Web designing
Running a Successful Web Design Firm
Intro:
People are always asking me what it takes to run a successful web design company in Gainesville Florida. Since I only understand one element of the entire process, I decided to interview the customer service and sales guys here at 2090 Group to get to the bottom of this question. The following is the Q and A sessions I had with them. If you read through it, expect to gain some insight into the web design business as well as what you should look for if you are about to hire a design firm. Think of it as a “general Plan” to operating a successful web design company in Gainesville, Florida.
Q: So how can you find clients in the Gainesville/Tampa area?
A: You need to find areas where you can exchange your valuable services for their money. You need to first find businesses and people with money to invest in adding a website solution to their business. Then you need to find out if they are in need of your service or if they have any needs that you can solve with your service. You must actually solve one of their business problems to make it a win/win for both of you.
Q: So how do you find out what they need or if they are in need of your service?
A: This part of the business is a problem for a lot of young people, who are so accustomed to the impersonal nature of business. If you want to work with other business people, you have to go find them. Most business owners have time to hear you out, as long as you stress that it will be at their convenience and of great value to them. Once you convince them that what you have to offer is valuable, deals begin to be made. If you truly believe in your products and services like we do, being persistent comes naturally. After all, you are naturally most persistent about things when you passionately believe they can help people.
Q: How do you prove to them that what you have to offer is valuable?
A: That’s simple, you must either save them money, or make them money. Web design is not a luxury service like the entertainment industry. Website design needs to look elegant, but the reason you buy it, 99% of the time, is for functional purposes. This is the best place to start from, especially in a “down economy.” Businesses are looking for inexpensive ways to sell more of their products or services. No matter what you believe, there are always enough businesses marketing their products or services for website design to be a very important part of their success formula. You just really need to focus on being a vital part of their success formula.
Q: Their success formula? What is that all about?
A: You can call it whatever you want… a roadmap, formula, goal sheet, whatever. The point is, every business wants to be successful. Many of the owners also have a good idea on how to get there. For most businesses, this means a healthy supply of customers. All you need to do is focus on how a website is going to get them more customers and make their job easier. Once they see the proof and your logic makes since to them, they are happy to pay you for real results.
“What we see depends mainly on what we look for.” ~ Sir John Lubbock
The Quote: “What we see depends mainly on what we look for.” ~ Sir John Lubbock
How it pertains to web design:
When designing a website or social network it is very easy to confuse this profound message by Sir John Lubbock. However, if you can take a step back and truly recognize what your users will be using your website or social network for, you can easily avoid this trap. You see, we are all looking for different things in life. This is as true with design as it is with relationships. How many of you are attracted to the exact same girls or guys as your friends? I am willing to bet that there are many instances where you and your friend disagree on who is attractive and who is not. Likewise, there are certain clothing styles, trends, and automobile designs that you and your friend may disagree on, when choosing “the best.” If this were not so, and there was some sort of magical formula to designing the best anything for EVERYONE, life would be very boring. Since you do not want your website to be boring, you must accept the fact that “What we see depends mainly on what we look for.”
When designing your social network or website, ask yourself who your audience really is. What do they like? What inspires them? Is it possible to observe what style of clothes, trends, or automobiles they prefer? What do they have in common? Then ask yourself how much you have in common with them. If you are fortunate, you will know your audience, because you are your audience. For example, if you are designing a dating network for the national society of chemists, and you are actually a member, your design input is quite valuable. However, if you do not relate well to your audience, but do relate well to customer service, there is no reason why you cannot design an amazing website or social network for your niche market. All you need to do is think slightly outside the box. In the information age, “I don’t know” is never an answer. There are literally hundred of ways for you to do free market research. The two most successful methods I have found in researching design for niche websites are:
1. Amazon.com (Magazine section)
If your niche truly has enough people in it to make your endeavor worthwhile, there will be a magazine covering what you hope to cover online. This magazine has probably done loads of market research. Once you find the magazine, you will want to cover your bases by doing a Google search for complaints against the magazine found in various forums. If complaints exist, this is great! Design your new website with these complaints in mind.
2. Related forums
If you did find a complaint on the magazine design or layout, you probably found it in a related forum. If your niche already has a popular forum, you have essentially hit the market research jackpot. Grab a latte, smoothie or whatever else you prefer and devote the next 1-2 hours to reading everything on that forum. Get inside the mind of your niche market. Once you do this, you will be 10 steps ahead of any competition you will face. In economics, we call this the second mover advantage.
Honestly, this whole process is very easy once you know what it is you are looking for. It is nearly impossible when you do not know what to look for. Just like anything else in life, knowledge is power. At 2090 Group, we truly want everyone to succeed in their online endeavors. As long as you are willing to build a brand and not fulfill some sort of “get rich quick” fantasy, you will be successful. Hopefully the two methods mentioned above will help you out as you plan and execute your online business.
Take care,
Nick Gilboy
Director: Creative Development
2090 Group LLC
