Most entrepreneurs go about attracting clients the wrong way. They focus on doing “stuff” that others tell them they should be doing (or they got off of a free tele-seminar, etc) without understanding the why behind the specific strategy and more importantly, they don’t tailor what others tell them they should do based on what they need or feel is right for their own business. Entrepreneurs think that you can build a strategy that will be effective by piecing several “free” trainings together but that is seldom the case because you usually don’t learn the intricacies of making the strategy work.
Strategy is not for the faint at heart; it takes time, tests and re-adjustments to create effective marketing strategy. Time; because seldom do you get it right the first time, tests; because you must determine which of several strategies are going to appeal to your ideal clients and re-adjustments because you’ve got to be ready to tweak something that can impact the effectiveness of your strategy for the long haul. And you have to know that for each type of client you desire to serve, you need a different marketing strategy because everyone doesn’t resonate or respond to the same types of marketing pieces or strategies.
Okay so first off, let’s not assume that you know what a strategy is. A strategy, according to dictionary.com, is a plan, method or series of maneuvers for obtaining a specific goal or result. What is particularly important to note here is two things: 1. A plan and 2. Specific goal. As I share my five simple steps with you, these two things will come up, I promise.
In order to create an effective strategy using marketing to attract more clients, you first have to know what your goal is and then you have to create the series of maneuvers you will use to achieve the goal. Sounds simple, right? Well let’s take that “simple” and break it down.
1. Clarify your goal. Everything starts with a goal. You should have plenty of them and each goal must be treated as an individual occurrence and formulated accordingly. Why? Because what you have to do to accomplish a goal is specific, not generic so that means the specific steps are going to be orchestrated based off of the end result you are going for. Now, as it pertains to attracting new clients: How many clients are you looking to gain as a result of this marketing strategy? Are you looking to fill your practice? How many clients would it take to achieve your income goal for this year? If you offer different products and services, how many of each client are you looking to attract?
2. Clarify the type of client you are looking to attract. Just like going to a grocery store without a shopping list can be detrimental to your waistline, doing business without a clear “list” of what you desire in a client can be damaging to your business’ bottom line. You must get clear on who they are, what they are struggling with now and what they need to stop the struggle. And most importantly, you must be clear about this for each and every type of client you desire to serve and for every product. In fact, make answering these three questions an important pre-requisite to doing any work in attracting clients or creating products and services.
3. Determine which marketing streams work best for you, which you will use to reach your ideal clients. In my best estimation, there are at least 18 marketing streams that I recommend that my clients and students consider when building a marketing strategy for their business. I’m happy to share my favorites here: speaking, qualified networking, articles, social media, top of mind connections (your e-zine, mailings, etc), interviews via blogs or blog talk radio and video. Of course the streams you choose must resonate with your ideal clients and you; which is why you’ve got to take the time to get crystal clear on who they are, who you are and how you want to serve them. For instance, using video or social media to attract clients that don’t get online is almost useless. Also be clear about what you feel comfortable using. This is a personal marketing strategy, not a cookie cutter one. While I highlight 18, my recommendation is always that my clients select 6 and there are two that I believe are non-negotiable: top of mind connections and article writing. If you select 6 and add the non-negotiable 2, you will have a total of 8 from which to draw each week when you are working on your weekly marketing plan. Yes, you read that correctly you need a marketing plan each week for your business.
4. Create the marketing copy to be used via the marketing streams you select. Only after you’re crystal clear on your goals, client prospects and the marketing streams that will offer you the best results, can you create your marketing copy. And remember, there are two components to every marketing message – your internal message (which is what you prepare before you share your message – it’s kind of like your runner’s stance before you hear “go”) and your external message – (which is what you actually say in the marketplace verbally or in writing. Once you have created the copy that focuses on their problems, (problem-based copy stands out more because those who are in pain know it and are actively looking for a pain-killer) you’re almost ready to attract some clients.
5. Create your implementation plan. Strategy plus implementation plus accountability is what leads to new clients. If you don’t take action, creating a strategy was a big waste of your time, energy and resources. But if you want to welcome new clients, you’ve got to take inspired, consistent action. That means you must perform tasks each day that lead you closer to completing your goal. When you are new to business or find yourself needing more clients fast, you should focus on one thing: strategic marketing to attract clients. I say strategic because all strategy comes with an implementation or action plan. Your implementation plan includes the what, when, where, how and why of your marketing. What steps will you take to get this into the hands of your clients? What are you going to say? When will you share it? When will you make your offer? Where is it going to be available? How are you going to say it? How often after you going to share it? Why will they care about it? Implementation is the key so you should be creating a timeline of what and when things will be released and/or completed.
©2012 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, MBA, The Incredible Factor Speaker, Executive Business Coach and Marketing Mentor, is the founder of Incredible One Enterprises.com and the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step by step program for building a 6 figure business with more clients, more income and more leverage in record time. For more information and a FREE audio download “How to Use Your Incredible Factor to Attract MORE Ideal Clients” visit https://www.incredibleoneenterprises.com
