Discover a simple, four-step client attraction strategy centered around leading ideal leads through a simple, four-step path to conversion.
In client services, people want to do business with people they know, like, and trust.
People want to have some type of connection with the people they’re hiring and feel comfortable and confident investing their hard-earned money.
As a freelancer or small business owner, especially when offering services, you must help your audience connect with you and your brand on an emotional level.
- This means getting to know the people in your community and building relationships with leads.
- It also means providing opportunities for your broader audience to get to know you, decide they like you, and feel like they trust you.
To build a full and steady pipeline of leads who can’t wait to work with you and are happy to pay your full fee, you need to provide opportunities for prospects to get the information they need to make a buying decision and hire you.
Smart, savvy freelancers who are booked solid with great clients understand one thing: Closing a sale is far easier and much faster when a lead shows up having already made the decision that you’re the person or brand they want to work with.
If you want to attract all the clients you need with greater ease and host sales calls that feel nearly effortless, you need a website that works around the clock to:
- Provide insights and information.
- Build credibility and trust.
- Offer reassurance that you can and will deliver on your promises.
And when you’re freelancing, that client attraction strategy is centered around leading ideal leads through a simple, natural, four-step, feel-good path to conversion.
A Foundation For Freelance Lead Generation
To start a freelance business and grow it into a successful, profitable, sustainable, freedom-based business, you need to consistently generate new ideal clients that align with your freelance niche. This leads to investing time, effort, energy, and resources on brand awareness tactics, marketing campaigns, and lead generation activities that position you and your brand as the best choice.
But what if that doesn’t happen?
What if your marketing brings people to your website, but those same visitors leave without taking any type of action?
It’s a bad spot to be in. But it’s also a situation far too many freelancers find themselves in because they threw together a good-looking website without first mapping out its underlying conversion strategy — how it will turn visitors into customers, clients, students, members, attendees, or subscribers.
The foundation of any successful freelance marketing strategy or lead generation strategy is the website that all of the traffic is sent to.
Even the best marketing can’t overcome a website that fails at converting traffic. That’s why, when a new visitor reaches your freelance website, they must be able to quickly figure out what the site or page is about, whether or not they are in the right place, and how you can help them.
When potential leads find your website, you want them to:
- Feel like it’s their lucky day because they finally found exactly what they have been looking for.
- Breathe a sigh of relief because you “get them” — it’s as if your services and packages were created just for them.
- Self-identify as a perfect fit or near-perfect fit.
- Take action and reach out to learn more or book a conversation.
Now, you might be wondering, “How do I get website visitors to realize they’re a perfect fit, identify as an ideal client, and take action?”
Here’s the answer…
Know, Like, Trust, Convert
To turn your freelance website into your best salesperson — one that works when you’re not working — you need to lead ideal leads through that simple, natural, four-step, feel-good path to conversion I mentioned above.
- Know
- Like
- Trust
- Convert
This client attraction and lead conversion strategy works like a charm. Even better, it’s rooted in copy and content, which means you can use it to simplify the conversion process, reduce risk, and improve your sales copy without rethinking design or touching code.
Let’s take a look at each step and the relevant web pages a bit closer…
1. Know
The know step is all about helping visitors learn more about you and how you can help them. You must share your background, why you do what you do, and who you serve, and communicate what you do, why visitors should care, what problems you solve, and what type of results your clients experience.
As visitors get to know you, their connection with you strengthens, they begin to care more about what you have to say, and they get more comfortable engaging with you, your content, and your offers. This is why you need to move past beyond the cold, boilerplate business copy and include personal and professional stories, share your opinions and perspectives, and give people a peek behind the scenes.
- The web pages that typically help leads get to know you are your Home page, About page, Services page, Contact page, and Thank You pages.
- Also included are content elements like photos and videos, success stories, links to presentations, interviews, and media features.
2. Like
The Like step is all about helping people understand your personality and what it might be like to work with you and interact with you so they can decide if they like you, like your perspective, and like your approach.
This is achieved by offering glimpses into your personal life, showcasing your unique character traits, telling more of your story, highlighting your process, and sharing your opinions and perspectives on topics your ideal clients and potential leads care about most.
- The web pages that typically help leads figure out if they like you are your About page, Media page, Services page, How It Works page, and Portfolio pages, as well as case studies, blog posts, or podcast episodes.
- Also included are content elements like photos — headshots and lifestyle photos and showcase who you are, funny anecdotes, videos where they can see you in action, and stories of overcoming challenges.
3. Trust
The trust step is all about establishing credibility, reliability, and trust by positioning yourself as an expert, providing value and quality content, and showing a history of proven results — results your leads want to experience themselves.
Once a visitor feels like they know you and know that you can help them achieve their goals, they need to figure out if they trust you to deliver on your promises. They need to feel confident that you walk your talk and can back up your bold claims.
- The web pages that are typically used to build trust with leads are your About page, Media Page, Case Studies and Testimonials page, Comparison pages, Portfolio pages, FAQ pages, and even legal pages like your Privacy Policy and Disclaimer pages.
- It includes educational and positioning content like helpful blog posts, videos, and podcast episodes.
- Also included are content elements like photos with trusted leaders, “as seen on” logos, and links to interviews and features that show visitors other people trust you enough to have you on their podcast, invite you to speak, or publish your guest post.
4. Convert
The convert step is all about guiding visitors to take action — contact, click, register, enroll, sign up, buy, inquire, book, subscribe, download, opt-in, call, email, or join.
- The web pages that focus on conversion are Sales and Landing pages, Inquiry pages, Contact pages, Registration pages, Booking pages, Get Started pages, and Opt-In pages.
- Also included are content elements like contextual content upgrades and compelling calls to action in pop-ups and slide-ins and on blog posts and podcast episode pages.
A National Path To Conversion
By applying the Know, Like, Trust, Convert strategy to your freelance website, you can skip icky conversion tactics and dark patterns and feel confident that you’re providing visitors value as they move through the buyer journey.
Visitors who engage with your copy and content, and are a great fit for your services and packages, will discover the information they need to make a buying decision, self-identify as an ideal client, and naturally move to a conversion. And, by planning your website conversion strategy, you can ensure every visitor is presented with a conversion opportunity that fits where they’re at in the buyer journey.
For example:
- Those ready to learn more about working with you and hiring you, are guided to the best next step: a booking form.
- Those who are interested but not quite ready, are invited to stay in touch by joining your community or taking advantage of a free resource.
The result is a website that converts visitors into customers, clients, students, members, attendees, or subscribers for your freelance business. And once you have that in place, investing time, effort, energy, and resources on brand awareness tactics, marketing campaigns, and lead generation activities that position you and your brand as the best choice become well-worth every penny.
