The top 8 marketing strategies to help you book more clients

After I realized I needed a marketing plan — STAT — I started playing around with a few strategies. Most of them felt super expensive or involved, and I just couldn’t maintain that at the time. So I started searching for a few tips and tools that I could do myself, for free or super cheap. 

It involved some trial and error to see what worked, but here’s what I’ve learned about marketing after growing Pilates in the Grove to a multi-million dollar business. 

1. Focus on what people want in your messaging.

People are looking for what they want… maybe not what they need. Someone wants to pick up their kid without back pain (or peeing their pants), but they might not know they need a physical therapist to help them with that.

Tell their story back to them, and let them know you can help them get what they want.

2. Share the outcomes or transformations.

All your customers want to know is that they can get back to golf after working with you, or that they can finally feel energized by food. Share the outcomes of your services using testimonials, case studies, or even what you know is possible after your services are provided.

3. Focus on community, not clients.

Community and connection is what really keeps clients coming back. They want to really enjoy learning from and being supported by the experts they work with — they don’t want to feel like you’re just getting them in and out the door as fast as possible. Love the ones you’re with, right? And then those people who’ve loved working with you will refer you out.

4. Entertain, educate, entertain, educate, SELL.

You lose power if you’re always selling. You might also hesitate to sell your services because it feels yucky. By focusing on this cycle of entertaining, educating, entertaining, educating — and then selling — you can eliminate all that. Providing value for free gets people excited for what you offer your paying clients.

5. Build that Know, Like, Trust factor.

People are very rarely going to buy from you without building a relationship first — unless you have a super specialized niche (which still requires you to share what they WANT). For example, if you’re a nutritionist, it helps to share content about your own struggles with food, maybe a funny story about a recipe gone wrong, and expert insights into food or diets. 

Think of your content like this: What do you know that someone else might? Can you tell that information in a way that makes people feel good? And are you showing them that you are someone they can trust?

6. Get ready to find the strategies that work for YOU and your people.

There is no one-size-fits-all formula to exercise, nutrition, or recovery, right? Well, the same goes for your business’s marketing strategy. You need to know who your ideal customer is, what they need and want, and how you can educate, entertain, and sell to them. You’ll also need to play around and see where your clients and audience like to engage with you. Not everyone loves Instagram, and not everyone reads email!

7. Recognize and respond.

Comment back, email people directly, send a DM, use someone’s name when you talk to them. Treat each person you can engage with as an individual, and that will reaffirm that they feel cared for and seen.

8. Stop comparing.

I’ve been in business for over 10 years now. I would NOT have gotten where I am today if I was comparing myself to people who were more successful or further along than me. This also goes for marketing strategies that might feel complicated or advanced. You do NOT need a 37-step Facebook ad strategy right now. You need to be posting on Facebook.

Want to start sharing the word — without spending a dime?

Fast and furious. Here we go:

1. Post on social media every day.
2. Go Live somewhere once a week. 
3. Reach out to 1 new potential customer every day. 
4. Cross-promote with another brand in a similar field or whose audience may need you.
5. Ask someone to collaborate on your brand.

Want more tips on how to connect with potential clients and build your business? I have some super simple social media marketing tips here.

Ready to build a marketing plan that gets you a steady stream of (dedicated dream) clients?

 Don’t get me wrong, marketing can be an overwhelming hurdle to tackle for most business owners, but it is absolutely essential if you want people to know about your business AND then BUY from you.

If you are not sure where to start with your marketing, I invite you to take my Marketing Quiz! 

QUIZ GRAPHIC

You’ll answer just a few questions to see where you rank with your current marketing strategy (you may not have one, and that’s OK!), and then you’ll get an action plan that lines up with where you are right now. No comparing, no expensive and ineffective strategies. Just simple advice to get you started! Take the quiz today!