Let's talk lead gen (Part 2/4)
Your lead-gen machine |
Hey Reader, In today’s issue, we’re continuing the four-part series on kickstarting your creative business while working full time. Keep following along, and I’ll lay out the step by step process on taking your side hustle full time. And let’s be honest: This is stressful stuff:
I designed this process to lower the stress, risk, and uncertainty around getting started as a freelancer, studio, or agency owner. As a reminder, here are the basic steps I took to start my studio way back in 2013… while working full time as a narcotics agent:
I’m stoked… you? Remember, there are prerequisites. If you don’t have these in place, this won’t work:
Got those two boxes checked? Then let’s dive in to the second part of the process: Kickstarting the lead machine. Kickstarting the lead machineYou’ve set aside some shop time. Now it’s time to set up shop. And you probably know this already… but getting leads in the door is the number one challenge for new creative shops. I wish it wasn’t. But the thing is, when you fling open the doors on your new creative business, odds are there won’t be anyone waiting outside. But honestly, that’s the best part about this whole business. There’s a lot of talent in this creative game. But only a select few can find work on a consistent basis. When you unlock the ability to find new leads… you’re superhuman. And here’s the crazy thing: Lead generation is simple. It’s not easy… but it is simple. It’s simple because leads are people. People who you can contact… who are also likely to want or need what you sell. Lead generation is simply the process of identifying these folks and starting a relationship with them. That’s it. I’ve been coaching folks who are starting creative shops for a while now: coming up on a decade, in fact. And I’ve noticed a trend: Most folks who are starting out expect the lead machine to run hands-free. They also expect it to spit out project opportunities that are fully baked and ready to roll. But that’s not how most business works. Unfortunately, the “automated funnel” and “lead magnet” strategies of the last ten years just don’t work well. Even if they’re powered by chat bots or artificial intelligence. Believe me, I’ve done it all. The lead machine that you need to kickstart is not some flashy marketing tactic. It is your network. Your network is your most powerful source of leads, no matter what phase of entrepreneurship you’ve been in. It’s why you see agency founders speaking on stage and flying across the country to grab lunch. I hate to say it, but the whole, “your network is your net worth” cliche rings true. Every major project that I’ve ever landed, either while running my studio or working at Blind (an agency), can be traced back to the network. I won a $40k identity design project because I knew someone on the board. We won a $100k strategy engagement because we knew a designer on the client’s team. (I'm not bragging. I just want to show you that it works.) It’s powerful. But here’s the beautiful thing for side hustlers: You can improve the depth and width of your network even if you’re in stealth mode. The tactics I’ll cover here don’t scream “I’m trying to quit my job!” like an ad campaign or a lead magnet would. Here are four subtle-yet-powerful ways you can kickstart your lead machine:
Show your work: PublicWhen is the last time that you published your work on social media? If I had to guess, it’s been a hot minute, right? Or maybe you’re a regular on social media, posting your work on Dribble or to your followers on Instagram. But… When’s the last time you posted your work where potential clients could see it? AHA! Did I get ya? I’m gonna guess yes. Social media is a funny place when you’re trying to leverage it for professional gain. We follow people who inspire us. People we want to learn from. The flipside reads the same way: The people who typically follow us are folks who we inspire or want to learn from us. Or folks we went to college with who still post pictures of the “glory days.” Neither groups are usually client-rich. And typically, the almighty algorithms won’t show your content to clients anyway. They’re feeds are full of what they’re into personally, like fishing, or baking, or… other stuff. We gotta take our work to the client. That’s going to mean something a little different to everyone. But there’s one platform that creatives are terrible at: I know, I know, no one likes that place. It smells like cubicles and stale coffee. I get it. But LinkedIn is the perfect platform for talking about business… because folks on there are in a professional mindset. And the algorithm is insane right now. I’ve gained 1,400 followers in the past week and a half by simply posting four times. My reach there is higher than any other platform. And I think you should try it. Here’s a simple process to share your work on LinkedIn:
No hashtags, no thought-leader-style lessons, no influencer-ing. Just you sharing your work and what you learned. If there’s someone who really should see it, tag them in a comment and say something like “I thought you’d like this.” Oh.. and respond to every comment. Do it publicly, then follow up with a DM, if you don’t recognize the name. Congrats, you’ve just made a new connection that you can nurture. Show your work: PrivateYou know more people than you think you do. And it’s probably been a while since you reached out to them (yeah, all of them!). If you’re not nurturing your network, it’s slowly dying off. I’ve got good news though: Nurturing your network is easy. Especially because you’re a creative. The more stuff you make, the more stuff you have to share with your network. So do that! Finishing a piece of work is literally the best excuse to reach out to someone you know. Especially if you are proud of the work. Grab a link to the case study, or a link to a social media post that showcases the work, and send it to someone you know. “Hey, Karen! It’s Joe, from the sandwich shop. I heard you started a new management gig at Consumer’s Electric - congrats! I’m a designer now, and I just finished up a a project that I’m really proud of. You can check it out here: [Link]. How have you been?!” Let the niceties and small talk ensue! A few days later (or maybe a few weeks), ask if they know anyone who needs any design work done. I know… it seems overly simple. But what you don’t know is that Karen’s dad’s girlfriend’s friend is a marketing manager for Patagonia… and is looking for some help with a social media campaign. You never know until you ask. And the thing is… neither do they! Add value to communitiesIf you want to work with vegan hydroponic produce companies, and you’re not inside of every vegan hydroponic produce community on Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, and in your own town… You’re missing out. There are communities for everything, both online and IRL. You just need to find them. It’s the modern day “golf club” - where business happens organically as a result of the relationships they make from “hanging out.” And when you find them… add value. You can do this simply by being a productive member of the community. Liking, commenting, and conversing about the things that the other members care about is a great start. But communities are a great place to do something else: Share your work! Communities are a fantastic place to share your personal project… or to get ideas for a personal project that would mean something to the group. Think about it… What if you edited a community video that showcased all the best posted videos? What if you redesigned the packaging for a product that everyone loves… but has a terrible wrapper? Make stuff. Show people. If you add value to the community as a whole, you can also make a small ask. In the post, near the bottom, add a few lines: “I’m a video editor by trade and would love to work in this space. I’m super passionate about hydroponic produce and would kill for the chance to contribute on a more meaningful level. Do you know anyone who needs help with video?” The more value you provide, the more often you can ask. The more often people see your work the better! You never know… they may know someone outside of the community that could become your next client. Connect locallyThis is my favorite networking strategy of all time. It’s how I found every single one of my big-budget projects when I ran my own design studio. Every single one. But you’re probably not gonna do it. It feels awkward. And it doesn’t look scaleable. It costs money. And since we’re all creatives here, we’re most likely introverts. But here’s the big secret: Invite people out for coffee. Or lunch. GASP I know. I know most of you have immediately shut it down. You’ve closed the email, hit delete, unsubscribed, and blocked me on Twitter. I get it! But the truth remains: It works. If you’re still with me, crack open Google. No - like now, open up a new tab and head to Google. Now search this phrase: “Marketing agencies in [whatever town you live in]” How many local businesses come up within a 1-hour radius? Probably hundreds. It’s weird. We drive around and notice a few businesses here and there, maybe we’ve heard about the few bigger studios in town. But we don’t realize the VOLUME of local businesses until we see it in front of us in black and white and Google blue. And that’s just one kind of business. Each local business could turn into a lead. They could become a collaborator, or a direct client, or refer us to someone they know. And they all eat lunch. Well most of them, anyway. Find the founder’s name and contact info (or the creative director, or the brand manager… whatever title makes sense to you). Send them an email or a direct message that reads something like this: “Hey Bob, Hope you’re doing well! I’m a graphic designer here in Albuquerque and I noticed you were local too! Feel free to say no, but would you like to grab a coffee together at Corner Perk next week? No sales pitch or anything weird like that, I promise. I’d just love to connect with another entrepreneur in town and hear about your journey with Bob’s Burgers.” That’s it. When you get together, be your charming self. Just be ravenously curious abut their story. Ask them a bunch of questions. Share that you work full time, but you also freelance on the side. Just make a meaningful connection. Don’t ask for the sale. Afterwards, send them a follow up note from your personal/freelance/studio email address. Include a link to your work (either your website or your portfolio) in your signature. Then follow up with them regularly. Send out ten invites every week. You might have one person bite every two weeks… but that’s the beauty of it. You’ll meet 20-30 more people this year than you did last year. Wrapping upGenerating leads is simple. Make meaningful connections with more people. The more you do this, the larger your network grows. The bigger your network gets, the more opportunities you will encounter. There are approximately a million other tactics and strategies for lead generation. But these four are a great start… and can lay a solid foundation for a side hustle that can turn into your dream job. Give them a shot. I’m serious. Even if you don’t think they’ll work… just try! The worst that can happen is you eat up a few hours this month making people happy. That’s not so bad, right? Next week, we’ll cover what kinds of people to focus on in the side-hustle phase of your business - the kind that will hopefully become “hub” clients. All love, Ben Burns P.S. Dear fellow introverts: People aren’t your enemy. I promise. I heard this somewhere (don’t remember where) and it made my introversion much easier to handle: Introverts give energy when around people. Extroverts absorb it. So… just make sure you’ve got time to recharge :) P.P.S. This is the kind of stuff we cover in Futur Accelerator. Sorry to promote it, but it’s my baby, and we are helping people change their lives… so I had to. I’d love to see you in there. |