Working as a freelance marketer, you no doubt already know how to build connections to grow an audience and turn people into potential clients. But, the better the connection you can build, the more likely someone is to not only want to hire you and say yes to your proposal but also stick around to become a long-term client.

And even if someone doesn't become a customer, if you have worked on relationship-building with them, they will be more likely to remember & recommend you.

Craft your messaging to build deeper connections with your audience

This all starts with your messaging. To craft great messaging, you need to understand who you want to work with so that all your messaging makes them feel like you are speaking directly to them, so they not only follow you but also seek out your content and pay attention to what you are saying.

Building deep relationships comes from having things in common with people. Social media is not a strong enough commonality to build a deep connection.

You need to understand the problems your perfect people are having so you can acknowledge them in your messaging and, where possible, provide a solution.

In life, everyone is either trying to move away from pain or move towards pleasure. As a marketer, it is your job to identify your audience's pain points and the pleasure they seek.

For example:

Pain = overwhelm, lack of time, confusion, poor results etc.

Pleasure = clarity, understanding, simple processes, great results etc.

Sharing great social media tips and advice is great content for social media marketers, and your audience will love to consume it. But when that content resonates with your specific audience and addresses their specific pain or pleasure points, it can build deeper connections with them.

None of this is possible without knowing who your dream clients are.

Make the process intuitive to build deeper relationships with your audience

No matter where you focus your marketing, you'll want to ensure you make the process from becoming a follower to a paying client a simple and smooth one. The harder and more complicated it becomes, the less likely someone is to trust you and want to work with you.

Is it easy for your perfect clients to find the information they are looking for? Can they easily see what services you offer, your starting rates and how to apply to work with you? Is your name on your profile, so they know how to address you in an email?

It is important to check the process someone will take, from their initial search to contacting you and improving the process to make it as intuitive and simple as possible.

ACTION POINT: Go through your lead generation process & pay attention does every step make a potential client start to trust you?  What can you change?

Making this simple change on your website

Most freelancers have a ‘book a call' button on their website so that a potential client can get in touch and have a discovery call to see whether they are the right fit to help them.

But this button could be losing you potential leads and clients!

Expecting someone to book a call with you to find out whether you can help them is a BIG ASK! Think about how you work when you are looking to invest in something for your business; you probably want some information before you waste your time, and theirs, by spending time on a Zoom call with someone.

Not everyone wants to book a call. Some people need some information before they will take that step. They'll want to know if they can afford you and whether they have everything set up to ensure you can help them. And, of course, they'll be interested in whether they are the right fit for your services.

By asking them to book a call to get that information, you will lose people before you ever have a chance to convert them.

ACTION POINT: Remove the ‘book a call' button from your website

Add an application process to your website

Replacing the ‘book a call' button with an ‘apply' button will allow you to pre-qualify your leads to ensure you understand what they need from you, whether they can afford you and if they are the type of business you want to work with.

A pre-qualifying system like this helps you to stop wasting time with the wrong people and also starts building trust with a client from the outset.

There has been a lot of research into the psychology behind the wording on a button and when it comes to building relationships. Seeing an ‘apply' button makes the service seem more valuable. If their application is successful, the person is more likely to continue in the process of becoming a customer.

The application process will also build trust as they will quickly understand whether they have what they need to work with you, including their budget.

ACTION POINT: Add an application process to your website.

Underpromise and over-deliver to build deeper relationships

With so many cowboys in the marketing world, it's important not to make promises you can't keep. On the flip side, where you can over-deliver, your clients will appreciate you even more and want to continue working with you for longer.

It can be really simple to overdeliver without taking on more work and delivering more than you are being paid for.

• Keep your clients looped in, so they feel in control of their marketing.
• Provide advice or ideas they weren’t expecting.
• Offering additional (paid) services to solve problems you spot.
• The way you report can build even better connections with your clients, as they’ll trust you even more – check out episode 31 of the JFDI podcast for a simple strategy for your reporting.

Being the freelancer who provers an amazing service and goes over and above your client's expectations means you’ll become unforgettable in the best way. a good way so that you get recommended etc

ACTION POINT: Consider how you can over-deliver to your clients and audience.

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