How to get clients: 12 proven strategies for success

When it comes to running a business, there’s one challenge that never really goes away: the challenge of how to get clients.

Whether you’re a creative freelancer, a sole trader, or the proud owner of a brick-and-mortar store, you’ll likely find yourself in constant pursuit of new customers. 

You know that you can’t launch, sustain, or grow a thriving business without them — but, as a small business owner, your efforts to attract new clients are often thwarted by:

• A limited budget for marketing and advertising 

• A lack of brand awareness and visibility within your market

• Stiff competition and difficulty standing out from more established businesses

But, contrary to popular belief, you don’t need vast sums of money or elaborate marketing campaigns to win new clients. 

In this guide, we’ll show you how to create a buzz around your business and pull in new customers — without breaking the bank or working around the clock. 

Whether you’re asking yourself how to get clients as a freelancer or wondering how to get more clients for a business that relies on footfall, we’ve got 12 proven strategies to help you grow your customer base. 

And the good news? Many of them can be implemented right away, with little or no cost involved. 

Winning new clients + boosting customer retention = a recipe for success

No matter what kind of business you run, clients and customers are your bread and butter. Maintaining a healthy client roster or customer base requires a two-pronged approach, focusing on both customer retention and new customer acquisition. 

On the one hand, you want to strengthen existing client relations and continuously nurture customer loyalty. This is highly cost-effective, and typically drives the most revenue. It’s estimated that around 65% of a company’s business comes from loyal customers.

But relying solely on existing customers without actively seeking new ones can be risky.

If all of your revenue comes from the same pool of clients, you may find yourself struggling if their demand for your products or services wanes — or if they have to cut back for financial reasons. As such, getting new clients is a crucial part of small business risk management and long-term staying power. 

So, even if you’re not thinking about how to scale your business just yet, you must remain steadfast in your efforts to attract new clients.

How to get clients: 12 tried-and-tested strategies for any budget 

1. Understand your target audience 

Before you ask yourself “How do I get clients?”, it’s important to be clear on who your ideal clients are. 

If you don’t truly understand your target audience or have a well-defined client profile in mind, it’ll be tricky to reach and engage with the right people. You’ll cast your net far and wide, marketing vaguely to anyone and everyone without making any meaningful connections. 

But, with a clear understanding of your target audience, you can tailor your client acquisition efforts accordingly and connect with people who could genuinely benefit from your business. 

So how do you identify your target market and find your ideal clients? 

Look at your existing customer base

If you’ve been in business for a while and already have a roster of clients or regular customers, consider what characteristics, goals, and behaviours they have in common. 

Perhaps you notice that most of your clients are entrepreneurs themselves looking for an affordable service, or that the majority of visitors to your hair salon come to you before a special occasion and are willing to splash out. This gives you great insight into your target audience and who you should be marketing to. 

Learn from competitors

Consider doing a competitor analysis to explore who your competitors are targeting and how they’re positioning themselves.

You might notice that some competitors offer discounts for certain customer groups (e.g. students or pensioners), or that their marketing efforts are focused on a niche segment. This may help you identify an audience you’d not previously considered, or highlight an under-served target group you can focus on. 

Think in terms of problems and solutions 

You don’t necessarily need to come up with fully-fledged customer personas or boil your ideal clients down to a series of demographic data. Instead, consider the products or services you offer and what problem(s) they solve. 

Then think about the kinds of people who might have this problem and who could benefit from your solution. Those are the prospective clients you want to attract. 

2. Define your niche 

Competition is fierce, and your target customers are spoilt for choice. If you want to attract new clients, you need to find a way to stand out from the crowd. 

When you were initially looking at how to start a business and brainstorming small business ideas, you’ll have thought carefully about the unique value you could offer.

Maybe there are already five bakeries in your local area, but you’re the only one selling homemade gluten-free bread and cakes. Perhaps you’re not the only beautician in town, but you stand out because you specialise in natural, organic products and treatments. 

This is your niche — your little nook in the market that addresses a specific need or preference and therefore appeals to a distinct audience. 

With absolute clarity on the niche you want to serve, you can position yourself as the go-to business in that area. This will make it much easier to engage with and attract new clients.

Here’s how to create a USP for your business and communicate your value to prospective customers:

Identify your strengths

Take the time to really pinpoint what sets you apart. List your unique strengths, qualities, and areas of expertise — be it plant-based baking, a commitment to social impact, outstanding customer service, or unrivalled knowledge of content marketing; anything that gives you a competitive edge. 

To help with this step, consider running a SWOT analysis for your small business. In doing so, you can recognise your strengths (S), highlight any weaknesses (W) that might be hindering your efforts to attract new clients, and identify opportunities (O) in the market that align with your value proposition.

Tell your origin story 

This is a great way to communicate your value and forge a personal connection with prospective clients. 

Tell the story of how and why you started your business. What was the passion and motivation behind it? What unique mission did you set out to accomplish? How does this mission translate into value for your clients? 

Share your origin story on your website ‘About’ page and incorporate it into your marketing materials and social media content. This shows potential customers what sets you apart and why they should choose you.

3. Articulate the benefits for customers 

Once you’ve identified your niche, it’s essential to clearly articulate and communicate the benefits for your clients. 

Rather than saying “This is what we’re great at”, frame your client-facing messaging in terms of “Here’s what we can do for you”. 

Imagine you’re looking at how to get clients into your salon. On your website, you want to highlight your unique value proposition: that you specialise in all-natural products. 

Instead of saying “All of our skincare treatments use natural ingredients”, a more client-focused message could be: “Soothe and hydrate dry, sensitive skin with our 100% organic, all-natural skincare products.”

This clearly tells the client what’s in it for them — providing a concrete reason to consider your products or services.

3. Adopt a suitable pricing model

If you want to attract suitable clients, it’s important to price yourself appropriately. 

Pricing directly influences how potential clients perceive the value of your products or services. Above-average prices suggest a more premium, high-quality offering, while lower prices will position you as an affordable option for budget-conscious customers. 

When weighing up how to price a product or how to price a service, think about your target audience and the niche you want to serve. What sort of price-point would your target clients expect, and what would they be willing to pay?

Ideally, your pricing should help you attract the right types of clients while enabling you to turn a profit and keep your cash flow positive.

Whether you’re pricing from scratch or reevaluating your current rates, the following steps will help you:

Conduct market research 

Start by establishing pricing norms within your specific industry. Conduct market research to determine what your competitors typically charge and what’s considered reasonable in your domain.

This will help you figure out where to position yourself within the broader market — on the more expensive premium side, at the more budget-friendly end, or somewhere in the middle — and to price yourself competitively within your niche. 

Explore different pricing models 

There are many different types of pricing strategies to consider — from cost-plus pricing and dynamic pricing, to value-based pricing or psychological pricing, to name a few.

To increase your chances of getting new clients, it’s important to adopt a model that suits the nature of your business and appeals to your target audience. 

If you’re selling physical products, for example, you might consider a cost-plus pricing model, where the price of each product is determined by adding a fixed percentage to the cost of making that product.

If you're running a service-based business, or if your business is sensitive to consumer demand and external factors, you might opt for dynamic pricing that can be adjusted depending on the specific project or circumstances. 

Continuously monitor your pricing and adjust if necessary 

A pricing strategy that works for you now may not work so well in the future. Market conditions, client expectations, and small business expenses can change over time, so monitor your pricing and adjust as necessary.

If all your competitors are lowering their prices, for example, you might struggle to get new clients if you’re suddenly the most expensive option on the market. Likewise, if your operational or manufacturing costs go up, you may need to adjust your pricing to retain your profit margins.

4. Create a website (or improve your existing one)

A professional business website works wonders for boosting your visibility and enhancing your credibility — both of which are essential for growing your customer base. 

Around 54% of small businesses in the UK have a website, and it’s estimated that 46% of all Google searches are geared towards finding local businesses. 

What does this mean for you and your quest to get new clients? Your prospective clients expect to find you online — and if they don’t, they’ll likely find your competitors. So, if you want to connect with your target audience, you need a website. 

And it’s not just about findability. Your website is your chance to tell potential clients who you are, how you can help them, and why they should do business with you. 

Here are some pointers to help you create a professional business website on a small budget:

Use a free website builder 

You don’t necessarily need to pay someone to create your website. With free and low-cost platforms like Wix and Squarespace, you can quickly build a polished website based on a ready-made template. 

When it comes to choosing and customising your website template, consider the nature of your business, as well as the brand you want to portray and the audience you’re appealing to. If you’re looking at how to start an online business selling handmade products, for example, you’ll want an e-commerce-focused template with checkout functionality.

Buy your own domain name 

Your domain name forms your unique web address — “www.google.com” for example, or “www.myprofessionalbusiness.co.uk”. 

Without a proprietary domain name, your website URL will take on the domain name of your website builder tool, for example: “www.myprofessionalbusiness.wordpress.com”. 

This doesn’t look super professional, nor is it great for SEO (your visibility in the Google search results). It’s worth investing in your own custom domain name to convey professionalism and credibility, to optimise your website for search engines, and to ensure you’ve got full ownership and control over your site. 

If you’ve already come up with a business name, picking a domain name should be straightforward. Aim to incorporate your business name and find a domain that’s both simple and memorable. You can use an online domain checker to see what names are available and how much they cost.

Start with an MVP

Don’t worry if you don’t have loads of time to spend on perfecting your website. Start with an MVP (a minimum viable product), prioritising the most essential pages and content, with a view to expanding it later on if necessary. 

You’re looking at how to get clients, so focus first and foremost on a strong homepage that clearly communicates what you do and the value you offer. 

Then, depending on the nature of your business, you might add a more extensive products or services page, or prominently display the address and opening times of your brick-and-mortar location. 

Over time, you can improve and add to your website content. For now, the most important thing is to have an online presence geared towards informing, engaging, and winning new clients.

5. Boost your local SEO 

Many prospective clients find local businesses through Google. By optimising your online presence for local search, you can increase your chances of being found. 

When you’re looking for something specific — say, a dog groomer, a restaurant, or a life coach — you probably open Google (or a similar search engine) and type something like “dog groomers near me” or “Italian restaurant open now”. 

Businesses with strong local SEO will appear in the search results, allowing you to quickly find and choose from relevant local options. 

As such, focusing on local SEO is a highly effective strategy for getting new clients — and it’s largely free. 

Here’s how you can improve your visibility in local search results and make it easier for potential clients to find you: 

Claim your Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile is a free tool that ensures you show up in Google search results and on Google Maps. If you haven’t already, claim and verify your Business Profile and customise it with photos, your business address, opening hours, and contact details. 

Optimise your website for local keywords

Don’t worry if your small business budget won’t stretch to professional SEO services; you can still take steps to optimise your website for local search.

Try to include location-relevant terms in your website content — for example, you might feature a subheading such as “Your family-friendly florist in Sidcup, Kent” or describe your location as being “at the top of Sidcup High Street, opposite McDonald’s.” 

3. List your business in online directories 

Look for free online directories where you can list your business, such as Yell.com, Thomson Local, and Cylex UK (to name a few). Wherever you list, be sure to keep your company details up-to-date. 

6. Raise your profile on social media

If your target clients are active online, use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to raise your profile and make valuable connections.

A reported 71% of small UK businesses use social media to promote their products and services, with Facebook the most popular platform.

Perhaps most interesting of all: small businesses that use social media have, on average, 20% more revenue than those who don’t.

Here’s how to use social media for your small business and attract more clients:

Be active in Facebook groups 

This is perhaps one of the more time-consuming tactics on our list. But, if you can spare a few hours each week, contributing actively to relevant Facebook groups and discussions can be a great way to get new clients. 

Look for groups where your ideal clients are likely to hang out. If you’re a dog groomer, you could join groups dedicated to pet care tips for dog owners. If you’re a freelance photographer, you might join wedding-related groups. 

Once you’re in the group, focus on providing value. Answer questions, share helpful tips and resources, and give advice. This will help you build meaningful relationships with people who may need your products or services in the future. 

Showcase your value and expertise 

Use social media not only to promote your products and services directly, but also to demonstrate your expertise. Create stories and posts that share interesting industry insights, useful tips and advice, and behind-the-scenes content. This positions you as an authority within your chosen niche and helps to keep your target audience engaged.

Follow and engage with other businesses 

Engaging with other businesses on social media is a great way to establish meaningful industry connections — and it increases your visibility within their networks and communities, opening up another avenue through which to get more clients.

Connect with fellow business owners whose target audience might also be interested in your services. If you’re a mobile hairdresser, for example, you might follow local beauticians. Like their posts, comment and repost where relevant, and generally show your support. This helps to expand your network, strengthen your brand presence, and ultimately attract new clients and opportunities.

7. Grow your email list

If you’re not yet using email marketing for your small business, consider starting now.

Email is, without doubt, one of the most effective customer acquisition channels.

For one, it’s direct. You can land right in your subscribers’ inboxes, communicate your value, and guide them towards your website or store with a strategic call-to-action. 

Second, you can generally assume that your email subscribers are more engaged than, say, your followers on social media. They’ve actively opted in and provided their email address, which means they’re at least somewhat interested in your products or services. 

By growing your email list and sending your subscribers high-value content, you can market to a highly receptive audience — some of whom will eventually become clients. 

Here’s how to get clients through email marketing:

Optimise your website for email sign-ups

Encourage prospective clients who come across your website to subscribe to your email list. Place a prominent sign-up box or form on your website homepage, or implement a pop-up window. 

Whichever you choose, clearly communicate the benefits of joining your email list and what kind of content they can expect to receive. For example: “For more expert plant care tips, subscribe to our monthly newsletter!” 

Deliver valuable content

The goal is to engage prospective clients and convince them of your value — not to hard sell. If your newsletters are, in reality, poorly-disguised sales emails, you’ll soon find your email list dwindling. 

Focus on providing valuable content that showcases your expertise and positions you as a credible voice within your market. If you’re looking at how to get clients into your salon, you might focus your email newsletter on hair and beauty tips. If you’re a freelance designer or marketer, you might highlight and discuss industry tools and trends. 

Promote your newsletter on social media

If you’re active on social media, create posts that tease some of your newsletter content. Pull out an intriguing insight that will pique the reader’s interest, or post a round-up of the topics covered. Then encourage your followers to subscribe for the full deep-dive — and don’t forget to share the sign-up link.

8. Improve the customer experience (CX)

Improving the customer experience is, first and foremost, a customer retention strategy — but it can also help you get more clients.

Customer experience, or CX, refers to the overall experience a client has with your business. It’s defined not only by the quality of the products or services you provide, but also how easy and enjoyable it is for clients to find, access, and engage with your business. 

Improving the customer experience helps to boost your reputation, spread positive word-of-mouth through reviews, referrals, and recommendations, and eventually turn loyal clients into brand ambassadors. Now that’s a powerful strategy for growing your customer base. 

Here’s how to improve the customer experience and increase your chances of winning new clients:

Provide outstanding customer service 

The quality of your customer service significantly impacts the overall customer experience. If you’re known for providing slow, inadequate, or unfriendly customer service, it’s unlikely that your clients will want to recommend you. 

But what is good customer service exactly? It involves being trustworthy and transparent, communicating and responding promptly, taking accountability when things go wrong, knowing how to deal with difficult clients in a professional manner, and managing client expectations in terms of what you promise.

Optimise every aspect of your business for convenience 

A good customer experience hinges on ease and convenience. Look at streamlining internal processes that might impact the client experience, and make sure that all customer-facing touchpoints are optimised.

If you’ve got a physical business location, you’ll want to make sure that your venue is accessible and well laid out. 

And, whether you’re running a brick-and-mortar business or an online store, you can optimise for convenience by improving the payment process. Make sure you’ve got efficient point-of-sale technology (like SumUp’s Point of Sale Lite) and, depending on the nature of your business, aim to accept a variety of payment types — including online payment methods and cashless payments.

Get feedback from existing clients 

There’s no-one better-placed than your existing clients to help you improve the customer experience. Solicit client feedback to identify your strengths and weaknesses and make changes accordingly.

As for how to get feedback from clients, consider a short online survey or feedback form, social media polls, and asking in-person (if the timing is right).

9. Encourage referrals

Referrals are one of the most powerful and cost-effective business growth strategies, and they have an incredibly high success rate when it comes to getting new clients.

When a client refers your business to someone they know, they’re vouching for the quality of your products or services. This automatically instils a certain degree of trust, making it easier to establish a good relationship and get the referred client on board. 

Another great advantage is that referrals often result in highly qualified and well-matched leads. A client you’ve already worked with knows what problems and needs you can address, and they’re presumably referring someone who could benefit from your services. As such, the chances of a conversion are pretty high. 

So how can you tap into your existing network and encourage client referrals? Bear these tips in mind:

Don’t be afraid to ask

If you have a good rapport with your existing clients, consider an honest and direct approach. You might send a simple email stating that you’ve really enjoyed working with them and wondered if there’s anybody else in their network who they’d be happy to refer. There are very few clients who would judge you for trying to expand your business — and most will be happy to help.

Incentivise referrals for both parties

Consider offering rewards or discounts for both the referrer and the referee. The incentives you offer (and how you promote them) will depend on the nature of your business. 

If you run a restaurant, you might hand out limited-time-only discount codes that diners can pass on to their friends. If you’re operating a service-based business, you might take 10% off a client’s next bill if they refer someone new. Think about what makes sense for your business and is likely to motivate your existing clients to make a referral. 

Always follow up and show gratitude 

If a customer or client makes the effort to recommend you or send more business your way, make sure you express your gratitude. Send a personal email, thank them in person, and, if appropriate, send a small token of appreciation. This will not only strengthen your relationship with that client; it will also encourage them to refer you again in the future. 

10. Share case studies and client success stories 

Often, the question of how to get more clients for a business comes down to proving your value. 

Case studies and client success stories provide tangible evidence of the value your business delivers and the outcomes you can achieve. By showcasing your work with current or past clients, you can build credibility, demonstrate your expertise, and inspire confidence in prospective clients. 

And note that case studies look different for every business; you don’t need to be working with high-profile corporate clients to put forward a compelling success story. 

If you’re selling handmade jewellery, for instance, your success story might be based on a photo of a happy customer wearing their new necklace. If you’re a dog groomer or a hair stylist, you might share ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos. 

If you’re offering a service such as web design or life coaching, you could put together a more comprehensive case study detailing the projects you’ve worked on and the results you achieved. 

Whatever the term ‘success story’ means to you, here’s how to leverage client case studies as an effective marketing strategy for your small business:

Emphasise outcomes and value 

Present your case studies in a way that showcases how the client benefitted from your products or services. Highlight the results you achieved for the client before detailing what you did and how you did it (if relevant). 

Present case studies in an engaging format 

Think about where and how you plan to publish your case studies. Will it be a text-heavy blog post, a short story as part of your email newsletter, or a photo with a brief caption on social media? Choose a format that’s appropriate for your selected channels and engaging for your target audience. 

Include client quotes for credibility 

If possible, ask clients for a quote to feature in or alongside their case study. This strengthens the overall message and shows that your success stories are legitimate and genuine.

11. Gather reviews and testimonials

Similar to referrals, reviews from happy customers are a powerful tool for getting more clients. 

When prospective clients can see that others have had a positive experience with your products or services, they’re more likely to trust and engage with your business. That’s the power of social proof. 

In fact, 91% of consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 say they trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations.

Reviews, testimonials, and star ratings can all help to build credibility, reduce perceived risk, and ultimately attract new clients. 

Here’s how to ask for customer reviews and client testimonials:

Identify the most appropriate methods and channels

There are countless ways to ask for reviews — from post-purchase emails and on-site QR codes, to online feedback widgets or a follow-up SMS after a client’s appointment. But not every method is relevant for your target audience. 

For optimal results, prioritise the channels and techniques that are most convenient for your clients and make the most sense for your business. 

Get the timing right 

Timing is key when asking for reviews. Aim to engage with your clients shortly after they’ve had a positive experience with your products or services — just after a new purchase, for example, or following the successful completion of a project. 

Provide a testimonial template 

Oftentimes, clients are more than happy to provide a testimonial. But, when it comes to writing one, they get stuck on what to say or how to formulate their glowing review. To streamline the process, consider providing a template or framework the client can follow, or a set of questions and prompts. This will help clients articulate their thoughts and experiences and effectively communicate your value. 

12. Network with fellow business owners 

The bigger your network, the greater your chances of meeting potential clients and getting referrals. 

Networking with fellow business owners within your industry is a great way to make new connections and raise your profile — and you may be relieved to hear that it doesn’t necessarily require making awkward small-talk at formal corporate functions. 

You might connect with fellow business owners online and exchange a few DMs, attend a local community event, or pop in to introduce yourself to your business next-door-neighbour. That all counts as networking. 

Ready to give it a go? Master the art of small business networking with these tips:

Start where you’re comfortable

Networking isn’t just a numbers game. It’s about forging meaningful connections and building an authentic community. As such, it’s important that you’re able to network in a way that feels genuine — so start where you’re comfortable. 

That might be connecting with fellow business owners online or inviting the entrepreneur next door for coffee. These one-on-one interactions allow for deeper conversations and a stronger rapport, and they’ll inevitably lead to more introductions and connections. 

Attend (or host) events and workshops

If you’re keen to get involved in the local community, look out for relevant events or workshops you might attend. They don’t necessarily need to be business-related; community gatherings, charity events, or hobby workshops can also provide valuable networking opportunities. 

Can’t find anything suitable? Consider hosting your own. You might organise a networking lunch in your coffee shop or set up a Facebook group for fellow entrepreneurs and suggest a gathering via Zoom. 

Foster strategic partnerships

Once you’ve established strong connections and built a rapport, consider exploring some strategic collaborations. If you’re a beautician wondering how to get clients into your salon, for example, you might partner with the local hairdresser to cross-promote each other’s services. You could run a discounted bundle together, or offer an exclusive discount for their clients and vice versa.

Key takeaways and next steps

It doesn’t matter if you’re a brand new business owner, a seasoned entrepreneur, or still figuring out how to make money on the side: if you want to be successful, you need to know how to get clients.

With the strategies we’ve outlined, you can identify and engage good-fit clients, target your marketing efforts, and steadily build your customer base. 

So where to begin? Consider these next steps to help you get started. 

Next steps

1. Start small and relevant 

Don’t think you need to implement every single strategy and action point mentioned in this guide. For optimal results, select a few key strategies that make sense for your business in its current form.

If you’re just starting out and looking at how to get your first ever clients, focus on things like understanding your target audience, defining your niche, and building your website. 

If you’re already well-established, focus on gathering client testimonials, encouraging referrals, and sharing case studies and success stories. 

2. Be consistent 

Building and growing a client base takes time and effort, so don’t expect it to be a one-time job. Remain steadfast and consistent in marketing your business, communicating your value, growing your network, and looking for opportunities to connect with prospective clients. 

3. Set manageable goals

Break larger strategies down into smaller, less daunting tasks that you can tackle incrementally. If you want to start showcasing client success stories, for example, you might outline the following steps and aim to complete one each week:

• Make a list of clients you’d like to showcase and send them an email asking for permission

• Brainstorm where client success stories will be shared and published (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, and email newsletter)

• Draft a template for each success story or case study

…and so on. This approach will help you maintain momentum without getting overwhelmed, and give you clear goals to work towards.