How to Get More Leads as an Independent Consultant
July 9, 2021
Becoming an independent consultant is freeing. You get to choose your schedule, make all the business decisions and ultimately be your own boss. However, one thing independent consultants lack is a marketing team. It can be difficult to find new clients, especially if you’re just starting on your independent consulting journey.
Learn how to get more leads as an independent consultant with these tips:
1.) Build a professional online presence
First things first, take a look at your current online presence. Does your LinkedIn show off your most important achievements? Do your public social channels put your best foot forward? And do you have a professional, well-designed website where people can learn more about your consulting services?
When you go out on your own, you don’t have a big brand name to fall behind. So, you need to make sure your online presence is professional. This will help improve your authority while building trust with potential clients.
Here’s a checklist you can use to make sure your online presence stands out:
On your website
Make sure your website is mobile-friendly.
Use a clean, professional web design with high-quality images, an easy-to-use navigation, and optimized internal linking.
Make sure all content on your website is mistake-free and optimized for SEO by using your most important keywords.
Use case studies, stats from past clients and past client testimonials to show your trustworthiness.
Have a clear call-to-action that asks website visitors to call, email or chat you for a free consultation.
Upload branded profile pictures and cover photos (when applicable) to all your social media platforms.
Fill in any available description fields with information about your consulting services.
Update your feeds with relevant, interesting posts. A blank feed doesn’t signal trust. A social media scheduler like Marketing 360® Social can make this easier by allowing you to create and schedule posts across your social media platforms, all from one place.
2.) Grow your online reputation with reviews and referrals
Referrals and online reviews are invaluable sources of leads for consultants. The more you grow your connections, the more you’ll be referred to those who need your consulting services.
Because of this, it’s important to take a proactive approach to getting more online reviews. Verbally asking your past clients, reaching out via email and promoting your online review profiles on your website, like through the Top Rated Local® Badge are all ways to build your online review profile.
A reputation management tool, like Marketing 360 Reputation, makes it easy to set up automated review request emails and monitor your online reviews from one place.
3.) Become a thought leader in your industry
As an independent consultant, chances are you know quite a bit about your industry. Share your knowledge with your audience through blog posts, videos, social posts and more.
Staying active in your industry helps you build your online presence, your following, and your authority. In addition, guest blogging on industry websites can help improve your search engine optimization by sending more external links to your website.
4.) Use technology to your advantage
As mentioned before, as an independent consultant, you’re likely responsible for marketing your services, keeping track of all your clients, managing your expenses, taxes, and more.
Make running your independent consulting business easier by using a singular business and marketing platform like Marketing 360. Marketing 360 offers a customizable CRM, email marketing tools, a website builder and more, and has the business technology you need from one login.
Contact Marketing 360® today
Learn more about the tools and talent that make Marketing 360 the #1 Marketing Platform® for small businesses. See our plans and pricing today.