www.FindBizCards.com
This guest post is brought to you by Liz Cutten. Liz runs and manages FindBizCards, a business credit card site helping business owners get the rewards and credit they deserve.
* Without clients, you’re soon going to find out that you’re not going to be in business very long. Whether you clean windows for a living, or maybe you design websites. Whatever it may be, you’re going to find that the following 6 strategies can nail you some great, long lasting clients.
#1 Always carry a business card: Networking is the name of the game when it comes to meeting with new people. Every time you talk with someone, just hand them a business card. It doesn’t matter who they are, or how you’re related, this works wonders! They either throw it away or they keep it around. You never know if a friend or family member needs your services. Remember, word of mouth is always your best advertising!
#2 Social media: The Internet has adapted over the past 5 years and this is another thing that I have seen many people not take advantage of. Facebook, for example is a great way to target people in your niche. Create simple ads in your area and run them. It really isn’t that expensive to run them and you should see some decent results. It’s also a great way to brand your name for future use.
#3 Run an ad in your local paper: I know, who reads the paper anymore? Well, what I’m talking about is running an ad in your local coupon book / paper. I’m sure you get one, but the results are amazing! Recently, I helped a construction company run a full page ad in a local paper. The circulation is probably around 25,000 tops. He had so many responses, that now he has enough work for the next 2 months! You’re probably wondering how much the ad cost? $295!
#4 Buy your leads: Everyone has a price when it comes to acquiring a new client. How much is a customer worth to you? If you’re a handyman for example, you can use a site like www.ServiceMagic.com. Every time someone submits a bid for a property, you can jump in and offer one. You’re going to have to pay to contact them, but the fees are rather low. It’s a great way to have customers come to you.
#5 Freelance your work: As you can see with my pointers, you’re going to find that I love the Internet and it’s for good reasons. Yes, the Internet is a competitive place, but there are a lot of people looking for others to do their jobs. Sites such as Elance.com and more allow you to bid on other people’s projects. Whether you have to transcribe something, or maybe they want a graphic done. No matter what it is, you can find someone looking for your services. The only downfall with these is that you’re going to be competing with a lot of overseas people.
#6 Search engine optimization: The last one on my list works wonders for local searches. If you don’t know how to do it, it really doesn’t take that long to learn it. If you don’t have the time, you can find a service that will do it for you. Once you get ranking in the organic search, this can stay there for ages. The best thing about ranking well is that it’s going to be free after it’s all said and done!
Yes, old media still does work to grab up some clients, but you’re going to find that you will want to learn how to use the Internet. There are so many tools that you can use out there. Work hard and good things shall come!
