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 remains full and you align prospects so that you constantly have new customers. Once you have this funnel, getting customers becomes a numbers game and it works in your favor. You don’t have to accept any old proposal with a boring job just because you need the money.
You have the control. You decide who you are going to work with. You can decide your rates. You can position yourself as a consultant who solves your clients’ problems, and not just a job seeker.
Really? Just keeping a full funnel?
Yes, but there are two drawbacks. It takes time for it to work like this, and you have to do it constantly. You must realize that marketing your business online is an ongoing process and not something you can do sporadically.
You can jump-start this process by nurturing the relationships you already have. Go through all those business cards you got from various networking events. Get in touch with them, ask if they need your services, ask if they’d mind joining your mailing list so you can stay in touch, and ask for referrals.
You can also use social media to keep in touch. Just start the dialogues with no sales pitches. Then start asking about your business and offer a solution. Eventually, you can request an appointment 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 the results, you can start trading in a cold market.
Here’s how to get started:
Plant your “seeds”
You need more than one marketing method that works so that you can attract prospects 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 build quality relationships.
3. Give a 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 a laser-directed direct mail. Remember to test this first and send it to your ideal clients. Make sure you offer them something they want.
7. Start an online magazine, ezine, or newsletter. Be sure to focus on your customers’ needs and show how you can help with various examples and stories. This is a great way to keep your prospects in mind.
8. Partner with professionals who have services that match 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 send referrals and receive referrals.
9. Sign up with a good autoresponder and write a series of 10-20 emails to keep in touch with potential customers. These should give them useful content about your business and how you have helped other customers.
10. Build a second website in 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 specific prospects.
12. Write articles to establish your credibility and provide excellent 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 their niche. This will help them refer people to you and call you when they need to.