How to Market Graphic Design Services to Small Businesses

Are you aware of the vast opportunity that's waiting for you? Every day, thousands of new small businesses are launched, and they are actively looking for small business graphic design services, but don't know where to turn.

In this article, you'll learn exactly how to market graphic design services to small businesses in 6 proven steps.

Let's dive in!

1. Define what you offer and to whom

"I can do it all" approach reduces a designer to just "anyone" and throws them into a ruthless price competition.

For a profitable freelance career, move away from being a generalist and specialize in a specific field—in other words, define your niche. 

The trap of being a generalist

It creates confusion.

You might think showcasing dozens of different skills in your portfolio is an advantage, but for a small business, it's incredibly confusing. They can't figure out your specialty, won't bother digging through your entire portfolio, and will simply move on.

But when you have a niche specialty, you know exactly which clients to target.

The moment a potential client sees your portfolio, they see their own business reflected, and a spark ignites. This acts like a magnet, attracting more targeted clients who are willing to pay a premium for specialized skills.

Why do small businesses choose specialists?

When a small business owner looks for a designer, they're looking for a business partner who "gets" 

• their business, 
• their market, 
• their customers, and 
• their challenges.

Now, that's what we call expertise.

• Deep industry knowledge: As a niche designer, you speak the industry's language, know its trends, and understand customer expectations. This leads to faster, more effective results with fewer revisions.
• ‍Increased value: When you specialize in a subject, your client sees you as more valuable than a generalist who can do any job. This perception makes the client more willing to pay more.
• ‍Trust and confidence: When a client sees successful projects from their own industry in your portfolio, a bond of trust forms quickly. They think, "This designer has worked with people like me and succeeded, which means they'll understand my needs too."

Finally, let's look at some examples of industry niches:

• Brand identity and menu design for restaurants and cafes
• Packaging design for independent beauty and cosmetics brands
• User interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design for tech startups
• Website, brochure, and social media designs for the real estate sector
• Concert posters, album covers, and artist brand identity for the music industry

Tip: You can choose multiple niches, but I would say it’s better to have only a few of them and create different packages for each. So you can showcase your graphic design services impressively. 

2. Speak outcomes, not tools

They don’t want to learn the process of your work. But they care about the process of their cooperation with you and the benefit they will get in the end. 

Here, the tools can have two meanings:

1- For small businesses, a "beautiful logo" is a tool, not the end goal. 

Their real goals are to look more professional, earn customer trust, stand out from the competition, and ultimately, increase sales. Therefore, your approach to selling design should emphasize the business outcome.

2- Adobe Illustrator or Canva is a tool. A memorable and bold brand identity that converts is an outcome. 

This kind of marketing language transforms your design service from a business expense into an essential investment for growth.

I’m not saying never mention the tools. Sure, you will talk about the tools when needed, but the primary focus of your message will be on the outcome. For example, you can name your service package after the benefit and make a list of tools in the description. 

See this profile on Ruul Space as an example. He is a designer selling services. We can see the tools as tags under his profile and his services separately, such as beautiful posters and 3D designs. 

3. Productize your services

Productizing your services is one of the most modern ways to transition to a more scalable and predictable business model. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with recurring design needs find this especially attractive.

So, what exactly is Design as a Service?

Instead of the 'I'll do a custom project for you' approach, the Design as a Service (DaaS) model involves packaging specific design services.

The client isn't investing in an uncertain process but in a package with defined features, a price, and a delivery time, just like a product. This is similar to picking a design service "off the shelf" and buying it, kind of like e-commerce.

Example,

Monthly Social Media Package:

• Content - 3 custom-branded social media post designs per month (these can be template-based or fully custom), 2 Instagram Story designs, and profile picture/cover photo updates as needed.

• Pricing (example) -  Between $269 per month.
• And a button: “Subscribe Service”

📌 With Ruul Space, you can package and sell your design services to your clients. Sales + invoicing - payment collection all in one place!

4. Create a lean portfolio

A portfolio should guide visitors toward a sale step-by-step, be concise, and contain no unnecessary details.

• A strong headline
• An "About Me" section (keep it brief)
• Case studies, work samples
• Solution & process
• Result & impact
• Services page
• CTA (call to action)
• Contact page
• Customer testimonials (if you have them)

You can present your portfolio as a PDF file or use one of the many portfolio-building platforms. Some of them even allow you to create your own personal link.

Ruul Space is a platform where you can have all these + a button to sell your graphic design services directly on the portfolio. 

Let me show you.

Here, Miles has a title, contact info, and work samples. Under, there are buttons to buy his services. 

This is only half of the screen. On the full screen, a visitor to a portfolio on Ruul Space can view services, products, the portfolio, and detailed information about the professional. Look, this is his portfolio:

This is a sample portfolio we created. You can go and play around. 

5. Personalize your outreach

Waiting for clients to come to you is a passive approach; you can do more. Be like a salesperson and knock on their doors. Today's competitive landscape demands it.

Google Maps is a great resource

This method is straightforward but effective. Make specific searches that fit your niche, like "boutique hotels in Ankara" or "organic food shops in Izmir."

Scan these businesses from top to bottom. Review their websites, social media accounts, and Google Business profiles.

Then, look for problems: do they have 

• an outdated logo, 
• an inconsistent brand identity, 
• a poorly designed menu, or 
• a website that isn't mobile-friendly? 

Pinpoint these issues. These observations will give you a concrete starting point for your first contact.

LinkedIn is a goldmine, especially for B2B targets

Use LinkedIn's search filters to find decision-makers based on specific criteria, such as industry, company size, location, and job title (e.g., "Founder," "Business Owner," "Marketing Manager").

If you can't find them through a search, you can go directly to a company's LinkedIn page and manually find decision-makers in the "People" tab.

Then, send a connection request with a note, comment on their posts, or send a direct message. 

Note that there are tools to collect the target audience’s emails, but they are all paid options. I’m talking about all free outreach options here.  

Send a personalized message or email

This is the most critical part because most people ignore automated messages. You might face a dilemma: "Should I spend dedicated time personalizing outreach for a few people, or send automated messages to many?"

If you're already in a niche, I suggest targeting only the most suitable businesses. Taking the time to personalize your outreach makes potential clients feel special. 

Here are some cold email outreach templates for freelancers.

Shall we look at the anatomy of an email?

• Subject Line: Choose a unique title that sparks curiosity, is personal, and won't get caught in spam filters.
• Opening Line: Start the email with a sincere and specific compliment that shows you've researched their business.
• Value Proposition: Based on your observations, identify a problem or opportunity and state clearly and concisely how you can help.
• Proof: Provide concrete evidence to back up your value proposition.
• CTA: Clearly state what you want the client to do next. Suggest the next step. For example: "Would you be open to a 15-minute phone call to discuss this in more detail?"

Bonus tip: Personalized video messages!

Imagine how effective this can be. While your inbox is drowning in spam, someone sends a video, addresses you by name, and offers proven solutions for your business. You'd probably choose that one over all the others.

6. Use channels to stay visible

Be on LinkedIn and/or Instagram, write a newsletter on Substack or Medium. Choose your favourite platforms for sustainable efforts.

The LinkedIn and Instagram duo is potent, and you can even include TikTok in that mix.

Be active. Even if you don't have much time, post on a few social media platforms. Creating amazing carousels and one-pagers will help you showcase your skills effectively while delivering your message specific to each post. 

If social media is not your way, you can try long-form newsletters or blog posts on Substack or Medium (don’t forget to add the link to your Space to them). So when people search for you online, they will get some convincing assets around.

Otherwise, they can even feel you’re a fraud.

And lastly, treat everything you write as an investment. You're not just doing it for a few instant likes and interactions. Your potential clients will definitely go back and analyze your profile.

Join Ruul today to become one of the thousands of freelancers who are building a professional online presence, listing services, sending automated invoices, and experiencing the ease of next-generation payments.

FAQs

1. How to promote graphic design services?

Forget generic posts. Promote your work by sharing case studies with real business results and by showing your authentic, human side on social media.

2. How do I market myself as a graphic designer?

Stop marketing yourself as just a "designer." Instead, sell yourself as an expert in a specific industry, such as "the go-to brand designer for coffee shops."

3. How can I get clients for graphic design?

Actively hunt for clients on Google Maps. Find local businesses with outdated branding, then send a hyper-personalized message showing exactly how you can help them.

4. How do I sell my graphic design work?

Stop selling your time. Sell a product by creating fixed-price service packages or monthly subscriptions that clients can easily purchase on platforms like Ruul.