The three top ways to get business online are via PPC, SEO, and Email. Everyone will say word of mouth because it is not something you can use against them. The key is to find something that works and commit to it. If it works, eventually it will become saturated and then it will stop working. Then the weak hands will drop out and it will start working again. Also, I always recommend trying anything as long as it won't put you out of business if it doesn't work and as long as you do not sign any long-term contracts.
Word of mouth is the slowest way to add clients. Word of mouth and networking trade your time for your money, so if you don't have an advertising budget then it makes more sense. Just be careful the word of mouth you get is not based on price in any way. There is a saying 'price, quality, turnaround time; choose two'. Be known for quality and turnaround time. One last thing regarding word of mouth; I prefer review sites. Tell your happy clients to tell a friend yes, but also to post a positive review for you somewhere.
While there are many marketing ideas, when we first started out, the first Client we closed the deal on was through a web designs directory we had joined. We did a careful search before joining any of them, but there are some good ones out there that you can link to that do not cost anything as long as you provide a reciprocal link to their website. At the same time, we also advertised through the local Chamber of Commerce and Craigslist.
For the most part, many of our Clients have come to us because we are "local" and have heard about or seen work we did for other local businesses, so yes, word of mouth is key as well.
Your question could easily be the same as "How do I find a compatibly spouse and live happily ever after?"
Why?
Because there are too many moving parts to the answer. What are you doing now? What have you tried that failed? Why did it fail? What is your ideal client profile? What is your budget? What is your compelling message? What are you doing to convert prospects to buyers?
And for anyone who comes on and suggest a specific media, such as 'Facebook works for me!', you need to ask:
-how do I target my ideal clients on that media? -how do I KNOW they are using that media? -how do I know that media will put my compelling message in front of my ideal clients? -how much can I spend and how long can I go before getting results?
I know you are probably looking for a simple answer. But that is just guessing. It costs more in time and money to guess, but is an option many on this site choose because they do not understand that marketing and sales is along term game.
Hope that helps and saves you time, money, and embarassment.
Mark
PS. You might enjoy reading this to understand 'word of mouth':
Nurture your existing client base by implementing a relationship marketing protocol ... doesn't have be expensive and if done right, your clients will be sending you referrals!
At first, yes word of mouth. Get to know people and do good work and that connection is the gift that keeps on giving. Eventually, an evolving website and business helped amplify organic search visibility so a lot of inquiries started coming from Google searches. But even then, word of mouth still fuels a few of those connections. I get googled and they inevitably know someone who refers to us in a positive way. So, nothing really beats solid word of mouth.
Do great work and try to find your niche. Talk to your vendors and become their go-to person for help with their jobs. Talk to people, everyone knows someone.
Answers (1-10)
The three top ways to get business online are via PPC, SEO, and Email. Everyone will say word of mouth because it is not something you can use against them. The key is to find something that works and commit to it. If it works, eventually it will become saturated and then it will stop working. Then the weak hands will drop out and it will start working again. Also, I always recommend trying anything as long as it won't put you out of business if it doesn't work and as long as you do not sign any long-term contracts.
Word of mouth is the slowest way to add clients. Word of mouth and networking trade your time for your money, so if you don't have an advertising budget then it makes more sense. Just be careful the word of mouth you get is not based on price in any way. There is a saying 'price, quality, turnaround time; choose two'. Be known for quality and turnaround time. One last thing regarding word of mouth; I prefer review sites. Tell your happy clients to tell a friend yes, but also to post a positive review for you somewhere.
While there are many marketing ideas, when we first started out, the first Client we closed the deal on was through a web designs directory we had joined. We did a careful search before joining any of them, but there are some good ones out there that you can link to that do not cost anything as long as you provide a reciprocal link to their website. At the same time, we also advertised through the local Chamber of Commerce and Craigslist.
For the most part, many of our Clients have come to us because we are "local" and have heard about or seen work we did for other local businesses, so yes, word of mouth is key as well.
Jeanine,
Your question could easily be the same as "How do I find a compatibly spouse and live happily ever after?"
Why?
Because there are too many moving parts to the answer. What are you doing now? What have you tried that failed? Why did it fail? What is your ideal client profile? What is your budget? What is your compelling message? What are you doing to convert prospects to buyers?
And for anyone who comes on and suggest a specific media, such as 'Facebook works for me!', you need to ask:
-how do I target my ideal clients on that media?
-how do I KNOW they are using that media?
-how do I know that media will put my compelling message in front of my ideal clients?
-how much can I spend and how long can I go before getting results?
I know you are probably looking for a simple answer. But that is just guessing. It costs more in time and money to guess, but is an option many on this site choose because they do not understand that marketing and sales is along term game.
Hope that helps and saves you time, money, and embarassment.
Mark
PS. You might enjoy reading this to understand 'word of mouth':
http://www.tabletmarketingacademy.com/207-2/ There is also a lot of other free information on that sight you will find useful. Good luck!
Nurture your existing client base by implementing a relationship marketing protocol ... doesn't have be expensive and if done right, your clients will be sending you referrals!
Hi Jeanine, primarily referrals and some networking, however we've yet to really invest in bigger marketing/advertising approaches.
At first, yes word of mouth. Get to know people and do good work and that connection is the gift that keeps on giving. Eventually, an evolving website and business helped amplify organic search visibility so a lot of inquiries started coming from Google searches. But even then, word of mouth still fuels a few of those connections. I get googled and they inevitably know someone who refers to us in a positive way. So, nothing really beats solid word of mouth.
Do great work and try to find your niche. Talk to your vendors and become their go-to person for help with their jobs. Talk to people, everyone knows someone.
Word of Mouth and my portfolio.
Word of mouth!
My Great Work sells me...Clients brag about the quality and design and that brings me new clients.