Social media isn’t for everyone. So here’s a 5 step approach we have developed to help you reach clients without the need to bare your soul on the socials.
Go Niche
Put yourself in your client’s shoes for a moment. Let’s say you’re a creative business that is looking for a photographer for a campaign for their new fashion line. You know that expert help is needed but you have no idea what to look for in a photographer or how much it’s going to cost you.
You turn to Google to search for a photographer and, amongst the sea of photographers you shot ‘James Johnson: A photographer for startup fashion brands’. It’s fair to say he got your attention…
On his site he walks you through his philosophy & how he works, all the while showcasing the dozens of satisfied fashion brands he’s worked with.
You’re immediately confident that James is: Genuinely tuned in to your industry.
Committed to helping fashion businesses like you get results.
Able to capture the shots you want to have for your campaign.
Clearly choosing a niche is a powerful tool in your bid to make your business both relevant & attractive to a specific marker.
Marketplace
Online Presence: In order for clients to find you online, you’ve got to develop a great online presence. This starts with creating profiles on websites/apps that are designed to connect clients and freelancers, as these websites are more often than not the first place a client will look when they are wanting to hire a new freelancer.
Profile: Take your time to create professional, well-written profiles on sites like Wishu. Keep in mind that it’s a good idea to create profiles on specific freelancing platforms that match your field and expertise. Don’t create a profile on a site/app that you don’t think matches your branding/business.
Search Marketing
Just like social media, there are also two sides to the search marketing coin: organic and paid. SEO complements content marketing efforts by optimising your content so it’s more easily found by your target audience (aka clients). The idea behind SEO is to create content that shows up high in the search engine results page (SERP) and makes searchers want to click on your content. SEO best practices involve creating content that search engines can read, decipher, and index within a SERP. You can increase your content’s “indexability” by:
– Putting your main keyword in the post title
– Adding alt text to your images
– Uploading transcripts for video and audio content
– Linking internally within your site
Email marketing
Email Marketing might seem like an outdated acquisition method, but it’s actually a highly effective way to stay in front of your clients and promote quality content, product information, and discounts and events.
Step 1: Start building an email list
Presentations are communication tools that can be used as , lectures, speeches, reports, and more.
Step 2: Decide on the approach
Decide on how you will form your three outreach emails (1st email, follow-up and end) or newsletter. Decide on your platforms (a good one to use SendGrid for a newsletter). P.s. use your own email to email every client separately (keep track on a spreadsheet). If you’re a busy creative, use software such as Mailshake.
Step 3: Connect & Sell
Figure out how to connect and build a relationship and then convert them into clients.
PR & Collaborations
Co-hosting/hosting events
Co-hosting/hosting events can be a great way to get your name and a backlink to your site out there. Try and co-host an event first trying reaching out to General Assembly or any relevant freelance sites including Wishu.
Go on a podcast or set one up
It’s quite straightforward to set up a podcast. It’s also the perfect business development tool to connect with industry thought leaders, as well as senior decision-makers and target companies. Identify your ideal clients and build topics around the subjects.
