If you have a few full-time clients and need more, you need to market your business on an ongoing basis. When you do this, your sales funnel stays full and lines up prospects so you constantly have new customers. Once you have this funnel, getting clients becomes a numbers game and works in your favor. You don’t have to accept some old proposal with boring work just because you need the money.
You are in control. You decide who you will work with. You can decide your rates. You can position yourself as a consultant who solves your clients’ problems, and not just as a job seeker.
Really? Just keeping a full funnel?
Yes, but there are two drawbacks. It takes time to make it work that way, and you have to do it constantly. You need to realize that marketing your business online is an ongoing process and not something you can do sporadically.
You can start this process by nurturing the relationships you already have. Go through all those business cards you got at various networking events. Get in touch with them, ask if they need your services, ask if they’d mind getting on your mailing list so you can keep in touch, and ask for referrals.
You can also use social media to keep in touch. Just start the dialogues without any sales pitches. Then start asking about your business and offer a solution. You can eventually ask for a date when the dialogue goes that way.
Start with what was successful before. Work with your warm market first. This can produce quick results. Once you get results, you can start trading in a cold market.
This is how to start:
Plant your “seeds”
You need more than one marketing method that works so you can get leads 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 on 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 don’t like public speaking, you can join Toastmasters and learn. This is a great way to attract customers.
4. Guest blogs. Find other blogs in your niche and reach out to them for reciprocal guest blogging.
5. Write a book or e-book. This is a long-term project, not for the faint-hearted, but it will increase your credibility and establish you as an authority.
6. Send laser targeted direct mail. Remember to test this first and send it to your ideal customers. Make sure you offer them something they want.
7. Start an online magazine, ezine, or newsletter. Be sure to focus on the needs of your customers and show how you can help with various examples and stories. This is a great way to keep yourself top of mind with your prospects.
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 who can help your prospects in a different capacity and to whom you can refer and receive referrals.
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 useful content about your business and how you’ve helped other customers.
10. Create a second website in a related niche how 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 specific prospects.
12. Write articles to establish your credibility and provide great content for your website.
It’s 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 refer people to you and call you when they need to.
