When working for yourself, the most important thing to consider is your client list. Your clients are your income source. Who are you working with? Why? What do you offer each other? How can you do things differently? What makes you the best choice?
When building my client list, an important thing for me was believing in the client’s business. I took over the digital marketing for my favourite takeaway because I believed their food was superior. Its easy to sell to a product you believe in wholeheartedly and I’m a total foodie having once cooked in a café myself in a previous life.
Picking clients is never easy. I once gave a free consultation with a few tips moving forward for improvement and after declining my service, I noticed an immediate change in their digital marketing as they implemented my ideas. Its a delicate balance in showing your industry knowledge without giving away valuable tips you deserve to be paid for. Soliciting (even for clients) has an average conversion rate of just 2% so Its important to remember your self worth in the face of rejection.
I prefer working with smaller independent businesses. When you can tangibly increase a clients brand alone and with no budget, you can win anyone over. Return on investment is always going to be favourable when utilising a zero budget marketing approach. Targeted marketing doesn’t have to include ads if your marketing to the correct niches. I’m happy to work a month free for new clients so they can witness the difference in their reach and engagement before committing financially. For smaller businesses, the additional cost of outsourcing the digital marketing can be frightening when there is little money in the budget but this concern must be balanced with the urgency to make a mark in the digital market place.
Research your local businesses. Covid-19 has put an emphasis on supporting local businesses and more people are willing to pay more to avoid larger corporations now. How can you help them get noticed? Clients don’t look always look you up so be productive!
Defiant Media & Marketing 