How to Get Your First Clients

There are 7 ways we think about getting your first clients:

1. Referrals
2. Word of Mouth
3. UpWork
4. Targeted Groups
5. Social Media
6. Cold Email
7. Content & SEO

Referrals & Word of Mouth

Tapping into your network is an important step in gaining initial clients for your new agency. Use referrals and word-of-mouth through your existing contacts can significantly boost your client base without the need for extensive marketing budgets.

Feel free to check out GMass, our tool of choice for mail merge within Gmail and Google Workspace.

UpWork

Upwork is a big platform for freelancers and agencies looking to secure their first clients. In fact, we’ve made 6 figures from Upwork. There are hundreds of job postings there just in the U.S. for different niches. Diver in!

Targeted Groups

Why Targeted Groups Work:

• Focused Audience: These groups contain highly concentrated audiences that are directly interested in or part of the niche you aim to serve.
• Immediate Feedback: Offering your services within these communities can lead to immediate responses, allowing you to quickly gauge interest.
• Building Relationships: Engaging in these groups helps in building long-term relationships, turning group members into advocates for your services.

Considerations:

• Value Over Sales: Always prioritize providing value over making a sales pitch. This approach ensures that your interactions are welcomed rather than seen as intrusive.
• Trial and Testimonial Strategy: Offering your services for free or at a reduced rate can be a powerful way to build your portfolio and client testimonials, which are crucial for an agency's growth.
• Be Prepared to Show Results: Ensure you have the means to track and demonstrate the effectiveness of your trial services, as this will be key to converting free trials into paid engagements.

Social Media

We've successfully used LinkedIn DMs, Instagram Reels, and TikToks to connect with and secure clients, including six-figure engagements. Our approach focuses on understanding and being present where our audience is most active, delivering content that genuinely addresses their interests and challenges. Engaging directly with potential clients through these platforms allows us to start meaningful conversations about their needs and our solutions.

Cold Email

Cold emailing is a strategic approach to acquire clients by transitioning from unfamiliar contacts to engaged customers. To do so, you need to do a LOT of research. While it’s time-intensive, it allows you to automate client acquisition and reach people who have never heard of you. We did it so you can, too.

Reminder — the best tool to use for this is the GMass extension for Gmail. If you’re unfamiliar, check out the Referrals & Word of Mouth video above.

Content & SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an efficient strategy for driving organic traffic and acquiring new clients through content on your website. At Slam, we've seen significant success, with 50% of our new leads and customers coming from SEO efforts. We've focused on creating content optimized for keywords that are both useful to our clients and that prompts them to reach out and work with us.

This approach requires patience and persistence, as results build over time. Our experience underscores the importance of SEO as a sustainable source of quality leads.

Check out some of the resources for SEO we talk about in the video:

• Ahrefs
• SEM Rush
• Google Keyword Planner

‍