One of the most powerful ways to grow your creative or freelance business is through building trust with clients. Among the constant distractions we all face, reliability and managing expectations are vital. Think back to when you’ve been frustrated or let down by others. It’s a safe bet that many times that was due to miscommunication.
Strengthening trust with clients means keeping them informed on what’s happening with their work. Getting into the habit of sending proactive communications helps to keep you front-of-mind, which is good for your future prospects. Sending regular emails and other messages doesn’t take long, and reassures them that everything is progressing smoothly.
Communications mean reliability: Keeping people informed, asking clarifying questions, confirming you understand your client’s needs. It’s one of the best ways to maintain a good relationship and present you as a thoughtful, considerate expert, rather than just a resource.
Why good communications are a powerful way to connect with clients
Connecting with your clients is a foundation you build a successful business on:
Good communication is central to any healthy business relationship, and it’s particularly helpful to freelancers and creative workers who are managing client expectations.
If you’re involved in ongoing work for a client, don’t wait on them to contact you — instead, you can lead the conversation and help to reassure them.
Consider sending out weekly updates to keep clients informed on the status of ongoing work — this means they won’t have to chase you, and they’ll know that you’re on top of things.
Set a reminder to follow up on any important information, chase reviews and feedback, or otherwise work with your points of contact and progress your projects.
Always let a client know if you have questions or run into issues, especially if you’re going to miss a deadline or you can’t finish a piece of work.
When you’re managing a project, it’s often helpful to send out a summary of key actions and progress so that everyone knows what’s expected of them.
If you’re just informing a client, and don’t need an answer, you can include the words “no response needed” in an email — your client will almost always appreciate it.
Benefits of leading communications with clients
Why invest your time in client communications? I’m glad you asked:
Proactive communications are a sign of a professional person who is on top of their commitments — that’s great for building trust and relationships.
Clients are short on time, and they will appreciate not having to chase you for updates. A happy client can turn into a repeat client.
You can send out communications based on your timetable, which makes it easier to manage your schedule.
You can get ahead of any questions or client requirements, so you’ll have information available when you need it.
Documenting your understanding helps everyone act based on a common agreement, so it’s clear what’s expected, who is doing the work, and when it will be returned by.
How to strengthen your connection with clients
There’s no one “best” way to communicate, but here’s what works for me. Feel free to tweak it to your own needs:
Create a reminder to contact your clients on a regular basis to keep them updated. I email my clients each week on a Monday morning, but set a schedule that works for you.
Build a template for the email or messaging platform that you use, so that it’s quick and easy to manage your communications.
You can also use messages from previous updates and amend them each time, so you’re not writing everything from scratch.
When your reminder pops up, put together and send your message.
Use communication best practices, like clear subject lines, short sentences, lists, “no response needed” signoffs, and other techniques to get your message across quickly and easily.
Update clients on the status of their projects, ask any questions that you have, and let them know about next steps and deadline dates.
When you get a new request, a change to scope, or other significant information from a client, document what you will do back to them in an email.
This ensures everyone is acting to an agreed set of key points, and helps to avoid confusion or misunderstandings.
Frequently asked questions on good communications
You have questions, and here’s what works for me.
How often should I update my clients on what is happening?
That comes down to your relationship with each client. Some may appreciate a weekly update, while others may want more or less frequent communications. If you’re not sure, ask them how often you should get in touch.
Should I use email, Slack, a project management tool, or some other platform to communicate?
This comes down to what your client prefers. If they haven’t expressed a preference, then email is simple, straightforward, and easy to look back on. But, some clients may prefer updates in a project management tool or another messaging platform. If you’re not sure, then ask.
What should I inform clients about?
That depends on the detail you want to go into, but here are some areas you can consider:
Updates to people that you’ve spoken to about your project and what the outcomes were.
New actions that you’re taking on a project, who is responsible, and deadline dates.
When they can expect to see progress towards a milestone or have work returned.
Your active progress towards milestones or deliverables.
Followups to answer questions, provide feedback, or clarify information you’ve sent previously.
Requests to review and confirm milestones and deliverables.
Reminders if you’re taking time off or otherwise won’t be available.
Why should I use “no response needed” in my communications?
Everyone is short on time, and not needing to respond “thanks!” to an email can shave a couple of minutes off of someone’s day. If you’re just providing a quick information update, and you don’t need a response, then adding it at the end of an email removes the social burden of sending a thank you.
Why should I document information back to a client?
It ensures everyone is working to a common agreement, and avoids misunderstanding. Documenting what’s been agreed tells a client that you’ve listed to them, understood their requirements, and what you expect to deliver as a result. If you haven’t understood something completely, then this gives them a chance to correct you before you deliver something based on incorrect assumptions. A little extra time upfront can save frustration and rework later on.
Try it out, and see what works for you.