In January 2020, I secured a $2,000/month blogging project with new inbound client, a cybersecurity company in France. Retainer projects are always a great way to find some stability in this crazy freelance writing journey — to have a promised amount — cha-ching! — going into your bank account each month is a relief.
I’ve reverse engineered for you the process I used, so you too can find your next, best client.
I got this inbound client on LinkedIn, where I usually find my clients. I’m not doing any outbound marketing at the time of this writing — instead, LinkedIn is my gold mine. It can be yours too.
Now, let’s reverse engineer.
Why Was This the Perfect Inbound Client for Me?
I emphasize the 3Cs — Clarity, Content, and Conversations in LinkedIn marketing. However, the concept can be extended to any form of marketing.
One of the most critical pieces of Clarity (the first C) is being clear about the kind of clients you want to work with.
Who do you want to work with? For instance…
- Individuals or organizations or small businesses?
- What industry do they belong to?
- Which country are they in?
- Do they already have a marketing team?
- Are they just starting with content marketing, or are they looking for specific expertise to add to their current talent pool?
Answer all of these questions and more to nail down the persona of the client you’re looking to land.
For me, this inbound lead was perfect because at that time, I wanted to onboard blogging clients who were either starting a blog on their website or had broken ties with their previous contractor and were looking to fill the role.
My definition of an ideal blogging client also included that they don’t have an in-house content team — because I wanted to initiate the blogging effort.
Yes, we need to be that specific in looking for our ideal clients, or rather attracting them.
We can’t find something without knowing what we’re looking for, right?
How Did They Find Me?
There are two things to consider here.
First, when this contact was looking for a freelance cybersecurity writer, they typed that into a LinkedIn search, and I popped up.
Why did I pop up?
A. Because I maintain a LinkedIn profile that speaks to the kind of inbound client I am looking to attract at any given time.
So I had called out specific keywords throughout my profile:
- Cybersecurity freelance writer
- Blog writer
- Working internationally
This helps me twofold. First, I get to appear in relevant search results when my ideal inbound clients look for someone like me through the search function.
And second, I resonate with them when they check out my profile after I show up as part of their search. I speak to their pains and desires in my profile and convince them I am the right person for them.
B. Because of the content I publish on LinkedIn.
I publish consistently on LinkedIn. Since I knew the kind of client I was looking to attract, I created content that spoke to this exact person. For instance,
Are you a cybersecurity organization without a blog? Here’s why you are not growing online.
Four challenges cybersecurity companies face when firing up a blog on their website.
You know, the kind of content that will speak to their pains and desires and ultimately position me as a possible solution.
This lead came to me because of one such post.
For more information on creating content to attract your ideal client, check out this article: Build Your Content Strategy on LinkedIn in Five Steps.
Now, you may be wondering, how do you know how they found you? You ask.
Every time I get an inquiry over email or LinkedIn, I ask what prompted them to reach out to me. How did they find me?
This client told me they found me through LinkedIn search and had been following my content.
Cool, right? Let’s continue.
Specific Things I Did on LinkedIn to Attract My Ideal Client
In a nutshell, I got clear about my goals. I got clear about the kind of clients I was looking for at the time.
Next, I maintained a profile that spoke to the kind of client I was looking for. I had my profile clearly reflect my intentions of working with a global cybersecurity company.
I am always working on my LinkedIn profile to reflect my business goals at the moment. Having an optimized LinkedIn profile helps companies and people who need you find you easily.
Win-win, right?
The second effective thing I did was create content that resonated with my ideal client.
So when they arrived at my profile and looked at my content, it didn’t put them off. My content didn’t appear out of place. I wanted my activity on LinkedIn to complement what they saw on my profile and to strengthen their confidence that I was the right person for them.
How I Arrived at Those Specific Marketing To-Dos
Through a well-laid-out, intentional LinkedIn strategy.
I started out on LinkedIn by experimenting a lot… with my profile, content, and even outbound messaging. And then, through successful experimentation, I landed on the 3Cs framework.
First we take care of Clarity, then we start creating intentional Content and then, we have meaningful Conversations with ideal prospects who come as inbound leads or that we find as part of our outbound strategy.
Easy, right?
Bringing It All Together for You
In a nutshell, following the 3Cs of marketing not only for LinkedIn but for any other kind of marketing can lead to an inbound client for you — an ideal client that helps you grow your business, earn more, establish higher credibility, and fill up meaningful bandwidth on your schedule.
Follow this method and share your wins in the comments below!
