation. A painting, a song, etc are all created with the intent of expressing the emotion of the artist to be interpreted by an audience.

How Does Art Differ From Design?

Design according to Wikipedia is “the process of originating and developing a plan for a product, structure, system, or component with intention.” Which of course is a bit of a curve ball, because a piece of art is indeed created with intention, especially in the case of commissioned art. By definition then, a design is created specifically with functionality in mind first and foremost, to fulfill a need or purpose. So there is the difference, a design must function. Of course a designer is in a way an artist by definition also, just an artist with a purpose.

So is Web Design Considered Art or Not?

In my opinion, art is a large part of designing websites. However web design as a whole is not specifically defined as art. An artist is someone who creates pieces that express emotion which is part of a web designer’s day to day life. However, we take it a step further and turn our works of art into a functioning product to enhance the way our clients conduct business.

As web designers ourselves its understandable how many consider what we do as a whole, art. We look at other’s works through the eyes of artists because we can appreciate and interprate web design from a presentation stand point. However the websites we create are in fact structured systems created to fulfill a business’s need, a product. There are many websites that are “works of art” but if they do not meet the needs of our clients and enhance their business in a possitive way they become a failed design, created by an artist who gave web design a try.

We all envy the best, its the competitive nature that is preprogrammed into our brains that gives us that desire for something more. Unfortunately for all but a select few there is a long road ahead before people will be envying your work, though not impossible. As a young kid at a computer I spent hours playing with a copy of Photoshop 3 and Microsoft Frontpage. I thought it was incredible that something I make can be seen around the world and I wanted it to look the best I could make it.

1 – Don’t be Afraid to be Yourself

There are more designers out there than you could imagine. The first part of learning to develop not only your design skills but your name in the field is to be yourself and let that reflect in your work and reputation. The nice thing about the design industry is that we are never expected to show up to the office in a suit and tie and push paper all day. We’re creatives, we’re weird! Almost every design department I’ve set foot in has people that wear over colorful clashing clothes, have tattoos, wear shorts and those old school Converse shoes, etc. Keep in mind that being yourself and being professional are two very different things usually. When it comes to designing for clients its OK to have a personality, but being responsible with projects is where the bottom line is drawn.

2 – Learn the Industry

The world of design is a strange and quirky place. Clients don’t understand what we do, money is tight, and the competition for projects is vast. Before starting to approach any kind of organization about a project you’re going to need some experience with the production process, client relationships, and how those clients think. There are plenty of places on the internet to get an idea of how projects are typically handled, even by freelancers. Don’t worry about pricing yet, but develop guidelines for yourself to follow when starting a new piece. (Try A List Apart)

Another good resource to learn from is the very people that work in the design world. Find out who the leading design firms are in your area, look up who their Art Director or Senior Designers are and call them. Be extremely polite and understanding of their time, explain who you are what you want to do, and ask if they would be willing to meet with you at their convenience to answer a few questions and critique your portfolio. Most designers will be more than willing to help out!

3 – Learn the Difference Between “For Fun” Work and “Pro” Work

There is a huge difference between what you might find most enjoyable to design and what potential clients are looking for. Not to say that designing professionally isn’t fun, its just well…different. Clients are in business for a reason, and they need a website designed to sell that reason to their customers. As cool as the Firey Text effect you accomplished after school might be, your local bed and breakfast will have little interest in such an ability. When thinking of businesses and organizations that you could possibly approach, do some research on similar businesses. Find out what works for them and how you can accommodate those requirements. When a client hires a designer, it is crucial to remember that we are working for their success not ours.

4 – Do Charity Work

This is honestly one of the best ways to learn and gain real world experience without asking a client to gamble on you. Every community in the world has small grassroots charity organizations that will be glad to take on volunteers to improve their image both in print and on the web. You might end up designing fliers, small websites, brochures, etc for free but you will learn to work with real world clients and projects for your portfolio. The most important part of doing these pro-bono projects is to treat them as if they are your big break into the industry because they very well could be! Charity organizations are usually tied to local businesses that sponsor their efforts, if you make them happy the word will spread quickly!

5 – Stay Humble and Know Your Abilities

The latest edition of he GAG’s Pricing and Ethical Guidelines might say that a small eight page website is worth thousands of dollars but you’re not quite there yet. To be able to reach such levels is a long road and a hill you’re going to have to climb. There is nothing wrong with that however! As a young designer starting out you have a huge advantage to those larger firms and older freelancers, a major lack of overhead. They have to worry about payroll, rent, insurance, equipment, software licenses, utilities, etc and need to adjust their project pricing accordingly. Without all those responsibilities you can work just as efficiently for a much lower price. When talking to a potential client, there is nothing wrong with asking for their budget on the project.

In addition to the price you can work for starting out, you need to know your abilities. A freelance designer wears many hats, so you need to prioritize which you wear best. My suggestion for a beginning web designer would be to stick to basic static sites or skinning simple Content Management Systems. This will keep your code work minimal and your time management more efficient. Many possible clients will ask you to design the next YouTube (I’ve personally had this request) and even though you might be able to find a script online that lays out the framework for you, it is very likely that you will paint yourself into a corner halfway through the project where you might be in over your head. Situations like this can quickly hinder your growing reputation.

6 – Show Off Your Stuff

When I first started looking for clients I designed fake websites and print projects that showed a variety of styles, layouts, and applications. I took these fake designs along with any charity work and showcased them on a simple website, as well as printed them out and organized them in a binder. This not only gave me something tangible to back up my claims as a freelancer but I also had something I could show prospective clients as examples of what I could do for them. I literally went door to door asking for business owners and managers to see if there was any interest in a service that I could provide. Being young many thought it was impressive. With out any pressure on them to start working right away I would thank them for their time, ask them to keep me in mind and leave them with a business card. It worked better than you might expect!

7 – Network! Network! Network!

This is just a general necessity in business but for good reason, it just plain works. After you have gotten your feet wet with a small variety of projects and feel ready to start talking to paying clients you need to get your name out there. Hopefully after successfully completing some charity projects they were happy enough working with you to talk about you to their friends and sponsors. Don’t be afraid to ask the heads of these organizations of they know of any sponsors or local businesses that might be interested in talking to you about your services. Have clean and well designed business cards ready!

Also there are tons of local business networks, both free and paid memberships that you might want to join. Don’t be afraid to approach business owners and just explain what you do, you never know who will be interested in throwing some small projects your way. After all, you’re a young kid that can provide a legitimate service to any small business; how cool is that!?

Establish Your Goal

Lets use a hypothetical situation to explain exactly what I mean. Say you are the proud owner of “Joe’s Cafe” nestled in a fairly commercial area in the suburbs. Every day you have a number of people coming in for lunch. You run daily specials to entice your customers to keep coming back, as well as invite some local musicians to perform on occasion. Currently you post your specials on the wall for customers to read when they come in, however you are looking for other ways to inform your customers.

Goal-Oriented Solutions

It can be hard to justify the expense of having a new website designed and developed without knowing exactly how you will see those funds return. For this reason it is absolutely crucial to decide the mission behind a new website. The internet is a tool for delivering information, and as such needs to be utilized in the most effective way. If you can update your website quickly and easily you will have more luck keeping visitors coming back right? So  as the owner of Joe’s Cafe a redesign that will allow you to update your website with your specials, events, performers, etc will give your customers a centralized place to learn about whats new. If you can also update photos from events, post recipes or cooking tips, you can turn your website into a fun little place where your customers (and potential customers) become engaged in your brand.

Sending Information Directly to Customers

Now that Joe’s Cafe can provide updated information to customers without requiring them to physically be in the store, the ball is rolling. But there is only one issue, we need to make this information as easily available as possible! Of course its already on your website, but we want them to be reminded about the delicious sandwiches you serve for lunch…

Coupling your new dynamic website with a service like Twitter is a perfect solution for this situation. You can send a text message (or use the web) to your Twitter account with your special of the day. This “tweet” is then posted to your Twitter page, and can be displayed on your website. The beauty of this is not only the ease of updating your website, but interested customers can subscribe to text message alerts on their phone when you send out your specials. After you promote this service, imagine having the ability to send a text message and personally notify 50% of your semi-regular customers and update your website at the same time. How much more likely are they to come in after reading “Pastrami and Swiss on special for $3.99 today at Joe’s Cafe!” while they are hungry?

Over the years though, those efforts need to be expanded upon. We helped NSLD reimagine their branding and message. Through new signage, a beautiful new site and a new logo that message became obvious.

By working with them and filtering the desired features of major players in the online auto sales world we were able to put together a site that wasn’t overbearing to manage and increased conversion rates by over 200%!

After undergoing new ownership and revamping their shop and branding efforts, Automotive Consultants new the yellow pages and phone book weren’t going to cut it anymore. After enlisting Aesthetic Rain for an engaging web presence, and some initial discovery discussions we decided to take things one step at a time. A simple but professional landing page was more than enough initially to test the waters of expanding online.

Now Automotive Consultants are easily discoverable through multiple directories and search results, allowing new and existing customers to reach out for service and consultation.

As a motorcycle trackday provider, their site didn’t really reflect the brand as it should. We fixed this by revamping the interface, and building out a fully custom site on WordPress hosted by a much more affordable service saving them hundreds of dollars per month.