Strategic steps for Freelancers to attract customers:
Whether you’re just starting as a freelancer or you’re looking to boost your freelancing client base, you’ll need a strategy to help you reach the right people and convert them into customers. There are plenty of places where you could start, like social media and in-person networking events, or starting a blog. But which one is best?
The steps below offer a surefire strategy for attracting your ideal clients and boosting your freelance business.
Determine your niche market or industry:
Understanding your target audience isn’t just crucial for large companies looking to sell a product or service. Individuals who are offering a service need to understand who their ideal customers are, too. Even if you’re already working as a freelancer, it’ll help to spend some time focusing on defining what your niche market is. Determining your niche and having a clear understanding of your buyer personas is a key step to putting you on the right path toward attracting your ideal clients.
Creating your buyer personas is all about asking questions and using the answers in a way that will help you guide your marketing efforts. Some of these questions might be “What is my ideal client’s industry,” “What problems do my ideal clients want to solve,” etc. It’s easy to find free templates and tools online for creating a buyer persona.
Find out where the players in your niche market are:
Once you’ve determined what your niche market or target industry is, you can find out where the people you need to connect with are and be there, too.
Being active in your target audience’s watering holes is both an online and offline activity.
Join the online forums and discussions they participate in. Find out what events they attend and attend them, as well. Live networking events and industry meet-ups are great for interacting face-to-face with new potential clients.
LinkedIn is a great place for joining relevant industry groups
Create a website with the right messaging for your target audience:
Like having a website that speaks to the wrong target audience.
Your website and your entire online presence need to have proper and consistent messaging that is targeted to your ideal client. How can you be sure that you’re using the right messaging?
First, keep in mind these two crucial facts:
- Your site visitors don’t necessarily reach your website already knowing what you offer
- Visitors don’t have too much time or patience. Make sure your messaging clearly and quickly communicates your offering and value. What is your business all about? Why should they choose you over someone else?
Show off your testimonials:
Considering how powerful word-of-mouth is, testimonials go a long way toward helping grow your business. In our digital age, people don’t only trust recommendations from people they know personally. If they see a testimonial from someone who reminds them of themselves (similar job title, challenges, goals, etc.), it’ll make them feel more comfortable with the idea of hiring you.
Contribute to discussions on social media:
Comment and respond to conversations on social media in an authentic manner. People love to interact with peers who add value to discussions, especially on sites like LinkedIn and Twitter.
Providing advice or recommendations demonstrates your expertise in your chosen field. This may lead to inquiries and, at the very least, can lead to invaluable lifelong connections.
Look for groups, hashtags, and live chats so you can engage with your professional community effectively.
Be helpful in all your interactions:
Be a kind and helpful person in every interaction. This will elevate your personal brand as a pleasant person that’s always willing to go the extra mile — for clients and peers alike.
Helping people, even if they don’t seem like the ideal client, builds goodwill within your industry.
Remember that as a solo entrepreneur, you are your own brand. How you act and what you give out to the world will come back to you.
Join a co-working space
In normal times, co-working spaces are brilliant places to work and get connected to a new circle of friends and potential colleagues.
And these qualities will certainly resume as soon as coworking spaces like WeWork, Work. Life, Workbar, and LiquidSpace reopen for general co-working.
Building connections takes time though, so be prepared to make co-working a regular part of your routine. You should also take advantage of any social occasions, workshops, or presentations hosted within your co-working space, as these are a great way to get to know your fellow co-workers.
