For those of you who run a service-based business, growing your business usually means increasing your business clientele in addition to increasing your revenue. However, once you get comfortable with a set number of clients, the task of finding new clients may seem overwhelming.

By following just a few simple steps you can start to attract new clients to your business!

#1 Create a community. Every business can benefit from creating a community.
Offering community building features like a blog, forum and even quizzes, contests, and surveys gives your audience the opportunity to participate and learn more about your business and services. Each of these options is interactive, where the customer becomes involved in your website and starts to care about what you have to say and offer. Interactive websites also draw more traffic by word of mouth, which is especially easy to generate with the popularity of Web 2.0 applications.

#2 Create viral products and marketing tools. Viral products are usually digital products (such as ebooks or reports) which are distributed free of charge as a way to get your company name and website into cyberspace. Recipients of these products are also encouraged to share it with other friends or business associates. Inside the report make sure to list your website URL and contact information. Additionally, audio and video are excellent viral tools. Podcasts, audio interviews and videos are all easily downloaded and shared.

#3 Communicate frequently with your customers. By simply adding regular blog posts, autoresponder messages, or website content you will keep your name fresh in the minds of your target market. Additionally, adding regular content improves your website ranking in the search engines so more people will find your website when conducting a search. Teach something to your market; show yourself as the expert (without sounding obnoxious); announce special sales or new product launches. These are simple ways to keep your clients from forgetting about you.

#4 Advertise your business. Advertising opportunities are plentiful online but be sure to conduct your market research so you don’t waste money on media options that do not reach your target market. Whether you choose to launch a PPC campaign, advertise on a relevant blog or website, or even advertise offline in print, radio or television, a targeted advertising campaign can bring new awareness and new clients to your business.

#5 Create a partnership. Joint venture partnerships (or JV) are an exceptional way to bring new awareness to a business. Partner with the right person and you can double your client base and opt in list. Be sure to do your homework to make sure the partnership is equal and beneficial to both parties.

#6 Create more website content. More content means an increased search engine ranking. An increased SEO ranking means more visitors. More visitors mean more clients. Simple! Get on a regular schedule to add articles to your website or posts to your blog that your clients can come to expect.

#7 Personalize their visit. Website visitors respond better to website content and sales pages which not only appeal to them personally but also demonstrate your company personality. Cookie cutter templates and dry content doesn’t convert, personality does. Adopt a more casual writing style or insert some personal stories from your experience to let your customers know there’s a real person behind the website.

#8 Improve credibility. If your business is known as providing quality service or goods, you become a credible and trusted vendor in your marketplace. The higher your credibility, the higher your conversions. Increase your business credibility by publishing, partnering with experts, and by demonstrating your capability through testimonials, case studies, samples, and reports.

#9 Publicity. Publicity not only brings awareness to your business, it adds credibility.
Getting your name mentioned in the local media or other online media outlets will expose even more people to your company name, thus potentially increasing your business. Imagine what an “As seen on CNN” could do for your business!

#10 Network with others regularly. Networking is invaluable. Online networking via membership sites, blogs, and forums produces a wealth of information and connections both professional and personal. Offline networking with your small business association, chamber of commerce and networking groups connects you with businesses in your community and again produces valuable connections, resources, and clients.

As you can see, there are multiple ways to increase your client base. Find one or two which appeal to you and fit your business needs and incorporate them into your marketing strategy today.

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