How To Get (More) Clients: Low Cost & High Cost Solutions

Do you remember way back when you were punching a clock for someone else and you thought, I can’t wait to start my own business and become my own boss? Do you remember how long that feeling lasted? Probably as long as it took you to realize that every client is your boss.

Essentially you went from one boss to several. Isn’t recollecting fun?

We’re not here today to debate the merits of business ownership, because we’d all probably agree that it beats punching a clock no matter what. We’re here today to help you get more bosses… sorry. I mean get more clients!

It’s not the best product or service that sells, it’s the distribution of those products or services that generates revenue. So if you’re wondering how to get clients, the next question is what does your marketing look like?

You need to market your business properly; that’s clear. Because, believe it or not, you’re better off having a mediocre product or service combined with stellar marketing than the other way around. (Ideally a spectacular product with unbelievable marketing.)

But how exactly do you market in your business 2021 and beyond?

There are two general routes you can take and which you choose will almost always depend on your budget. A SaaS startup who needs marketing help and is backed with VC money is going to navigate these waters differently, for example, than a bootstrapped founder with $50 in their checking account.

Lucky for you, we know from experience what distribution channel is most likely to succeed. Read on to find those golden nuggets of information that you’ve come to expect from us.

The Art & Science Of Client Acquisition

Getting clients is about creating an environment in which clients come to you.

That’s not to say that you don’t have to be proactive. After all, Kevin Costner had to build his Field of Dreams backyard baseball diamond before the dead players decided to drop by and check it out.

So, step one for acquiring new clients is building your brand and establishing your reputation.

Unfortunately, in the COVID era, business and employment statistics are indicating that there are many more people looking for clients now than ever before. However, there are also more buyers than ever before. So, maybe it’s a wash.

One thing is certain though: the pool got a lot bigger. And a bigger pool means there is more money to be made.

Let’s say you’re in the business of creating Facebook ad campaigns that absolutely crush your competitor’s similar services when it comes to ROI. You want to clearly define that that’s your one bankable skill. You want that one thing to represent your brand. It’s better to be a specialist in one area than a generalist because a jack of all trades is really just a master of none.

Your brand and reputation should be something that people feel compelled to connect with. Something that makes them think, this guy (or gal) really knows their stuff. I think maybe they can help me. A high brand reputation will lead to high-quality clients, while a low brand reputation will yield low-quality clients.

Here are three tips on building your brand.

1. Know your target audience.

If someone asks you who your target audience is, you can’t say everyone, unless you’re Walmart. A clearly defined brand has a clearly defined target audience. Ask yourself, who are the people you want as clients, then who are the people you can most help. Both of those matter.

Your target audience can also be referred to as your buyer persona. What demographics does your target audience fall into: location, age, gender, employment, income, etc. If you have a B2C business that relies on clients, maybe consider their interests. If you have a B2B business, what industries are you targeting?

The first step to attracting your ideal clients is to more clearly define exactly what kind of clients you want to attract. Don’t leave it up to the Universe to just send anyone your way. Then it will feel like you have a dozen bosses rather than being the master of your own domain.

2. Examine your brand.

What kind of engagement are you getting from your target audience? What kind of reviews or comments are you getting? Are you hitting the mark or falling short?

If you’re falling short, it’s time to rethink your brand rep and reimagine how you want to be perceived. Then you have to work at strengthening your brand.

Pro tip: It’s easier to build a strong brand than repair a brand with a poor reputation. And once you build a strong brand, make sure you continue to work at keeping it strong forever.

Continue doing all of the little things that attracted your ideal audience to you to begin with and don’t take them for granted. Gratitude is powerful; let them know you appreciate them by excellent service, words of affirmation, and gifts. And don’t discount the power of positive thinking either.

3. Find your USP: Unique Selling Proposition.

Marketing is about standing out to your target audience. It doesn’t matter if you are better than the competition. It only matters that your audience knows that you are better than the competition. And the way you separate yourself from your competitors is with a clearly defined USP.

Ask yourself: what makes me or my brand different? What can I offer my target audience that my competitors cannot?

If SEO marketing in the eCommerce space is your area of expertise, then lead with that and even consider specializing only in that. If your superpower is optimizing conversion rates across industries, which is a nice skill to have, make that part of your niche and problem-solving superpower.

Remember, there’s nothing wrong with being a specialist, and you can find hundreds of places online that will tell you to niche your services if you can.

No matter what your USP is, position yourself as a problem solver. Your target audience has problems. And you can help solve those problems.

Make yourself indispensable to your target audience, and watch your tax bracket grow, which is a good problem to have.

P.S. The bigger the problem, the bigger the payout.

How to Get Clients With A Low Budget

This section is really dependent on how many of these next few things you feel comfortable doing yourself.

SEO, for instance, is a long-term play but one everyone should still use. The results won’t be felt immediately, but they will one day pay off like compound interest. Both long-term and short-term strategies to get more clients should be the goal.

Some of it, you may be able to do yourself, like SEO keyword research, but once you dig deeper than that, an expert will yield far greater results than you can probably manage yourself. Beyond a certain point that is reached rather quickly, SEO becomes a high-value skill many people don’t have. However, that doesn’t mean you can get started for little or no money.

Beyond SEO, let’s look at some other examples you may be able to manage on a low budget.

Social Media Marketing and Networking

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. You’ve probably heard this before and it has never felt more relevant than right now.

Social media marketing is a great way to connect with people and build your brand. Whether you’re using your 598 LinkedIn connections to see if any of those people can help you find clients, or if you are actively engaged in several Facebook groups (a goldmine of potential clients) where your target audience hangs out, you should make social media a daily exercise.

Unfortunately, networking in the COVID era means networking online. However, this may also be a good thing. The old way we used to network just is not efficient anymore.

For example, you can’t go to 100 networking events to meet 1,000 people in a week. You can send 1,000 targeted messages virtually in a week.

So, whether you like social media or not, or whether you feel comfortable networking on social media or not, none of it matters. It’s how to get clients, many more clients.

Social media is built on engagement. Don’t be too salesy or sleazy or too transparently promotional. Strangely enough, karma seems to be hypercharged on social media, meaning the more you give, the more you seem to get back. So, start by helping others, and watch how others magically begin helping you.

Just remember; you’re a brand now. Not someone who has a thousand opinions they’re dying to share. Controversial doesn’t usually work unless that’s part of your brand.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is hands down the ROI champion of all marketing channels. And there are two ways to approach it.

Warm email marketing is when you have a prior relationship with the recipient and potential client or when they opt-in to your email list, often in exchange for some kind of offer, discount, or a freebie, like the world’s greatest guide on increasing customer lifetime value.

Cold email marketing is when you reach out to a potential client with whom you have no prior relationship. Cold email marketing relies on getting a name and email address at the very least and reaching out in a way that inspires the potential client to contact you back.

The one mistake most people make with email marketing is not being human enough, sounding stiff rather than conversational, and coming across as much too spammy.

Warm email marketing is a bit different, as it relies on providing value to your list. You’ve already got their attention; don’t force them to tune you out by coming across as too promotional. Give them something of value, like some tips that will help them. You don’t give away all of your secrets and you do it in a way that makes them realize how much they need you.

Warm email marketing is built on value and you should aim for 80 percent value and 20 percent promotion. There are entire books written on permission marketing alone, which is what warm email marketing is, so we’re not going to dive into it much deeper here.

Partnerships and Referrals

Referrals are easy enough to understand. You have clients that you’ve worked with before. You reach out to them and ask if they know anyone who might benefit from your services.

An endorsement from a client goes a long way. Referrals are basically word of mouth, and word of mouth is the best kind of marketing.

Partnerships can mean many things and entire books are written on this subject, too. Let’s say you’re a chiropractor. Your best friend owns a yoga studio. Both of you have a monthly email newsletter. Exchange ads and you likely just doubled your audience. You get the point, even if it’s a simplistic example.

How to Get Clients With A Big Budget

Just because you have more money to spend doesn’t mean you’re going to automatically be more successful, but it does mean you’re more likely to hire out than do it yourself. Just make sure you hire out responsibly.

There are a number of ways to win with a high budget: paid ads, influencer marketing, hosting events (online for now), SEO (done the right way), and more.

Paid Ads

In 2021, people tend to think of paid ads as being mostly Facebook, LinkedIn, and especially Google. And there are advantages to all three. And let’s not forget winning with Twitter marketing.

Paid ads have some advantages. If done correctly, you can get fast results at a good ROI. They are affordable and measurable and easy to tweak for better results. You can broadcast your message across many platforms, thereby getting better saturation and building your brand more quickly. But this is not a DIY strategy.

To win with paid ads means finding an agency that wins with paid ads.

Paid social media ads can also be used in combination with other social media marketing strategies and with email marketing. Marketing works best when it involves numerous marketing channels all diligently working together to help you find more clients.

And that’s how you create a brand that makes prospects think, this company is everywhere: they must be good. Interest grows exponentially.

Influencer Marketing

You can’t mention influencer marketing without also mentioning Instagram.

Here is a simplistic view of how it works, if you’ve been in a coma for five years: You find someone with a large social media following who is considered an “expert” and who has enough trust that if he or she told everyone to drink Liquid Drano, you’d have more calls into the poison control hotline number than ever before recorded.

You find an influencer in your niche with a similar target audience and you reach out to them. If your target audience is young women who are fitness fanatics, you find an influencer who is the fitness guru of the moment and ask them to wear your exercise gear, drink or eat your healthy products, or simply mention you in a video, post, or Tweet.

Be sure to track their performance by impressions, comments, website clicks, and sales to see the true performance of the influencer campaign. This way, you know to run another campaign or find a new influencer.

Hire a Marketing/Ad Agency

If you have the money to spend, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also do the low-budget things we outlined above. Because you should. Marketing works best when it’s all-encompassing. But if you do have the bread, hire a professional.

We all know what to look for in 2021 before hiring a babysitter, dentist, or barber: Social proof. Look at online reviews like Google. Look at their social media accounts to get a feel for them. Look to see who some of their other clients are. And ask them about their recent successes with other businesses like your own.

It’s All About Impressions

How to get clients is about getting impressions and leaving an impression.

Get your brand into as many places as you can and in front of as many eyeballs as possible. Showcase your name far and wide. Let people know what your brand is about. Niche down to what you do best. And more than anything else, position yourself as a problem solver that clients just can’t live without.

I believe this is where I mention how Robben Media has helped hundreds of clients make millions of dollars through client acquisition and we can achieve the same results for you. You have a problem. We are the solution.