5 Things You Can Do From Your Couch to Find New Clients

Source: Stock by Jewels

Starting a service-based business is hard.

No matter what kind of service you’re providing, there’s always going to be competition. You’ll see countless people who have way more experience than you, way more followers than you, and who have already positioned themselves as the expert in your industry.

How do you break into that niche? How do you get experience and find clients in the first place? As a copywriter, I know the struggle.

But a recent ice-cold pitch in my DMs got me thinking about some things service providers can do to find clients — without sounding sketchy or desperate.

How not to find clients

First, let me tell you a story.

I recently connected with a fellow copywriter on LinkedIn. A day later, they were in my DMs (not a euphemism) with an interesting request.

For anyone using a screen-reader, here is the full message:

Hi Chelsea,

Jan here.

I wish a happy new year to you and your loved ones. Have a positive blast all year long!

Anyway… About 5 months ago I started my copywriting journey. And now I’m struggling to get clients.

And I was wondering if you have some A-hole clients you really want to get rid of.

And I was thinking if you could give them to me. And I could give you 20% of my earnings.

So it’s a win-win situation for both of us.

What do you think? Would love to hear from you. Have a nice day!

Best regards,

Jan

On the surface, it’s an exceptionally friendly — if misguided — message from one peer to another.

But a quick glance at Jan’s profile raised some questions.

For a start, their work experience showed they had been self-employed as a copywriter for 3 years. Hang on, didn’t their message say they started their copywriting journey 5 months ago?

Their profile was also a little bare. There was a one-word bio about helping “you” attract more customers and increase sales. (How? Why? Who?) No testimonials, no portfolio, no projects. I poked around for a link to a website but came up empty-handed.

Now, the thing about referring clients to someone is you’re putting your own reputation on the line. When I recommend someone — whether it’s a designer, a virtual assistant, or another copywriter — I’m giving them my endorsement. I’m saying, “I trust this person and you should too.”

I can’t, in good faith, recommend someone who:

• I’ve never worked with
• I’ve never spoken to outside this one DM
• Hasn’t shown me examples of their work
• Asks for “a-hole” clients (this is a whole other post but basically it shows little respect for the client or yourself).

How to find and attract clients

In my reply to Jan, I explained that I’m picky about who I work with, so I don’t have any “a-hole” clients to refer. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, though, and threw in some tips for finding clients — since this was the main pain point in their message.

The verdict’s still out on whether this is a copywriter with 3 years’ or 5 months’ experience, but these tips are useful for any new copywriters or service providers struggling to find clients.

I gave Jan three tips, but today I’m sharing five things you can do to attract clients — without settling for the difficult ones no one wants to work with.

1. Update your social media

A quick disclaimer: You do not need to be on every social media platform to make this one work. In fact, focusing your efforts on one or two platforms can save you a lot of stress. Find out which platform(s) your target audience hangs out on, and set up shop there. You can always add more platforms as you gain more experience or you decide you want to expand down the line.

When you engage with someone on social media, they’ll often check out your profile. You want it to be an honest reflection of who you are and what you do, even if you don’t have a perfectly-curated Instagram feed or you haven’t tweeted in 2 weeks.

When creating your profile, make sure you:

• Include a concise, compelling bio that tells people what you do and what sets you apart from others who do the same thing.
• Identify your target audience or dream client. For example, my social media bios say: “Bloom Lab Copy writes sincere, inclusive messaging for brands that want to change the world.”
• Add a keyword or two to your name. So, if you’re a copywriter, include the word “Copywriter” in your public name. This means you’ll show up in searches for that term which will help people find you, even if your username is something completely different.
• Include a link to your website. On LinkedIn, you can add projects and testimonials directly to your page, but this is a bit trickier on platforms like Twitter or TikTok. Linking to your website (with a clear CTA to visit it) lets people discover more about you if your profile piques their interest.

2. Set up a website

If you’re a service provider, you need a website. Your website is a one-stop-shop for anyone wanting to learn more about you. It’s an easy way for potential clients to scope out your services and see examples of your work.

As I mentioned above, most social media platforms aren’t designed to host entire portfolios. They’re great for giving people a snapshot of what you do, but you should always link to your website so they can see the full picture.

Your website doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated. When you’re starting out, you likely won’t have the budget to work with a professional website designer or agency. Luckily for you (and me), building a simple, functional website is relatively straightforward these days. I built mine on Squarespace in little over a week, and the hardest part was deciding on a colour palette.

3. Pitch clients, not competitors

If you’ve got time to pitch to competitors, you’ve got time to pitch to potential clients.

Cut out the middle-man. But take it a step further.

We’ve all had some smarmy brand slide into our DMs telling us they love our content and want to collaborate with us. Heck, I had someone DM my private Instagram account waxing poetic about how we’d be such a great fit. They couldn’t even see my posts!

You don’t want to be that person. You want to be genuine, helpful, and personal.

When done right, pitching clients directly can be a great way to find work, boost your portfolio, and get a few testimonials under your belt. I recommend emailing clients directly using these tips:

• Be personal: Do your research. Follow them on social media, visit their website, subscribe to their newsletters. Really get a feel for their product or service, their brand, and their values. And mention them in your pitch! Nobody wants to get a pitch that sounds like it’s been sent to every other 30-something woman in Chicago. Make your pitch personal and include details to back it up. Bonus tip: Always address your pitch to a real-life, human person.
• Be genuine: Use your research to connect with the client in your pitch; tell them why you’re interested in working with them specifically. Do you love their product? Do you value the work they do in their community? Have you had a recent experience relating to their industry? If you’re genuinely excited to work with a client, it will show.
• Be helpful: Identify one or two areas you can help them improve. Maybe their branding is a bit inconsistent across different platforms. Maybe they don’t have an About page on their website. Whatever you can do to make their lives easier or boost their business, offer it up on a silver platter. Be nice about it though. Don’t list all the things they’re doing wrong; explain how you can make their business even better.

4. Engage with your audience on social media

Social media is designed to be social. It’s in the name.

You should follow and engage with your target audience before and after you send your pitches. Because here’s the thing: A lot of them will be rejected, or met with concerns about budget or time.

And that’s okay. Not everyone is ready to buy at the exact moment you want them to.

But if you regularly engage with your community, they’ll think of you when they have a project or more of a budget.

Liking posts is a quick way to engage with potential clients, but commenting or sharing goes even further. Cheer people on and don’t be afraid to share tips if they ask for advice. Remember, this isn’t about the hard sell. This is about genuine engagement and getting to know your target audience.

Side note: This is also a great way to connect with competitors (though I like to think of them as peers). Once you take the time to get to know people, you can build the sort of relationship where they’d be happy to refer you to clients.

5. Be honest!

Don’t try to hide your experience or beef up your credentials to seem more “legitimate”. Everybody has to start somewhere, and if a client can’t appreciate that then you probably don’t want to work with them anyway.

Being honest is the bare minimum you can do for clients to build trust.

In this day and age, it’s easy for people to debunk your claims — and if they catch you in a lie, it may as well be game over. Remember that anyone you pitch is going to look you up on the interwebs. They will check your social media and website; and if your pitch sounds a bit off, they’ll probably Google you to see if anyone has flagged you for spam in the past.

So, don’t try and pull one over on your clients. Be upfront and sincere; it will take you a lot further.

Use these tips to grow your audience, find new clients, and build a business you’re proud of.

Your turn! I’d love to hear your tips for finding clients as a new business!

This story was originally published on Bloom Lab Copy.