Your first client is often the most difficult to land. You don’t have testimonials from current clients, you can’t benefit from word-of-mouth, and you won’t have an impressive portfolio to wow potential clients. Finding your first client takes a strategic and formulated approach. In this article, we’ll discuss 8 tips on how to find your first client for your WordPress business.

1. Know Exactly What You Want to Provide

Drill down exactly the types of work you want to do for your clients. If you plan to do anything and everything in WordPress then you won’t be in demand because you won’t be able to excel at any one thing.

Find out what sets you apart from the rest. Ask yourself why a client would choose you over the competition. What experience do you have that clients want? What can you do better, more cost-effective, or faster? What promises can you make that set the bar high? What do you excel at?

Once you know the answer to all of these questions you’ll be able to focus on a few things that will help you stand out from the crowd. It would be better for business to create stellar medical websites than to create just okay websites in every genre. This will help you create a pitch to sell your services in the best way possible.

Add value. Rather than creating a website and handing it to them, provide training, give them checklists to help ensure they know how to complete certain tasks. Provide templates for blog posts, resources for free images, etc.

Finding your focus will also help you build your portfolio. It’s difficult to build a portfolio without clients, but you still need work you can show. There are a few things you can do:

• Although your website itself doesn’t take the place of a portfolio, it should be an example of your best work. Make sure your portfolio is in line with the work you want to do.
• Another option is to create child themes or layouts to show your design skills.
• Another option is to produce tutorials as blog posts, courses, and free books on your website to show your level of knowledge.

Focus on the solution and the results – not the features and the technology.

2. Identify Your Ideal Client

When starting out, we can be so desperate for work that we end up working with just about anyone. The problem is not everyone is good for our businesses. Some are toxic. Others draw a certain crowd that you might not want to be a part of or a pay-range that’s not in line with your goals.

Describe to types of clients you want to work with. Your first few clients will help determine the types of clients and genres you work in. Work with the type of client that have friends you want to work with and the prices you want to charge.

Work in a niche or industry that you understand so there’s less rework and research. Work with clients that share your tastes and vision or you’ll constantly argue with them about design ideas.

Ask who, what, when, why, where, and how about this ideal client. This will also help you know the types of businesses they want to work with, which makes it easier to land these clients. You’ll be a good fit for each other.

Are you working with large corporations or smaller businesses? The chain of command that you’ll have to deal with will be much different.

3. Research Your Potential Clients

Before pitching to a potential client, do some research so you’ll know exactly who they are and what they need from you. What is their target market? What do they need to provide to that market? This will help you understand their pain-points and help you understand if you’re a good fit for each other.

4. Send an Email

Email is an excellent communication tool and it’s a great way to introduce yourself to potential clients. The key is to not sound spammy or pushy. Show that you’ve researched the company, you know what they need, and that you can provide it. Include a link or two for examples. Keep it simple and to the point.

5. Be Helpful in Social Media Groups

There are lots of groups on the various platforms. Be involved in the groups that have the types of clients you want to work with. Offer advice and help. This will help establish your credibility. When someone needs to hire a professional they will think of those that have been the most helpful.

6. Build a Network

Connect with other professionals that you’d like to work with both locally and online. Go to local events or local co-working spaces where you can meet other creatives. Check event websites such as Meetup.com for local events. You can also join online events.

Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are excellent online platforms to build a network. If someone in your network is not able to take on a job they might send the work to you. Also, they might want to partner with you.

7. Partner with Someone

Collaborate with someone on their projects that does the type of work you want to do and has the types of clients you want to have. The goal, of course, isn’t to gain their clients but instead to do the work they don’t do.

This will help build a symbiotic relationship with other professionals and help build your portfolio. For example, if you provide copywriting you could work with a designer that doesn’t want to do the copywriting.

8. Check the Job Marketplaces

Check job boards on networks such as LinkedIn and Twitter, and sites for freelance work such as Upwork and Fiverr. There are lots of them and some are better than others. Some want high-end work for almost no money, and some can be difficult to work with. Use your own judgment, and don’t undercut your value. You’re worth what you’re worth.

There are also industry-specific job boards with professionals willing to pay for the work they want. These are usually better because they are so specific to the industry you want to work in.

Ending Thoughts

That’s our 8 tips to find your first client for your WordPress business. The first client is often the most difficult to get. It can be tricky to land a client without a portfolio, but, fortunately, there are lots of options to help you get started.

If you establish yourself as a WordPress professional, determine the work you want to do and the audience you want to work with, you can build relationships with potential clients and partners that can get your business off the ground and establish relationships that will keep it going.

Do you have tips to add to find your first client for your WordPress business? Let us know in the comments.