Getting customers and clients is perhaps the biggest challenge for a new business owner or freelancer. It doesn’t matter how good you are at what you do, if you are not good at getting clients, then your business will eventually fail. Here are some ideas for getting clients and customers for your business.
5 Free Methods for Getting New Customers and Clients
1. Networking
Networking in person can be the most powerful way to directly connect with people. Unlike a direct mail letter or even a phone call, your ability to connect with someone and build trust is the greatest when you are there in person.
A few tips – be sure to get to know the person a little instead of just a brief casual 5 minute chat. If you don’t truly connect with them, then you aren’t much better than a total stranger to them. The key is to build the relationship, not just hand out as many business cards as possible.
2. Hosting Free Events
Hang up fliers on those free billboards in grocery stores, libraries, universities, and other places and promote a free event related to what you do. Make sure it is valuable to your potential prospects.
For example, if you are an accountant, you might do a free presentation on how to save money on your taxes. At the end, be sure to speak in person with the attendees and get them to sign up for your email list for more free tips.
3. Referrals
Referrals is a powerful way of getting leads, especially if you are just starting out. People tend to trust people that are referred more than someone they find on their own.
To get more referrals, sometimes simply asking your current customers for leads can help a lot. Another idea is to reward people for referring more business to you with a percentage of the profits or some other benefits. For example, if you own a massage parlor, you can offer a free massage for every referral.
4. Contact the Media
Getting media coverage can be one of the best ways to get lots of attention to your business. Directly contacting the local media can be a good way to pitch your story to the news.
It doesn’t have to be front page news, but if possible, you should try to make it as newsworthy as possible. A free event that the public might be interested in might be worth the attempt to attract media attention.
To find out who to contact, look in the newspaper or watch the news and see who reports on the type of news that you are hoping to get featured in. Often, articles will have bylines, so you will know exactly who to get in touch with.
5. SEO and Content writing
Search engine optimization of your website can be another good way to get more customers. I’ll go into more detail about this in future posts, but in general, try to think of keywords that people might use in the search engine to find you. Use the Google Keyword tool to find other variations and include these words on your website pages and title tags.
Get other websites to link to you. Write more content to build credibility and grow your audience and submit your website to local business directories and online yellow pages. Form connections with bloggers and other local personalities.
A final thought – the most important thing is to be persistent in whatever methods you choose. If you choose a marketing approach, be sure to try it out at least a few times. These methods work, but require persistence. I’ll probably go into each of these in a lot more detail in future posts.
About Brian Liang