Starting and running your own business can be very stressful, but it’s often not that hard compared to the stress of finding the right clients for your creative business.
On paper, it seems easy. You build a website, you tell your friends about it, and that’s about it. Your email will be overflowing with inquiries. Well, in reality, it’s not exactly like that. Or at least it wasn’t like that for me and I’m sure others have experienced the same thing.
If you want to find clients for your creative business, you have to work a little and get your name out there. And because I want to help you find your dream clients, I am going to show you my favorite ways to do it:
Start a blog
In this day and age, if you want to start a business, you need a website. And since you are building one, you should also add a blog.
Blogging is the easiest way to attract people, build a loyal following, and eventually convince them to work with you. Besides that, you can also show them what you do by sharing your expertise with them.
Create a shop in an online marketplace
Creating your first product will not be easy, but it has a lot of advantages. Not only will it bring you some extra cash, it will also bring new clients.
If you don’t want to make any products, you can list your services. There are many people that might look for your services on Etsy. Not to mention that you can also use it for invoicing your clients.
Facebook groups
I never had a very good relationship with Facebook. My organic reach is very small and paying for ads didn’t help that much, so I only update it when I have a new post. Facebook groups are more similar to discussion forums than Facebook pages and they are great for bloggers and entrepreneurs.
There are Facebook groups for everyone and they might be where your dream clients hang out. Don’t forget that it’s important to help people out, not just promote your content. Once they will see that you are friendly and an expert in your field, they will definitely contact you.
Facebook groups can also help you grow your blog if you share your posts. Most of them have a special day or a thread dedicated to sharing your latest post. Don’t forget to add yours.
Social media sites
Twitter. There are many people looking for help or advice on Twitter. Looking through hashtags will help you find people that need a web designer or a copywriter. Answer their questions or send them a link to your website and you might book a new client.
Instagram. Just like with Twitter, there are a lot of people looking for help on Instagram. Sharing behind the scene images of your work might also help you find new followers that will eventually turn into customers.
Pinterest. This is my favorite social media platform and it’s also a great way to grow my blog’s traffic and to find people that need a new blog design. Share your photos, images from your design process, or your newest blog posts. If you have a small number of followers then group boards will help you share your content with a larger audience. You can use PinGroupie to find boards in your niche.
Referrals
You need to find a client in order to get referrals, but if your clients loved working with you, they will recommend you to their friends or their readers.
Perfecting your process and explaining everything to your clients will make them less confused and happy customers are more likely to recommend you.
Build an email list
It might take some time to build your email list, you might need to give them a freebie or write exclusive content, but they will allow you to stay in touch with your subscribers even when they don’t visit your blog or social media. People are more likely to open emails, especially if they know there is something useful to them in there.
You can use your newsletter to remind people about your blog, but you can also use it to promote your services. Just remember not to spam your clients.
How do you find clients for your business?
