Why your logo design business may not be growing.
Are you a freelance logo designer that specialises in logo design? However, your finding it difficult to make X amount at the end of every month?
After several years as a freelance logo designer, I discovered several reasons as to why my business wasn’t growing at the pace I wanted it to.
I had realised it was quite obvious and I had 99.9% control over the growth of my business.
Are you wondering why your logo design business isn't growing? Here are several questions you should think about:
Are you active online? - Potential clients need to know you exist, and social media is the first place.
Are you investing in yourself? - You are a business that needs investment. Resources are crucial.
Are you reliable? - You are selling trust, and clients want to be safe.
Do you REALLY want your business to grow? - Many are not willing to go the extra mile, are you one of them?
Are you active online?
After diagnosing why my business was not growing, I quickly realised one reason; people didn’t know I exist.
The first thing someone does when they need a logo, is go online. The first designers they find, are those who are visible.
Believe it or not, logo designers who are often found by clients are using good marketing methods. Platforms such as instagram, Behance, dribble, twitter are all effective ways you can market your logo design business.
Of course, each platform requires a different strategy, but it is important to pick one or two and go all out. Here are several ways to gain exposure as a designer.
This may sound obvious, but believe me, it’s not. Many logo designers complain about finding more clients, however, their social/ creative platform accounts are inactive.
The majority of freelance designers tend to actually be introverts. This can’t be an obstacle for the success of your logo design business.
Introvert or not, you HAVE to be loud on these social media platforms. These platforms are free, but will cost you & your business if not used effectively.
YOU MUST USE SOCIAL MEDIA.
Pick 1 or 2 platforms and stick to it. Have a marketing plan depending on the platform. Stay consistent and active.
My favourite 2 are Instagram and Behance. These 2 platforms account for 98% of my logo design business revenue. I created a plan, I followed it and seen results.
As an introvert myself, both platforms pulled me out my comfort zone, and allowed me to build a community and connection with my fellow designers, and clientele-
“You are not selling what you think you're selling… You are selling trust.”
Do your clients trust you? Does your community trust you? Are you consistent? Are you reliable?
This goes onto the next topic…
Are you reliable?
Believe it or not, every time you work with a client, they will either refer you, work with you again, or they won’t.
This is impacted by multiple factors:
Do you do your best on every project?
Are you giving greater value other than just designing?
Are you just ‘hands’?
Are you creating the same quality of work on your portfolio?
Do you keep your word with deadlines?
Whilst reflecting, I make sure to ask myself these questions, in order to maintain/improve business and repuation.
In all honesty, I have teamed up with many talented, efficient and extremely creative logo designers/ freelancers on projects. Many were outstanding, whereas… others allowed me to identify a particular problem.
As mentioned, you are selling trust. It’s sad to say… some designers can take opportunities for granted. They may not produce the same quality of work as their portfolio.
They may also not be reliable when it comes to deadlines. I believe some freelancers, do not TRULY understand how detrimental this can be for their logo design business.
For instance, failing to reach deadlines, as well as bad communication can hinder future opportunities to work with the client/ designer/ agency, again.
However, even if the designer were to get hired again by the same client/ designer/ agency, there is a HIGH chance the price will drop or stay the same.
You also can not excuse a low quality of work/ service you provide, due to a lower budget - Its your choice to take on the project, and if you do, its important to provide the best service.
In a nutshell - I have identified, not every freelance designer is reliable, trust worthy and hungry for growth. This is sad to say, but it creates a huge division between successful freelance logo designers & failing freelance logo designers.
Are you investing in yourself?
This one is not an easy problem to identify…
However, it can be easy to get ‘lost in the sauce’ of freelancing or just creating things and forgetting you are a business.
Every now and then, It’s important to reflect and ask yourself ‘am I improving?’, ‘am I better than yesterday?’.
As a freelancer, whether you have a lot going in - In your business/ outside your business, it’s important to invest in yourself.
Books and online courses are extremely crucial for the growth of your logo design business.
Remember, you are an entrepreneur that has to invest in themselves to grow and excel. With out investment, success is limited.
Whenever you hit a wall, ask yourself ‘what new skills do I need to learn?’
This also comes with great humility. You have to stay hungry and willing to learn what you don’t know.
I can confidently say, there are a list of resources I had used that contributed towards the growth of my logo design business :
Do you REALLY want your business to grow?
As mentioned previously, I had realised I was in 99.9% control of the growth for my logo design business.
Every result of my business, was a consequence to my actions.
If I was lazy, then my business would reward me accordingly. However, If I was ambitious and motivated, then I would also be rewarded accordingly.
The truth is, for majority of cases, just like anything else, many freelance logo designers don’t want to go the extra length as others do.
Don’t want to be active online? That’s fine, another logo designer will take over instagram, Behance, dribble or twitter.
Don’t want to be reliable and trust worth? Even better, prepare to keep your prices low.
Don’t want to invest in yourself? No worries, be ready to see the same results over and over again.
I understand this can sound cliche, but until this is taken seriously, the division between Successful & Unsuccessful freelance logo designers will always remain.
Overall, freelance logo design/ graphic design is not easy.
It is not for everyone, although anyone can do it, not everyone is willing to do it properly.
There is a cost to ‘sleeping’ on things that actually matter for your business such as marketing, reliability and investing.
If you fail to do so, please be prepared to reap these rewards.
Freelance logo design relies heavily on getting out of your comfort zone. I was able to do this easier when I realised ‘If I don’t do it, NO ONE else will’. Or ‘If I don’t do it, SOMEONE else will’; meaning if I don’t put in the work for my own business, no one will do it for me and it will fail. And, If I don’t do my best for my logo design business, someone else’s business will, and succeed.
Above all, its important to ask your self, ‘What do I want?’. If you come to a conclusion it’s not freelancing, then you should thinking twice about taking this path. However, if it is, then reflect on areas you need to improve.
Be honest, create a plan and follow through. Put in the work and watch the growth over-time.