Quitting a traditional job and starting a new career as an entrepreneur or freelancer is an exciting but daunting experience. Determining how you’re going to make money is just the first step. You also need to find people who want to use your product or service. You can do this through digital marketing and traditional off-line techniques. Landing that first client is essential when you’re first starting out on your new venture. It proves that you have a viable company idea. Having at least one client also gives you the confidence you need to start attracting more clients and building a portfolio of your work.
So, how do you land that all-important first client?
1. Be Patient
First, don’t expect to land the ultimate client on day one. Many freelancers fail to thrive because they haven’t got enough savings to keep them going while they’re building their online presence and attracting potential clients.
If you don’t have enough resources to keep going with no clients initially, it might be a good idea to stick with your traditional job for a while.
The more savings you have when you start off as a freelancer, the less urgently you’ll need to find that first client. This means you’re not as likely to make mistakes or come across as desperate.
Make sure you have enough cash to look after yourself and invest in the tools you need to market your business, such as digital marketing and website development.
2. Get Social
Start out within your current network. Who do you know that might be interested in your services? Can anyone you’re connected with introduce you to people who might want to work with you? If your network is still quite small, look for ways to make it grow!
Attending networking events relevant to your industry or niche can really help launch your business and supplement your digital marketing. You can also get involved with things like community fairs and events. Business groups such as BNI and others that can help freelancers and professionals meet new people and encourage referrals.
3. Collaborate
To succeed in business, you need to work with other people. If you view every person or company as a rival you need to defeat, you’re not going to have much room for growth.
Instead, look for ways to work alongside other experts providing similar services or complementary solutions to you. For instance, if you’re accountant, you could work with a financial planner and give their clients access to your services for a discount.
That way, you’re both complementing each other’s work and giving clients access to more value. At the same time, you’re not trying to “steal” anyone’s clients. Fostered correctly, this can be a steady source of clients once you find the right business to collaborate with. Think of it as a strategic partnership.
You can even look into working with other brands on special deals and promotions for long-term clients. As you continue to build your reputation, continue to nurture these key relationships and you can grow together.
4. Build Your Online Presence with Digital Marketing
Perhaps the most important thing a company needs if they want to be successful today is an online presence.
Start by building your website to show off your previous work and explain the services you offer. Make sure your site is optimised for both user experience and search engines.
A solid SEO campaign is ideal, but there is a lot of work you can do yourself to help your website get noticed in the search engines. Regular content on your blog will help you to rank higher in the search results for the phrases your clients are searching for. This will mean potential clients have an easier time finding you.
Once they reach your website, be sure to have a clear offer to capture their contact details such as lead magnet, and a form to encourage enquiries. Aside from an active website, make sure you’re active on the social media platforms your clients use.
You can also use Google Ads to reach new clients. Google Ads can provide enquiries into your business on auto-pilot once your campaign is optimised. If you need help with this, reach out to us here at Blue Platypus.
5. Encourage Word of Mouth
Finally, as people get to know you and your business, encourage them to recommend your services to their friends. Even if you don’t have any clients to give you business reviews, having other people vouch for your character and work ethic can be a great way to boost sales. If you have a LinkedIn profile, you can get people to recommend you on there too.
After you get your first client, encourage them to leave a testimonial or review about your work. Testimonials can be uploaded to your website or made into a social media tile to get the word out that you do great work. The more reviews you get from happy clients, the more likely it is that you’ll grab the attention of more clients.
We would be happy to discuss other ways you can get clients using digital marketing. For more information, please contact us.
