Guest Blog Post By Gerald Young, CEO, Life Coach Marketing Services

If you are a consultant, it can be difficult not knowing where your next client will come from. With professionals entering the industry at a growth rate of 16% every year, competition may also add to the stress of growing your business. The good news is that there are a few proven marketing tips that can help keep you in business.

Referral Programs

It is helpful to offer referral programs for new clients. Be sure to offer something enticing, such as a gift card or a free session. Word of mouth referrals from current satisfied clients is a reliable way to obtain new clients without having to spend any money on your own to do so.

Blogging and Social Media

Social media is a wonderful way to connect with your target audience as well as promote your blogs. Though many consultants presume it is counterproductive to post blogs with small nuggets of free advice they would give paying customers, it can actually help win people over. It allows prospects to see what you can offer, get to know you on their own terms and develop the trust to engage your services.

Once you start blogging, however, you will want to post regular content to keep and increase readership, which in turn can lead to clients. You should also add a Call To Action (CTA) section at the bottom of blogs encouraging people to contact you for consulting services. This is also a great way to promote the “free consultation”.

Professional Website

Most people look online for their services and products, which is why a strong internet presence is essential. Spend the money on a website development professional to create a custom design and layout so your online brand presence mirrors your offline networking and marketing. Be sure to have contact information on all pages, as well as complete information about what types and style of services you offer.

Don’t forget to engage the added services of an SEO specialist for your website to ensure your site is seen by the search engines and attracts the right type of visitor to the website.

Beware of low cost or free providers who will use techniques and tactics that are not sound online business practices. The old adage of, “You get what you pay for,” definitely applies here.

Getting your professional consultancy off the ground can be challenging, but if you start slow and invest your marketing dollars wisely, the growth in clientele will be a testimony of your advertising and marketing success.

According to a poll conducted by Time Magazine, over 50% of professionals who use social media marketing tactics to convert tough sales into easy sales offer free giveaways to entice their clients. According to the poll, strategies such as free initial consultations are a legitimate and effective tool of growing online sales for both small and large businesses alike.

The logic behind the use of free initial consultations in social media marketing, especially in the service industry, is that during the free consultation, the client will recognize that the professional offering the free service is actually highly competent and consequently, it makes the client more inclined to pay for the same service in the future.

One of the main reasons why this marketing tool effective is the fact that professionals who are savvy in social media tactics of marketing use the initial free consultations to identify clients’ urgent needs and/or problems. They use this information to formulate marketing messages that clients are more likely to be receptive to since they address their specific needs.

However, while using free initial consultations as part of their social media tactics of selling their services, sellers should be careful not to use initial consultation session to subject the client to a blatant sales pitch. Clients may perceive such actions as manipulative tactics and lose their interest in the services offered by the seller altogether.

Overall, the effectiveness of free initial consultations as a strategy of increasing sales depends on how different sellers execute the strategy. For great results, sellers who use this tactic should use the consultation to demonstrate their expertise and address the client’s concerns about the product/service.