By Marie Johnson, Contributing Author at Enlightened Digital  Attracting clients is one thing. Keeping them is another.  Creating strong client relationships is critical to the success of any business. Whether you’re part of a large corporation, running a small business, or even dabble in a bit of...

It's a question all service-based business owners and freelancers have, "How do I get clients?" I've created a list of 101 ideas to get more of the right people lining up to work with you! I've broken it down into 10 areas of focus. You certainly don't need to do them all, but my goal is for you...

One of the most overlooked secret weapons of marketing is understanding the consumer decision making process and meeting people where they are on that journey. It's natural to want people to sign up the instant they see what we have to offer (because it's amazing, right?)...  but the truth,...

Brand storytelling is all the rage these days and it's no wonder: you're competing for your dream clients' attention online with a lot of noise and very few signals are getting through. The way to get their attention is to tell them stories they actually care about. But what is a brand story? A...

In his famous quote, Jeff Bezos gets to the heart of the definition of brand perception: "Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room."  Branding is the process of influencing the way people perceive you so they'll choose you over the competition; but ultimately, your brand...

Figuring out how to get clients fast is not about blogging, sales funnels, growing your Twitter following, or optimizing your website. All of those things will help you build awareness and even convince and convert your dream customers in the long run, but they don’t work like a magic bullet—slow...

This week in one of my Facebook groups, a fellow branding professional told a story of how a guru business consultant she knows advises people that branding a small business is unnecessary: "It's just a waste of your time and money." I hear that a lot so I told her: "Don't sweat it. Anyone who...

Making a great first impression with potential clients is often the determining factor for whether they'll hire you, and it isn't all about who has the lowest price. A lot comes down to who they think they'd like to work with most and feel they can trust with their business. I'll be honest with...

This week I caught up with an old friend and we talked about how it used to be so easy to drum up business—there was scarcity in the market. These days the internet is so much noisier and defining your niche market as "anyone who needs what I sell" just doesn't cut it anymore. Whether we want to...

Yesterday I had a meeting with a friend of mine and he said, "When I read your blog posts, I feel like you're speaking directly to me." I replied, "I am speaking directly to you." The reason why it happens that way is because I have a clearly defined niche and target audience. Because I'm clear...

By definition, our brand is what sets us apart. Going back to the historical origins of branding, it was a way for merchants to distinguish their products from other products at the market.  Here's the problem: because we're humans, we feel uncomfortable when we appear to be different...

Competition is tough these days and there's always somebody willing to do it cheaper. How can you position your brand in a way that allows you to charge more for your services? A few months back, there was a big, heated discussion debate in one of my Facebook groups about how much a business owner...

Running a service-based business means we get busy serving others--that's what brings in the cash that pays the bills. Finding the time for marketing very often falls by the wayside. But keeping your client pipeline full and attracting new clients to you is crucial for overcoming the "feast or...

What's the difference between using a crowdsourcing platform and working directly with a designer? I'm gonna break it down for you and help you decide which option is best for you. Using Crowdsourcing: Design as a Commodity When you're a bootstrapping your new business and you're watching your...

"Who is your ideal customer?” seems like an easy question, but it’s actually a big, hard, soul-searching question. Surprisingly, most people I ask haven't even given it that much thought. They tilt their head and look at me like I'm crazy and say: "Anybody who needs what I...

Defining a Unique Value Proposition (UVP) is one of the most difficult tasks an entrepreneur faces. In fact, I recently read an article that made the case that figuring out your unique value proposition is "bad for business": "Don't spend any more time worrying about what makes you different, just...