In this article I'll be covering how to attract more clients to your business. Using the AIDA model of marketing (gain Awareness, generate Interest, Desire and take Action), I will cover each step to discuss what it is and what strategies you can put in place to achieve each of the AIDA step. Once you are generating awareness and interest in your business (the first and second step in the AIDA model), it's time to look at how create desire to take the next step and make an enquiry. The more desire your prospective clients have to engage with you, the more they will be actively seeking to engage with you, which could lead to them buying into your service offering.

Ideal Client

Know who you are targetting - create a profile of who you believe would get the most from your service (given your skills, what you are offering and the needs). Describe what makes those people happy, annoyed, fearful, relieved, and then consider how you can make their lives a little better. You could speak to providers who share a similar clients, but aren't competitors. Take time to understand more about your ideal clients by reading relevant Facebook discussion forums. Address their interests and needs in how you create your marketing materials. The below are ideas you could incorporate into a plan over the coming months:

Topics of Interest

• List out the core topics you believe your ideal clients would be highly interested in

• Create a plan of when and how you'll cover them and prepare them in advance and schedule them to appear on your Social Media.

• Tell stories to communicate the amazing results that you create or writing and sharing articles on social media or by email directly to the client that shows you have the experience, understanding and capacity to truly meet their needs. solve their problems and create a better life.

• Be seen regularly by your target client or potential referrer (on a specific website, magazine, social media groups, LinkedIn or disability directory).

Social Proof

• Great reviews and stunning testimonials give evidence that you can achieve great results. It also helps when people can these easily find online, or you can promote via social media

• Case studies - interview clients to write up on their fantastic experience in working with you. These are case studies and reflect what the client experience is and show how you have solved a real problem that the client was having.

• Invite as many people as possible to like and engage with your social media pages, as people will be more attracted if you have a bigger following.

Partnerships

• Reach out and connect with other providers or carers (or places where your ideal client would go, such as hospital or Carers Groups), perhaps through networking or being introduced. You could even connect on social media and make direct contact. Form good relationships where you have goals and values in common, and aren't competitors

• You can be supporting each other and providing referrals

• Collaborate on activities that are mutually beneficia and brainstorm ideas

• Amplify messages through each other's connections

Host Events

• Create events, or partner with others to be the speaker or practitioner that provides relevant information that your client is seeking.

• Expos - have a trade table

• Free Q&A events

• Open Day - providing general or specific relevant information and inspection of your service and facilities

• Information Event - Disability Expos, NDIS Self Management Expos) with a name or reference point that the client can easily find through either a collaboration partner or through a search engine such as Eventbrite

Media Coverage

• Be seen as often as you can in the Media (TV, Radio, Websites)

• Know where your clients go to get answers to their questions or to learn more about their interests. Then seek to be interviewed there as a guest speaker on that channel (whether its a TV program, Newspaper articles, Community Newsletters, Radio show, specialists Websites or Social Media pages) about your speciality that's relevant to your client needs and interests through a partner or well-known organisation (such as a School).

• Be a guest on a podcast, training webinar, magazine interview that relevant to your target audience.

• Create and post videos that showcase what you do, demonstrates who and how you help

• Approach media outlets with your news story ideas:

• making an announcement about something newsworthy

• promote any awards you have won

• doing something new and innovative that generates community interest

• running a special project that is having a great impact on the community

• promoting a community event where you are involved (eg. Special Olympics)

• involving others on a community project and you are acting as the lead

Sponsorship

• Find projects, teams or community groups that align with your brand and provide some funding to support them.

Create Your Content

• Have your own Podcast and/or Youtube Channel

• Provide interesting and relevant information on a regular basis. This gives you some further authority and helps your audience build trust as they see you an expert.

These are just a few ways to create desire in what you offer. What's most important is to decide what you are going to do and be consistent over time. Just try out some ideas and see what does or doesn't work for you. Each of these activities will attract interest and build trust with your audience, as they can see you are reliable and regular in what you are doing.