7 Effective Strategies to Get More Clients Online
I've been in business now for 7 years
as the owner of a virtual company. That means that roughly 97% of my clients
have come to me with no face-to-face contact. Instead, they have ended up as my
clients because they have been referred by a current client or colleague,
visited my website, subscribed to my email newsletter, perused my blog, read a
posting of mine on a forum or discussion list, participated in a teleclass, read
about me in a press release or in an interview in someone's newsletter, or read
one of the many articles I have written in someone else's newsletter. As you
can see, I prefer to conduct most of my marketing from the comfort of my own
home, rather than getting dressed, driving to a networking event, struggling to
find a parking space, forking over $30 or so for the event, and proceed to be
uncomfortable because I really don't want to be there.
Several years ago I thought moving that moving to the big city and networking
with the "big girls" was exactly what I wanted to do and would be the bonanza I
had been seeking to grow my business. Hindsight is always 20/20, and as I
reflect on that experience, I realize that I just don't network in person
effectively -- not because I don't know how, but because I just don't care to do
so. Face-to-face networking is hard work for me, as it requires me to put on my
"extrovert" face and go out and "meet and greet" the crowd. I've been told that
I do this well, but I find the experience to be tiring and draining because it's
not something that I do naturally, nor does it tap into my gifts and talents.
Fighting my "inner introvert" has always been a struggle for me, as I tend to
end up in careers and situations requiring much face-to-face contact. If you
read many business books, most have the same message: the way to get clients is
to build relationships with them. This usually means attendance at networking
events or professional association meetings, visiting with clients at their
offices, volunteering on boards of charitable organizations, etc. Those
strategies are quite effective, but what strategies would someone use to build
relationships virtually with people? I eventually slapped myself on the head
with a big, "Duh!" and realized I had been doing exactly that for 7 years, and
why was I trying to ruin a good thing? This realization has helped me
reconfigure the focus of my business in doing what I do best -- helping my
clients plan and develop their strategies for getting more clients online.
Here are 7 strategies I've used over the last 7 years to help me build virtual
relationships and get more clients online:
1. A relationship-building website. Creating a website that is
content rich for your target audience is key. When a visitor arrives at your
site, she wants to know that you feel her pain, understand her problem, and have
a ready solution to help her. Having page after page of information about how
wonderful you does little to reassure her that you are the solution to her
problem. Some ways that your website can convey that you can solve the problems
of your visitors are by providing testimonials from clients, case studies, free
articles, free reports, online assessments, online surveys, and links to other
online resources that might help. On several of my sites, I have written about
a "defining point" in my life in which I was where my website visitor is now
currently to show that I've been down the road they have traveled and have moved
forward.
I recently read about a valuable tip that you should employ as you write your
website copy -- read it aloud. If you can do so and it sounds natural,
congratulations! You have successfully written in your own voice and people
will truly be able to get a sense of who you are and what you're about when they
visit your site. If you sound and feel stilted and uncomfortable as you read
your copy, you should head back to the drawing board and begin again.
2. Email newsletter. Creating and publishing an email newsletter
on a regular basis is one of the best marketing moves I've made to date in my
business. The format has changed from year to year, but here's what I find that
works: put "you" into your newsletter. I failed to do that initially, and
failed as well to publish on a regular, consistent basis. If you plan to publish
your newsletter every Thursday morning, for example, then create a schedule for
yourself so that you can do so. Shorter newsletters that can be read (or
skimmed) quickly are the best. Make sure that your newsletter's subject line is
compelling (and use personalization if your email broadcast system has that
feature) to ensure that a greater number readers choose to open and read your
current issue. My newsletter consists of a personal reflection from me (what's
happening in my life either personally or professionally), a feature article to
help my readers and demonstrate my expertise, and then 2 resources that my
readers will find useful. A great newsletter doesn't have to be long and
complex, but should give you readers a strong sense of "you".
ConstantContact.com
and EzineDirector.com
are two reputable services you can use to broadcast your email newsletter.
3. Blog. I was slow to embrace the blogging craze, and still
don't use it as much as I should. I tend to use my blog to post info that I've
learned from my day-to-day experiences, or to update readers on some type of
business experiment that I'm trying. Occasionally, I'll just post something
I've found that's funny or really useful to my readers that I won't put in my
newsletter, for one reason or another. Since the term blog is derived from "web
log" or diary, use your blog as another way to reach out and touch your target
market with some defining moments in your life and business.
Blogger.com,
WordPress.com, and
Typepad.com all offer blogging software to
get you started.
4. Article submission. Using a service to submit articles to
various websites has done more for establishing my credibility and expertise
than any other marketing technique I've used to date. Nothing is cooler than
having a friend or colleague send you an email telling you that he just read
your article in someone else's newsletter. I'm on a number of article
announcement lists, so I realize that much of what is submitted as articles is
pure garbage, plain and simple. If you're going to use this technique, you need
to provide your readers with good, solid information and expertise to help them
solve a problem. If your articles contain much fluff and little useful info,
you'll do little to further your credibility and may perhaps damage any virtual
relationships you've established. Ideally, your articles should be between
700-800 words. I've found "how to" articles, or ones that break topics down
into tips, in the way I'm writing this article, to be most useful for online
readers. Remember that online readers are looking at light, rather than print,
so the eye's ability to read long passages of unbroken text is compromised when
reading something off a computer screen. Make your points short and sweet, and
bullet or number them to enhance the article's "scanability".
5. Online forums/discussion lists. Discovering where your target
market hangs out online and reading and responding to posts made to their forums
or discussion lists will put you in front of hundreds, perhaps thousands, at
very little cost. Before posting to any online lists, go back and read what the
group has been discussing previously, and lurk (hang out without posting) for a
week or so to get a feel for how things are done on the list. If the list owner
has guidelines, be sure and read and abide by those. Owners of lists that have
large numbers of members and great discussions are vigilant about adhering to
their guidelines and don't hesitate to boot violators immediately. Two great
sources of online groups are Yahoo Groups,
http://groups.yahoo.com , Google Groups,
http://groups.google.com/ . Scott Stratten also maintains a great list of
good business-oriented discussion forums at
http://www.un-marketing.com/index.php?p=u. Before you post to a group, make
sure you have a great email signature line that contains a compelling offer.
You'd be amazed at how many times I visit websites because of what I read in an
email signature.
6. Teleconferences and webinars. One of the least expensive ways
to offer interaction with your target market is to offer a teleclass or a
webinar. I still find the webinar technology cumbersome to use with a large
number of people, so I favor the teleconference (audio info by phone) strategy
personally. Teleclasses (teleconferences) are pretty easy to design. If you
plan for an hour-long teleclass, spend about 40 minutes providing content and
allow 20 minutes for introductions, questions, and a very short promotional
pitch, if you have one. Colleague Jean Hanson offers a comparison of
teleconference bridge lines here:
http://www.virtualizeyourbiz.com/free.html . I like the service at
FreeAudioConferencing.com.
Here's a list of 20 questions you can use to help you design your teleclass, as
provided in the newsletter, Today's Coach:
http://www.todayscoach.com/2003/021003.html. And, to help you promote your
teleclasses and teleconferences, visit
SeminarAnnouncer.com.
7. Press Releases. Submitting an optimized press release
(optimized with key words for your target market) is the newest trend in helping
you get clients online. In my various searches I've done, I've found online
copies of press releases I submitted years ago, so I know first-hand that a
great press release will stay on websites for a long time. If you've never
created a press release, here's a wonderful online tutorial on how to write an
effective release, including an online Press Release Builder,
http://www.canadaone.com/promote/newsrelease1.html . And, there's an email
newsletter devoted exclusively to the topic at:
http://www.press-release-writing.com/. A listing of some of the online
services I regularly use can be found at
http://www.onlinebizcoachingcompany.com/resources.htm.
You don't have to employ numerous strategies to successfully get clients
online. Just pick a few that appeal to you and apply them consistently. Some
experts will tell you never to give away your information or expertise ("why buy
the cow if the milk is free" theory). I advocate that you should demonstrate
what you know, as that is key in helping you build online relationships. and
those who are really ready to implement your strategies will seek you out, as
most won't or can't do it on their own.
(c) 2009 Donna Gunter
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE? You
can, as long as you reprint the article in its entirety
and include this blurb with it:
Internet Marketing Automation
Coach Donna Gunter helps independent service professionals create prosperous
online businesses that make more profit in less time by teaching them how to
automate their businesses, leverage their expertise, and get found online.
Would you like to learn the specific Internet marketing strategies that get
results? Discover how to increase your visibility and get found online by
claiming your FREE gift, TurboCharge Your Online Marketing Toolkit, at ==>
http://www.TurbochargeYourOnlineMarketing.com.
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