Whether you’re a novice or veteran business owner, freelancer, or entrepreneur, this five-step inbound client work funnel will keep your client base active.
Before you begin, you must know your target market. Go ahead, I’ll give you a few minutes to define that.
Now that you’ve defined the market, let’s focus on the five-step plan. (Download available here.)
Referral and Testimonial Efforts
If this is not your first work assignment, you probably have referrals. Ask them for a short review of your work. Let people know you plan to share those testimonials publicly, but without using their full name. Then pick a day each month to share a high-five, back slap, or kudos on social media, include them in a monthly email, scream it from the rooftops if needed. Just be sure to share the message.
Advertising
You don’t need to spend a lot on advertising, just be consistent and very targeted. It can be done traditionally (print, tv, radio) or online (Google ads, social media, video).
- Define the geographic location for the market you want to reach.
- Create a call to action (what you want them to do).
- Design the ad and landing page on your website or online lead capture location.
- Follow up.
Play Nice
Engage with your niche, target market on social media. That doesn’t just mean posting content. It means engaging – sharing stories, answering comments, liking their feedback, and answering questions. Hashtags are a great way to enter into a conversation, but don’t do it blindly. Monitor what’s happening with that hashtag to ensure your content isn’t taken out of context.
Build Relationships
Creating an active client work funnel takes a team. Go out and meet people. Let people know what you do. Call your clients once in a while to make sure everything is good with them and remind them that you’re there to help. You can do this with phone calls, emails, social media, postcards, and appointments.
Get Noticed
If you’re not active in your niche audience’s space, they may not know you exist. Get out there. Speak at events. Host a cocktail hour, launch a webinar series, be interviewed, comment on articles, and more. The more people see or hear your name, the more likely they will remember it and you.
Now that you have the plan, go get those clients!