It’s not enough to have a great product. Competitive prices, beautiful design, and a compelling value proposition can set your web design business apart. But if no one knows about your brand—and there’s no easy way to discover it—your goods and services are likely to go unnoticed.

“If you build it, they will come” is a nice idea in theory. But in the business world, things are rarely so simple. Marketing is a vital part of starting, running, and growing a web design business. It can help you cut through the noise, reach your target clients, and drive sales.

The key is to understand the marketing channels at your disposal and develop a strategy that suits your budget and boosts your bottom line. With the right combination of paid, owned, and earned marketing, you can expand your business—and help your clients grow theirs.

The three branches of marketing

Marketing channels fall into three general categories: paid media, owned media, and earned media. 

Paid media describes marketing you’ve paid for, like display ads or sponsored content. Owned media is comprised of your in-house marketing efforts, like blogs, newsletters, and social media posts. Earned media is third-party marketing you haven’t paid for, like reviews, interviews, and word-of-mouth referrals. 

You don’t have to leverage every marketing channel on offer, but effective strategies often combine all three categories. 

Paid media

Paid marketing is like advertising: you pay platforms, creators, and search engines to spotlight your content, products, or services. It often takes a while to build an audience, but you can use advertising to get eyes on your brand right away.

Display advertising

When you think of online ads, display ads may initially come to mind. Pop-ups, sidebars, banners, and animated ads all fall into this category. These ads are typically hosted and served by third-party websites and are embedded in or around content. You design an ad, then pay a platform to display it in relevant places. Some services even let you target the audience segments you’d like to reach.

Display ads tend to be more affordable than other kinds of paid marketing, helping you reach larger audiences with less money. Because your ad will be mixed in with other content, you have to work hard to cut through the noise.

Native advertising

Native advertising—sometimes called branded content or advertorial—blends in with its environment. Think: a sponsored article in a magazine or product placement in a social media post. Unlike display ads, those creating native ads are often the ones publishing them. Instead of designing the ad yourself, you’ll give your partner guidelines, and they’ll post something that looks and feels like the rest of their content.

Native ads are less disruptive than display ads, so they’re generally more engaging—and more expensive. A native ad may reach a smaller audience than a comparably priced display ad, but ideally, the people you reach will pay more attention to your message.

Search engine advertising (SEA)

Search engine advertising (SEA) is one of the most reliable ways to promote your business. When you use a service like Google Ads, you pay to have your business preferentially displayed in search results relating to specific keywords, phrases, and locations. Search engine ads look like normal search results, but often have a graphic or symbol showing that they’re a paid ad. 

These kinds of ads have a couple of advantages. First, if you’ve picked the right keywords, your ads might reach people who are actively looking for brands like yours and ready to buy. Second, you can set a budget and track results directly, giving you a clear sense of your return on investment. 

Because this model is pay-per-click, you want to take full advantage of every hit. With that in mind, it’s vital to have a striking landing page. 

Owned media

Owned media describes any content you create and control, like social media profiles, blogs, and email marketing campaigns. You can use these channels to build your audience from the ground up—and get to know the people who are interested in your brand. 

Owned media can convey your point of view, address frequently asked questions, share case studies, build engagement, and offer valuable content that makes clients want to work with you. A well-structured blog post can also improve your SEO ranking.

Website

One major form of owned media is a website itself. Your website is the landing pad for all your other marketing efforts. Once someone finds your business—through an ad, search result, social media post, or promotional email—your website can help build trust, develop your brand identity, communicate value, and convert a visitor into a client. 

Search engine optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) ensures your brand is one of the first to pop up in searches for relevant products, services, or content. Like SEA, SEO surfaces your brand to people looking for something like it. But instead of paying to appear first, you earn the top spot by creating quality content, using searchable keywords, and adhering to SEO best practices—or collaborating with an SEO Expert from Squarespace Marketplace.

You can use SEO to maximize the performance of websites, blogs, online stores, and more. It requires investment in content strategy and content creation, but it can be a sustainable and affordable way to drive motivated consumers to your website.

Social media

Social media helps you to build a community of potential clients by sharing meaningful content. It’s important that the content you promote reflects your brand’s identity and message. Everything, from your profile picture to your username, should reinforce your brand identity. 

Link back to your site in your profile description, and use keywords that make you more discoverable. Try to strike a balance between timeliness and timelessness. Evergreen content will give your posts a longer shelf life, while well-timed content can make the most of trending topics and searches.

By integrating social media into your Squarespace site, you can encourage your clients to find you on social media and you can push website content directly to your social media profiles.

Email marketing

Email marketing is one of the best ways to turn leads into new clients—and to stay top of mind with existing ones. 

Successful email marketing campaigns start with building a great email list. Incentivize email sign-ups through your social media pages and website, and watch for other opportunities to reach new potential clients. Pop-up stores, markets, and other in-person interactions are all chances to build this valuable list. Reward those who’ve signed up with meaningful content that will make them glad they’ve subscribed. 

Squarespace provides a powerful suite of email marketing tools. You can automate your email marketing efforts, manage your contact list, and personalize each message. You can also track your metrics in real time.

Earned media

Earned media is content other people create about your business for free. Earned media includes mentions, articles, interviews—even word-of-mouth referrals. It’s coverage you’ve earned by having a brand, product, or service worth talking about or recommending. 

Earned content is where you gain credibility and visibility. It has the power to strengthen consumer interest and trust in your brand, and expand your base of potential clients. While it’s technically free, it’s usually the result of the investment into your paid and owned channels. It encompasses content made by media outlets, customers, and other people expressing interest in your work.

Publicity

Earned media may come in the form of mentions from journalists or bloggers. To get coverage, you may have to do something new or extraordinary. Sending well-written press releases and targeted reach-outs, or even throwing press-worthy events can all be great ways to earn attention, especially when launching a new product or service.  

Cultivating relationships with influencers and bloggers, investing time into your social channels, networking with others in your industry, and providing excellent customer service all boost your odds of earning media.

Referrals and word of mouth

The oldest form of marketing is still one of the most effective methods. It just takes results that turn your clients and their customers into brand ambassadors. Nothing wins someone’s trust like a great firsthand experience. Building and strategically engaging a customer base can help you generate social media shares, shout-outs, and word-of-mouth recommendations. 

When a client is particularly pleased, don’t be shy about asking for a testimonial during the offboarding process. Chances are, if they’re happy with the work, they’ll be happy to oblige. They may also know other prospective clients who can benefit from your services.

Finding your balance

When marketing your brand, it’s best to take a holistic approach. Paid media can bring new customers and clients in the short term, while high-quality products, services, and content can build your reputation and client base in the long term. The more you share what makes you unique, the more you’ll find clients who love what you have to offer. 

*This post was originally published July 1, 2020. It has since been updated.

Want more?

Check out Squarespace Circle, Squarespace’s program for professional designers. 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.