Once your freelance copywriting business is humming along, you may start to think about taking things up a notch. You’d like to work on different project types or with different clients to increase your income significantly. Yet you’re still attracting clients who may not be able to afford the fees you now want to charge.

It’s time to learn how to attract “A-level” clients and take your B2B writing business to the next level.

1. Discover who your ideal “A-list” clients are

Before you can even think about taking your business up a notch, you’ve got to establish who your top clients are. Then, you’ll be able to work on attracting more of them. Ask yourself these questions:

• List the clients who spend the most money with you.
• Who has been the easiest to deal with?
• Who was the easiest to sell to?
• Who do you love working with the most?
• What type of work do you love working on the most?

The clients who appear most often on this list will be your ideal client type. They’re easy to sell to, pay you well, pay you on time, and come to you with the type of writing projects you like to work on.

2. Find out where they hang out

Yes, it’s the old adage “be where your clients are,” but it’s true. You’ll only be able to attract more of them if they’re in the same place as you. Look at the online communities they’re a part of, the magazines or newsletters they subscribe to, the associations they’re members of, and the live events they attend.

3. Advertise where the “A-listers” are

 

You already know where they are, who you’re talking to, and what their biggest obstacles are. It’s time to start advertising in those places to get their attention. Go back to your list of ideal clients and look at the list of communities and places where they hang out. If you’ve got the budget, set up advertising in those places. That might mean Google’s AdSense network, social media advertising like Facebook ads or Instagram sponsored posts, or even approaching websites about ads and sponsorship deals they may run.

4. Guest blog on their favorite sites

You already know how well guest blogging can work as a marketing tactic, so it’s time to break it out again for your “A-list” prospective clients. Pick the blogs and sites that will bring you the most amount of traction for each post and write attention-grabbing content. As people see your name more often, they’ll start to view you as someone they “know” and as an authority, even if they haven’t met you personally. You’ll get more organic traffic to your website from the “A-listers” you’re looking to attract.

5. Change the messaging on your website

Next, it’s time to revise the content on your website. You want to use the right language and copy that speaks directly to them, while subtly avoiding the clients that aren’t the best fit for you.

This may also mean adding language about your pricing. There’s always a great debate about whether you should include it or not, but either way, you need to decide which way you’ll go.

• If you do publish your pricing, make sure it’s in the “A-list” pricing sweet spot that’ll attract them and repel those without the budget to pay it.
• If you don’t publish the exact numbers, be sure to allude to it in such a way that you can avoid the smaller budget clients you don’t want. For example, talk about “mid-range” budgets, publish testimonials that mention how you saved a client $5,000, etc.

6. Outline precisely the type of clients you work with

By stating outright the type of clients you work with, it helps website visitors determine which side of your fence they fall on. It saves both of you time because they won’t waste your time asking if you can help them when it’s obvious that’s not where you focus.

For example, if you say you only work with alternative health professionals, an industrial company isn’t going to inquire about your services; there’s no point. But if your website is vague and says you work with online companies in your local area, you’ll have everyone sending you email inquiries.

7. Never price match or discount your services

Offering discounts or price matches can be tempting when you’re just starting your B2B writing business, but it can become a habit that’s hard to break. Clients will get used to always paying less for your services, so any time you quote a price to them, they’ll try to negotiate something lower — always.

Instead, when a client balks at a price, remind them of the value you’re giving them for that amount. State your benefits and value, talk about the results you’ll bring them, and if they can’t see either, then you may make the decision to walk away.

In my experience, “A-list” clients almost always see the value in what we do as B2B writers and are willing to pay for it. They sometimes forget, but when you remind them, they agree right away.

Making a conscious decision to only work with “A-list” clients can be scary. Saying no to clients you might’ve worked with in the past is even scarier. These seven steps can help you ease into that transition and take your B2B writing business to the next level.

Have you made a conscious decision to upgrade your client list in your B2B writing business? Did you use any of these tactics or did you try something else that worked? Share in the comments so we can all learn.