Increase Clients
Are you looking to increase clients? Consumers rely increasingly on advice from those they trust to make purchasing decisions. Online and offline, consumers look for reviews and interviews to better judge entrepreneurs before taking a chance on their products and services. Of course, it might be hard to get either one if you don’t have many customers yet.
Getting my first client took me 18 months and a lot of leg work. With the help of this post and a little work, you won’t have to wait as long to increase clients.
Let’s look at 3 Ways to Increase Clients
Old Fashioned Marketing
Consumers have relied on word-of-mouth recommendations for centuries. While they may look for recommendations online now, it’s still technically word of mouth. It’s a proven technique for introducing yourself to new customers and consistently increasing your client base.
Getting Interviews
Whether local or online, interviews offer a personalized chance to introduce yourself to your audience. The interview aims to help potential customers learn more about you, your business practices, what you sell or do, what makes you different, and why they should shop now.
Getting interviews isn’t as hard as you might think. You have several options to choose from, including:
- Newspapers
- Local news
- Websites
- Social media
- Podcasts
- YouTube
The first two are best for local entrepreneurs. Whether local or not, you can benefit from the other four. Don’t be afraid to contact editors and site owners to ask if they’d be willing to interview you. Some will likely say no. If you choose your outlet carefully, they will likely say yes. For best results, only contact people with a history of interviewing entrepreneurs or small business owners.
A couple of fabulous examples in the online world? Ali Brown, of course! She does a fabulous job with interviews. Her Glambition Radio has been a great success, and she has leveraged her knowledge and success and focused on promoting women entrepreneurs. Another great example would be Marie Forleo. Her format is edgy, entertaining, and fast-paced, but so on target.
Getting Reviews
If a customer has to choose between you and the competition, they will choose the one with the most positive reviews. If you don’t have any and your competitor has a dozen, they will choose the competition and likely recommend them to friends. To successfully keep new customers coming in, you need reviews.
Customers often post reviews on the site from which they purchase a product or service. If you sell something online, ensure you have a place for reviews. They also post reviews on business directories such as Yelp. This is especially true for local businesses. Ensure you have your business listed on applicable business directories so users can leave reviews.
Whenever a user makes a purchase, please leave a note on their receipt, on the order page, or as a follow-up email asking them to review their purchase. To quickly build reviews, discount anyone who leaves an honest review. If you receive a negative review, try to reach out to the person and find a solution. This shows you care about customers, which leads to more valuable word-of-mouth marketing.
Using a combination of both interviews and reviews helps you grow your business. Building up reviews may take a little time, but it is worth the effort. It provides consistent marketing to introduce you to new customers.
