If you have a few full time clients and need more, you need to market your business on an on-going basis. When you do this, your sales funnel stays full, and you line up prospects so you consistently have new clients. Once you have this funnel, getting clients become just a numbers game, and works in your favour. You don't have to accept any old proposal with boring work just because you need the money.
You are in control. You decide who you are going to work with. You can decide your rates. You can position yourself as a consultant that solves your clients' problems, and not just someone looking for work.
Really? Just by keeping a full funnel?
Yes, but there are two drawbacks. It takes time to get it to work like that, and you have to be at it constantly. You need to realise that marketing your business online is an on-going process, and not something you can do sporadically.
You can kick-start this process by nurturing the relationships you already have. Go through all those business cards that you got at various networking events. Get in touch with them, ask if they need your services, ask if they would mind going onto your mailing list so you can keep in touch, and ask them for referrals.
You can use Social Media as well to keep in touch. Just get dialogues going with no sales pitch. Then start asking about their business and offer a solution. Eventually you can ask for an appointment when the dialogue goes that way.
Start with what you had success with before. Work with your warm market first. This can produce quick results. Once you got results, you can start marketing to a cold market.
This is how to get started:
Plant your "seeds"
You need more than one marketing method that works so that you can get prospects in from more than one place.
Here are twelve ideas that you can implement one at a time:
1. Write a free report and post it to your website. It can be titled: "10 reasons to …." Or "5 ways you can…"
2. Join or start a business networking group where you can meet people and make quality relationships.
3. Give one speech per month that is related to your niche. If you are not into public speaking, you can join Toastmasters and learn. This is a great way to attract clients.
4. Guest blogging. Find other blogs in your niche and approach them for reciprocal guest blogging.
5. Write a book or e-book. This is a long term project not for the faint-hearted, but will boost your credibility and establish you as an authority.
6. Send out a laser targeted Direct Mail. Remember to test this first, and send to your ideal clients. Make sure you offer them something they want.
7. Start an online magazine, ezine or newsletter. Make sure you focus on your clients' needs and show how you can help by various examples and stories. This is a great way to keep in your prospects' mind.
8. Partner with professionals who have services that go with yours. For example, if you are a Life Coach, develop a relationship with a psychologist or EFT practitioner that can help your prospects in a different capacity and to whom you can send referrals to and receive referrals from.
9. Sign up with a good autoresponder and write a series of 10 - 20 emails to keep in touch with prospects. These should give them some useful content on your business and how you have helped other clients.
10. Build a second website on a related niche as niche marketing works. For example, if you are a life coach, you can have a business related website and one for individuals.
11. Join a trade association which is a great way to meet targeted prospects.
12. Write articles to establish your credibility and give great content for your website.
It is all about getting in touch and staying in touch with your target market and keeping your name, face and business in front of them so that you are the person they associate with your niche. This will help them to refer people to you and to phone you when they need you.
You are in control. You decide who you are going to work with. You can decide your rates. You can position yourself as a consultant that solves your clients' problems, and not just someone looking for work.
Really? Just by keeping a full funnel?
Yes, but there are two drawbacks. It takes time to get it to work like that, and you have to be at it constantly. You need to realise that marketing your business online is an on-going process, and not something you can do sporadically.
You can kick-start this process by nurturing the relationships you already have. Go through all those business cards that you got at various networking events. Get in touch with them, ask if they need your services, ask if they would mind going onto your mailing list so you can keep in touch, and ask them for referrals.
You can use Social Media as well to keep in touch. Just get dialogues going with no sales pitch. Then start asking about their business and offer a solution. Eventually you can ask for an appointment when the dialogue goes that way.
Start with what you had success with before. Work with your warm market first. This can produce quick results. Once you got results, you can start marketing to a cold market.
This is how to get started:
Plant your "seeds"
You need more than one marketing method that works so that you can get prospects in from more than one place.
Here are twelve ideas that you can implement one at a time:
1. Write a free report and post it to your website. It can be titled: "10 reasons to …." Or "5 ways you can…"
2. Join or start a business networking group where you can meet people and make quality relationships.
3. Give one speech per month that is related to your niche. If you are not into public speaking, you can join Toastmasters and learn. This is a great way to attract clients.
4. Guest blogging. Find other blogs in your niche and approach them for reciprocal guest blogging.
5. Write a book or e-book. This is a long term project not for the faint-hearted, but will boost your credibility and establish you as an authority.
6. Send out a laser targeted Direct Mail. Remember to test this first, and send to your ideal clients. Make sure you offer them something they want.
7. Start an online magazine, ezine or newsletter. Make sure you focus on your clients' needs and show how you can help by various examples and stories. This is a great way to keep in your prospects' mind.
8. Partner with professionals who have services that go with yours. For example, if you are a Life Coach, develop a relationship with a psychologist or EFT practitioner that can help your prospects in a different capacity and to whom you can send referrals to and receive referrals from.
9. Sign up with a good autoresponder and write a series of 10 - 20 emails to keep in touch with prospects. These should give them some useful content on your business and how you have helped other clients.
10. Build a second website on a related niche as niche marketing works. For example, if you are a life coach, you can have a business related website and one for individuals.
11. Join a trade association which is a great way to meet targeted prospects.
12. Write articles to establish your credibility and give great content for your website.
It is all about getting in touch and staying in touch with your target market and keeping your name, face and business in front of them so that you are the person they associate with your niche. This will help them to refer people to you and to phone you when they need you.
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