How to Attract Clients with Your Story, According to Adebukola Ajao
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Started using Squarespace: 2017
Title: Founder, For All Things Digital
Circle Platinum Partner and Community Leader Adebukola Ajao wears many hats. She’s the founder of marketing agency For All Things Digital and an adjunct professor of digital marketing at Northeastern University. For the last decade, Adebukola has helped small businesses build strong, strategic brands that look good and drive results.
Her passion for storytelling was the driving force behind her transition into web design, brand development, and digital marketing. It’s that same passion that motivates her work today, as she simplifies complex branding concepts to provide entrepreneurs with actionable, budget-friendly solutions.
In this interview, Adebukola shares her approach to identifying a client’s brand identity, advice on developing brand messaging, and best practices fellow web designers can employ to attract target clients.
What originally drew you to digital marketing and brand consulting, and how did you get your start in the industry?
I actually started in digital marketing back in college, where I majored in political science and Africana studies. At the time, I was a freelance writer for HuffPost and wrote a story that unexpectedly went viral. That experience sparked my fascination with the editorial process, from pitching ideas and writing to collaborating with editors and seeing a story come to life publicly.
I realized I was just as interested in how stories spread as I was in how they were written, which naturally led me toward marketing. Coming from a political background, I was completely new to the field. After applying to countless marketing jobs without luck, I decided to create my own agency from scratch. When people won’t open the door, you can break theirs down or you can build your own. I chose to do the latter.
Eventually, I went back to school and earned my master’s in marketing (thanks to a full scholarship), and that solid foundation helped me get rid of that marketing knowledge gap. Having access to respected marketing educators and mentors gave me the connections and clarity to define my niche. They helped me derive and refine meaning in my passions, ultimately shaping my purpose in serving small businesses, founders, and entrepreneurs.
How do you guide clients through defining their brand identity?
When working with a client, I start by having deep conversations to uncover their “why” and what inspired their business, what values drive them, and how they want people to feel when they interact with their brand. From there, I guide them through a discovery process that includes audience research, mood boards, and a brand personality assessment to define the emotional tone we want to convey. Branding is equally what people read, what they see, and what they hear.
I use color psychology to shape the visual direction, choosing palettes, typography, and imagery that align with both the client’s goals and the emotions of their target audience. But messaging is the biggest component of this process. A brand can look beautiful, but if the story isn’t clear or emotionally resonant, it won’t connect. Strong messaging helps people see themselves in the brand, it gives meaning to the visuals and builds trust and consistency across every touchpoint.
Every design choice I make is intentional and backed by research and strategy. I believe the smallest details, from a single word to a specific shade, can have the biggest emotional impact. When all those elements align, that’s when a brand truly comes alive and has impact.
What key questions do you ask to uncover a client’s true goals and vision?
When I start working with a client, I go beyond the typical business questions. I want to understand who they are at their core. I ask more creative, sensory, and imaginative questions because they help my clients think deeper and pull from their innermost parts. They go beyond surface-level responses and force clients to share emotional truths. From there we can build a brand that’s a triple threat—Iooks good, feels right for the client, and feels right for their audience.
Some of the questions include:
Why did you start this business?
Who are you trying to serve, and what transformation do you want to create for them?
How do you want people to feel when they experience your brand?
If your brand were a person, how would you describe their personality?
If your brand were a genre of music, what would it be and why?
Which colors, textures, or patterns make you feel most inspired or alive, and why?
Tell me a story of a time your business made someone’s life better. (This is my favorite question because it grounds everything in real impact. It reveals how they define success and what they truly want to be known for.)
How can web designers refine their own branding to attract the target clients?
Refining your branding really starts with refining your messaging. The best branding and marketing come from being the solution to people’s problems. In my experience, small businesses often treat web design like the “evil stepchild” of marketing when it’s actually the perfect place to turn your product into a platform.
For designers, your website is your proof of concept. It’s how people vicariously experience your product or digitally experience your brand. Every color, image, and piece of copy should reflect the feeling and results you create for your clients. When your message is clear and your visuals reflect the transformation you deliver, you naturally attract the clients who align with your work.
What advice would you give clients who want to convert more site visitors into paying customers?
Double down on the experience of your site. Conversion starts with clarity and movement. Use animations, hierarchy, and thoughtful interaction to guide the user’s eye exactly where you want it to go.
Help your visitors…don’t leave them guessing. You’d be surprised how many visitors bounce simply because they don’t know what to do next. As designers, our job isn’t just to create beautiful things; it’s to make those things work. Every button, headline, and scroll should gently lead someone toward taking action.
Where do you find inspiration?
I find inspiration in people, their stories, culture, and creativity. I’m fascinated by how emotion and identity translate into color, movement, and space. I’m a very empathetic individual, and my curiosity about what makes people tick (and what makes them ick) has become my superpower. It allows me to design with empathy and intention, creating work that feels human and relatable.
Music, art, and real conversations with entrepreneurs always generate new ideas for me. There’s something magical about taking an intangible idea and turning it into something that can be felt through design. More practically, I use platforms like Dribbble to explore design inspiration and connect with other creatives. Seeing how designers around the world approach storytelling through visuals keeps me sharp, curious, and always learning new ways to push my own work forward.
What is your favorite part about being a Circle member?
My favorite part about being a Circle member (outside of the community, of course) is the vast amount of resources available. When I started designing back in 2016, I had zero experience. Believe it or not, I actually learned how to design natively through the Squarespace platform. Of course, I ran into challenges along the way, but being able to connect with other users for guidance and support made all the difference.
Over the years, Circle has evolved into such a structured, intentional community, and I’m so grateful for that. It’s truly accelerated my growth as both a designer and a professional. Through Circle, I’ve had opportunities to speak at Circle Day and Circle Live, test the latest design features, and share my ideas with others.
As a marginalized designer, access hasn’t always come easy, and I deeply appreciate how Circle has nurtured me, created space for my voice, trusted me, and helped me keep growing!
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Every brand, no matter how small, has the potential to make people feel something. That’s the heart of what we do as designers and strategists. Whether you’re just starting out or redefining your brand, your website is that same story but in motion.
Key takeaways
Here are top insights from Adebukola’s interview:
During the project discovery phase, gain deeper insights into your client’s needs and goals by asking creative, sensory, and imaginative questions
Strong messaging helps visitors see themselves in your client’s brand and gives meaning to their website’s visuals
Visitors leave sites when they’re confused about where to go and what to do, so every button, headline, and scroll should guide them toward the desired action
When it comes to attracting your own clients, intentionality is everything and should be reflected in your color, image, and copy choices
Your website is a powerful conduit for telling your story, so don’t be afraid to lean into the skills and perspective that make you unique
This article was originally published on November 5, 2025. It has since been updated.
Want more?
Check out Squarespace Circle, Squarespace’s program for professional designers and web design agencies. Along with exclusive content, discounts, and other perks, Circle brings professionals together from across the globe to exchange advice while connecting with new clients and collaborators.
