Today I was reading a book on Landing Page Optimization and one of the things the author pointed out was that the goal isn't to just get people to visit your website, it's to actually convert that visitors into clients. The customer life cycle starts with acquisition, then conversion, then retention. There are several online acquisition strategies including pay per click campaigns, affiliate marketing, banner ads, email campaigns, radio ads, magazine/print ads, and indirect marketing (to name a few) and it led me to my interest in asking the question: How Do You Get Clients?

What methods have been successful for keeping your client load full? Where are you getting the QUALITY clients from? What suggestions can you offer to others that are attempting to also build successful VA businesses? Do you use a landing page for your site or your Facebook page?

Inquiring minds....

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Nikki Johnson
The Millionaire's Assistant™

My clients come from a variety of sources. Networking has always been very fruitful - it's important to go out and meet people face-to-face and let them get to know you.

Networking online via LinkedIn, chat forums where clients hang out and Twitter has been useful.

Yellow Pages in my country (Australia) has worked well.

My website works and people do fill out the client request form or call me. I get new client requests on a regular basis every week. This has taken time to set up and have happening - it wasn't an over night thing or even something that was achieved in just a few months. And it's important to keep the website relevant and updated.

Like Kathie, I get my clients from networking (both on and offline) however, most now come to me by referral. I do get requests from my website who have found me through different venues such as VAF.

The most important part for your landing page is to give them the information on why YOU can help them. What is it that YOU have to offer that others do not. That information should be one of the first things that your potential clients see.

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Lee Drozak
My Office Assistant

Networking offline has been the biggest boon to my business. I specialize in Internet & Social Media Marketing and online copy writing. I've worked with real estate agents in the past so I have a diverse background.
I was asked by one of my clients to speak (for Free) at a local Real Estate Investors Assoc. meeting about Internet Marketing - that 15 minute presentation brought me 6 new clients, one of which has 3 projects I'm working on.
If at all possible I would suggest doing presentations at local Chamber of Commerce groups, local meetup.com business groups, etc.

Wow Kathie, thanks for your feedback. I wonder if any other VAs have had success by posting in the yellow pages here in the States.

Lee, I was just reading a book about landing page optimization over the last couple days. Good info.

SocialCandy - those are some really great ideas as well.

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Nikki Johnson
The Millionaire's Assistant™

I know a VA who has been listing with the YP for several years. She's not on this list I don't believe.

Kathie and Lee I think you have both summed it up really great. I really appreciate the info about the landing page also! Thanks much.

Live events are great especially if you are a marketing or tech VA. There are always roomfulls of people needing your services! If you work with professional organizers, you can attend the annual NAPO event, Yanik Silver's Underground in DC, Carrie Wilkerson's BOSS event in TX, NAMS in Atlanta... Lots of opportunities

Almost all of my clients have come from blog and social media marketing. Only one client came about through an in-person networking meeting and my print ads have been a huge flop. My blogging has been the most successful avenue that leads clients to me by far.
I had a yellow pages ad for a year and never got so much as an inquiry, very few hits on the ad itself and even less on my website from the ad. But that's just my personal experience, for everyone like me there is probably another person that swears by in person networking and the yellow pages.

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~Tina Marie Hilton of Clerical Advantage
& founder of VA Survival School

Yep, that's me! In person networking and Yellow Pages - I was doing that before I became a VA, in fact, before the VA industry developed. Both are still working very well for me today and I get more clients via Google Adwords, social networking, blogging and speaking at events (online and in person)