Summary: My guest for the fifth episode of the Design and Marketing podcast is the wonderfully witty Wes McDowell. (Duration: c. 45 minutes.)Wes runs a design shop in Los Angeles, California, and is known for having one of the best design podcasts on iTunes, The Deeply Graphic DesignCast.But only a few years ago Wes was freelancing in Seattle. How did he get here from there? We talk about that in the podcast, here are some of the main points.Offering other services Wes has found that in order to attract and keep the quality, well-paying clients you need to diversify your service offerings. His company, the Deep End Design, offers print design, SEO, copy-writing and a host of other services instead of just web design.If you are just offering web design you are almost irrelevant in today's market place. The allied areas of SEO, copy-writing, social media profile design, etc., are just as important to a website's success as the design is. So if you aren't offering the complete package to your clients you're really short changing them â and you're earning less money.Outsourcing In order to be able to provide this one-stop service to the best clients you're going to need help with development, SEO, copy-writing, you name it!Wes explains how to communicate effectively with outsourcers and potential outsourcers in order to find the right people with whom you can form lasting relationships and grow your business.Promotion It was amazing how similar our experiences had been here. I found that by putting out good content that designers would like I was able to get good links to my site and gain exposure that way so that clients find me. Wes finds that by putting great content out with his podcasts he has ensured the same.Doing great workProbably the best part of the interview is where Wes explains how he's stayed in business by continually impressing his best clients. He spends hours researching each new project. He looks at similar work online. He sees what's worked in the past, what hasn't worked, what's been done to death. He gets inspired. He doesn't just open Photoshop and go plonk, plonk plonk!Dedication and pride in his craft have obviously served Wes well.The interview with Wes McDowellAs I explain in the podcast, I was in Brazil when we recorded the interview and a fire had started outside my apartment just before. I was stressing about the Skype recorder as well as worrying about being burnt alive! Wes was so great at putting me at ease.http://youtu.be/gLC3Foi4BvwYou can do itHave a listen to the podcast as it will definitely give you some great advice about running your own design business. And, if you have any questions about this or the podcasts in general, don't be afraid to ask!
