Having a strong client base is one of the biggest things that will make or break your business. Clients are, understandably, the lifeblood of a business. Without clients, you won’t make any money, and any venture is bound to fail.
And while getting clients is important, it is crucial that you build a loyal following of clients. You need a strong client base, full of clients who recognize the value of your services and pay you accordingly. If your only clients are difficult to deal with or use your services irregularly, it will negatively affect your business. Using strong and smart strategies to attract customers is the best way to grow your business and help your success.
Create a Professional Website
You only get one chance to make a first impression, and often that first impression is your website. WordPress and the many themes that it has made available has made it easier than ever to create a high-quality, professional site, but you may still want to hire a web designer to set up your site for you. If you go with a WordPress theme, it’s better to choose a premium theme, as these have more features and aren’t as generic as free themes.
Your site should explain what your business does and how it can help potential clients. It should be engaging, but everything should ultimately serve a purpose. One of the most important things with your website is to make sure that it is easily navigable. Nothing is more frustrating than not being able to find things on a website.
Implement SEO
The best way to get clients is to have them come to you, and when your site is high in the search rankings, you’ll have far more organic traffic. How can you get on the coveted first page of the search results? Every page on your site should have at least a few paragraphs of content and another form of media, such as an image or video. Choose the right focus keyword for every page. Each focus keyword must relate to your business, so clients who are searching for that can find you.
When implementing SEO practices, it is important to make sure that you are not spamming or over-stuffing your page. It can be hard to find the line between neglecting SEO and overdoing, especially if you are new. It may be helpful to find someone who is knowledgeable about SEO and the best practices. They can give you guidance for finding the right keywords, developing backlinks, and other SEO methods.
Set Up Social Media Profiles
Social media is one of the biggest ways to get your business in front of a large group of people at an effective cost. There are so many different platforms that you can access and use to promote your services, and each of these provides a different aspect of customer interaction. Using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other interaction heavy websites allows you to share material, become engaged in a conversation, and interact with your customers. More professional websites like LinkedIn can help you establish yourself professionally with other companies and attract potential employees.
Advertise Your Business
Online ads are a great way to get more clients coming to your business because costs are low and you can pay per click. This means that you’ll only pay when someone clicks your ad and visits your site, which in turn can generate revenue for you. Essentially, it is a win-win situation for you and the people placing your ads.
Ads are available through search engines and all the major social networks. While you can market your business using SEO and by posting your content on social networks, these can both take time. Paying for ads allows you to cut the line and get your brand in front of more people right from the beginning. You’re essentially paying your way to the front page of the search results or the top of people’s social feeds. Some people may disregard ads, but it can have some payoff
Create a Blog
Filling your website with blog posts is a form of content marketing. There are a few key ways that blog posts can help your business. You can target different keywords for each blog post, so you’ll get more organic traffic from visitors who were searching for those keywords. As people read your content, they’ll start to know and trust you more, making them more likely to become clients. If you update your site’s blog consistently, it gives visitors a reason to return to your site.
The most important thing to remember with content marketing is that quality beats quantity every time. Your blog can be simple, but make sure it is good quality. It’s better to add one great post per week instead of three or four generic posts that are no different from the posts written by your competition. Take your time when doing your research so you can write a high-quality blog post with the right focus keywords. Don’t forget to add backlinks to other pages on your site to encourage visitors to check out more of your content.
Make Personal Connections
Building an entire client base from people who found your site through a search or a social media post is ideal, but you’ll likely need to also make connections on your own. There are many ways you can do this. You could use search engines to look for potential clients, and then send them emails introducing yourself and providing a link to your site. On social networks, you can request to connect with potential clients, and then message them.
What’s important is that you personalize your messages as much as possible. People receive plenty of generic messages that look like form letters. These letters will get ignored. Do your research on the companies that you want to reach out to, and make sure that you are personalizing your outreach to them in particular. If possible, find a way to network with them in person. People are always more receptive to meeting in person.
Evaluate Your Client Base Every Few Months
Don’t become complacent just because you’ve built up a solid client base. As previously mentioned, it’s much better to have a few strong consistent clients than a lot of flaky clients. That’s why every so often you should look at your current client base and evaluate what you can do to improve your relationship with them.
If you’re not making as much as you could be making, you should either raise your rates or find clients who will pay you what you’re worth. You should get rid of clients who are more trouble than they’re worth. It may seem risky to cut clients, but your business will be in much better shape if you prioritize finding high-value clients instead of spending all your time on cheap or difficult clients.
Ask for Referrals
After you’ve been working with a client for a few months or more, consider asking for a referral. There’s no risk in asking, and it could be very beneficial for your business. The best clients will often have connections who could also use you. And when you have a referral, you’ve already gotten your foot in the door.
When preparing to ask for referrals, make sure that you have a good relationship with the client. If you have been successful in working with them, they may decide to recommend you or come to you with their own referrals. Working hard at the services you are providing is the best way to get quality referrals.
Wrapping Up
Remember that every entrepreneur goes through this process. You should always be evaluating your attempts to secure clients to see if there’s anywhere you’re going wrong, but it’s also a numbers game. When you follow the right strategies and stick with it over a period of months, you’ll eventually have an excellent roster of clients and stable income for your business.
