10 Tips for Exceptional Communication with Web Design Clients
Great client communication is vital at every stage of a web design project. Clear branding and consistent marketing can help you land clients. Respectful listening and thoughtful questions can help you collaborate more effectively and deliver better results. Persistent reminders and clear next steps can help you smoothly hand off projects, leaving a lasting impression on clients.
Each of these phases requires different client communication skills. Developing them can help you land new work, deepen client relationships, and grow your web design business.
By practicing the following client communication tips, web designers can communicate more clearly, effectively, and thoughtfully. These tips also highlight the importance of being yourself: when you authentically communicate about your strengths, interests, and boundaries, you set yourself—and your clients—up for success.
1. Define your brand identity
A great client communication strategy starts with clear and effective branding. When clients find you, they should have no trouble understanding who you are, what you believe in, and what makes your web design business unique.
Carve out a web design niche that aligns with your skills, interests, and past experiences. How can you leverage your strengths to deliver real value for clients? Define your target customer, and package your web design services in ways they’ll find enticing.
Then, establish a brand identity that captures your web design business. Use colors, typography, and layout design to crystallize your brand identity, and create a style guide that cements your brand voice. Every touchpoint—like your website, emails, and social media posts—should feel cohesive and reinforce your brand identity.
Building a strong brand will help you do business more naturally. You can articulate your value proposition more organically and set boundaries more comfortably. You can also showcase what you can do with branding, marketing, and web design by doing it for yourself.
2. Build a compelling website
Once you’ve identified what makes your web design business unique, communicate it to clients with a clear and compelling website.
When clients visit your website, they should immediately get a sense of your brand. Tell your story with a descriptive about page, create a web design portfolio of your best work, and write copy that clearly conveys your value proposition.
Your website should be beautiful and engaging. (After all, you’re a web designer.) It should also align with current best practices: keep your website accessible, your design responsive, and your content mobile-friendly.
Prospective clients may scour your website before deciding to hire you, so ensure they can quickly find the information they need. Highlight the web design services you offer, create an informative FAQ page, and build trust by mentioning some of your key achievements.
Then, give clients clear next steps to take. List your contact information. Invite them to follow you on social media or subscribe to your newsletter. And offer Acuity Scheduling, so they can conveniently book appointments online.
3. Write effective emails
Email may be the primary way you connect with clients, so you’ll want to get the best bang for your buck every time you end up in their inbox.
The key to writing an effective email is to understand why you’re sending one. Are you trying to land a new client or communicate with a current client? Keep your emails quick, clear, and to the point. Remember, clients are busy—and you don’t want to waste their time.
If you’re trying to land new clients—or reconnect with past clients—leverage email marketing best practices. Design on-brand Email Campaigns, write engaging subject lines, and share valuable resources. Use real-time analytics to optimize your emails, and market relevant products and services.
Emails to current clients should be just as succinct. Document deadlines and deliverables, send project updates, and provide clear next steps. Remember that some conversations are more appropriate for email than others. If you need to have a sensitive or emotionally charged conversation, a call or meeting may be better.
4. Create engaging social media posts
Exceptional client communication requires time, effort, and consistency. Land clients with thoughtfully written and interesting social media posts, which can help you stay top-of-mind when opportunities arise.
Consider which social media platforms you’d like to focus on. Where do your clients spend time, and where does your content resonate? Remember that different posts perform well on different channels. If you notice that a platform doesn't engage your audience, invest your time elsewhere.
When it comes to social media, consistency is key. Set manageable goals, and stick to them by creating a content calendar. Remember to connect with your clients and followers by liking, commenting, and sharing when they post something interesting.
As you flesh out your social media plan, experiment with different posts, and use follower feedback to hone your strategy. While your content may vary from platform to platform, keep your branding consistent by designing a social-media-friendly Bio Site to link to on every channel.
5. Design on-brand deliverables
Everything you send clients communicates something about your business. Just like your website and social media profiles, the documents you share with clients privately should be clear, high quality, and on brand, and they should let clients know they’re in good hands.
Take the time to create templated versions of your go-to client communication documents. Streamline your pitch decks, web design proposals, and project briefs, create a branded email signature, and add on-brand touches to your contracts, legal agreements, and billing statements. Documents like these are extensions of your overall brand. Each one offers an opportunity to reinforce your professionalism, attention to detail, and capability as a designer.
When creating your templated suite of deliverables, remember the goal is cohesion—not obtrusion. Small tweaks can transform your documents without getting in the way. Use consistent colors, typography, and layouts, and verify that your logo appears on every page. When a client receives a deliverable, they should know it came from you just by glancing at it.
6. Set and manage expectations
Clear communication is vital in any client relationship. In order to collaborate successfully, you need a shared understanding of your goals, expectations, and boundaries.
In your web design consultations, ask clients about their project goals, resources, needs, and limitations. Get a sense of how they communicate, how involved they’ll be, and what work hours they expect. Have this conversation openly and honestly, and don’t be afraid to say “no” if it’s not a good fit.
Then, define your project goals clearly and specifically. How many website visitors do you want, how much do you expect revenue to increase, and on what timeline? Clarify deadlines, establish a feedback and approval process, and specify when and how you’ll communicate. Define these project management guidelines in writing, and reinforce them when you send project updates.
If a client has unrealistic demands, insists on last-minute work, or oversteps professional boundaries, refer them to these guidelines. If they fail to respect your boundaries after multiple reminders, you can gracefully bow out of the project or decline to work with them again.
7. Keep communications short and sweet
When communicating with clients, adopt a “less is more” mindset. Their time is valuable, and your job is to respect it.
Only reach out to clients when you have something important to say, and keep your client communications succinct. Establish a schedule for regular project updates, so clients know when they’ll hear from you. If a question, request, or problem is urgent, send it between updates. Otherwise, stick to the schedule.
Remember that listening is an important part of communication. Every time you speak with clients, ensure they feel heard and understood. Ask follow-up questions to clarify the feedback you’ve received.
Consider reaching out to clients, even when you’re not actively working with them. A quick email about a product they've launched or an article you’ve read lets clients know you’re thinking of them without demanding much time. Similarly, reaching out over the holidays can be a great way to re-engage past clients and see if there’s anything you can do for them.
8. Be compassionate and conversational
Professionalism and personality aren’t mutually exclusive. As you hone your client communication skills, you’ll discover that speaking conversationally, authentically, and thoughtfully can lead to stronger, more effective client relationships.
Take the time to get to know the clients you work with. Read their websites, social media pages, and anything they’ve published, and pay attention to what they say in emails, calls, and meetings. If you see something they may find interesting, mention it. This shows you care. It can also inform the project you’re working on, depending on the subject.
Take note of key events in your clients’ lives, and add them to your calendar. Reach out during birthdays, the holidays, and major project launches—and proactively offer ideas for making the most of the season, when appropriate.
You can also personalize client communications with a warm introduction and sign-off. If a client is about to take a vacation, wish them a “wonderful long weekend skiing in Tahoe.” This shows you pay attention and can make your clients feel appreciated and acknowledged.
9. Make the most of every meeting
Every meeting is an opportunity to demonstrate your client communication skills. That’s true, whether the meeting takes place in person, on a video call, or over the phone.
As a rule, treat every meeting like an in-person interaction. Arrive early, dress to impress, and stay present during the conversation. Make eye contact, take notes, and keep your setting (or background) professional and on brand.
When scheduling meetings, include the location, link, or number in the calendar invite. If the meeting room is taken or the platform isn’t working, have an alternative at the ready.
Keep meetings on track by sending an agenda to everyone in advance. Establish a clear goal for the meeting, and stick to it. This clarity of purpose will keep the meeting focused and effective, wasting no one’s time.
After each meeting, send everyone a recap. This cements what happened in writing, so you and your clients can reference it later on. Highlight key takeaways, detail next steps, and remind clients when they should expect to hear from you.
10. Establish a thoughtful offboarding process
When you finish a web design project, you want to leave it in good hands. A thoughtful offboarding process can give clients the confidence they need to carry the project forward—and end the relationship on a high note.
Walk clients through your project handoff process during your consultation, and remind them of it throughout the project. Clarify what resources you’ll deliver, how long you’ll support the website post-launch, and what is (and isn’t) included in their web design package. If they ask for additional services, kindly send them a link to book a paid appointment. (You can always offer a discount since they’re a recurring customer.)
Thank clients for their business with a note and a personalized gift. Ask them for feedback—and permission to use that feedback in your client testimonials. And if you enjoyed working with them, say so.
Reach out periodically to let past clients know you’re thinking of them. Sending holiday gifts, birthday cards, and thoughtful emails are all great ways to reconnect with past clients.
Every web design project is a new opportunity to practice effective client communication skills. Great client communication can help you stand out when landing clients, build trust when working together, deliver great results when building projects, and leave a lasting impression when handing off work.
*This post was originally published September 15, 2021. It has since been updated.Want more?
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