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Twitter Stinks? Twitter Rules? Other Ways to Get New Business and Clients?

By Peter

Recently there has been another flair-up about Twitter either being: (a) the greatest marketing program since the invention of the phone, or (b) a complete waste of time.

I am not here to bash on Twitter.  I am not here to promote Twitter.  With any new technology you are going to have a success and failures.

This whole debate between legal marketers on how to build business led me to think about how does PaperStreet get clients? Since we started almost nine years ago and now have 400+ clients / projects complete, then we must be doing something right.

Without further adieu, here is our list of important ways to build business – it’s how we built ours:

1.   Be First in a Niche Service
Not enough can be said about being first into a category with a quality product.  PaperStreet did it way back in 2001 with high-end law firm sites.  How micro-niche and crazy is that back then?  The more niche and ahead you can get, the better.  If you are the best maritime lawyer in Florida, then step up and make that your practice focus and marketing message.  Better yet, just focus on cruise law or even a specialty of cruise law.  The key here is to find a new product, service and beat someone else to the punch with a quality product; so find yours today.
Bottom Line:  Pick a category and own it!

2. Knowing Friends
Making a sale to a friend is the easiest thing you can do in life.  If it’s not, then your service really stinks. Unfortunately, there is little you can do to go back in time to make new friends.  So if you were a dork in high school, then make new friends now (see networking below).  If you want to reconnect, then use Facebook.
Bottom Line:  Know people and be friendly.

3.  Be the Best
This cannot be underestimated.  If you are the best in your area, people will find you. Better yet you will get referrals from existing clients.
Bottom Line:  Be the best.

4.  Email Marketing
What?  Email marketing makes it to #4 on the list?  Yes. In 2004, we sent out our first newsletter and got a positive reaction, signing a few clients for each mail out.  We did it for six straight months and built our business from our guidelines and techniques.  The newsletters even turned into other speaking / writing opportunities.  While we now only blog, newsletters were the reason we are here today, so I give it some “props.”
Bottom Line: Blogging is better, but never underestimate email marketing if you have a good list and good message.

5.  Have a Great Site, Blog, or Better Yet Web Presence
Our web site drives our business.  It’s professional, hip, eye-catching and converts users really well into actual clients.  Your web site or blog is probably going to be the most viewed property of your entire firm.  By property I mean: YOU, your office, your advertising, and any other contact with someone.  Even small sites gets 1,000 visitors a month.  Do you meet that many people?  Of course not.  If you are not converting visitors into contacts or clients, then it’s time for a change of your web presence.
Bottom Line:  You must have a professional web presence.

6.  Networking . . . In-Person
Go to events.  Meet people.  Dress nice, be witty, be informative, and only pitch your service when asked.  My success in face-to-face meetings and networking is about 5X as much as a phone call or email.  Seriously, if I can meet someone, I usually sign them. Perhaps it has to do with my passion that I express, knowledge on the subject, or information I give for free.  It just works and meeting people is powerful for new business.
Bottom Line:  Whatever you call it, meeting people, gets business.

7.  Search Engine Optimization
We rank very high for what we do and we get lots of traffic to our site because of that.  It took years to develop, but it has paid off completely.  Own your keyword phrases and let potential clients come to you for free.  Never underestimate the power of Search Engine Optimization.  Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Bottom Line:  Search Engine Optimization = Clients

8.  Social Networking (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN)
Just like networking in person, use the power of the web to network online.  Facebook is great at reconnecting.  I have at least a few new clients because of Facebook.  It’s easy and not a waste of time at all.  At the very least you can remember good times, or at least less-than sober times.  Making new friends can be done via social networking via Twitter, LinkedIN and even Facebook.  Meet new people you would have never met.  Help out, communicate, inform, answer questions.  Does it work?  Yes.  Does it take time?  Of course.  Does PaperStreet do this?  Yes, we are starting to do this more and more.  As we see a better ROI, we will do it even more with our entire team.
Bottom Line:  Get involved.

9.  Publish Articles, Blog or Whatever.  Just Write
Publishing articles with a newsletter, magazine, or just on your own site is great.  First, they last and typically will rank high years later.  Second, you become an expert on that topic, whether warranted or not, and people contact you for advice!  Third, it usually leads to speaking engagements, networking, or other article opportunities.  So you are now ranking high, an expert, networking, and getting more contacts.  Our blog gets as much traffic as our entire web site.  This is because of the informative content and high topical rankings. 
Bottom Line:  Use your knowledge and publish.

10.  Pay-Per-Click
Pay-Per-Click, the forgotten way to get clients. Don’t let anyone tell you this cannot work.  Yes, in some areas PPC is expensive.  In some areas it takes awhile to find the right ad, landing page and message. But what form of advertising does not take time and effort? More importantly what form of advertising can you sign a client for 10 cents?  We signed one of our biggest clients a few years ago because of a single PPC ad that was placed in Miami.  I consider $20,000 ROI for a $2 ad money well spent.
Bottom Line:  Advertise, but test, test, and more test until you get it right.

11.  Give Something Away Free
We give away free sites or reduced sites to organizations.  These organizations usually have members who need our services. Are we purely benevolent? No, of course note but everyone benefits. The organizations get great sites.  We eventually get a great client from the organization.
Bottom Line:  Be a good Samaritan.  Create good karma through giving away services.

12. Other Ways to Get Business
We don’t do any of this and I am not knocking any of these ways.  It’s just not our style, but I know lot’s of companies who are successful in these ways.

• Direct Mail
• Television
• Magazine Ads
• Radio
• Sponsorships
• Trade Shows
• Banner Ads
• Speaking
• Pay Per Lead
• Directory Listings
• Yellow Pages
• Other Social Networking Sites

Bottom line
Do whatever works for your business. Through trial and error you can find new ways to generate new clients.  These ways happen to work with our business.  What ways work for yours?

Full post as published by PaperStreet Web Design: SpeakOut on September 23, 2009 (boomark / email).