How to show your appreciation

Just doing a few small things that go above an beyond your normal work can do wonders for customer satisfaction. Here are a few ideas that only take a few minutes to implement

Send them coupons

Coupons and rebates are a great way to show your appreciation. It gives them something tangible to hold onto as well as are easy for you duplicate because once you make one you can duplicate it in any number of different ways. Coupons are great gifts especially for the holidays or birthdays.

Refer people to their businesses

Is your client in the business of childcare? Refer some of your friends who are looking for a good daycare provider. Also make sure that you tell your friends or aquaintences to tell your client that you referred them just so that your client knows that you are more than just a web designer, your interested in making their business succeed. On top of that, this will create a kind of mutual appreciation between you and your client.

Send them cards

This is probably the easiest thing you can do to show your appreciation. Just a little card during the holidays or after you finish a major project.

Do them a favor

We all go through some tough times in our life, if your client is having some difficulty, perhaps sales are down, or there was a death in their family, show a little appreciation and compassion by going out of your way to make their life a little easier. Maybe set up a payment plan for your bill or do a small task for free while they get through the tough time.

Here are a few good times to reward your loyal clients

• Holidays
• Birthdays
• After they send you a successful referral
• Randomly

What are your thoughts?

What do you do to reward loyal clients and increase customer satisfaction?

If you have the resources to spare, a professional photographer will yield the best results.

You can expect a high quality product

Professionals bring more than just their camera to the photo-shoot, they bring their years of experience and education. They also commit themselves in delivering a quality product and may also suggest ideas that you hadn’t thought of.

You can hire someone anywhere

If you need photographs of exotic locales, it’s a simple matter of hiring talented freelancers who live in that area. The added bonus is that if you want someone to take photos of something very specific you can tell them to do that.

It will save you time

You won’t have to go out and take photos yourself. By hiring someone you can have them do the work while you focus on the rest of your business. You also won’t have to sort through the photos and choose the best ones. The photographer will have already done some of the editing for you.

You form a valuable professional relationship

Finding a good photographer is like finding a good mechanic, they are an invaluable asset which you can use over and over again. By working with them you will also be exposed to a wider range of people and have the possibility of expanding your business. If you have a good relationship with the person and work with them long enough they will also start advocating for your business.

It’s expensive

You will have to pay that person for their expertise, and like another other creative medium it’s not cheap. However, if you think about it, you’re not just paying for photographs, you’re also paying for the professional contacts and their years of experience.

It takes time

It takes time to build a relationship with a professional, give it at least six months before you start to build a solid foundation of trust and partnership. It also takes time to arrnage meetings and discuss projects. Not all photographers are the same either, so you might go through a few different photographers before you find one that’s right for you.

Do it yourself

If you have the equipment, time and knack for photography doing it yourself might be the best solution for you.

It’s convenient

It’s definitely convenient to simply go out and take photos for yourself. Especially if the client is in the area.

It’s cheaper

Because you don’t have to pay someone by the hour or by the photo the savings can be substantial.

You own the equipment

You can use the equipment whenever you want and it’ll be a valuable asset to your business.

It can be a lot of fun!

Taking pictures if fun! Especially if you’re the creative type!

You have to buy and learn the equipment

After buying the camera and all it’s equipment you could be in the hole for at least a thousand dollars. So depending on your resources that could be a deal breaker. Also after you get all the equipment you not only have to learn how to use it but also how to be proficient with it. Which can take months if not years of practice.

You are limited to your local area

You’re not going to be able to take exotic photographs without spending a lot of on travel. So largely you’re going to be restricted to your local area, which is fine if you’re taking pictures of people or objects, but some more exotic things such as Asian landscapes or animals will be out of reach.

It takes even more time

This traveling around and maintaining equipment also takes a lot of time, time which you’ll have to take out of working on other projects. Your schedule can fill up pretty quickly if you need to take pictures as well as design and slice up an interface.

Quality isn’t necessarily assured

Photography is an art and takes a lot of practice so you’re not necessarily going to get the kind of pictures that you want. Especially at first. If quality is the top priority or you’re capturing a particularly difficult subject then it might be worthwhile to hire a professional.

Use stock photography

It’s the cheapest

Stock photography is easily the cheapest solution out there. You can buy photographs for a dollar on iStockPhoto.com. They are pretty small sized but usually this is more than enough to get the job done.

It’s fast and easy

It only takes hours versus days to get the right photos. It’s also a simple matter of sitting in your chair and browsing through galleries.

The quality is usually decent

Photos on stock sites are usually done by professionals so the quality is usually very decent.

The selection is limited

Needless to say that the range of possibility dips when you’re looking through a gallery versus the physical world. You should usually try to stick to more generic concepts when using stock photography. Finding something very specific is also usually very hard, unless you’re looking something that’s very cliché.

You run the risk of seeing duplicate photos or models on other sites

This is my primary concern about stock photography. Stock sites also usually sort their galleries by popularity making duplication incredibly easy!

Some models are pretty popular too so it’s not uncommon to see the same person popping up in a variety of unrelated photographs.

Closing thoughts

The best solution in my opinion is to use all of these in a combination. If you have the money and time I would suggest hiring a professional and if you are pressed for time then go do it yourself.

If however, you are pressed for time and budget then I’d suggest using a stock site. But only as a last resort.

Further Reading:

15 Places to sell your photos
A Collection of 30+ Free Stock Photo Sites
9 things I learned about the world according to anonymous stock photo models
(Warning: Some strong language)
Making better use of imagery

Prepare for the future

Who knows what projects you’re going to be working on in the future. Especially in this rapidy changing industry. Be sure to look out for upcoming technologies and take it upon yourself to learn a little about them.

Expand your horizons

If you’re primarily a designer and don’t touch HTML or CSS, buy a book or check out W3Schools and brush up on some. This will give you a greater appreciation for the work that developers do and will also familiarize you with the capabilities and give you new ideas for your designs.

Show the world your passion

It also demonstrates that you have passion for your work. Which is great when you have a once in a lifetime opportunity come up and they see that you’re not only knowledgable about what you do but hungry to learn more.

Learning increases your value to the company

It gives you a greater understanding of the big picture

As much as employers prefer specialized workers they also appreciate people who understand the whole process. People just work better together when they understand and respect each others responsibilities.

It speeds up productivity

Your greater understanding of the process will also speed up your productivity. For example, imagine the value of a designer who knows a little about PHP. They will understand some of the capabilities of PHP and can incorporate those ides into their design. They will also know if something that seems seemingly simple will take a lot of work to do. Such as a dynamic calendar.

It also speeds up your productivity if you work alone. You’ll be able to accomoplish a task much faster if you’ve already had even a basic introduction to it. You’ll know where to find the information and you won’t have to research as much.

It makes you feel more fullfilled

A the end of the day, after we’ve finished all our work and learned a little bit while we’re at it, we just feel much better. Because not only did we do the work to pay the bills, we invested a little bit in ourselves and our future.

Spend half an hour a day learning

Set a goal

Come up with a goal such as “this week I’m going to learn about PHP” and then stick to it. See how much you know by the end of the week.

Keep a notebook

Learning is all about exploration, jot down ideas and thoughts that you get into a notebook. It will be a great resource later and a good way to reflect back on what you were learning.

Ask questions!

There are tons of passionate people out there who want to help. Talk to people in your company, or if you can’t, ask online.

There’s no pressure

Don’t sweat it if your questions seems stupid or you can’t do it right the first time. This is an exploratory process and you’re going to make mistakes. Don’t put added pressure on yourself, you’ve got enough people doing that to you already! Be nice to yourself and enjoy the process!

Sitepoint

I think every web designer knows this website. They feature daily updates and a fantastic forum. It is one of the places for web design.

Smashing Magazine

What is unique about Smashing Magazine is that they really capture that feeling of reading a magazine. The articles are well written, colorful and not too technical. They also have one of the best inspirational galleries around.

A List Apart

Where Smashing Magazine felt like, well, a magazine, a list apart feels like a newspaper. They cover some of the more technical and subtle aspects of the industry.

Boagworld

Though Boagworld has a great collection of articles, their podcast is what steals the show. Featuring the voices of Paul Boag and Marcus Lillington, they deliver industry news and tips in a fun, lighthearted manner that is hard to resist.

Feelanceswitch

This isn’t exactly a web design website but it’s still very useful. They feature daily posts about the different aspects of running your own business. It’s the perfect place for anyone who works with clients or just wants to get ahead in the workplace.

NetTuts

In my opinion this is the best collection of web design tutorials on a single website. This is due to the fact that they pay good money for experts to write them and they only accept great tutorials. If you’re into learning then check out this site.

PSDTuts

The people who built NetTuts take the same approach with this site. The tutorials are better quality than most of the stuff you’ll see on pixel2life or tutorialized.

What are your favorites?

Do you have any sites that you like to visit regularly? Share them in the comments!

The advantages of freelancing

• I can work whenever I want
• It’s easier to schedule my time
• I can work in a broader context, have one project feed off another (like a cms)
• I can pick and choose my projects instead of being assigned them
• I can deduct some of my home expenses like rent.
• I can use any software that I like
• Harmless sites aren’t blocked by company restrictions
• I can take time to work on personal projects
• I can schedule breaks or vacations whenever it’s convenient
• I learned a lot about business and finances, something which has helped me in many areas.
• I can use whatever equipment that I want
• I can complete control over how much I make
• I don’t have to commute
• It’s easier to eat healthier

The disadvantages of freelancing

• It’s much harder to network
• It can get lonely at times
• I can’t get the creative spontaneity that I would by working with other people.
• I don’t always know when the next paycheck is coming
• Doing all the business and creative work can be overwhelming
• I have to promote myself constantly
• It’s easier to get distracted
• Family and friends have the tendency to interrupt me while I’m working
• It can be stressful juggling multiple projects
• I’m not able to tackle projects that a larger team could
• It’s easy to get sucked into working all the time because the line between work and home is so thin
• You have to buy all your own equipment and software
• You have to pay additional taxes on your income
• I must provide customer support on top of creative work

What are your thoughts?

Do you work from home? What do you like most or least about freelancing?

Update regularly

Google places a lot of emphasis on sites that are updated regularly. Similarly, users are much more likely to come back if you’re cconstantly updating with new content.

Ideally, you should post several times a day. But since most of us have a life you could probably get away with less.

The main thing to remember is stay consistent. For example, if you only post once a week, make sure it’s always on the same day.

Use proper SEO

Each post or page should have:

• Proper use of headings
• A header title with relevant keywords
• A meta description
• Meta keywords
• Proper keyword density and distribution

Submit an XML sitemap to Google, MSN and Yahoo!

Google, MSN and Yahoo! all accept XML sitemaps. It’s a good way to tell the search engines what content you have and how often it gets updated. This will keep the spiders coming back on a regular basis. There’s nothing more annoying than writing a post and waiting two months before it shows up in Google.

Create an RSS feed

Create an RSS feed for people to subscribe to. They are much more likely to visit your site if all they have to do is click a link in their feed.

Take an active approach

Add a link in your email signature and newsletter

This is a good way to promote your blog in people’s emails without spamming them.

Add a link in your business cards and brochures

This is a good way to promote your site to people who wouldn’t necessarily find it. Plus, if the person actually visits your site, then they are more likely to contact you because either they met you in person or they are interested in what you have to say.

Submit to blog directories

Blog directories are a dime a dozen, and though they can’t be relied upon to drive all your traffic, every little bit helps. And who knows, maybe your blog will be a hit.

Here are some of the more popular ones.

• Blogged
• Blog Catalog
• Blog Search Engine

Submit to social bookmarking sites

Social bookmarking sites are a great way to promote a specific post. If your topic is a hit you’ll soon find your website flooded with traffic.

• StumbleUpon
• Digg
• Reddit
• Delicious
• Technorati
• Yahoo Buzz
• Propeller

Post updates on Twitter and Facebook

If you have a large following, twitter and facebook can be one of the best ways to promote your blog. If you set up accounts though, don’t just post about business, also post about what you’re doing and thinking. People like to feel like they know the person behind the blog.

Get active on at least two forums

Forums are fantastic, and one of my favorite ways to promote my stuff. However, there’s a difference between being active on a forum and spamming a forum. By active I mean participate in conversations and start new threads. If you submit links to your blog, make sure that it’s to relevant to the threads, don’t just submit them to get traffic because the moderators will ban you.

Read and comment on other blogs

This is a good one though realize that not all blogs are the same. Some authors are more sensitive about links than others. For example, I don’t mind if someone makes a good suggestion and posts a link, but if they just say something like “Great post! check out my blog http://www.blog.com” I get annoyed and usually delete it. So like on the forums, be sure to contribute real content.

Use trackbacks

If you link to other blogs let the author know or send him a trackback. They will appreciate the extra traffic and will think kindly of you. You’re not just generating traffic when you write a blog, you’re building a reputation. This is a great way to enhance that.

Further Reading

21 Tactics to increase blog traffic

Contrary to what you might believe, multitasking doesn’t just mean that you are working on multiple projects simultaneously. It’s much more simple that that. If you’re working on a project and listening to music then you are multitasking.

Multitasking is hard on the brain

There are two steps to changing tasks

Whenever you switch between tasks your brain has to do two processes.

• Goal Shifting – Dump the old task and replace it with a new one (changing your mind).
• Rule Activation – Adjust your brain to the new context.

Together these take several tenths of a second to perform. It gets even longer the more complext the task. Combine this with many different tasks and it will add up quickly.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed

You lose your train of thought.

How many times have you checked your email while working on a task? How many of those times did it take you a second to remember what you were doing?

Your ability to finish a task on time is directly related to how well you can focus on it. Your focus gets interrupted every time you switch tasks. The more you switch the harder it is for you to remember what you were doing, this is particularly true for complex tasks. Thus you lose your train of thought.

Priorities get mixed up.

While multitasking, you’re much more likely to spend time on fun tasks and less on crucial tasks. For example, I enjoy programming more than writing proposals. If I were simultaneously writing a website and a proposal I would undoubtedly spend more time on the website simply because I enjoy it more. As a result, the website would look amazing but the proposal would be crap.

Small details get overlooked

Some projects demand a lot of attention to detail. If you’re multitasking, your final product won’t be good as it could be otherwise. New thoughts come into your head as you are working on something, these thoughts are what make up the small details. However, if you’re working on multiple projects, or doing multiple things, you don’t afford the time that your brain needs in order to develop those thoughts. Instead you remained focused on the bigger picture and neglect to polish your work.

It causes stress

Multitasking causes stress when you’re focusing on multipe deadlines. You think to yourself “I have to get this website done, then I have to send emails, then I have to write a new post on my blog, then I have to send out invoices. . . ” All these tasks quickly become overwhelming as you try to do them all at once instead of in small bites.

It gets compounded when doing creative work

It’s near impossible to create quality creative work while you are multitasking. If you have to do it, leave it to the mundane tasks of eating lunch and checking email. Don’t let it get in the way of your creative process.

While you’re working on a design or any other creative project, you have lots of thoughts that drive your decisions. For example, on an interface design I’m constantly thinking about how my decisions will affect the overall look and feel, usability, my audience, composition etc. It’s hard enough to keep all these straight while I’m performing the creative task but when I add something to that, it’s next to impossible.

Work smart and stop multitasking

Work smart, set priorities and work at them one at a time. Make a to-do list and check them off as you get each one finished. You’ll be surprised at how much you get done and how much easier it is.

Further Reading

How NOT to Multitask – Work Simpler and Saner

Is Multitasking More Efficient?

Getting Things Done

Your thoughts

Are you good at multitasking? Is everything I just said BS? Then post a comment below and let me know!

According to the IRS you’re a sole proprietor, that means you own and operate a business and as such you are accountable for all the taxes that go with it.

The good news though is that you have complete control over your income.

Take advantage of your deductions

Anything that that you use for your work can be deducted as a business expense. Here are some examples.

Advertising

Business cards, commercials, web marketing etc

Insurance

Health, life, property and business insurance.

Other Interest

Life, property and business insurance, you can not deduct health insurance.

Legal and professional services

Accounting or legal fees.

Office Expenses

Rent or lease of business property.

Repairs or maintenance

Repairs you’ve done on your office equipment, computers etc.

Supplies

General office supplies such as paper, binders toner etc.

Travel

Traveling to conferences, meetings, business trips etc.

Meals and entertainment

The cost of business meals, don’t overdo it though

Utilities

Internet, electricity, gas etc.

Other Expenses

Any other expenses such as custom design work, subscriptions, etc.

For freelancers working out of their home

If you’re working out of your apartment or house you can deduct a portion of those expenses.

For example, if you live in an apartment that is 3000 square feet and your office is 800 square feet then you can deduct approximately 27% (800/3000) from your expenses.

Here’s a fictional scenario.

Apartment

Expenses

Deduction

So you can deduct $315.90 each month from your apartment expenses. Pretty nice!

Calculate your net profit or loss

Calculate your net profit or loss to predict how much you will make for the entire year.

Report your income and expenses on Form 1040 Schedule C (PDF).

Calculate your Self-Employment Tax

Employment Tax = 15.3% of your net profit.

In a typical work environment your employer pays half and the other half is automatically deducted from your paycheck. As a sole proprietor however, you pay it all.

The Self-Employment Tax pays the. .

• Social Security tax
• Medicare tax

Calculate your Self-Employment tax on Form 1040 Schedule SE (PDF).

Calculate your Income Tax

Income Tax = 25% of your net profit. (sic)

You must pay an additional 25% along with your Self-Employment tax. Try to be as accurate as possible when you estimate this tax or you might end up owing money at the end of the year.

Pay Quarterly

Most people can’t pay a big chunk of money at the end of the year so try to pay every quarter (three month intervals). Plus it won’t hurt as much each time you cut a check.

Talk to an Accountant

No amount of research can replace the advice of an experienced accountant. Find a good one in your area and talk to him before you start paying taxes. Chances are he’ll help you save money in ways you’ve never even thought of.

Further Reading

101 Tax deductions for bloggers and freelancers

10 Tax deductions freelancers can grab

So why exactly do you want to be a web designer? Is it because. . .

• You love to create?
• You like to solve problems?
• You like to help people?
• You like the fast-paced nature of a rapidly changing industry?
• You like sitting at a computer?

If your answer to all of these questions is a resounding “YES!” then web design is the right place for you. Now it’s time to . . .

Start learning

Web design covers an array of different topics. Many of which change every few years. As a whole though you should have a working knowledge of the following areas.

• Design theory
• HTML, CSS and Javascript
• Server side scripting languages such as PHP and ASP
• Design Patterns and Object Oriented Programming
• MySQL
• Search Engine Optimization

Read

This is by far, the fastest and easiest way to start learning. Shop online or go to your local bookstore and find some books, especially about HTML and CSS.

Take some classes

This is not as easy as it sounds. Most of the web design curricula out there are severely outdated (ie, front page). Instead, try taking some traditional art classes such as painting or drawing. They will introduce you to the fundamentals of design such as composition, balance, repetition etc.

Get engaged in the community

There’s a ton of great web design communities out there just waiting to answer your questions. Get involved and start making friends in the industry.

Start with these three great communities.

• Designers Talk
• Site Point Forums
• Webmaster-Talk

Do some personal projects

“One must learn by doing the thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty, until you try.” – Sophocles

There’s no better way to learn than to start some of your own projects. Start simple, and gradually increase in complexity. You’ll get practice as well as discover some of the more subtle aspects of web design.

Find a mentor

Find someone who is already in the field and befriend them. Books, classes and forums can’t substitute for their knowledge and experience. They’re a great resource to ask questions, seek advice and request critiques. Also, when you’re ready to start accepting work they will often use their connections to get you started.

Specialize

Define yourself

You should have some knowledge of all aspects of web design, but should only be specialized in a few. For example, if you define yourself as a web designer, then you will need to be an expert in design theory, HTML and CSS.

Learn some more

Think of the first part as the bachelor’s degree and this part as the masters. Now it’s time to dive deeper into your area of specialty. For example, if you’re a web developer you should be an expert in Object Oriented Programming.

Stay focused and practice constantly. Your goal is to stand out from the crowd.

Sell your services/talents

Make a portfolio website

No one is going to hire you if you don’t have a single place to show all your work. therefore this should be one of your first personal projects.

At the very least your website should have the following sections:

• Home Page
• Resume
• Gallery of work
• Contact page

Keep it as simple as possible, you don’t want your design overwhelming your gallery.

Volunteer

Volunteer your services to good causes in your area, especially if you’re still learning. This will build up your portfolio as well generate contacts (which is always a good thing).

Some places you could volunteer.

• Animal orphanages
• Local bands
• Food cupboards
• Town chambers of commerce
• Art galleries

Go to conferences

Conferences are a great way to meet people in your line of business. Though some of them can be pretty expensive there are plenty of reasonably priced ones. All you have to do is look.

Here are some of the more famous conferences.

• South by Southwest (SXSW)
• Future of Web Design
• An Event Apart

Make friends with other professionals in your area

Don’t live in a cave, go out and meet other professionals in your area. If you have good relations with them there is a good chance they will send work your way that they can’t handle.

Also it’s much easier to find a job if you’re already friends with the people in the company.

Work 110%

Work hard

Pour yourself into a project 110%. After all, this is going to be in your portfolio. Also, a good product means a happy client and a happy client means more work.

Rest

Take a break once in a while! You might think you’re being productive by working twelve hours a day but really you’re not. It’s a lot harder to focus when you’re fatigued. Make sure you get plenty of rest and spend time with family and friends .

Have fun!

You’re a web designer! Life is good!

This is a classic book by Napoleon Hill. This focuses less on money and more on personal growth. He talks about how having goals and the right attitude can affect your success in all aspects of your life.

Get a copy of Think and Grow Rich

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind:

There is a difference between how a rich person thinks and how a poor or even an average person thinks. T. Harv Eker explains some of these differences as well as helps you change your perspective about work and money. It’s a little annoying how much he sells his workshop in the book, but if you can look past it then it’s well worth your while.

Get a copy of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

Getting Things Done:

Productivity is a major concern for freelancers. This book will help you set priorities, keep projects in perspective and most of all. . . reduce stress!

Get a copy of Getting Things Done

Web Designer’s Success Guide:

This is a free online e-book by Kevin Airgid. This was the first book I ever read about freelancing and it’s a good one. You can download your own free copy at http://book.airgid.com/

How to be a Rockstar Freelancer:

Written by freelancers for freelancers, the good people at freelancewwitch.com cover every concievable angle of freelance in this book. You can download it as an e-book or purchase a hard copy.

Get a copy from Freelance Switch here

The Artist’s Guild Handbook: Pricing and Ethical Guidelines:

From taxes to employment, to legal issues, this book provides a comprehensive overview of all the aspects of running a business. It’s particularly useful because it’s organized into career relevant sections such as web design or computer animation. If you’re about to begin your own business but have no Idea where to start, then start with this book!

Get a copy of The Artist’s Guild Handbook: Pricing and Ethical Guidelines

The Tipping Point:

There is a point at which something hits the tipping point and becomes huge. Facebook for example, or Twitter. How does this happen? But more importantly ,why does this happen? This book sheds some light on this interesting phenomenon.

Get a copy of The Tipping Point