While not every marketing technique found in other industries can be applied directly to web development, there are a few that can. Case in point: the bargain. The idea is to promote something that’s a great deal to get people in the door. Once there, these customers are likely to notice other products and services you offer. Profit ensues.

How does this idea translate to web design? One approach that I’ve seen a few times is the template or package deal. Say you design a basic website in one of three colors and layouts with 5 pages for $500. Depending on your target market, that may or may not actually be a bargain, but for the purposes of this article we’ll say that it’s a steal. You’ve defined the terms of a deal that gets people in the door.

Some customers will take the $500 package, and you’ll never hear from them again. (In fact, that could happen with a lot of customers, so don’t fall into the trap of creating a bargain in which you actually lose money unless you have a really good handle on what you’re doing.) Other customers will be enticed by the deal, but realize that they actually need 7 pages instead of 5. When they ask you if you could do 7 pages, you reply that you certainly can and the price for the modified package will be $700.

How is this different than just advertising that you do web sites at $100/page? For starters most people don’t have a very good idea of how many pages they need for their website until they delve into the site planning process. So $100/page doesn’t give them a figure they can wrap their minds around. Instead you tell them a specific figure, such as $500. Most people and businesses can make a fairly accurate guess off the top of their heads if they can afford $500 this month or not.

If the price of your package sounds good, you’ll have a conversation with these folks about the specifics for their particular website. Using our example above, the modified price is going to be $700. Let’s say that while $500 was doable for this client, $700 is not. Did you waste all that time? No. In a few months, this same client may reach a financial comfort zone where $700 is doable. Are they going to start the process of looking for a web designer over from scratch? No. Unless you made some hideous blunders of etiquette, this client is going to pick up the phone and call you.

There are a lot of ways the bargain scenario can play out, but the important thing is that you are getting valuable exposure as a web designer. This approach is a great way to cast a wider net, a key to building a sustainable business.

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