HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE YOUR WEB DESIGN AGENCY FROM OTHERS
Know more how to differentiate your agency with other by using this guide
Acquire more clients for your agency
Introduction
If a web design agency claims it is an expert in multiple services, most clients will not trust or take the agency seriously. Businesses and individuals have more faith in a provider who offers services that can resolve a specific problem that they have. In your case, it would be an agency that specializes in web designing. However, there is many web design agencies out there and your prospects should have a strong reason to choose your agency over your competition.
It is time to look at what compels a client to select your web design agency. What is it that your agency offers that is different from the others? Is it that your price is the differentiating factor? Do you offer a cheaper alternative and that is what attracts clients to your web design agency? If that is the case, you need to look at your services once again.
Rather than selling your services as a commodity, it is time to pinpoint the unique selling points that you have. This will help you build a distinct brand and position yourself in such a way that your client will not confuse you with your competition. This way, your web design agency become recognizable and also build a brand for itself.
A study by Gartner reveals that merely 24 per cent of the survey participants opined that IT providers were able to differentiate themselves from their competition and a whopping 52 per cent stated that they found it difficult to understand what is different about one IT provider from the others. You definitely don’t want the latter to happen to your web design agency. Hence, you should strive hard to ensure you are able to show one and all why you are unique and completely different from other similar service providers.
Define Your Differentiating Factors
There are a few questions that you need to ask yourself to determine the factors that differentiate your web design agency from your competition. Some of these questions are as follows:
1. What does the agency do? What services are you a master of?
2. Who does the agency offer the services to? Who is your target audience?
3. How does the agency do what it does? What values and beliefs alter the way that you work?
4. Why does the agency do what it does? What is the purpose of designing websites?
Once you answer these questions, you can use the answer to position yourself in the marketplace. You can create a positioning statement for your prospective clients so that they understand exactly what you do and whether the agency is the right one for them. By doing this, you narrow your pool of competition and this, in turn, gives you more power to negotiate as your clients believe you offer higher value.
Remember, identifying your differentiating factors is not just about selling or marketing yourself to your clients and prospects. It also allows you to figure out the perfect client profile. This way, you can go out and target those profiles to ensure you have a profitable as well as satisfying relationship with your clients.
Once you have done the hard work of identifying your USP, it is time to do some more work to make sure your web design agency carves a niche for itself in the marketplace. Some of the things that you can do are as follows:
1. Cater to a Specific Industry:
Web designing is more difficult than most people realize. It is filled with complexities as you have to understand the client base that the site will be catering to. Hence, it is advisable to focus on a specific industry as many clients look for an agency that can understand the unique challenges that their industry and they face. You will end up speaking the same language as your clients and this will make you more attractive than your competition.
Also, when you focus on a particular industry, you never have to worry about starting the scratch each time you get a new account. As a result, you can use your resources optimally and work in a faster manner.
2. Be the Best in Your Line of Work:
There is no place for mediocrity in web designing. When you start focusing on core services, you will specialize in them. This way, you will be able to offer the best service and capability to your clients.
To offer the best, you also need a team that is able to execute the project flawlessly. Of course, there will be some services that you will be not so good in, but these are not the ones to focus on. If you do, you will offer subpar service to your clients and there is no way you will get repeat or referral business.
So, ensure you are the best in web designing. This will help you retain your clients, get repeat business and also get referral through word of mouth. This will ensure you see an increase in your revenues and profitability. And, if you do it right, you will be able to cater to local and big brands.
3. Create a Stellar Business Website:
Since you are a web design agency, don’t just work for your clients. Create a stunning website that appeals to your target audience. It will also help showcase your abilities and expertise. Remember, the digital landscape is ranging at a rapid pace. Hence, it is important that you keep updating your website to let your clients know that you are on top of the trends.
Focus on aesthetics, user experience and quality content. Put in current and relevant information that allows your target audience to figure out your culture and philosophy besides your web designing expertise. Your website will act as a magnet and attract new clients, thereby helping your business grow. It will show prospects that you are a contemporary web design agency that can easily cater to the needs of modern, digital business.
To be able to create a world-class website, it is necessary to analyze your competition and check out what they are doing. Figure out where they are lacking and then capitalize on that by ensuring your web design agency website fills in those gaps. Remember, you don’t have to completely re-design your existing website. Instead, make minor changes and adjustments to improve the look and feel of the site. Don’t forget to update the content, as well. This will make a significant difference and help your agency stand out in a crowd.
4. Get Reviews in Social Media:
It is a fact that your prospects will try and find out about your agency by going online. Many times, it can happen that your prospects decide you are not the right agency for them without contacting you. It can be very frustrating if this happens. You cannot explain to them the value addition you can do. That is why you need a social presence where your existing clients speak about your prowess and your ability to design exceptional websites.
Today, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Google+ are the most popular social media channels. If you know where your target audience hang out, you can focus on those social media channels, but don’t ignore the others. Encourage your existing clients to post online reviews.
You can use TribeLocal to create review widgets for your website. This makes it easy for your clients to leave reviews. You can also use TribeLocal to respond to reviews, be it positive or negative. It is important that your reply to each online review. Not only does it help to engage your audience and prospects, it also help in viral marketing. When you post something that your target audience likes, they will share it and this will reach their audience and friends who will share it with their audience and friends. This endless sharing continues and increases the online visibility of your web design agency.
TribeLocal helps you monitor your online reputation while ensuring you enjoy better online visibility and create brand awareness. This web-based tool is a must for agencies, who are looking to leave behind their competition and stand out in a crowd.
5. Be Active on Social Media:
Things to post on social media are case studies about successful website designs that you have created. Be sure to put in analytics to prove that your design has been instrumental in increasing footfalls to those sites. Also, post testimonials from satisfied clients. Make sure you ask permission from the clients to post their testimonials online.
Of course, if you want online reviews, it is important to be active on social media. While it can be difficult to manage all your social media accounts, it is advisable to shortlist two platforms and be a prolific poster. Remember, anything you post on social media should be a value proposition.
Connect your social media account to your blog. This way, when you post something interesting and valuable for your target audience, they will visit your blog. Once on your blog, chances are high they will check out your website and look at the services you offer. This can help generate queries and questions about your web designing service. The way you answer them will decide if you convert the leads into paying customers.
6. Network and Educate Yourself:
Ensure that you carry ample business cards when you attend physical events. Dole out these business cards as and when you meet people and getting talking to them. While some may not bother to look back at your business card after the event is over, there will be many who will. You can be certain that if you attend enough events, you will become a recognizable face and you will get calls for inquiry. This form of lead generation can fructify into something spectacular.
Not only do you and your employees attend workshops and panel sessions to boost your knowledge, but you also get an opportunity to network and meet marketers, who offer complementary services. You never know when you can join forces with these marketers to enjoy a win-win situation.
Website design trends keep changing by the day. It is important your stay up-to-date with the latest trends and site designing techniques. The best way to do this is to attend professional educational events, conferences and trade shows. You can even participate in webinars and online professional forums that are focused on your specialty and niche. However, the in-person events are the ones that have the maximum benefits.
7. Get the Right Talent:
A web design agency is as good as its team. Yes, you heard it right. Even if you are creative and have sound knowledge of programming, you cannot run the show on your own. If you do, expect a holy mess and missed deadlines which will not sit very well with your clients.
So scout around and find the right talent to help you create designs that are unique, compelling and industry-focused. Look for people who can relate to your vision and philosophy. It is important that you are comfortable working with them and they with you. Having skilled staff in your agency will ensure you have a productive team that is able to handle most of the demands put forth by clients and come up with results that are enviable. This will differentiate you from other web design agencies and help you retain and win new clients.
8. Create a Personality for Your Agency:
Individuals and companies like to work with people they like. They are looking for professionals who values align with their goals and vision. Hence, it does pay to create an attitude or personality for your web design agency.
So, think long and hard to figure out the kind of personality or attitude you want your agency to have and then make sure you work hard to cultivate it. Even your staff should understand why this is happening and how it will benefit the agency. This way, they will be more open and willing to be part of plan that you have in mind.
When your agency embodies the attitude or personality, it can help you connect with a lead that values it. This ethos has helped several agencies in different spheres and will also help your web design agency. Above all, it will help you appear unique and different from the run-of-the-mill web design agencies.
The Bottom Line
There are many different ways to differentiate your web design agency from others. These are some of the ways. Once you embark on this path, you will be amazed at the results it offers you. You will never have a problem getting clients and generating revenues.
