With so much focus on readability, there’s a reason why websites are packed with sans serif fonts. But what if I told you to throw that idea out the window and try a handwritten font? There’s so much “vanilla” typography out there; it’s time to try more handwritten and novelty display styles. Injecting some personality into your design projects can actually be in your favor, as long as you don’t go overboard. While it isn’t the most conventional opinion, there’s a strong case to be made for using more handwritten typefaces. Let’s explore how to do it while creating better, more beautiful website experiences. Handwritten fonts have more personality Maybe the best argument for using handwritten fonts is that they can emphasize the unique character of your project or design. Think of how a ragged font, for example, can take the formality out of words and provide a rough edge. A long tail or beautiful swash can contribute to the graceful tone of wording. The right script can feel like a personalized signature or action. It’s much harder to form these distinct emotional ties with a geometrical sans serif. The individuality and sense of honesty that comes with a specialty or experimental typeface is almost incomparable. In regards to personality, a handwritten typeface can do for a design what great wine does for a meal. It sets a mood, a tone, and a feel for everything that is to come with the presentation. Interesting typefaces are disruptive Have you ever stopped to look at something just because it was different? That’s what handwritten fonts can do. It’s a disruptive visual element that helps draw attention to the design as a whole. It stands out because so many websites use sans serif font palettes. It’s a font style that’s become so dominant, that you are almost shocked to see anything else. And that’s precisely what makes users stop to look and read. The website visitor might first notice the typeface, but will soon after start to take in the surrounding content. A choice as simple (or complex) as typography creates a distinct first impression, fostering that initial engagement. Every second that you can keep a new visitor engaged increases the likelihood of a conversion. It’s much harder to form distinct emotional ties with a geometrical sans serif. The individuality and sense of honesty that comes with a specialty typeface is almost incomparable. Handwritten fonts are a time-tested option The use of handwritten styles in website design is often seen as a bit of a controversial topic. Nevertheless, graphic designers have been creating amazing pieces with this style of typography for hundreds of years. Some of the first fonts were hand-drawn logos and letterforms. More recently, handwritten styles remain popular in other graphic design areas, such as book and magazine publishing - perfect for drawing attention among a sea of competing titles - as well as poster and other print design. If handwritten fonts can work for all of these other graphic design applications, what makes web design different? This comes back to a simple rule that website designers created in the early days of the internet: Sans serif fonts are easier to read on screen. That may have been true back when screen resolutions weren’t the super-sharp and crisp visuals we have today. As technology keeps getting better, it’s time for the sans serif bias to make room for more diverse uses of type online. Choose from almost unlimited text options While the argument here is primarily for using handwritten fonts, it also extends to almost any novelty or display typeface. Combined, these styles provide an almost unlimited smorgasbord of fonts to choose from: Scripts Cursive Outline Block letters Fancy swashes Comic styles Pen or marker styles Dashed or dotted-lined In addition to types of fonts, there are also plenty of weights and styles. Thick strokes, for example, add weight variance and visual importance to projects that need extra emphasis. Rough edges or lines feel casual and rugged. A handwritten font that isn’t cursive or script can add unexpected flair to a project. Classical handwritten styles that include cursives, long tails, or swashes are elegant and somewhat formal. That’s why this style is often used for wedding lettering, but there’s nothing that says you can’t incorporate that same sophistication on a packaging label or an eCommerce website. Comic or cartoon styles feel more lighthearted and childlike. They should be used scarcely, and only when the emotional tone matches the content. Marker styles, as well as mixes of print and cursive lettering, can seem rushed and informal. On the other hand, these font choices can add a personal touch, like a hurried note to the design canvas. Handwritten fonts generate focused attention Every design needs a focal point to draw attention and ensure that the message is understood. If you are lacking other strong design elements, such as a stellar photo or video, an amazing font can be the perfect fix. Use a handwritten font to create a special art element for the design that is equal parts beauty and function. Incorporate color or other design divots to increase impact. Conversely, the right font can also function as a stand alone element, without resorting to too much secondary ornamentation. This can make it even more important to design a strong type hierarchy with good use of whitespace, so that the special text area of the design stands out in the best possible way. Handwritten fonts can generate attention in another way as well. Because these fonts often do require a little more brain power for full comprehension, they force people to look at the design for just a few milliseconds longer. While it doesn’t sound like a lot, that’s a lightyear in website time-on-site land. Any extra time a user spends with the design provides all the more opportunity for you to get your message or information across. Handwritten fonts are beautiful and readable The idea that handwriting fonts aren’t readable is a myth. When used well, a high-quality handwritten or novelty typeface is readable. That being said, most of these fonts will get cumbersome when used for body copy. As a headline or logo, however, they can be amazing. To ensure readability, look for a handwritten font that can check these boxes: Is high-quality and sharp. Not any freebie font will do; many lack all the characters you will need, and some are even mildly pixelated, or simply not crafted with enough care. Uses swashes, ligatures, and alternates. These let you control lettering if there are trouble spots. Will render online as a font and you don’t have to embed it as an image. Otherwise, you may run into quality, accessibility and search issues. Pairs well with a font from your current palette. When not done well, matching a handwritten font with a serif or sans serif can be jarring and result in readability concerns. How to use handwritten typography As with almost any other design tool, there are right and wrong ways to use handwritten fonts. Let’s focus on some of the best practices. Incorporating a handwritten font isn’t always easy. Here are a few ways to help ensure success: Pair handwritten styles with super simple fonts everywhere else. Elaborate font styles can easily overpower another typeface, so try to avoid fonts that visually compete. Limit your use of handwritten typefaces. It is seldom that you’ll find a large block of text in this style. Use it in moderation - only a handful of words - and avoid these fonts for repeating elements such as headers (H2 or H3). Employ whitespace. Handwritten fonts may need more space around them in order to create focus and facilitate readability. Consider larger letter sizes. Many handwritten fonts aren’t designed for small letter sizes, and work best when used for display and headline text elements. Tone down all other visual clutter. Anything that demands extra focus will add to the cognitive load, and you don’t want to overwhelm users with too many things to look at all at once. Go beyond cursive. Play with other options. Examine specific use cases. Consider handwritten fonts for branding, logos, or stand alone art elements. Think outside the box. Use handwritten styles when you need something interesting and unexpected, such as a “the,” “and,” or another connecting word in a phrase. Opt for a handwritten font when the project or brand calls for it. Projects that revolve around creativity and flair, or need to feel familiar and inviting, are probably a more likely match than conservative or instructional ones. Websites featured (from left to right): Zooba, Exlibris Berlin, and Papamusic. Recommended handwriting fonts What makes for a great handwriting font? It has to be versatile, readable, technically sound, and render perfectly when your website loads. And that can be a tall order. The following typefaces are developer-friendly and load pretty much any- and everywhere: Blankenhorn by Linteo – This handwritten font has a marker style that’s fine and full of personality. With multiple weights and curved lines, it is a sophisticated take on this style. Mazius Display by collletttivo – With a strong, classic feel, this handwritten font has an old-world feel that exudes strength. Line by Letters from Sweden – The strokes here look like they were drawn by hand with an extra-fine tip hand. The faux-penmanship is somewhat geometric and structurally solid and readable. Betina Script by Paratype – Rougher strokes make this font a suitable display option. It renders particularly well at larger sizes. Brenner Script by Typotheque – With smooth shapes that transition well from one to the other, this typeface is especially versatile. Multiple weights add to its intrigue. Odesta by Urtd – Designed in a style that’s appropriate for the most formal black tie event, this font features exquisite shapes and a nice slant without feeling overly one-sided. And four reasons not to use handwritten fonts While a handwritten font can add much value to a design project, it’s not for everyone. For this style to be successful, it has to match the rest of the project. Certain industries and types of content almost always avoid this style because it isn’t a solid match. Financial institutions, for example, tend to play it straight with website typography. That works, too. More straightforward styles are associated with formality and trust. Reasons to rethink the use of a handwritten font include: It doesn’t match the mood or content of the design. For lengthy texts or heavy blocks of text, avoid handwritten styles. These fonts are best used in moderation. If there are technical problems with font loading or rendering on devices or screens, opt for something else. Legibility concerns: Some fonts don’t work well with some letter combinations. Test your font and your actual copy to make sure it’s clear and readable. Conclusion Incorporating handwritten fonts can add emotional meaning, create visual disruption, and offer just the right visual tone for all kinds of design projects. While many web designers tend to shy away from them, this is the time to explore a little more personality into our typography. Contrary to common belief, most handwritten styles don’t pose technical or loading difficulties online. With many foundries creating quality, web-optimized typefaces, using a handwritten style is equitable to any other. The number one thing to remember when designing with a handwritten font is that as a strong visual element, it requires plenty of room to do its magic. When using a handwritten font, the rest of the design should probably be a little simpler and more subdued. Put aside the prejudice and treat handwritten fonts just like you would any other special visual element.

Market research is an essential part of any client project. Without it, you’re just a marketer with an opinion. And opinions won’t lead your clients to success. With the right resources, you can understand your clients’ market and see what competitors are up to. This knowledge is key to building a data-driven marketing strategy that actually works. Still on the fence? In a recent survey of 20,000 online consumers, 46% said brands annoyed them most when they pushed irrelevant content. This is something you can help your clients avoid by better understanding what their customers really need. In this guide, we’ll equip you with the right resources to do market research for any client project and hit the ground running. What exactly is marketing research? Marketing research is the process of collecting and analyzing insights about how a business is positioned within a market, along with information on existing and potential customers. As an agency, your main goal is to answer a wide range of questions on your clients and their customers: How they’re positioned in the market Who their customers are Who their competitors are Why customers need your clients’ products and services How much they buy Why they choose your clients Why they choose competitors Where there are opportunities to set your clients apart How to do market research You can better understand how your clients are positioned in the market by doing research with the right tools in these 7 categories: Demographics Target audience Competitors’ sites Keyword research Social media Surveys Trends 1. Demographics This specifies a group of people and their characteristics. You can use this data to group your clients’ customers into segments and gain insights on their needs and how they make decisions. Here are some places where you can find demographic data: Google’s Consumer Barometer Google’s Consumer Barometer is an interactive tool that helps you find data on consumers’ device preferences and insights into how people make purchase decisions by country. U.S. Census Bureau The U.S. Census Bureau breaks down population data into topics ranging from health to housing and employment rates to international trade. The Bureau’s Quick Facts tool also provides demographic info on the state and local levels, including age, sex, income, business and computer and Internet use. USA.gov USA.gov provides in-depth demographic data from across the federal government, including from the U.S. Departments of Labor, Justice, Agriculture and more. U.S. Small Business Administration The U.S. Small Business Administration is another great source of customer demographics and economic stats. They’ve even dedicated an entire section of their site to market research and competitive analysis. Pew Research Center Pew is a nonpartisan organization that conducts public opinion polling, demographic research and content analysis. Their research offers insights into social, tech and media trends. CityTownInfo.com CityTownInfo.com offers detailed demographic info on people’s professions, salaries and levels of education by town and city. 2. Target audience It’s easier for you to create successful ad campaigns and content when you understand your clients’ customers. Use these tools to help you better define your client’ target audience and how they behave: Google Analytics’ audiences tool Google Analytics’ audiences tool can help you analyze the size and behavior of your clients’ site visitors, from the devices they use to the lifetime value they offer. You and your clients can use this data to see how people are interacting with their sites and how to improve the user journey. Facebook Audience Insights Facebook Audience Insights provides detailed info on who visits your clients’ business pages, including their education level, job title, relationship status and interests and hobbies. GutCheck GutCheck brings together people from your clients’ target market to help validate new product ideas and test advertising concepts. 3. Competitors’ sites The right competitor research tools can help you understand where your clients already have an edge in their market and where you can help them catch up. Here are some recommended competitor research tools: Alexa Site Overview With the Alexa Site Overview tool, you can submit a website and instantly get a detailed report on where the most traffic comes from, the keywords driving the most traffic and similar sites by audience overlap. SimilarWeb SimilarWeb allows you to submit any website and see top traffic sources, average visit duration, bounce rates and related sites people are browsing. Raven Raven provides detailed reports on website backlinks, keywords and social media shares for competitor domains, which can help you understand where to improve your clients’ SEO content or targeting. WhatRunsWhere WhatRunsWhere measures the performance of competitors’ ads. You can see what your clients’ competitors are talking about and learn from what performed well in their campaigns. 4. Keyword research Keyword research is the process of identifying the terms and questions that people type into search engines when they look for your clients’ companies, competitors and products. What your clients’ target customers are searching for says a lot about their thoughts, interests and behaviors, and analyzing them will help you optimize your clients’ marketing strategy, as well as: Attract the right kind of traffic Post more relevant and engaging content Improve their campaigns and increase sales Boost brand awareness Doing keyword research regularly will help you keep up with consumer search intent and ever-changing algorithms. Stay on top of your keyword research with these recommended tools: Google Ads Keyword Planner The Google Ads Keyword Planner is a free tool to help build search campaigns by finding keyword ideas and estimating how well they’ll perform. Keyword Discovery Keyword Discovery provides access to a massive keyword database from a variety of search engines to help you optimize website content and meta tags, maximize pay-per-click campaigns and stay competitive in a given market. WordTracker WordTracker provides tools to help marketers and SEO specialists find high-performing keywords, build quality links and better understand the language of their market. Competitor Keyword Matrix Alexa’s Competitor Keyword Matrix shows you the search terms your target audience is using to find your clients’ sites and their competitors. Learn which terms are leading your clients’ target audience to competitors and create a plan to target similar keywords. Übersuggest Übersuggest shows how the keywords you’re interested in are being searched and suggests other words that can help improve your clients’ content. Keyword.io Keyword.io is a keyword research tool that generates similar search queries from around the world to help give you an idea of how a word or phrase is being searched. SerpStat SerpStat is a tool for finding popular keywords and how they’re used by people looking for specific products, services or information. 5. Social media Social media is a gold mine for market research, because you can monitor your clients’ customers and competitors directly. Track any time your client is mentioned, and learn insights about their customers with these social research tools: Awario Awario makes it easy to track mentions of a business across social platforms, blogs and other sources. Its dashboard breaks down mentions by platform, language, location and sentiment. Sendible Sendible helps you monitor your clients’ social profiles, engage with their audiences and create social media reports. SEMrush While best known for its SEO tools, SEMrush also offers a Social Media Tracker, which monitors growth, activity and engagement across your clients’ social accounts. It also benchmarks their overall social media performance against their competition. Social Mention Social Mention shows who's referencing any topic across different social networks. It combines that data in one place where you can search and analyze it. Tagboard Tagboard uses hashtags to collect social media posts across platforms like Twitter and Facebook. Hootsuite Hootsuite offers real-time social media monitoring and analytics that draw on blogs, forums and news sources to deliver social media data to help optimize content, campaigns, and more. 6. Surveys Online surveys are a great way to conduct market research on target customers. You can leverage this info to help your clients optimize their websites, as well as improve their products and services. Here are some top tools and sites for creating online surveys for your client projects: Google Surveys Google Surveys allows you to easily create online surveys to gather insights for better business decisions. Google automatically aggregates and analyzes the responses and provides the data to you in a simple interface. SurveyMonkey SurveyMonkey allows you to create any kind of online survey and offers more robust survey solutions specifically for enterprise and market research. SurveyGizmo SurveyGizmo makes it easy for any businesses to create and conduct surveys, polls, quizzes and questionnaires. Typeform Typeform is a survey-building tool that makes collecting and sharing information comfortable and conversational. Use its web-based platform to create anything from surveys to apps, without having to write a single line of code. SoGoSurvey SoGoSurvey application that can be used to create surveys to measure customer engagement and experience, collect product feedback and conduct market research. Survs Survs is a survey-building tool that lets you quickly create surveys. Unlike other free survey options, Survs provides user support. SurveyNuts SurveyNuts helps you create online surveys and questionnaires that look good on any device and evaluate results in real time. Qualaroo Qualaroo lets you add a short pop-up survey to the bottom of your site. 7. Trends While we don’t know what will be the next big thing to shake up the industry, here are marketing research tools you can use to stay on top of the trends: Google Trends Google Trends can help identify trending and most-popular searches in a wide range of categories. Search for topics that interest your target customers by region and find newly trending searches culled from massive search results. BuzzSumo BuzzSumo is a great resource for finding trending topics and key influencers. They base their search results on the number of shares on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and other social channels. Ahrefs Content Explorer Ahrefs Content Explorer lets you research trending content from its billion-page database. You can filter results by social shares, backlinks, relevance and domain rating. Curata Curata helps you to discover and share trending content. The more you share, the better its algorithm gets at recommending content that’s relevant to you. When it comes to creating a successful marketing strategy for your clients, you can’t rely on opinions alone. All of the research tools we’ve covered here will help you lay a solid foundation for your clients’ marketing strategy and give them the competitive edge they need.

It’s the day before a client project is due. Slowly but surely, you’ve got a trickle of comments coming in. People are asking for a small tweak here or there. Maybe it's adding another inner page, redesigning an email cadence or customizing their chatbot. Wanting to be professional and flexible, your instinct is to try your best to incorporate those edits as fast as possible. Soon enough, you find yourself doing work way beyond what you thought the project would be. Sound familiar? We’ve all been there. It’s scope creep. Fortunately, you can control scope creep while still meeting your clients’ needs and expectations with the project management practices outlined below. In this article, we’ll take a broad look at the challenge of scope creep, including: Defining scope creep and how it can impact your projects Identifying common causes of scope creep Proven tips to avoid scope creep Ways you can manage scope creep when it arises What is scope creep? The “scope” of a project is all the products, services and results that you and your client have defined and agreed on. Scope “creep” happens when a client’s needs change along the way, without considering their impact to the project’s timeline and budget. Naturally, being flexible and able to make changes as you go is important for any design project. A client may have new ideas, additional needs or a shift in project management that requires everyone to adapt. Oftentimes, these changes make for a better final product, and adjusting accordingly doesn’t have to mean you’re headed for trouble. However, scope creep sets in when those changes haven’t been approved by all project stakeholders, and their impact on time, cost and personnel resources hasn’t been factored in. As an agile professional, you might be thinking, in the scheme of a project, what’s the big deal about doing an extra task or 2? But taking on unauthorized work sets a dangerous precedent for your relationship with your client, and it can also set up agencies and freelancers for workflow problems down the road. Think about it this way: Working on changes that go beyond a project’s original scope puts an undue burden on your team and budget. Plus, the client will likely expect those changes to be done within the timeline and costs you initially agreed on. As a result, you end up losing focus on the central parts of the project, which can lead to rushed or incomplete work, missed deadlines, stressed staff and ultimately, unhappy clients. Worst-case scenario, unauthorized work can impact your entire business by slowing the delivery of other projects, decreasing staff productivity and hurting your revenue. The good news is you can control scope creep with good project management practices and close communication with your clients. You may already be doing some of these, or they may sound like a different approach to web design altogether. Before we look at best practices, let’s identify the most common causes of scope creep. 5 common causes of scope creep Scope creep impacts every industry, but managing scope is particularly challenging in creative fields like web design. Here are 5 common causes for scope creep in web design projects: Poorly defined project requirements No process for managing changes No consistent method for your client to request changes Lack of client involvement Overdelivery and gold-plating 1. Poorly defined project requirements Not having a clear-cut blueprint for a project is the most common cause of scope creep. If project requirements aren’t discussed, agreed on and clearly understood by both client and professional before the project gets underway, scope creep is practically guaranteed. Part of the problem is that clients aren’t thinking about scope. They’re focused on getting a product or service that helps their business succeed. It’s also common for clients to not fully know what they want at first. As their project moves along, they figure out what they’re looking for and slowly but surely, their list of minor tweaks accumulates and pushes the project beyond the original scope. That puts the responsibility of initiating the project plan of action and defining the scope of the project squarely on the shoulders of the agency or freelancer involved, which we’ll show you how to do in a bit. 2. No consistent feedback process It’s normal for a client to need changes as a project moves along, but those changes can also open the door to scope creep if there’s no clearly defined process for both client and professional to track and manage them. Without that kind of process in place, agencies and freelancers run the risk of being overwhelmed with requests for changes and new features throughout the project. On the other end of the spectrum, a solid client feedback process can also help prevent a phenomenon called “scope kill.” This is what happens when worthwhile changes don’t get made because teams adhere too strictly to the original scope of work. It’s all about finding a workable medium where your process balances structure and flexibility. Having a feedback process can also help control 2 other causes of scope creep: unrecorded changes, where project teams work on changes without the project manager’s knowledge, and unrequested changes, where teams make changes on their own to try to impress their client. 3. No consistent method for your client to request changes When your client doesn't know your feedback process, you leave room for confusion. For example, you might get all the information you need from your client for one requested change and barely any guidance for another. This is a common problem for projects with multiple stakeholders, because each one has their own ideas about project priorities and style of communicating them. Designers then end up having to guess what the client wants or find themselves trying to please everyone, which doesn’t lead to productive outcomes. 4. Lack of client involvement We’ve talked about how change requests from clients cause scope creep when mismanaged. However, not having enough client involvement can be just as harmful. When clients are hard to reach or aren’t invited into your web design process, agencies and freelancers are forced to make project decisions on their own. By doing this, you risk taking a project in a direction that isn’t in line with what your client has in mind, or might cause other problems later on. Keep in mind that when clients aren’t responsive, it’s often unintentional. They likely just have other tasks or priorities pulling their focus. 5. Overdelivery and gold-plating Every digital agency or freelancer wants to deliver clients their best work, go the extra mile to demonstrate their value and build a great relationship with them. Though this attitude can become a problem if you start accepting and acting on every change request a client gives you, without the right infrastructure in place. When your good intentions lead to extra work that provides little value, you put yourself at risk for scope creep. These risks include overrun deadlines, overworked employees, low-quality work or failure to finish other important priorities for your client. “Gold plating” is another good intention that can cause scope creep. That’s when designers keep fine-tuning their work to the point where the added value isn’t worth the additional time and effort. How to avoid scope creep 1. Work together to define project requirements To accurately determine the scope of a web design project, begin by working with your client and your team to clearly define the requirements. Hold a kickoff meeting with your client. Ask your client specific questions about their goals, timelines, business objectives and overall vision for the project. Then take that conversation and summarize it in your design brief, which will guide and define the scope of the project. Be sure to include these key items: Detailed project requirements Team resources you’re assigning to it The roles your client’s staff will play Project deliverables, including milestones, costs and timelines The overall project deadline Make sure your brief also states that you’ll be entitled to additional compensation for extra work. How much you charge is up to you. Review the draft brief with your team to make sure the timelines and overall direction for the project looks good to them, are realistic and take their existing workloads into consideration. Your team may also have helpful insights you can include, so make that conversation collaborative. Finally, meet with your client to review the brief, and make sure they understand and are onboard with it. Let them know they’ll be responsible for additional charges if they request additional work and that you’ll need extra time to complete them. There shouldn’t be many with your feedback process in place. By including your client in the planning process, you keep your creation process as smooth as possible. 2. Create an effective feedback process Decide how you’ll record, track and manage all changes requested by your client. Having this process in place can help protect you against requests that aren’t within your project’s scope and make for a more seamless handover. A strong feedback process includes these key elements: A central library of all change requests and their status A method for prioritizing change requests A process to gauge how each change will affect the other aspects of the project, along with costs and timelines A process for communicating issues with the change requests A point of contact for each request on your client’s team Experts also recommend coming to an agreement with your client on these 3 guidelines to manage the change process: The maximum number of reviews for each change request (for example, up to 3 rounds of review by your client) Timelines for when new versions of each change will be delivered How much time a client has to review each change (for example, the client must provide feedback within 3 days) To prevent your client from requesting unneeded changes, remind them that this process is in place to meet delivery time with the best possible result. 3. Align with your client on each change request When a change request comes in, the first step is to make sure you and your client share the same vision for what needs to be accomplished. What might seem like a simple change to them may not be for you. As with the other recommendations here, be sure to review your plan of action with your client, and ensure they understand and agree to it. This will help make your team more productive and keep your project moving forward efficiently. 4. Keep your client involved We’ve shown how involving clients in the initial planning stages of a project is key to keeping the project on track, even as changes need to be made. That early involvement actually reduces the number of change requests that will come your way later and helps ensure your brief covers the resources you’ll need to meet your client’s demands. Because you know they’ll need changes along the way regardless, it’s important to keep your client involved throughout the project. This will help keep it within the intended scope and on the right track. Clients who might not be as responsive as you’d like are usually busy with other priorities. Be sure you keep them up-to-date and ask for their input when you need it. There are different workflow and collaboration tools available to you to help with that. During your kickoff, ask your client how they prefer to communicate. Is it email or video calls? Texts or Slack? Do they want a status report every day or a recap of the main items a couple times a week? You’ll want to give them just enough of the right information to help them make decisions quickly, so the project stays within the right scope, timeline and budget. 5. Know how to say “no” Another important practice recommended by industry experts is learning how to say “no” when a client requests changes you believe aren’t necessary or feasible. If you’re diligent about setting up the processes discussed above, your clients will have played a key role in defining project requirements and should know when a request could cause scope creep. Saying “no” to those requests for the sake of keeping the project on track is justified. That said, client communication can be tricky, and managing client feedback is essential to building a mutually beneficial relationship. Of course, there are instances where it doesn’t make sense to just give a flat-out “no.” Here are 3 ways you can handle a new change request while maintaining the client relationship, too. Compromise Agree to work on the change, but work with the client to adjust the project’s scope by cutting out less important tasks and requirements to accommodate the additional work. Edit in versions Tell the client you can add the new change to a list of project priorities you’ll tackle in the future. Get compensated fairly Asking for the budget needed to cover extra work is a reasonable request, and should already be covered in your contract or in the terms of your website design proposal. Unanticipated changes are bound to come up. But with a strong process in place to stay on track, you’ll be able to keep scope creep at bay and deliver your best results.

What do Airbnb, DropBox and YouTube have in common? All used growth hacking on their paths to mega-success. Call it a technique, a concept, or a discipline. Whatever the label, growth hacking is here to stay. And by effectively adopting and executing its practices, your agency might forge its own path toward reaching new heights—for you and your clients. What’s growth hacking? Technically, growth hacking is a subspecialty of digital marketing. As its name suggests, it focuses on only one target: growth. Entrepreneur Sean Ellis launched the term and idea roughly a decade ago, advising startups to look for fast and inexpensive ways to boost customer numbers. High speed and low costs remain the key ingredients. Growth hacking still primarily benefits early-stage companies hoping to generate rapid and robust expansion at a modest price. If your client can’t afford a standard ad spend but still wants to quantifiably establish their product’s impact, you have little choice but to find fresh lines of attack. Growth hackers rise to this challenge by looking for opportunities anywhere—from SEO to social media to email campaigning. Although marketing is the core mission, the practice often involves other parts of the business funnel, such as product development and optimization. Standard routines and traditions rarely apply. This is a field that champions novel thinking and strategizing. So get ready to explore and experiment. The key benefits of growth hacking While growth hacking continues to evolve, its virtues are now well established. Let’s summarize the benefits of thinking outside the box to help your clients boost their numbers. Reduced budget Think about all the money that companies spend simply trying to generate awareness in the marketplace. These expenditures alone can sink products before they’re even out of the gate. Growth hacking, by contrast, requires no big-ticket outlays. The whole point is to devise creative, minimal-cost solutions. Streamlined resources Marketing is typically a team sport with lots of players. Growth hackers, though, can fly solo or in small numbers. Growth hackers, often working on a company’s engineering or product-development side, can build and test their strategies leanly, without bleeding resources elsewhere. Perfected ROI analytics The singular mission of any strategy—growth and only growth—makes assessing the results especially straightforward. Launched and driven purely by data, growth hacks are designed to deliver faster and more accurate numbers than those generated by more traditional initiatives. Heightened awareness Because growth hacking doesn’t play by conventional rules, its practitioners are often looking at a product (and its market) from a unique vantage. Lessons learned and discoveries made in this area can in turn be passed on to the company at large. Unprecedented potential When a growth hacking strategy hits its target, it can hit very big (see the success stories below). Rather than slow-and-steady gain, your clients’ user base might well grow exponentially—conceivably anywhere from 10 to 50 times in size, within an expedited time frame. How you can develop growth hacking skills No doubt growth hacking is still a form of marketing. It requires an approach that goes beyond any single part of the product funnel. As Ellis himself stressed, even though this frontier has some familiar features, it’s different territory. Here are 8 ways to start developing your growth hacking skills: Expand your perspective Understand your clients’ products Crunch the numbers Embrace automation Partner up and collaborate Lock your target Test early and often Commit all the way 1. Expand your perspective Good growth hacking requires a mix of granular and global thinking. On the one hand, be ready to dig deep into data as you track leads, assess customer acquisition costs, and monitor revenue streams. On the other hand, keep a close and obsessive eye on the bigger picture, always looking for new tools and trends. Move past precedent and be ready to surprise yourself. 2. Understand your clients’ products Before developing strategies and scaling your clients’ businesses, get a clear sense of what their product does and what need it fills. This is what’s known among growth hackers as the “product-market fit.” Sometimes the product just isn’t ready yet; sometimes its appeal is different than intended or expected. Be careful of putting the cart before the horse. 3. Crunch the numbers At all stages of the process, the data must be your compass. Analytics should guide you from goals to strategies and on through to results. As you monitor your process, use the numbers to fine-tune your hack and plan out all subsequent moves. 4. Embrace automation A major component of growth hacking is your ability to automate and repeat your strategy over time. Seek out the numerous available automation tools and programs that might aid in this process. If a given hack will require constant attention and customizing, you’ve probably got a design flaw that’s more trouble than it’s worth. 5. Partner up and collaborate Through your research, you might discover businesses that complement yours. Stay open to forging mutually beneficial partnerships with other companies. Build up your professional network. You might devise joint initiatives and projects that bring in a whole new audience. 6. Lock your target When you devise your strategy, make sure to set very clear goals, with hard deadlines and milestones. This way, you can isolate what is and isn’t working, and move faster when it comes to developing next steps. Avoid getting too attached to any one specific idea—while the target should be fixed, your approach to it should be flexible. 7. Test early and often Experimental and creative by nature, growth hacks require thorough testing. Your best approach is to conduct tight and simple tests that provide both bottom-line answers (the raw number of users) and point toward further refinement. Iterative A/B tests—also known as bucket tests—are considered especially effective. 8. Commit all the way Yes, growth hacking emphasizes a fleet and fluid approach. At the same time, definitive results rarely arrive overnight, and experiments (by design) often defy norms or expectations. If you hope to hit on an idea that soars, you better be willing to fail multiple times. Breakthrough hacks that helped turn businesses into behemoths The greatest success stories feature companies covering a range of products and services. The following list highlights breakthrough greatest hits from companies that applied the methods and mindsets above: Airbnb Growth hack: Offered a free photography service to take professional photos of their users’ homes, so listings would look more attractive and trustworthy. DropBox Growth hack: Launched a friend-referral bonus that offered users additional storage if they enlisted new members. YouTube Growth hack: Designed embed codes that made sharing videos simple. PayPal Growth hack: Created a referral program that paid users up to $20 for every new member they brought in. Hotmail Growth hack: Attached a link to all sent emails offering free email to the receiver. Hubspot Growth hack: Gave away its Marketing Grader tool for free to anyone who signed up. LinkedIn Growth hack: Used the tech sector to test-market services before expanding them for broader use. Instagram Growth hack: Allowed users to beta test before the formal launch, making them brand missionaries before the service even hit the market. Yelp Growth hack: Pushed contributors to use their real profiles rather than posting anonymously, building a motivated network of reviewers and affiliates. Twitter Growth hack: Used early test results to rebrand their mission, prompting users to immediately select other accounts to follow—a proven way to keep customers coming back. Remember, every blue-chip brand started small The core tools of growth hacking are accessible to companies of any size, and are designed for those looking to find their footing in a crowded marketplace. With the right product and approach, the door to great success can open to anyone. Here are 7 tips of the trade that can help you growth hack your clients’ brand: 1. Optimize the customer journey Nothing beats a customer journey that flows. When developing growth hacks, make sure to explore the most hassle-free methods of bringing customers into the fold and keeping them there. Consider designing home pages that easily prompt registration and membership, and featuring sign-up forms that are quick to complete. At the same time, devise an onboarding process that’s not only simple, but offers rewards and compelling reasons to keep returning. 2. Remarket Remarketing—also called “retargeting”—is the term for sending ads to users who have previously visited your site. The process is known to generate sturdy conversion rates, and, just as importantly, help establish your clients’ brand in consumer minds. 3. Master SEO By this point, if you’re not serious about leveraging SEO, you’re surely lagging behind your competitors. At every phase, you need to make sure that you’ve got search engines working hard on your behalf and constantly evolving your clients’ content strategy. 4. Consider PPC marketing In PPC (pay-per-click) marketing, advertisers pay their publisher each time their ad is clicked. Data indicates that this is a strong way to boost conversion rates—PPC visitors are considerably more apt than organic visitors to make purchases. On top of that, PPC is a great way to see how customers are responding to your marketing message and continue to test results. 5. Create fresh new-media content Along with the written word, you now have a host of new media at your disposal. Launch a podcast, and invite guests who bring in followings. Produce a webinar that in some way involves your product, and consider cosponsoring it with a company that offers a complementary service. Or pick up a camera. In a famous growth hack from a few years ago, Dollar Shave Club made a YouTube video trumpeting its razor blade-shipping service. The video presently has almost 30 million views, making the brand a household term. 6. Share socially—and smartly Beyond formally creating material, you can intensify and diversify your approach to social media. Aside from the obvious channels of Twitter and Instagram post on subreddits or other hyper-specialized forums like Quora, an American question and answer website. Even if you don’t immediately convert customers, you’re still driving awareness to your clients’ brand. 7. Grab the spotlight There is, of course, another way to move the needle. Make some noise. Achieving news-worthy attention might require making a big gesture. What’s that look like? It’s up to your creative imagination.

How important is it to master the art of managing remote employees? In the last 15 years, the number of employees working from home has risen by almost 150%. By the end of this decade, roughly three quarters of all U.S. businesses will employ remote workers. Such trends are even more pronounced among smaller agencies and in online-oriented fields such as web design. So, no doubt, optimal management of your remote staff will have a tangible impact on your agency’s bottom line—now and for the foreseeable future. Let’s start with the advantages of remote employment As technology becomes more intuitive, the process of connecting and collaborating with your remote employees gets smoother. Here are a few benefits for allowing your employees to work remotely: Lower overhead Remote staffing can generate savings at every level of office management. After all, off-site employees don’t require desks, parking spaces, or personal phone lines, among many other things. Those savings add up. Stronger candidates Studies suggest that the option of remote employment—even part-time—is a big lure to applicants. Allowing an employee to spend even a day or two each week away from the office is a great way to sweeten a job offer, and may make the difference in your ability to land sought-after talent. Happier employees Workers appreciate stay-at-home opportunities, which cover everything from avoiding traffic to freeing up time for childcare. Happier employees tend to do better work, and are also more inclined to remain on the job. In turn, strong employee retention is beneficial to an agency’s profit margins—employment-replacement is one of an agency’s largest expenses—not to mention a potent indicator of an agency’s overall health. More focused employees Staffers understandably perform better when they can focus better. While some employees benefit from direct supervision and an office environment, studies show that many others see a spike in their concentration when working away from the office. At-home work can offer fewer distractions and diminish the prospect of burnout. Greater diversity By bringing on employees from beyond your home base, whether from other cities or countries, your agency is expanding its range of influences and perspectives. This can add a fresh new point of view and creative process. The 9 essential tips for managing remote employees All told, effective management of remote employees should increase productivity. The key is to develop a system that works both for individual projects and as a general set of best practices. Keep in mind: For each tip there’s an overriding theme—clear communication. Separated by geography, you and your employees have a particular need for a strong dialogue. Here are 9 essential tips for managing remote employees, so you promote better productivity and build stronger relationships: Clarify the commitment Onboard strongly Embrace the tech Customize your contact Personalize your process Build team spirit Emphasize feedback Stay accessible Keep developing 1. Clarify commitments From the start of any project, remote employees should know exactly what you expect from them, and exactly what they can expect from you. In terms of parameters, the more detailed you are, the better. So, be crystal clear on the number of work hours per day and week, project scope and deadlines. And make sure every relevant party signs off on this agreement. 2. Onboard strongly Studies have shown that effective onboarding can pay long-term dividends. This process becomes particularly important for remote employees who aren’t around to absorb office culture and practices, and/or to learn by watching fellow employees. As you onboard remote employees, clearly define for them your agency’s mindset, mission, and method of operating. Your employee should also e-meet other members of the office staff—even those not as directly involved in a given project—and other remote employees working for the agency. 3. Embrace the tech By this point, there are so many available telecom and project management tools, from Slack and Skype to Asana and Monday. Make sure everyone feels comfortable with your tools of choice. Before starting work, make sure your employees are fluent in your preferred platform. If they’re experiencing any technical issues, don’t hesitate to get IT involved. (Related: learn about the Wix content manager.) Generally speaking, you’ll want to use video-conferencing whenever possible—giving you the chance to literally see eye-to-eye, which helps everyone review the same work at the same time, no matter where. 4. Customize your contact There are many competing views about what constitutes the right amount—and type—of contact between managers and their remote employees as a project unfolds. Some push for frequent interaction and meticulous recordkeeping (such as hour-by-hour time-cards). Others advise a lighter touch, with less of an emphasis on checkpoints and check-ins and more of a focus on longer-term goals and deadlines. In every case, the key is a consistent approach that involves some form of regular contact. Maybe it’s a weekly progress report or a frequently updated workflow calendar. As the work evolves, develop the method that accommodates the particulars of both the employee and the project. 5. Personalize your process Of course, each employee is different. Make an effort to really get to know yours with one-on-one meetings. Start your check-ins with conversation about anything other than the job at hand. Give that resume a close inspection and find points of connection. Show that you’re aware of their longer-term career goals. Your employee should never feel like a temp or “hired gun,” but a unique contributor to your agency’s mission. 6. Build team spirit Even with consistent and personal contact, remote employees can wind up feeling isolated—this is often cited as the biggest challenge of remote employment in general. It’s up to you to make your remote employees feel part of the team and invested in your company as a whole. There are numerous ways to do this. You might send your remote employees company merchandise; organize off-site get-togethers at holiday times; include them in intra-office mass emails and a set up a Whatsapp group for more casual communication. If you’re set for a scheduled one-on-one meeting, consider bringing on another member of your staff and making it a group engagement. 7. Emphasize feedback Office-based workers receive feedback constantly, sometimes without even realizing it. Remote employees don’t get the same daily touch-points, and, left to themselves, tend to worry about how they and their work are being received. You should make an extra effort to craft thoughtful and helpful responses—both positive and negative—to their output. Celebrate strong efforts or milestones met; send mass emails lauding particular examples of impressive achievement. An employee can feel a back-pat even hundreds of miles away. 8. Be accessible As a project develops, your remote employees should feel like they can get ahold of you at any time, for any issue. Encourage reach-outs; make sure everyone knows your peak availability times. If a remote staffer shoots you an email, use it as an opportunity to pick up the phone or hop on a Zoom. And let no check-in go unanswered—no matter the time-zone differential. 9. Keep developing Achieving peak performance from your remote staff is an ongoing process. When you finish your particular project, make sure that your post-mortem meeting includes “exit interviews” with any and all of your remote employees. Encourage everyone to be as open as possible, stressing that there are no wrong answers, and that honesty is the optimal policy. Remember: At this stage of the game, remote employment is no longer a trend. Rather, it’s an increasingly and necessary way of work and life. If you can truly master this side of project management, your agency stands to gain at every level.

For many companies these days, customer segmentation is no longer merely an option but a necessity. The issue now isn’t just doing it but learning how to do it well. And it’s not simple. After all, the process can combine both advanced analytics and old-fashioned intuition, and requires collaboration among multiple departments, from production to marketing, in a given organization. Help your clients achieve peak results by following this agency guide to customer segmentation. What is customer segmentation? As a term, customer segmentation refers to the process of dividing a customer base into smaller, specifically defined groups, then directly marketing to and connecting with those groups with customized messaging. You might also hear it called STP, which stands for segmentation, targeting, and positioning. This process has become increasingly vital for businesses of all sizes, as consumers today enjoy an ever-expanding range of options and are making purchases with unprecedented speed. By focusing on more specific groups, companies can more purposefully interact with—and meet the needs of—individual segments of their customer base. Common labels for such efforts also include customizing and, at times, personalizing (although personalization technically tends to focus even more specifically on the individual, rather than any community). For example: An e-commerce hat retailer might segment their target audience into 2 buying behaviors—those who buy hats for style and those who buy hats for sun protection. Having these two segmentations helps this retailer customize their messaging for each target audience. Seems pretty straightforward, right? Not necessarily. Effective customer segmentation involves multiple moving parts, and encompasses all aspects of the business funnel. The increasing sophistication of consumers is matched by the increasing sophistication of the tools and methods required for reaching them. And the use of those tools can generate results that demand further refinement of a given approach. No model is set in stone, and if it starts working, you’ll need to make sure that it keeps working. Why customer segmentation is important for your clients The baseline benefit of segmentation is that it allows companies to get a deeper, more nuanced idea of who their customers are and what they want, and then proceed accordingly. Instead of viewing customers as a generic mass (say, “baseball cap-wearers” or “wine drinkers”), companies isolate unique “persona” features and become better equipped to connect with these personas over time. When executed right, segmentation works in all directions: As the company refines its understanding of and approach to its customers, customers are served more effectively and efficiently. The benefits in turn cover a wide spectrum: Resource optimization Marketing remains an imperfect science, and usually requires ample resources to generate only a modest conversion-rate (i.e., “the spray-and-pray” approach). Segmentation enables a more strategic and focused use of marketing resources, boosting potential ROI. Boosting engagement Thinking more particularly or “personally” about consumer-interaction can improve a company’s overall approach to customer engagement. Product innovation Some customers might indicate a preference for a specific feature of a product, or use it in a unique way. Learning about these needs can inspire refinement, or even new iterations of the product itself. Increasing brand loyalty By targeting specific consumers via custom methods, companies are forging a unique connection and increasing the likelihood of customer satisfaction. This can promote a strong sense of brand loyalty, with all the benefits that such loyalty entails. By spreading the message through word of mouth, the customer is in some sense becoming a part of a product’s marketing team. The customer is also more likely to make another, bigger buy with that company. Increasing customer retention Given the nature of personal habits and marketplace movement, customer-retention can be a challenge even for beloved products. If segmentation is successful, the relationship should continue after the point of purchase, with the company increasing its chances of holding onto customers long-term. Gaining actionable data A more engaged customer is a more useful customer—likelier to answer surveys, sign up for mailing lists, and give feedback on the customer journey. As you’ll see, actionable data is the fuel that drives product development and ongoing customer segmentation. How to segment B2C and B2B customers Not all segmentation works the same way. The general “textbook” categories of segmentation breakdown as follows: Choosing your segment variables for B2C customers Geographic segmentation This is the simplest kind, focusing on where customer groups are situated, and addressing, say, regional preferences or unique cultural or climate considerations. Demographic segmentation Based on customer age, net worth, number of children, or religious affiliation. Psychographic segmentation Extends beyond demographics into the grayer (and harder to measure) area of customers’ belief systems—their political leanings, for example, or travel preferences. Behavioral segmentation Tends to focus on how customers interact in the marketplace or overall public sphere, assessing such traits as buying habits, cultural engagement, and online presence. Choosing your segment variables for B2B customers Priori Segmentation This is B2B’s version of demographics, utilizing such big-picture and public data as a target company’s size or product-type. Need-Driven Segmentation As the name suggests, this segment targets clients’ and potential clients’ needs for a specific service or item. Value-driven segmentation Centers on the size and potential profitability of the account to the company. Building buyer personas Building personas, or profiles, can often involve using a mix-and-match approach to these variables, with the effectiveness of particular data points dependent on the particulars of the products and their consumers. In certain cases, the key information hinges on frequency of use; at other times, it may be the quality of the referral-source. Some products target mostly “seasonal” customers (say, holiday decorations); some might place a premium on a psychographic profile that indicates “adventurousness” (i.e., extreme sports equipment). At root, the analysis is working from a core issue: need. What is the persona seeking, and how and why is that persona seeking it from a particular company? How data can help you optimize your customer segmentation The central building block of segmentation, then, comes down to the data and how it’s measured and analyzed. Generally speaking, data comes through three funnels: Internal This is what an organization will find in its own numbers and its own business practices over time. Ideally, the sample sizes are big enough, and the data-collection strong enough, to yield actionable information, either on its own or in tandem with other data. External This includes conducting interviews, surveys, and focus groups, and gathering general information on market categories. While some of this data is public, much of it requires company resources to gather or simply to buy at scale. Precedents This tends to be models and lessons drawn from other, similar businesses or products. Although these data sets seem stable, building marketing personas can be just the opposite. A company might construct a persona, for example, out of age, marital status, and product-use preferences, then discover that the use-preferences change within months of product-purchase. Data that’s even a year or two old might no longer reflect the available technology or the presence of new rivals in the marketplace. Yes, constructing predictive models can, in fact, become very unpredictable. Meanwhile, distinct distribution and promotional methods inevitably present distinct challenges down the funnel. Taking segmentation from a need to a viable product can require the collaboration of every department, from sales to finance, working in sync from the get-go. Any lapse along the way can jeopardize the whole process. Building customer segments together with your clients So, One way or another, your clients need to get on top of customer segmentation, and you’re in a strong position to help make that happen—which will help build your clients brand loyalty to you. You can start by showing the way toward effective segmentation. And from there, you can help in a variety of STP endeavors, making the customer journey offered by your clients as satisfying as possible. Ultimately, a properly defined market segment has a few central qualities. A company must be able to measure and access the segment in question, and that segment must be comprised of capable and willing customers. How to create valuable customer segments To become skilled at segmentation, your clients must get in the habit of building lists that tabulate and rank targets, from least to most promising, and scrutinizing all data that filters in through site-use. Different companies will have different systems reflecting their own priorities and offerings—some might emphasize the duration of site-visits, while others might give most weight to average order value. Other indicators include the account type or the products viewed. Resources to optimize your customer segmentation data With the right instruments, and perhaps with data-analysis specialists on staff, a company might not need a large—or disproportionate—outlay of resources to procure and optimize the necessary data. Viable options include: Platform tools Collecting data with a contact list and marketing integrations can be powerful assets in the segmentation process. These tools can enable your clients to monitor and measure all site-visitation KPIs, from frequency to number of purchases, and from average value of purchase to cost of acquisition. Additional online tools You can also become conversant in various platforms that assist with data processing and marketing automation. Google Analytics, Yandex, Mailchimp, and Matomo are just a few offerings that are designed to help create segments. Your clients can collate from comparable models, and mine customer-usage patterns, to start building files and persona-rankings (i.e., from “Highly Engaged” to Dormant). Website initiatives The moment you begin working with your client, establish that the site is an essential tool for actively soliciting and cultivating data. Set up easy-to-use customer-feedback options, and consider implementing surveys and forums that get you hearing from your users on a regular and reliable basis. A device such as Crazy Egg can actively track how visitors navigate your site, monitoring what gets clicked and what gets bypassed. Knowing how visitors behave on site can also help improve your client’s site performance. Engaging customer segments Once your clients are thinking about customer segmentation, they’ll be searching for ways to put it into practice. Today’s technology makes the process of reaching customers more immediate and personalized than ever, and you’re positioned at the frontier of such possibility. Here are 10 marketing tools you can offer your clients to help them create customer segments: New-visitor video The first point of customer-contact might be the most important. New customers need a strong welcome—even a “hook” to the site, along with very clear guidelines on how to navigate it and find support. To go further, suggest adding an introductory video welcoming newcomers to the business, launching the customer journey from as personal a place as possible. Demo videos Taking a cue from the intro-video idea, you might find that filmed content showing uses of your client’s product is a quick way to connect with site-visitors. Different videos and video trends showcasing different services or features work hand-in-hand with segmentation, as customers will seek out the material that speaks most directly to their interests. Content customization Businesses, particularly smaller ones, still often make the mistake of assuming that site content is largely static. But fresh content—reacting to or inspiring news or trends—should be an ongoing feature of any effective site, and your agency should offer creating it as a service. Propose installing different landing pages and dropdown menus for different consumers, based on their indicated preferences and the data you’ve assembled. Sign-up/login features Your clients want to understand their customers, and vice versa. This simple feature should be standard even on sites that seem more impersonal by nature. Customers tend to appreciate a site that welcomes them by name; a “friend” of the site or company is more likely not simply to return, but to fill out surveys and questionnaires going forward. Pop-up windows Clients who measure the frequency of individual site-visitations have numerous ways of reaching their customers directly. You can offer your client a pop-up window that, say, instantly greets weekly customers on arrival and thanks them for returning. As those customers leave, an exit overlay can offer a new deal that will inspire them to come back again. Different pop-ups can address different segments at different places in their customer journeys. Direct/automatic email tools This tool has multiple uses, one of which is directly opposite to the above. If your client is in retail, consider installing a tool that reaches out to once-regular customers that haven’t visited in a while. Automatic emails might also be designed to alert segments to custom-fit new products or events. Highlights Working from your segmentation data, you can suggest highlighting the most customer-friendly features of a product. From there, you can shuffle the arrangement of features on the homepage and on specific landing pages, ensuring that the most segment-oriented details get maximum visibility. Live-chat The data suggests that with live chats, everyone wins big: Customers invariably appreciate how quickly their issues are addressed, and companies have found that a single effective live-chat employee can out-value more than a dozen customer specialists. “Regular live-chat users” can become a powerful segment unto itself. Calls to Action Your segmentation should shape how you advise your clients on featuring calls to action on their sites. Specific CTAs (i.e., “get in touch with us here,” “watch this webinar”) can be customized to reach only those who fit within a carefully defined target-group. You can encourage known customers to consider other plans or products—while newer customers aren’t put off by a harder sell. Testimonials The effects of adding a page of personal plaudits can be surprisingly layered. On one hand, including a photo of a satisfied customer creates a mirror effect for other users, who might respond to seeing a version of their own persona. At the same time, testimonials can trigger a “fear of missing out” and help customers feel confident making a purchase. Building strong relationships with customer segmentation When customer segmentation works properly, you orchestrate an effective alignment of product, persona, and user experience. A harmony emerges between specific customers, and a business goes from simply offering a product to building a relationship. And that kind of relationship, your clients will surely tell you, can be invaluable in so many ways. #Experts #Client_Relationships

We’ve all experienced it—that sigh of relief after finishing a challenging project. Once it’s done, we’re quick to move on to the next thing. But how can your agency grow without evaluating the obstacles your team faced in the past? Every completed project is an opportunity to gather data, analyze performance and discuss the areas in your workflow you can improve. The best way to do this is by conducting post-mortem meetings. What is a post-mortem meeting? A post-mortem meeting is a gathering of team members and your client stakeholders at the end of a project so you can give feedback and improve your agency’s workflow. During these meetings, your team discusses what worked, what didn’t work and what should be changed for future projects. Throughout these post-mortem meetings you’ll build knowledge of your agency’s work process and learn how you can improve for the next project. The benefits of post-mortem meetings As an agency, you may be hesitant to bring your clients and team members together to talk about what didn’t work in a project, but it’s one of the best ways your business can learn and grow. Here are 7 benefits you’ll gain from conducting post-mortem meetings with your team: Celebrate achievements Learn from mistakes Empower employees to speak up Promote a positive workplace Improve teamwork Share new ideas Build strong client relationships Celebrate achievements It’s not just a meeting to talk about what can be improved, such as missed deadlines. In all likelihood, you’ve done many things well. Celebrate the wins that happened during the project—whether it was tackling a difficult design or increasing your client’s conversions. Learn from mistakes Even if it seemed like everything in your project went according to plan, there’s always room for improvement. Ask each person from your team for specific examples on what can be changed or improved. When you find out what went wrong, you’ll find better ways to work. Empower employees to speak up A group of people can go through the same situation and come out of it with different feelings and opinions. Every opinion matters. Encourage everyone to share their thoughts and ideas. Doing this will empower them to speak openly and make them feel as an equal part of the project. Promote a positive workplace Talking through problems and celebrating wins brings teams closer and motivates everyone for the next project. Your employees will be thinking of how they can contribute, and your clients will be confident in your leadership. Improve teamwork By listening to many perspectives, your team will become more open to each other’s ideas and figuring out ways to meet client demands, together. This also helps your clients see your collaborative approach. Share new ideas During a project you or your team members may come up with new ways to do your work. This meeting is a great platform for you to share those ideas. Plus, you can create a plan of action moving forward. Build strong client relationships Including your client in a post-mortem meeting is a good final step for managing the feedback process. This allows your client to get a full understanding of the work your agency does. You’ll hear what worked and what they want to change for the future. Your client will also feel like they’re a part of the team, which will strengthen your relationship and boost overall client satisfaction. Your guide to running a successful post-mortem meeting Having an organized post-mortem meeting is an integral part of every project. When they’re done correctly, they can help your agency grow significantly from project to project. Plus, they can be used to improve your overall client satisfaction. Here are some guidelines you can follow when organizing and operating a successful post-mortem meeting: Prepare for your post-mortem meeting Send out a pre-meeting survey to your team and client Everyone benefits when they have some time to prepare. Send out a survey in advance to get quick and honest feedback that can be used during the post-mortem meeting. When creating your survey questions, keep in mind the aspects of your client project: overall communication, project kick-off and management, content sharing and problem solving. Be sure to include both quantitative questions (yes/no answers and rankings) and qualitative questions for open-ended, specific comments. Create an agenda for your post-mortem meeting Keep the meeting up to one hour and help participants stay on task by using an organized agenda. Use these guidelines when creating an agenda for your post-mortem meeting: Restate that the meeting is all about feedback—good and bad Remind your team this meeting is to share their opinions and thoughts about the project and work process. Recap the project Restate the initial expectations, how you and your client measure success and which project goals you achieved. The more transparent you are with the results, the easier you make it for your client. For example, your client may acknowledge that their unplanned changes slowed down deliverables. Highlight the wins Celebrate the tasks that were accomplished during the project. This will encourage your employees and build confidence. Open the discussion to all feedback Start with answers provided in the survey you sent to your team and clients. Encourage your team and clients to speak up. If it’s slow-going, share your own comments and ask if anyone agrees or disagrees. Dig deeply enough to get to the “why” of positive and negative outcomes. End on a positive If you want a team that’s motivated to do even better next time, and a client that believes in you—show your appreciation. Make it personal and positive. Use baselines as a starting point A baseline is the starting point for your project’s plan. It’s a point of reference used to measure the progress of your project. In project management, there’s typically three baselines: cost, schedule and scope. Setting these baselines before a project starts will help you compare your results once it’s completed. These results are a good reference to share during your post-mortem meeting. Create a presentation Your team will better understand project results when they’re able to see them visually. Prepare a short presentation with your data mapped out in simple charts. You can show analytics such as the time it took to complete each task, or the number of leads your client’s site gained from an asset. This will help everyone conceptualize the outcome of the project. Moderate your post-mortem meeting Any meeting can devolve into lengthy commentary and unhelpful complaints. Keep your meeting on task by sticking to the main topics you listed in your agenda. Share your agenda with meeting participants so they know what needs to be achieved. Your goal should be to make everyone feel included, valued and comfortable—and clear on what to expect. Here are 6 tips you can use to moderate your post-mortem meetings: Assign a moderator It's not easy being neutral when it's your team or project, or deciding when it’s time to move on to a new topic. A good moderator can handle these logistics firmly and with diplomacy. Make it fun A little humor goes a long way toward loosening up your team. Consider a quick icebreaker, like asking everyone to use one word to describe their mood. Some may sound ridiculous and that’s part of the fun. Be constructive Admit what was wrong, but make the focus on how to improve. Did you learn anything during the project that can be applied more broadly? If so, share it with the team. Don't let it get personal Even the most difficult clients are still clients. Treat them professionally, without blame or animosity. Remember, they may help you find your next client and sign your next contract. Keep it focused Let everyone have their say. But if what they’re saying is not useful or relevant, your moderator should keep it moving. Take detailed notes Meeting notes are a formal record of your meeting and a resource for keeping all stakeholders informed, especially those who are unable to attend the post-mortem in person. They also act as a reference point for your team when you begin implementing next steps in your internal and client-facing processes. These notes keep everyone accountable for what was said and for follow-up actions—so nothing falls through the cracks. Follow-up with your team and client after your post-mortem meeting with actionable insights Think of the follow-up to a post-mortem meeting as a way of reinforcing what you’ve already discussed and agreed upon. For example, if your client wasn’t satisfied with some component of the project, a detailed follow-up including their feedback can affirm that you heard them. It doesn’t mean that you’re giving in to any unreasonable demands. But it sets a tone of goodwill and appreciation for the client’s business. The follow-up should be written in a document and sent in an email shortly after the meeting. This can be used as a resource to reference following the meeting and as a brief summary for those who were unable to attend. Here’s what to include in your post-mortem follow-up: Project background Start the email off with an explanation of the project including the client needs and agency goals. Brief summary Summarize the main topics and feedback from the meeting in bullet points. State action items Share the new methods your team will be using and the steps to take in order to implement them in your future projects. Say thank you Show your appreciation by telling your team and your client’s team thank you for being a part of the project and sharing their feedback.

Just seven years ago, 47% of U.S. marketers ranked creativity as the #1 factor for driving marketing strategy. Sorry Don Draper, but eCommerce has flipped that script. By 2022, 56% of marketers say technology and creativity will play equal roles in driving their strategy; and 30% rank technology first. Marketing technology, aka “Martech,” is the largest slice of today’s marketing budgets (29% on average according to Gartner). With nearly 7,000 businesses offering Martech solutions, deciding which tools will drive your client’s marketing strategy is critical to success. But first, what is a Martech stack and why does it matter? Simply put, a Martech stack is a collection of technologies that marketers use to carry out their marketing strategy. Choosing the right tools and organizing them into a logical flow can actually multiply the value of each individual tool. As website designers, developers and marketers, you can help clients make the right Martech decisions and stack those tools in an integrated solution that enables them to execute, analyze and improve their marketing strategy. The right Martech stack can help them achieve new levels of effectiveness by improving staff collaboration, measuring the impact of marketing activities, driving more efficient marketing spend and reaching customers in new ways. The 3 types of Martech tools that belong in your client’s stack While there’s no one-size-fits-all Martech stack for businesses, the necessary tools fall into three key general categories: · Tools to drive traffic · Tools to engage visitors · Tools to analyze and optimize Those tools will vary greatly from client to client, but industry experts point out they represent the foundational technologies for Martech stacks in most B2C and B2B businesses. Tools to drive traffic Driving traffic to client websites is essential for conversions. So it follows that effective marketing automation has to drive traffic to boost sales, get bookings or generate the right leads. That’s easier said than done: in a global study, 61% of marketers rated generating quality traffic and lead conversion as their biggest challenges. You can’t get more conversions without plenty of traffic, and that’s why it’s important to use tools designed for reaching your client’s target audience. 1. Google Ads: Google search, video and display ads If your client is looking to drive the right kind of traffic to its site, go directly to Google’s search, video, and display ads. Given its spectacular reach (more than 246 million visitors) and traffic (3.5 billion daily interactions), it’s been said there’s no such thing as an unsuccessful Google Ads campaign. Still, Google Ads will help your clients analyze and refine their ads to reach even more people and help hit their marketing goals. 2. Sprout Social: streamlined social media management Currently, 54% of social media users research products on social sites. However, 85% of business owners aren’t sure which social media tools to use to reach them. Sprout Social lets your client manage their social media strategy from one place. They can schedule posts at the best times, streamline their publishing processes, and turn social data into key insights to drive traffic and better connect with their audience. 3. SEO tools: Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz, Conductor Improved SEO helps boost a site’s visibility on search engines, which is essential to reaching more potential customers. Content is a key ingredient. When your client’s site has engaging content that’s aligned with best SEO practices, it’s more likely to attract the targeted audience. With these tools, you can drive organic traffic to your client sites: Ahrefs is a set of SEO tools that help websites increase their search traffic, conduct detailed research on their business competitors and monitor trends in their specific market. SEMrush is a content platform that lets your clients quickly track the online performance of their articles, blog posts and other content, and it helps them create editorial plans featuring SEO-friendly content. Moz offers tools to help your clients discover the best keywords for their site, improve their content and link building and access in-depth research to build SEO visibility. Conductor Searchlight is a content intelligence platform that produces insights into customer intent along their purchase journey that lead to engaging content, increased site traffic and better marketing ROI. 4. Criteo: personalized ad retargeting Only 4% of website visitors actually make a purchase, which is why retargeting the other 96% is so widely done. Trouble is, many people find retargeted ads annoying. Criteo used its own AI-based technology to create retargeted ads with a difference—they’re hyper-personalized based on visitor preferences and shopping behavior. They even feature designs and CTAs optimized for each visitor, and are delivered to them when the visitor is most likely to convert. That means retargeted visitors aren’t getting irritated by receiving the same ad over and over; instead, they’re receiving unique dynamically personalized ads that have a greater chance of conversion. 5. Demandbase: personalized online advertising Account-based marketing, aka key account marketing, is skyrocketing in popularity: 92% of B2B marketers rate it “extremely” or “very” important. Demandbase, a B2B ad targeting and personalization platform, is an ABM specialist. It can help your clients deliver personalized ads to the right people at specific companies across the web. To turn viewers into customers, the platform can be used to sharpen targeting based on data such as industry, revenue, customer status and products purchased. Tools to engage customers Once your client’s website is drawing crowds of visitors, how do you keep them there so you can convert them into paying customers? That’s tougher today than ever, because online consumers are well-versed in the ways of eCommerce and have become demanding, impatient and harder to please. Studies show websites have 15 seconds to capture their visitors’ attention before they flit off to a competitor’s site. This next set of tools can help you better engage today’s e-shoppers. 1. HubSpot: marketing automation HubSpot is an inbound marketing and sales tool that allows your client to handle social media marketing, content management, website analytics, SEO and more. It includes marketing software to help increase traffic, get more conversions and run marketing campaigns that scale. It also offers sales software that provides detailed insights into prospects and customer service software to drive deeper connections with customers. It’s a comprehensive, low-cost (in some cases free) platform that’s especially popular with small businesses. You can add HubSpot to your Wix websites straight from the App Market. 2. Clearbit: customer data enrichment On average, 98% of a website’s traffic is anonymous, so how can you follow up? Enter Clearbit Reveal, which uses visitors’ IP addresses to identify the visitor’s company, industry, location and more. That data can be used to determine which campaigns drive the highest-value traffic and what content attracts your ideal customer. Reveal can also show personalized chats to promising visitors and alerts your sales team when their accounts visit. 3. Mailchimp: automated email marketing Email is stronger than ever: 60% of consumers say it’s their preferred way to receive marketing promotions. Tools like Mailchimp can be an effective way to create email marketing campaigns for your client’s business. Some key features include the ability to turn email campaigns into social posts, and segmenting them to target only specific people based on their behaviors. 4. Live chat and chatbots: LiveChat, Wix Chat, Chatbot and Live Chat A live chat tool allows your client to communicate with visitors 24/7 for customer support, product inquiries and more. It provides a quick response when staff is away and can answer questions faster than phone calls and emails, which customers appreciate. Wix Chat lets visitors instantly send a message on your client’s site to start a conversation. It allows your clients to send messages from their desktop and on-the-go with the Wix mobile app. Wix Chat also notifies your clients instantly when a new visitor arrives to the site and if someone buys a product or books an appointment. LiveChat is an online customer service tool with live support, help desk software and web analytics capabilities. Unique greetings and powerful reporting are examples of how this tool can improve customer service and experience on your clients’ site. ChatBot and LiveChat lets you leverage both live-chat and chatbot technology on your client’s website. This tool enables your client to deliver instant messages around the clock and lets visitors leave contact details for personal inquiries. This tool also allows your client to choose the chatbot, live chat or both. These chat tools can be integrated into Wix websites straight from the App Market. 5. Marketo: marketing automation Marketo is a leading marketing automation platform that can help online marketers simplify, streamline and personalize their marketing processes including marketing management and customer engagement. Marketo allows users to create personalized, scalable campaigns, identify top prospects and connect with the right customers. It’s also a powerful social marketing platform that helps with social promotion, sharing and engagement. Founded in 2006, it’s now the fourth most popular product in marketing stacks today (behind Google Analytics, LinkedIn and Twitter). 6. Intercom: customer engagement and lead generation Intercom is a customer data and messaging platform that can help your clients learn more about their site visitors and communicate with prospective and current customers. The platform can be used to: Gather customer information for segmentation Use chatbots to help capture and convert leads Send targeted, behavior-driven messages to engage and retain customers And offer self-service support Intercom’s platform offers more than 100 integrations, which can help simplify martech stack construction. 7. Outreach: sales engagement Outreach is a sales engagement tool that automates sales and marketing processes with one goal in mind: enable marketers to focus on targeting the best prospects and allow sales reps to create meaningful connections with them. The tool provides marketers targeted methods to move prospects and customers along their purchase paths, and gives sales reps a series of measurable tactics to connect with them. And because both teams use the same system, leads are less likely to get lost or mishandled. 8. Privy: sales engagement The top 25% of eCommerce websites have an average conversion rate of just 5.3%. That’s a lot of abandoned carts. Privy seeks to increase website conversions and revenue by engaging new visitors with welcome messages and offers, then following up with targeted popups, banners, bars, landing pages, and more. They aim to reduce abandoned carts with these targeted messages and drive repeat visits with automated emails. 9. Form-building tools: Wix Forms and 123FormBuilder From surveys to sign-ups, your clients can gather information they need to generate leads and learn about their audience. Form-building tools are the easiest way to create user-friendly forms with options like multiple fields, drag-and-drop questions and an array of different colors and structures. Here are a couple of form builders you can use: Wix Forms make it easy for your clients to collect information about their site visitors. Choose a form template and customize it the way you want. The tool is mobile friendly and notifies your client instantly when a form is submitted. Plus, it’s seamlessly integrated with Wix’s CRM, so form data is fed directly into your client’s Wix Contacts app. 123FormBuilder can help any business create web forms and surveys without coding. Form templates are included for lead capture, event registration, appointments, job applications and more. And you can personalize forms to match your client’s site. 10. Wix Bookings: fast and easy customer bookings Online shoppers demand fast, easy service, and they’ll quickly leave a site they find it slow and inefficient. Whether your client offers workshops, courses, or private sessions, Wix Bookings makes it quick and simple for customers to book services directly on their site. The tool improves the customer experience by taking online bookings 24/7, accepting secure payments and sending automatic email reminders. Plus, it helps your client by storing customer information and sharing service page links via social media, email and more. 11. Wix Events: keep site visitors up to date Keep your client’s website visitors informed and up to date by adding a beautiful calendar of upcoming events to the site with a single click. Make your listings more engaging and useful with images, links, and save event buttons. Connect your external calendars to automatically display all your events in one place, and sync them with Google, Outlook and other online calendars. Customize your calendar with fonts, colors, and layout designs, and choose from more than 30 supported languages. Analytics and optimization tools As websites become more complex and more competitive, marketers rely on data analytics to inform their strategy throughout the customer journey. Big data can show the way, but it can also be intimidating. These tools can guide your clients through large amounts of data to find the answers they need to grow their business. 1. Google Analytics: website analytics With a 40% market share, Google Analytics is the most widely used web analytics service on earth. The key to its success is the amount and quality of customer data it provides about website audiences. This data is then used to create and fine-tune a successful marketing strategy. Google Analytics collects a variety of data, but its value to online businesses is best understood in these three categories: Where your visitors are coming from and how they found you Visitor demographic details including age, location, interests and more How visitors interact with your site, including page popularity and content engagement Google Analytics can even help pinpoint when visitors leave the website or when customers abandon their carts on an eCommerce site. 2. Yandex Metrica: website analytics Yandex Metrica is a website analytics tool that helps your client evaluate the success of your marketing campaigns. This tool collects and analyzes detailed data and shows exactly how visitors interact with the site. Their tools include video recordings of user interactions including mouse movements and clicks, and web page heat maps that show where users pay the most attention. It also provides an intuitive dashboard to help your client assess data and create customized reports tools to get the answers they’re looking for. 3. LeanData: lead management Sales leads are gold, but handling them can be challenging. LeanData software helps your client manage leads by aligning sales and marketing to make sure reps are assigned the leads, contacts, accounts and opportunities they should work on. Plus, LeanData provides companies with detailed data that enables them to drill down into leads, accounts and campaigns, so they can optimize operations, close more deals and increase revenue faster. 4. VWO: sales engagement optimization VWO, aka Visual Web Optimizer, can help your client boost engagement by gaining new insights on their customers and test new ideas for improvement. VWO software shows how customers actually experience products and features. This data informs clients what their customers are looking for. For example, use VWO’s A/B testing process to compare two versions of a landing page to learn which performs best. It helps your client make data-driven decisions based on customer insights and experience for optimizing their website. 5. Segment: customer data management Businesses collect more customer data than ever before, yet only 46% of B2B marketers say they have a unified view of that data. Segment is a data management and analytics solution that helps your client manage and make sense of their customer data. By integrating with hundreds of other apps and pulling data into a single platform, it simplifies the process of collecting data. 6. Hotjar: conversion rate optimization Hotjar is a software solution that reveals visitor behavior through several analyses and feedback tools. These tools include heat maps and visitor recordings that show how users click and navigate through the site. This data can identify visitor motivation, desire and site usability. Feedback tools such as custom polls and surveys communicate what visitors want and what's preventing them from achieving it. The goal is to show what is and isn't working on your client's site to find opportunities to improve the experience and raise conversion rates. 7. Crazy Egg: conversion rate optimization Crazy Egg is another website optimization tool that gives detailed views of the user experience on your client’s website. With heatmaps, session recordings and A/B testing, you’ll know how visitors respond to the site. You can then use that data to pinpoint website issues, find out if your call-to-actions work and adjust site content to meet visitor needs. Crazy Egg can also help you drive traffic and boost conversions by analyzing key audiences such as new visitors and mobile users. You can also track your email ad campaign visitors’ behavior on the site. 8. Visitor Analytics: detailed data on visitor behavior Detailed visitor data is essential to optimizing your client’s website design and marketing strategy. Visitor Analytics can provide rich data that reveals insights on: visitor behavior, page visits, new and returning customers and even the browser and device they used. 9. Everstring: predictive analytics for better lead scoring Most marketers use lead-scoring models to help identify consumers with high intent. Your clients can supercharge their lead-scoring models with Everstring, which leverages predictive analytics to increase buying signals to more targeted leads. Everstring’s data-driven research can help build profiles of ideal customers in minutes, identify the best target accounts quickly and prioritize accounts in your CRM or marketing automation. Step-by-step guide to designing your client’s Martech stack 1. Determine your client’s data needs 2. List the tools your client has now 3. Understand current and future business goals 4. Look for missing or redundant solutions 5. Start building your client’s stack Once your client’s strategy is set, it’s time to research and understand which tools to use to bring it to life. Along with a strategy, factors like budget, business type and your client’s target market will impact the choice of technologies. When selecting specific tools for your client’s Martech stack, focus on those that provide clear value for their users. Sounds obvious, but if you choose solutions with features you don’t absolutely need, they could impact how other tools work with each other and render your entire stack ineffectively. 1. Determine your client’s data needs Start out by determining your client’s data requirements—what they need to flawlessly execute their marketing strategy. Understand the data requirements needed to track key touchpoints in the consumer journey. 2. List the tools your client has now Don’t start building a stack before making a detailed list of all martech software regularly used by various groups throughout your client’s organization. 3. Understand current and future business goals List the business goals your client has for the quarter and their goals for the next three-to-five years. This will help you clearly see which martech solutions will help them scale over time. 4. Look for missing or redundant solutions As you review current and proposed solutions, keep an eye out for technologies that overlap or are missing in your client’s current Martech stack. For instance, several solutions that track customer relationships, but none that streamline collaboration among marketers. Be tough in your decision-making. Strive to match every vendor solution to a specific marketing goal, if it doesn’t have one, reconsider including it. 5. Start building your stack Now your marketing stack list should be ready to go, because the Martech tools you’ve kept and the ones you plan to add are precisely targeted to help your client reach their current and future goals.

Whether starting a web design business or looking to expand your established agency, you will need the right business model to fuel your success. The correct choice, though, won’t be the same for everyone. So much is dependent on the size of your operations, your client base, and the type of services you offer. While many models exist, the two we most recommend are a monthly retainer or project-based pricing. These models give you the necessary structure to build your operations, so your workflow runs smoothly and your clients leave satisfied with the quality of your work. In this article, we outline the idea behind each of these two business models, when each one works well, and what to consider before proceeding with one of them. Use this guide to figure out which business model best fits your agency or freelance consultancy. Project-based pricing model Also known as fixed or flat fee, it’s one of the most straightforward models for clients to understand. It puts a clear and defined price tag on a project from the start. While many newer businesses begin with hourly pricing, transitioning to a project-based model is a good opportunity for growth. That’s because, at a certain point, an hourly pricing model starts ‘punishing’ you for using your technical expertise to complete projects faster. Eventually, you’ll notice that you’re reaping a lower profit for the same exact tasks. A project-based pricing model, on the other hand, rewards the advanced skills you bring to the table. You’re selling the value of the deliverables you create for a client. When it works well: If you specialize in a few types of web projects, you have a great setup to optimize your speed with each round. As you finish each project even faster than the one before, and find ways to automate more stages of the web design process, charging based on value - as opposed to hours - will ensure you’re getting the compensation you deserve. Plus, reducing time spent on each will let you take on more projects. In tandem, those two outcomes will offer a boost to your bottom line. If you are looking to scale your business into higher pricing tiers, the project-based pricing model is a useful tool for reframing how you think about payment. If you need a way to ease into asking for more than you initially think you ‘should,’ this could be the right model for you. Especially if you have good data on how long projects generally take you, you’ll be able to gauge the ‘real’ hourly cost, and then adjust to reflect the value of your expertise and continued increases in your production efficiency. What to consider beforehand: Underestimating time: It’s human nature to underestimate time. When it comes to your business, that miscalculation can cost you if you’re using a project-based pricing model. Getting the number right takes a few rounds of experience, and refining your knack for estimating time. What to do: Avoid getting short-changed on your project pricing. If you’ve been using an hourly model up until now and methodically tracking your time, you should have a bank of data to reference when quoting a client. Scope creep: When scope creep starts calling in the form of additional client requests, it can leave businesses using a project-based pricing model with an uncomfortable dilemma. One option is requesting more money to move ahead with the request, which can make for an unpleasant client interaction. The other possibility is losing out on well-deserved profit if they don’t ask - not great for their bottom line or workplace morale. What to do: There’s a way to avoid this no-win situation altogether. From the start, sit down with clients to outline your procedures for late-stage project alterations. Finalize your discussion by incorporating that policy into your contract. Retainer fee pricing model As a professional, you’re the first one to know that a high-performing web presence doesn’t come with a fixed completion date. Instead, it’s a process that requires continual evaluation and adjustment. That’s where a website maintenance retainer agreement comes in. It’s a contract, either measured in time or value, of the work you will for an account each month. When would a monthly retainer be relevant? For instance, clients looking to use their web presence to advance concrete business goals, like increasing sales or growing a subscriber list, require ongoing analysis and optimization. Periodic services you would provide for them might include: SEO, social media marketing, A/B testing, and a regular email newsletter. When it works well: If you’re looking to scale your business into a more sustainable venture. The consistency of the monthly retainer offers a reliable source of income. This financial security gives you a base to rely on as you expand your client and project reach going forward. If you fear clients might hesitate at your project quote. Reframing the price as a monthly installment rather than one bulk expense minimizes sticker shock. Also, many clients will appreciate the structure of regular payments - or at least their accounting departments will. If you’re hoping to build a long-lasting relationship with your client. When you work with someone who you ‘click’ with professionally, it’s worth continuing to find excuses to embark on new projects together. A monthly retainer is the model that enables that. With ongoing communication and meetings built into your schedule, you have plenty of chances to build your relationship with this client, and continually improve how well you collaborate. It’s a great tactic for future business, whether with this account or with someone they refer. What to consider beforehand: Fear of commitment: Signing up for long-term maintenance services can be a big commitment for new clients to make right from the start. That hesitation can be due to a variety of reasons. Perhaps they’re not convinced yet of why they would need someone to take care of their email marketing or implement a multi-stage SEO strategy. Or they think it won’t be too much trouble to do it themselves. Maybe they’re waiting to build trust with you before turning over their business into your hands for the long haul. What to do: Consider starting new clients on the project-based pricing model, and then exploring moving them over to a monthly retainer later in the project. This gives you time to earn their trust, and also sufficiently educate them on the importance of website maintenance. Unexpected timing: If your website retainer runs according to value (i.e. you are obliged to provide a certain number of deliverables each month, rather than hours), you could find your workload taking much longer one month that it has previously, due to unforeseen factors. Unfortunately, under this model, you have no grounds for charging more that month. What to do: Advocate for a time-based monthly retainer that lets you detail the exact hours will you commit each month to a set number of tasks for that client. This will give you more precise numbers to work with as you calculate a feasible work schedule, taking employee and project numbers into account as you do. Both of these business models comes with their own advantages and disadvantages. Choosing the right one is a result of taking stock of where your business is today: your range of projects, the size of your client base, and your employee resources. Then, envision where you want it to be several years down the road. The business model you select should be the one that connects your current business reality to the one you want to create.

The honest truth is that business success will take more than your stellar web design skills alone. It will require managing your operations like a trained salesperson. Make sure all of your efforts to get new web design clients don’t go to waste. To progress a lead towards a signed contract - without them disappearing in the middle - you need to have a concrete sales process in place. It should be a well-defined flow that responds to each stage of the customer decision process. The seven-step sales process below outlines how to sell your web design services to prospective clients, so you can end the day with more closed deals. Before we get to that, let’s review what a sales process is and the tools you’ll need. What is a sales process? A sales process refers to a set of steps you take to get a potential client to ‘buy'. Or, in this case, to hire your services. There are two points to remember about these steps. First, each of these stages should be measurable and repeatable. Those are the building blocks for creating a standardized sales process that saves you from having to reinvent the wheel every time a new lead appears. Second, each step should correspond with a specific moment along the buyer pipeline, known as AIDA: awareness, interest, decision, and action. The best sales processes will be oriented around this buyer sequence, introducing the appropriate marketing outreach based on where the customer is at that moment. For example, let’s take a prospective client who’s reached the “Interest” stage of their journey. They know they want to buy, but are perhaps not sure about which vendor they trust or the specifics of the website they want. This person might visit your website to get a sense of who you are and fill out an intake form while there. A sales process is the infrastructure you need to receive and act on this information, guiding them from being interested to decision time. Why is a sales process important? Having a standardized system for managing your leads keeps potential business from slipping through the cracks. Starting a web design business from scratch? Establishing a clear sales process from the get-go gets a good routine in motion. Each incoming inquiry shouldn’t send you scrambling to draft a follow up calendar, or periodically rooting through your email history to remember when you last contacted them. Your time is more valuable than that. Instead, precisely map out how a lead should travel through the funnel of your marketing efforts. That could look something like this: To move a web visitor into a concrete lead, think about adding an email subscription pop-up, or intake form to your pages. And to continue a business relationship beyond one project, plan for when you should circle back with this person to stay in touch and re-pitch your services. Taking a streamlined approach doesn’t just save you time. When you visualize the entire sales process, you’ll be able to see where any breakdowns are happening in your conversion rate from one stage to the next. That way, you can optimize as needed. Professional tools for managing your sales process If you’ve been trying to keep track of your leads in your head until now, it’s no wonder if it’s felt like a burden. It’s time to give your sales process a fair shot at becoming the secret to your business success. You just need the right system to manage it all. With each step designed to be repeatable and measurable, the sales process is a perfect candidate for a standardized workflow. These are our recommendations for the sales process tools you need to stay on top of it all: Mapping the sales process One way to outline your process is through the sticky note method. Take a deck of sticky notes, and create a grid on the wall. The top row will have a note for each stage of the sales process. Below each header, write all the action items that belong to that section. Each one gets their own note, as well. Using sticky notes gives you flexibility to move things around or tweak until you feel you’ve reached an order that makes sense. It’s like a sales process first draft. It’s also what you can use to look for patterns and start creating some order in your operations. For instance: A consistent task in your lead connection stage will be following up with clients via email after the first phone call. Once you’ve settled on your action items, formalize this order into a sales process checklist or flowchart - whatever format makes the most sense to you. You’ll keep referring back to this document as new leads enter your sales funnel and you strategize how to advance them to the next phase. Track every lead that comes your way No matter the number of incoming leads you have, you should definitely be utilizing a CRM (customer relationship management) system. It’s simply too much to keep track of each person’s individual sales path and follow-up status. Let a sophisticated business solution take care of that for you. Your CRM should give you the space to input all relevant details on your contacts, from how to get in touch to where they are in the sales journey. It should also let you create tasks, set reminders, and manage your workflow, so you never have to worry about missing a beat when it comes to your leads. Analyze and optimize The whole point of having a well-defined sales process and a trustworthy CRM is that you can measure it all. The most interesting questions to pursue are: For those leads that disappeared before signing a contract - why did they not continue along the funnel? How long does it take, on average, to close a deal with an incoming lead? Taking stock of the following data will help you answer these questions: total leads, number of leads contacted, number you connected with, leads in progress, deals closed, leads lost or rejected. When all these figures are available, it’s possible to see which phases are serving their purposes, and which could use some strengthening. A good CRM lets you regularly apply these kind of data-driven insights. While sales are certainly not an exact science, the seven steps in this guide provide a solid foundation to get you started. As you put them into practice, the data you collect will help you shape these recommendations into a custom sales process that works for you and helps you close the deal with more leads. The 7 stages of an effective sales process Finding new web design clients Qualifying your leads Making a discovery call Delivering your sales pitch Addressing client objections Closing the deal Following up with your customers 01. Finding new web design clients The objective is always finding the “perfect client fit.” They are the ones who bode good news for your bottom line, and who will know how to make use of your skills and time. We cover how to do that in our guide, Finding Your Next Web Design Client. To quickly summarize, though: First, outline your ideal customer profile, running through factors like professional industry, geographic location, and budget. Once this user persona is complete, use it to design your lead generation strategy so you’re targeting the right audiences. Your plan should include online and offline sources, from forums on social media platforms to meetups for professionals or industry conferences. Lead generation is one of the most important steps of the web design process, as it gets your message in front of the eyes of your most likely clients and helps you filter out projects that aren’t a good match before you’ve invested time in them. The goal: To make potential clients aware of your business. 02. Qualifying your leads Thanks to your prospecting, prospective clients are looking up your website and social channels. How are you leveraging this awareness into an active interest in your brand? And - importantly - do you have a way of differentiating between the project requests you receive? Placing an intake form on your website can help you figure out if you and this potential client could make a good team together. The questions you pose should get at each letter of the acronym BANT. It stands for budget, authority, need, and timeline, and it’s the standard many professionals use to evaluate the quality of incoming leads. On-site intake form The most important fields to include are: Contact information and current business website (if one exists) What service is needed Timeline Budget Many expert web builders make as many of these options as possible multiple choice or a drop-down menu. They find this format increases the chance visitors fill out the form completely. Continue using the BANT mindset when reviewing submissions. If someone’s listed budget is significantly below your lowest price, or if the service they’re requesting is not something you provide, you already have an answer right there. For leads that do look promising, however, the next round is getting the person on the phone. The goal: Gauging a prospective client’s interest, compatibility, and business needs. 03. Making a discovery call Initial phone call A promising lead has come in, either through your website or as a product of one of your other lead generation tactics. Calling right away comes off as professional, plus gets the ball rolling on this next venture. Many web designers say they’ve had more success talking on the phone at first - as opposed to email - although this can vary based on your market demographic so it’s worth some experimentation. The initial phone call is rarely a one-off endeavor. You won’t always get through on the first try. Or the prospect will be busy and ask you to call back. Or, or, or… You get the idea. Here is a suggested timetable for establishing that first contact: Day 0: As soon as you get the lead, call them right away. Day 3: Email in the morning, call in the afternoon. Day 5: Call in the morning, call and leave a voicemail in the afternoon. Day 7: Email in the morning, call in the afternoon with a voicemail. At whatever point you reach them on the phone, use the time to further explore the answers they provided to your intake form, and to close any gaps in information. Listen carefully to how they present their decision to shop for a new website, redesign, or any other digital marketing service. How are they hoping this service will benefit their business? The information you gather here will be essential later on, when you develop a sales pitch that wins you this client. Before you hang up, close by agreeing upon next steps. Instead of the vague, ‘Let’s talk in a couple days,’ set up a meeting to speak and move forward in two days. In all instances, send a follow up email to recap whatever you discussed. Following up on the unanswered phone call As we mentioned above, some people won’t answer the phone on your first try. To make sure you still appear on their radar, it’s a good idea to send an email a few days after that initial outreach. Let them know you tried to reach out, and give them a callback number. We also recommend letting them know you’ll try again at a specified time and date, to set expectations. Some tips to remember when you’re composing your message: Personalize it: Add their name, and a short line that shows you read what they wrote on their intake form, or even that you did some quick research into their brand. Make it easy to take the next step: Consider including a link to a calendar scheduler so they can book a time to talk to you. Finish with a question: Orient the conversation towards next steps and open the door to further communication. The goal: Move a potential client from showing interest to being decision-ready by listening carefully to their pain points and emphasizing your experience with similar projects. 04. Delivering your sales pitch Once a client is interested in what you have to offer, your mission is making them see you as a the right choice for their business. There’s no better way to accomplish that then by hitting the project proposal out of the park. Background research A quality proposal weaves in the information you’ve gathered from your initial conversations with a prospective client, any materials they’ve sent, and your own research into their brand. When the prospect sits down to read it, they should easily be able to recognize themselves in the vision you lay out. To do this, use your first meeting with a client to explore: Their business model, profit margins, and needs. The challenges they are currently facing as a business. Understanding the backstory that prompted someone to contact you will inform - and strengthen - the plan you present. Web design proposal In the proposal, draw direct links between the challenges a client has named and the services you provide. You are offering more than the commodity of a website. You are selling a business solution. In your initial consultation, as well as in your proposal, continually demonstrate the value you can bring to a client’s brand. Instead of going for the cliche pushy marketing stance, position yourself as an educational resource. Establishing your dependability and expertise will earn the trust of the potential customer - paving the way to a contract. The goal: Display your expertise and credibility to make the case for why a client should make the decision to trust you with their business’ growth. 05. Addressing client objections It’s one thing to convince a client of how a new website would benefit their business. Getting them to actually commit to hiring you and seeing the project through will take some additional work on your part. (Try these psychology-backed principles to make more sales.) Especially when a sticky topic like pricing is involved, it’s easy for a lead to balk and disappear at this stage of the sales pipeline. What’s the process you can rely on here to keep discussions moving forwards towards a signed deal? Work with the client to identify their hesitations Clients won’t always come out right away with their objections. They may be embarrassed, or unsure, and find that not responding to your messages is sometimes easier than naming their hesitations. To avoid this kind of sudden silence, promise yourself you won’t leave a web design proposal presentation without a follow up call scheduled into each of your calendars. That kind of accountability will help keeps the whole process moving forward. In that phone conversation, reiterate the value you stand to add to their business, as well as what gives you a cutting edge over other competitor solutions. Whether it’s your affordable pricing, the holistic marketing packages you have available, or the design accolades you’ve won that attest to the quality of your work - say it out loud. If a prospective client is debating between you and another agency or consultancy - or deliberating about the idea of a website at all - this is your time to be clear about your USP (unique selling proposition). What do they stand to miss out on by not pursuing their web design with you? Sometimes a prospect might just need this final pep talk. Other times, their concerns run deeper. In those cases, continue speaking until you’ve gotten a good idea of what’s holding them back. What to do in the case of a price hangup If the obstacle at hand is the price tag, it’s tempting to immediately lower your prices in the name of closing the deal. We say: don’t. Instead, try these strategies first: Explain the value you bring to their business again. Put concrete numbers on this impact, drawing on the goals you stated in your web design proposal (e.g. Increasing the on-site conversion rate by 20% over the next six months). Connect this back to the business challenges they named, and the role the website will serve in tackling them. llustrate the reverse scenario. Without taking advantage of your web design services, what will the impact be of that lost potential value? Round out this point with numbers, as well (e.g. By not investing in a website, they stand to miss out on 300 new visitors per day). Throw in some perks. Only after trying the two strategies above do we recommend turning to this one. Come up with a short list before your conversation of tasks that require a minimal amount of time, such as compiling a monthly newsletter from their blog posts, or a weekly post on social. Sometimes the addition of these benefits can soften a potential client’s stance on your price, and help them feel they’re getting more value for their money. The goal: Make it clear why, in a competitive field of other web designers, a client should opt for your brand. Leave them without a doubt about what makes you stand out, and what their business stands to gain by making the decision to sign a contract with you. 06. Closing the deal Once any client objections have been cleared, you can proceed to the contract stage. The standard document you use should cover all of your bases: pricing, deadlines, client assets, late fees, to name a few. After implementing all of the specifics you agreed upon throughout your conversations with a client, you can send it along for the signature. It’s also a good practice to include the final web design proposal within the same email for reference. Set a deadline for when you will need the final signed copy back in your hands - two to four business days from when you send it should suffice. Only once you’ve received it should you commence work. The goal: The client takes the necessary action to becoming an active customer and proceed with the project. 07. Following up with your client The sales journey doesn’t close with the signing of a contract. Instead of constantly having to seek out fresh faces to market to - which can drain your resources - turning current customers into a stable source of new business is one of the most efficient methods for finding new clients. A good sales process prepares you to keep nurturing this lead. Assign the appropriate ‘ask’ to each check-in, and use your CRM to keep it all in check: Before the project ends: Start pitching some of your additional services - known as upselling - even before you’ve transferred over the website. A good time to hand your client a list of these offerings is during the site handover. It’s also an appropriate moment to subscribe the client to your newsletter, if you have one. Immediately after the project: After you’ve wrapped up a project, immediately mail a handwritten thank you note. This gives you a window to ask for a review, or to refer additional clients your way. Months following the project: At three months, six months, and one year after the handoff, send a friendly ‘hello’ message, inquiring how your clients are doing and gently reminding them you’re available for future questions or collaboration. National holidays: These days are an easy excuse to drop a friendly line in a client’s inbox and keep your name on their radar. The goal: Continue evoking the awareness, interest, decision, and action of your established client for future projects down the line. By Joanna Kramer Editor, Wix Partner Blog

Let’s turn the tables for a moment. We’re so used to thinking in the mindset of searching for new leads and managing client relationships. But think back to the last time when you took a turn as the customer. How did your experience on the client-side influence your feelings about the overall business? More specifically, did it affect whether you’d return again for their product or service? When done right, investing in a strong relationship with clients fosters trust, brand loyalty, and repeat customers. So whether you know this to be true from the point of view of the consumer or the provider, it’s easy to understand why clients are a critical ingredient for company sustainability and profitability. Let’s take a look at the role a good customer relationship can play in growing your business, and five best practices for how to build lasting relationships with clients. The importance of building relationships with clients Building rapport with customers is a smart business move, plain and simple. You’ll see the positive effects on multiple sectors of your work. Reason #1: Higher client retention rate and increased referrals Many web designers attest to the 80/20 principle: 80% of their sales come from 20% of their customers. A distribution like that can only happen if clients have enjoyed the experience of working with you, and if you’ve invested some time during the project in building customer loyalty. The result? Less time spent on chasing down new leads to fill your calendar. Reason #2: Facilitate a more seamless web design process There are two client relationships management best practices that have the power to transform the entire web design process: alignment and excellent communication. Syncing early on about expectations, vision, and timeline for the project lays the groundwork for a smooth partnership ahead. Setting firm boundaries and prioritizing open and clear conversation helps keep the work process from getting derailed by disagreement. We’ll discuss these strategies more below. Reason #3: Enjoy your projects! Web designing can - and should - be fun. Relating to your clients on a people-to-people level is a big part of that. Instead of basing your interactions purely on deadlines, payments, and feedback, open up the relationship to collaborative brainstorming, pleasant conversation, and connecting over your shared experiences as business owners (or other topics you have in common). It also helps to create a realistic client project timeline to ease deadline stress. We bet you’ll find the resulting laughter and empathic understanding alters the dynamic between the two of you, and therefore the project overall. Now that we’ve covered why exactly building relationships with clients is so essential to your web design business, let’s move into how to forge those strong connections. 5 best practices for building great client relationships Understand your client Actively build trust through collaboration Practice clear communication and set boundaries Remember your client is human, too Standardize your follow up 01. Understand your client Before you start looking for your next client, spend some time identifying the characteristics you would want in your ideal collaborator. Consider the following questions: What is the client’s professional field? What is the size of their target audience? What is their budget? How would their colleagues describe their default role within a team? What are their major personality traits? This sample profile is useful for generating leads that are right for your business. It guides how you structure your search, targeting the sectors and networks where you’re likely to find good prospective customers. Knowing your ‘red flags’ also helps you preemptively filter out leads that may lead to a less productive working relationship, whether that’s for budget reasons, personality type, or a project that’s of no interest to you. Once you find new clients, suddenly a real person replaces your mock persona. Because a successful web design project begins with extensive client research, another round of information gathering is in order. For a more in-depth outline of this research step and how it can help you craft a winning web design proposal, see The Step-by-Step Guide to Optimizing Your Web Design Process. In short, make it your mission to learn as much as possible about your client. That includes: business goals, project vision, aesthetic preferences, brand identity and story, and other involved stakeholders. An initial client meeting is a great time to explore these topics, and ask for any additional assets (e.g. brand guidelines) that could help further your understanding. This step builds towards a good customer relationship for several reasons: The client will be impressed by your ability to frame your project proposal within the larger context of their business. The design choices you propose along the way will be informed by the ‘larger picture,’ and your knowledge of the client’s taste and needs. That means a higher chance the client will like what they see at each stage, saving you time and impressing the client with your professionalism. Time is often synonymous with value. Spending time learning about your client, and shaping the project according to what they share, is another way of saying: ‘I value and respect you.’ What better feeling to convey to a client to earn their loyalty in the long-term? To expand on that last point, understanding your client helps you access empathy for them. This relational technique asks you to try and approach each conversation from their perspective. Sometimes the aspects that are most obvious to you - like how the client feedback process works - are nothing more than a murky question mark for them. They just might be too embarrassed to say so. Or not even realize what they don’t know. When you step in their shoes, you are doing a big service to both them and you. You might notice the clarity of your explanations improve. Or the way you ask questions, and the focus with which you listen to the answers, might change. On paper, these may seem like small matters. But when it comes to how they impact clients, they’re a big deal. Showing you understand your client makes them feel heard, and helps them trust you with their vision. 02. Actively build trust through collaboration While understanding is the fundamental layer to building trust between you and your client, there are a few other techniques you can employ to continue strengthening the relationship. Starting from client interaction number one, take care to define all industry jargon. When you mention a revision round, explain what that is. When you say you’ll send a wireframe after two weeks, show your client a sample one you have on your computer, so they can picture what you’re talking about. Clearing the smoke screen in front of the web design process will make your client feel more included, highlight your expertise, and prove that their business is in capable hands. As you will probably be working with many business owners, who are used to making executive decisions independently, it can feel jarring to hand over control to a new face. Practicing empathy and doing your best to walk them through every step will go a long way in minimizing some of their hesitation. Similarly, it’s generally helpful to remember that, just as you are the expert in web design, the client is the expert of their own business. Mine each of your respective bodies of knowledge to tackle questions of audience targeting, usability, and brand voice. Combining forces is the key to an outstanding completed project. Soliciting your client’s opinion and engaging them in a discussion shows you take what they have to say seriously. They will trust you all the more for it. 03. Practice clear communication and set boundaries It always comes back to this: communication, communication, communication. As we mentioned above, demystifying the web design process does wonders for bringing a client onboard and making the project a true team effort. Good communication doesn’t just happen when you need to define new words, though. Early on, clarify the logistics surrounding what lies ahead. This includes stating the hours when clients can expect you to be available for questions, the assets you will require from them and when, the number and timing of revisions you grant, project timeline, and budget. Once you’ve verbally confirmed each of these points, formalize them in the signed contract to avoid scope creep. So often, conflict can be easily prevented by managing expectations through open and direct communication. It’s yet another way to engage with the client as a contributor, rather than as a distant outsider. When you ask for their input during regular client feedback opportunities, and send regular updates about your progress, it puts you well on the road to building positive relationships with your clients. 04. Remember your client is human, too The phrase ‘customer business relationship’ alone conjures up an image of two people sitting stiffly across from each other, wearing suits. It definitely doesn’t have to be like that. Remembering the person inside of your client will be a key to bridging the gap between the two of your and forming a great working relationship. A natural point to begin with this is during your initial client meeting when you’re asking all of those questions about their brand and business objectives. Amidst all of the technical talk, find the space to ask how they found themselves in this line of work. What personally motivates them? What was their professional journey? And just as importantly: Who are their families? Pets? What are their upcoming travel plans? Inviting them to share of themselves (and reciprocating with your answers!) helps you see them in a new light, and introduces a new level of comfort to your interactions. There will be many more opportunities for further conversation over the course of the project. If you have an in-person check in, treat them to a coffee or lunch after. Building these informal moments into your workflow with a client alleviates some of the intensity that can arise in the midst of fast-paced professional decisions, and makes it way easier to genuinely understand who they are. 05. Standardize your follow up Using the tips above, you’ve managed to reach the launch date of the new website with a satisfied customer. After spending so much time learning each other’s working rhythms and style preferences, the natural next step is earning them as a customer for the long term. Even if a client had an overwhelmingly positive experience working with you, life gets busy and contacting you about that new idea for a landing page they had, or a maintenance question pertaining to the recently completed website, can easily fall to the wayside. That’s why a standardized follow up process is crucial for client retention. After you’ve wrapped up a project, done the site handover, and immediately mailed that handwritten thank you note (it’s a winner every time), make a note for yourself to loop back in at three months, six months, and one year after. On each date, send a friendly ‘hello’ message, inquiring how they’re doing and gently reminding them you’re available for future questions or collaboration. There’s no need to try and keep track of all of those days in your head, though. (And that’s just for one client. What happens when you have five, ten, one hundred?) A comprehensive business solution, like Ascend by Wix, lets you create tasks, set reminders, and manage your workflow so you never have to worry about missing a beat on your follow up. You can also schedule reminders to contact past clients on major national holidays. These moments present an easy excuse to say hi, yet the fact that you took the time to do so will go a long way. The more you are able to form a more personal relationship, the easier and more natural these check-ins will be. That way, when one of these emails coincides with a new business need on their part, the client is way more likely to respond with: ‘Yes! When do we start?’

Make satisfied customers and a hassle-free site handover staples of each of your projects. Even though the ownership transition is generally the last stage of the web design process, there are two reasons why you should start talking about it with clients as early on as possible. First, having clear project expectations keeps a collaboration on track and prevents mistaken assumptions about the end product. Second, making the site handover an open and ongoing conversation gives you plenty of opportunities to advertise your maintenance services, if you offer them. As you build trust and rapport with your client, you will probably notice the shift in how your pitch is received. It’s time to make those two conditions a reality for your business. The best practices described below will help ensure the client handoff is a seamless moment. Plus, look for a pro tip in each section for even more actionable advice. This is the website handover checklist you can start using today for your own business. 01. Set mutual expectations for the site handover with your client Define from the outset exactly what you mean by the term ‘site handover.’ Your client most likely will have little to no familiarity with the way website building works overall, not to mention the particulars of the handoff. So, as you’re reviewing the stages of your web design process in your initial client meeting, elaborate on what this stage entails. It can be easier to open with what a site handover is not. It is not a fixed stopping point for the website, or an indication that the pages can run themselves ‘hands-free’ from then on. This can be a common misunderstanding on the client’s side when it comes to the world of web design. Rather, a site handover is a transfer of responsibility: from the web designer or developer to the paying customer. There are still many ongoing tasks to tend to that are critical to the site’s functionality. So a site handover is about deciding with the client who will take charge of managing this list. In a complete handover, the client will assume the full weight of continuous web monitoring and optimization. However, another possibility is that you will perform this maintenance. That is, the client will be the owner, but you will be contracted to conduct A/B testing, implement social campaigns, drive forward an SEO strategy, or whatever else you agree upon. No matter which form of a handover you’re doing, use these two questions to set your client’s expectations for what happens at that stage: 1. What deliverable will your client receive? This answer goes beyond a ‘website.’ A specific answer will mention a unique domain name, the kind of Premium package you’re using to build their website, noted accompanying features, and any marketing integrations you plan to enable. And, of course, the date on which they can expect it all to be transferred to their Wix account. Just like any other shopping experience, consumers want to know from the get-go what they’re getting in exchange for their money. Don’t make them wait till the end to do the big reveal. Being upfront about the value you’re providing will position you as trustworthy, and prevent miscommunication between you and your client. 2. What work will you do after the site handover to refresh and update the website? As you describe the site handover, review the list of tasks that must be regularly completed to maintain good website health. This would also be the moment to present any services you offer that can support clients in meeting that standard. If your client is interested, decide together which actions you’re taking on. Even if you don’t offer additional maintenance, you might find running through this list is still a smart business move. It helps clients better understand the scope of your work, so they’re not holding you to expectations that are beyond your job description. Be sure to cover these five key topics: Technical support. If you regularly use Wix to build websites for your clients, you’re probably pretty familiar with its platform by now. While Wix offers customer support, you can also take advantage of your extensive knowledge of its ‘ins and outs’ to offer customer assistance. Clients tend to see the value in a support agent with the most in-depth understanding of their website around. Minor updates. As the client gets to know their website in the months following the handover, they might discover there some elements they would like to change after second thought, or adjust to match a new company initiative. Clarify both your availability to work on these kinds of changes, and what you consider to be within the scope of this category. If you are open to being contacted for these alterations after a handoff, it’s worth explaining the difference between a major and minor revision to your client. There are certain fixes that require minimal time and come at a lower price point. Then there are those requests which you can immediately tell will mean a full design or structural overhaul. From your client’s perspective, it can be difficult to tell just how much work is needed to execute their new idea. Offer up some examples of each kind of revision, so they know the fee to expect and whether their proposal will be classified as a ‘follow up’ or a new project of its own. Site optimization. This area makes it clear why a handover is in no way code for a website going stagnant. There is always room for tweaking and improving, based on careful analysis of web visitor behavior from a variety of marketing integrations. The data is there, and rich with insights for new directions - it just takes someone with the time and understanding to interpret what they’re seeing and translate it into a site edit. Because many clients might not have the time or expertise to fulfill this role, you have a compelling case for presenting your capabilities. Perhaps it’s a weekly report on new traffic. Or utilizing heat maps to inform a periodic A/B test. And even if you don’t offer site optimization services, at least brief your client on the necessity of these adjustments for the healthy functioning of their site. Marketing services. Once a client has a brand new website, the next step is making it work for them. It could be generating new leads, selling products, building a community, or whatever else the identified business goal may be. A weekly blog post, monthly email newsletter, or a sales campaign on social channels are all means to that objective. Illustrate for your client how their website fits into a larger marketing initiative, and, if relevant, how you are uniquely poised to make that connection. Business consultancy. This angle is suitable if you or a team member has sales and advertising experience. New businesses in particular might be looking for guidance in how to link their online, social media, and email marketing efforts. Using the two questions above, you can determine what web maintenance needs to be done and who will do it. Now, the remaining decisions you have to make revolve around the logistics of the handoff. First up is finalizing the steps leading up to the handover. This will look a little different for each web professional, depending on how you structure your payments. The important thing is that you do have an outlined process, and that you share it with your customers. For example, if you charge 50% upfront and 50% before publishing, here is one common timeline: Share the link to preview the live site. In your message, enclose a final approval form to be signed by your client after viewing your finished work. Receive the signed approval form back from the client. Send the client an invoice. Receive the payment. Publish the site, and transfer ownership to their account. At the end of this conversation, formalize everything you talked about (the specifics of your deliverable, site maintenance responsibilities, and the timeline for payment and handover) into your signed contract. Having a document on hand to refer back to further down the line is helpful for preventing scope creep, and staying on track with project goals. Pro tip: Clients might not grasp just yet how extensive an effort it can be to manage a website. Even if they decline your services during your initial project meeting, it doesn’t mean the conversation is over. You can revisit the option at later stages of the web design process (e.g. during the handover itself). 02. Maintain login ownership until the end The culinary world can’t claim the phrase ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ entirely for their own. When it comes to web design, the same principle applies. If both you and your client have full access to the website in the midst of the creation stages, you can only imagine how quickly things can get messy. Instead, use your own email address and Wix account to create the website. You won’t want to miss any important emails from Wix that arrive to that inbox, or place the burden of forwarding every incoming mail on your client. When you design through your own account, it gives you full control during the creation stages. There’s no fear that stakeholders from the client side might unexpectedly edit your work or accidentally change something before you were finished building an element. It’s also a smart business measure. You hold the site ownership and login permission in your hands, a major incentive for collecting a client’s final payment. We can’t emphasize it enough times: Never transfer ownership until you have received that last installment. The transfer itself is super straightforward on Wix. Take screenshots of your work for your portfolio (before a client enters and makes any changes), and then transfer ownership into your client’s account. If a client eventually contracts you for a future project on the same website, they can easily make you a site contributor to re-grant you access. You can also recommend that the client makes a duplicate version of the site in their own account. One can be an unpublished site that acts as their own personal ‘sandbox’ to experiment with as they grow more accustomed to the Wix platform. The other remains an untouched published site. Pro tip: We strongly suggest never publishing a website too close to a weekend. As much testing and checking as we do beforehand, life sometimes chooses to throw curveballs our way in the form of a bug, design inconsistency that somehow escaped our attention, or a service interruption in the domain email connected to the site. In the event this happens, you don’t want to find yourself in the position of hassling your client or team members on the weekend, or dedicating your own Saturday to investigating the source of the problem. Mid-week is generally the safest bet for going live. That way you’ll also have left enough time for the site to propagate (generally takes up to 48 hours) and for your chosen meta tags to update after the site is indexed. 03. Organize a website 101 crash course for your client Immediately after the website is completed and published, schedule a meeting with your client to teach them how to use their new business tool. In-person meetings are generally preferable, although any format that lets you chat as you share your screen works, too. Kick things off by restating the project summary and objective. When you frame your presentation using their own business strategy and expressed goals for growth, it’s evident how seriously you took the job at hand. It’s also a chance to speak in a language they’re familiar with before launching into the more technical fine points of website monitoring and optimization. Opening like this helps clients feel more at home in the meeting. Proceed to walk through all notable website features, CRM (customer relations management) capabilities, and marketing integrations. This moment is yet another gateway for upselling. Your client might not have grasped the additional workload required for maximally effective web maintenance until this training. Pro tip: There’s no need to create a presentation from scratch for each handoff meeting. You can find plenty of ready-made educational resources available to adapt and use in the Tools and Guides available to Wix Partners. For example, the ‘Wix Site Handover Kit’ was made exactly for a moment like this one. 04. Prepare a thorough offboarding packet On top of holding a training session, leave your client with a training manual. It’s yet another way to set them up for success on their new website and leave them impressed by your professionalism and thoughtfulness. A guide should include the following: Login credentials to their Wix account (if you created one for them). A style guide with records of the fonts, colors, and other branding visuals you’ve selected. Assets and icon files used. Relevant instructions and tutorials. Take the time to include guides that are tailored to their specific website’s function (e.g. for a blog-oriented site, it’s important to detail how to share a blog post directly to social media, send it out via an email blast, and how to optimize the post for SEO). FAQs. After a few rounds of web design projects, you will probably notice patterns in the most common questions coming your way. A list of your additional marketing and maintenance services. Pro tip: Take a screen recording during your training session, and send it along with this packet so clients can literally follow along from home. 05. Stay in touch and upsell The launch button doesn’t immediately turn a website into some museum fossil. There’s still plenty of work to do to keep its pages fresh with content and optimized for performance and search engines. Clients might find out pretty quickly all those tweaks and content updates are adding up to more hours than they originally accounted for. Even if they previously declined your supplementary web maintenance services, you might suddenly find yourself with a more receptive audience. Get your name back on their radar by following up with each of your clients on a regular schedule. The idea is reappearing in a client’s inbox at just the moment when it’s starting to dawn on them that they could use some extra support. Start immediately after project completion with a thank you email that includes a short reminder about the range of your business offerings. Then, set calendar reminders for yourself for three months, six months, and one year out. At each of those dates, check back in with your client to ask how they are enjoying their website. This will also serve as a gentle reminder that you are there should they have any questions, want to schedule a refresher training, or are seeking advice to take full advantage of their site’s functionality. Another natural time to drop a quick email ‘hello’ is on major holidays. Pro tip: When a client does reach out, slipping back into your old collaborative relationship becomes even easier if you’ve kept careful records of content files, contracts and invoices, revision documentation, and email communication throughout your first round of working together. Use your archive to brush up on the original project and remind yourself of the client’s preferences and working style. Not only do you get to show off your ‘detailed memory,’ but you’ll save time and impress your client when you reconnect a year later. We want to hear from you! What are the pro tips you use to manage your site handover process? By Joanna Kramer Editor, Wix Partners Blog