It’s true: you can find repeat clients without ads and with a simple upfront monetary investment.
I’m talking about tried-and-true methods I’ve been successfully using for over 10 years to build seven different brands.
The truth is, content marketing is the only marketing left. I’m about to show you EXACTLY why and how you can use it today to start making more revenue for your brand.
I’m not saying you can’t get clients through cold calls and ads. But numbers don’t lie, and ads only give you a .6% return today — yikes.
Skip the ads and sleazy marketing techniques (goodbye, telemarketing).
Instead, check out today’s easy, practical, and actionable strategies for how to get ideal clients — this spans both the short-term AND long-term.
How to Get Ideal Clients: Watch Full Video
Since over 95% of the world’s traffic comes from search, your ranking on Google is insanely important. If you aren’t tapping into this huge market, you’re missing out on a river of sales and potential clients. SEO blogging is the way to open the floodgates to these hungry leads and turn them into happy clients. 😊
Learn How to Get Ideal Clients: My Favorite 4 Techniques
Here’s a recap of the four techniques to start implementing today to get clients.
1. Tap Into the Power of SEO Blogging
Sure, you could spend your time on other platforms besides your own (Social can be a lot of fun and robs so many business creators of their energy and focus).
But SEO blogging drives 1000% more traffic than social media, 💥 which is only a short-term strategy to land more customers.
So turn your focus into building your own platform (website) and attracting clients there. This is your personal real estate on the web (that no one can take away from you like a 3rd party could) and is incredibly important.
This is a key strategy I teach to my coaching students — building a content ecosystem where everything leads back to your own Content House.
To start, I recommend publishing a weekly 1,500-word blog post. Data shows you can do more, but I don’t want you to stretch yourself too thin. That’s a one-way ticket to burnout and as the leader of your brand, we need to avoid that at all costs.
To get that #1 spot in Google, choose your keyword wisely. First, find a term or phrase that’s low competition. That means not choosing a word where popular businesses are already ranking.
Next, you will need at least 1,000 words in your post. Long-form content consistently receives those high search spots — because it aims to truly help people, not just to sell to them.
Long-form is also the most shared content. If that long-form content is QUALITY content, you’ll build trust with your clients — which leads to long-term relationships.
Not only that, but long-form content consistently gets more backlinks than short-form does. 🔗
What this looks like short-term: You’ll need to know SEO or hire an expert content writer who does. Then, get a content marketing strategy built and start blogging consistently. If you don’t have time for this now, and you’ve got the budget, consider paying a digital marketing agency for help.
What this looks like long-term: SEO blogging is THE most powerful (and exciting, IMO) long-term strategy for getting new clients. Buckle in as your content ages and your growth compounds over time — the longer it’s out there, and the more high-quality content that exists, the more authority your domain will get from Google — bringing you to the top of search results to be easily found by people looking for answers online.
2. Build Your Own Sales & Use The Forward Flow to Find Ideal Clients
You don’t have to do all the sales yourself. In fact, that’s a recipe for failure as an entrepreneur.
Every phone call you make, meeting you attend, or email you send takes you away from other tasks that could grow your business. So instead, build a reliable and trustworthy remote team and add salespeople you love.
But don’t just hire the first person you hear from with an attractive pitch. In fact, you shouldn’t even feel like you have to hire a salesperson at all. 🤷
In my case, I hired my editor as my business’s full-time salesperson. She knows my company, clients, and how to communicate effectively. Those traits go a lot further in the era of 2022’s content trends than mere sales knowledge.
Your goal is to have a sales team so effective that they replace you. This can be done using The Forward Flow, a non-sleazy concept that instantly connects and attracts your ideal client.
What this looks like short-term: When you find that perfect person, expect to pay between $15-$25 an hour. If you are hiring inbound, it will be cheaper than outbound.
What this looks like long-term: As you build trust with your leads through authentic, helpful content + your automated ecosystem, your inbound sales will close much more effortlessly. With great content and a solid team, so much of the psychological pieces of the sale will be done by the time they get to the bottom of your lead generation funnel and ready to close — the power of The Forward Flow in action.
3. Pitch to Prospects That Are Hiring (WITHOUT Spamming Cold Prospects)
Quantity above all else is not a good tactic if you’re learning how to get clients.
You’re smarter than that — so go in with a strategy instead of being sleazy.
You may hear gurus recommending you pitch to dozens of clients through cold calls and emails.
Please, please, PLEASE don’t do this!
Not only is it very ineffective, but you could be burning bridges with potential clients. For example, I get pitches over 10 times a day — I ignore 100% of them. Some of them are so relentlessly annoying, i.e. “Julia, why didn’t you respond to my fifth follow-up??!”, that I mark as spam and report them to the Gmail federation. 🏴☠️ (Ha!)
Instead, see the people you are pitching as real human beings. They either need your services, or you’re a waste of their time.
Think about it — how would YOU want someone to pitch to you? Spam phone calls and unsolicited emails clogging your inbox are probably not your first choice.
So how do you find clients without cold spamming?
Find people who are actively looking to hire YOU.
I use Google Jobs and simply search for my area of expertise. You can do the same!
With a quick search (i.e. “content writer,” “freelance writer”), you’ll find SO MANY jobs eager to hire someone just like you.
HOT TIP: To stand out among the other applicants, pitch to the client via email instead of the job posting. I recommend using Hunter.io to find a personal email for pitching. 🔥
Next, craft a custom pitch that’s relevant to their posting and specifically targeted to their company. That means doing a little research into their business before sending the pitch to show you are SERIOUS about wanting to work with them.
What this looks like short-term: If you’re wondering ‘how can I get clients fast?’ or ‘how do beginners get clients?’ this is the way to go. I heard from nearly 77% of the pitches I made when replying to job ads (even ones that were looking for employees!).
What this looks like long-term: The more happy customers you serve, the more word-of-mouth business you’ll get. And as you’re bringing in more leads from SEO blogging for small business, you’ll need to pitch less and less.
Want to learn how to rank on page #1 of Google? Consider our Content Hacker Academy SEO writing course. Get started with this free sample!
4. Get Consistent on Instagram Reels and Attract Ideal Clients
If you’re wondering ‘how to get clients on Instagram?’ this is the tip for you.
Instagram Reels are relatively new, making them ideal for getting your pitch seen as you won’t have much competition. This generally short-term method of getting clients works because it feels so genuine — and honestly, it is! Once your website is established and you’ve unleashed a content strategy that’s targeting your long-term strategy, this is a great way to get clients online quickly. 📈
I regularly use Instagram posts and Reels to publish content that brings in clients — targeting students who might be interested in my business coaching program and content-based courses.
Not sure where to start?
- Be authentic and real. Brand trust matters now more than ever before, so be yourself and your people will find you. Clients are drawn to people they have a connection with.
- Try using trending audio clips and run with it. Check out what’s popular or trending then adjust it to your niche and emphasize a potential pain point.
- Let your audience know how you will solve that problem. Finally, don’t forget a link in your Instagram bio to bring people back to your website or a key link that shows off your skills and expertise.
What this looks like short-term: Don’t pour all your energy into creating content just for social. Consider repurposing content you’ve created on your own platform (workshops, behind-the-scenes, etc.) and tweaking it to turn it into a Reel. But have fun with it, too!
What this looks like long-term: The more followers and engagement you have on social, the more reach your account will have. So enjoy the ride as you grow! But keep your eye on your own SEO content for long-term gains. Combining these is key. 🔑
Get Serious About Building Your Brand Around Content Marketing
Experts…
If you’ve got a brand and service or offer ready to help the world, I don’t want you sitting around trying to guess how to get more clients.
And please, don’t pour all your time, money, and energy into paid ads or sleazy sales methods. They don’t work nearly as well as content marketing.
If you’re an expert, if you’re in the middle of brand-building, you need a roadmap that takes all this guesswork away.
For example, how do you hire your first employee/contractor?
How do you delegate content and pipeline the creation of it successfully (for you, and your clients)?
How do you build a website that converts?
How do you create content that draws in leads and customers without batting an eye?
I teach all of this inside The Content Transformation System, my 12-month mentorship program for business owners just like you.
Because you should be focused on getting paid for your expertise – not stumbling through and letting a lack of knowledge trip you up from direct revenue made from your passions.
Ready to get clear on how to run a sustainable online business grown from your skillsets? Apply now to my comprehensive 12-month mentorship. ✨
