Growing a business isn’t easy. No one starts their own biz thinking, this is gonna be a snap, I’ll be living the lush life in 6 months! What seems like a project of love in the beginning can hit a bit of a wall, leaving you wondering if you’ll ever get further than you’ve found yourself. Glass ceiling, anyone? But there is a way to move beyond and take steps to shift into that next level of growth. Let us share a little bit of insight on how to grow clients on tap.
Find your niche and hook in that target audience
You started a business for a reason, right? What is it that you do that makes you stand out from the other businesses like yours in your market? Your niche is going to help you fill that gap in the market so you can really hone in on your target audience and their needs. Ask yourself some questions:
- What makes you all passionate and excited?
- What are you the effing bomb at!?
- What would you say your top three values are as a person and as a business?
Now, who is that target audience?
Who does your brand speak to on that deliciously relatable level? A few questions to ask yourself:
- How old are they?
- Do they have kids? What are their ages?
- Are they educated?
- What type of job do they have?
- What is their average annual income?
- What do they love to do in their spare time?
- What worries them?
- Frustrates them?
- What problem or pain point do they need to solve?
- What can you offer them that they NEED?
Once you’ve got those two things locked in, it will be much easier to start to grow your following…
Sweet arse marketing
This section is a long one but we’ll keep it to the point - basically, how do you get word out about who you are and what you offer? You can purchase targeted ads on socials, which is a good start. But how about branding? Getting your website and that Insta page looking gorgeous and staying on top of engagement is going to make people want to stay, connect and explore a little longer.
Email marketing may sound old school, but it’s still an effective way to grow a connected client base. Get people on your list (Just maybe look at this Spam Act Flow Chart first, so you don’t get all illegally spammy)! Then there’s reaching out to other local businesses, publications, even local radio stations. Get out of your comfort zone and ask what you can do for each other as a collab to reach a larger audience. Marketing well can be gold to company growth.
Network, network, network
This word makes some people shudder. We get that. But see above: get out of your comfort zone. Volunteering to speak at market events or inviting a special guest that has a following themselves to an event of your own is a good way to turn heads (just made sure you have one of these Speaker Agreements handy if you go that route!) going to networking shindigs (we love that word), partnering with other like-minded businesses, hitting exhibitions and trade shows...there are a number of ways you can network and share the awesomeness that is your business with others! You started it, so chances are you love that thing you do or sell. So talking about it passionately should be a pretty easy task, right!? Get on it!
Just so’s ya know, we offer a great little way to network and collaborate with other businesses. If you are down with our vibe at Foundd, check out our affiliate program and start this whole networking and collaboration thing today!
Freebies
Offering free services in exchange for testimonials or as an incentive for people interested in your product to come back for more is a great way to grow clients on tap! Let’s face it. People like free things. Adding value by offering downloadable documents or a free trial of a product can get people interested - and allow the brilliance of your offering to do the talking for you. Asking for a testimonial in exchange is also an awesome opportunity to start sharing feedback on your website, socials and search engines (oh heeeey, Google). These days, people use reviews as a major touchpoint to decide whether or not jumping into a relationship with a business or brand is worth it. So start collecting yours!
Exciting times are ahead, friend, where and how are you going to start growing your client base? Don't forget to keep your relationship legally legit with the right contracts and enjoy a tip or two on how to Negotiate Your Contract Like a Boss! Wanna chat? We're always here to help!
Riz McDonald is an e-commerce business owner, business coach, podcaster and a lawyer for over 16 years. She’s also a mum and a lover of good wine...she only ever drinks the cheap stuff when she’s stoney broke.
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This article is for general information purposes only and should be used solely as general guidance. It does not and is not intended to represent legal advice or other professional advice.
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