Podcast Episode

091 – Nine Ways to Find Paying WordPress Clients

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Listener Feedback

Andy (lehmancreations.com)What app do you use for google reader on your phone?

Ted Best WordPress Auction Plugin?
WP Auctions – http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-auctions
WordPress Auctions Plugin – http://sitemile.com/products/wordpress-auctions-plugin/

Nine Ways to Find Paying WordPress Clients

Jeff (@readTree) wants to know some different ways to find paying WordPress clients to grow his business.

    1. Job Boards
    1. Twitter
  • Use keyword searches to find people who are talking about WordPress
  • Be helpful before telling them how much it’s going to cost
  • I tend to show them how to do it to build trust
    1. Show off your work
  • Nothing says work with me than look at the cool stuff I have created
  • Gives future client an idea of your skills
    1. Make sure your website is updated
  • It’s hard to keep on top of our own sites, but this should be a priority
    1. Be very detailed on what the client will receive
  • Do you update WordPress, plugins, etc.?
  • Do you give away any changes monthly?
    1. Give information away!
  • Like blogging about things in the news
  • Or creating videos
  • All of these thing will rank in Google and lead potential clients right to your door
    1. Get testimonials from previous clients
  • Design a simple form that you send to clients that they can answer questions
  • What way the best thing working with Dustin…
  • Would you recommend the service to your friends
  • How could we have been more awesome?
  • Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
  • Add a checkbox that says “Is it okay to use this on my website?”
    1. Ask for referrals
  • Once you finish up with a client, ask them if they know of anyone in the market for a website.
  • Offer a referral bonus to people when they bring you a new client
  • Or you can offer a free month’s of hosting or free domain renewal
    1. Send an email to past clients
  • This could lead to more work

Call To Action

    • JoshuaWRivers Reply

      I love these tips! I have been wanting to expand further into WP development, and these give me a better idea of how I can try to do this. Thanks, Dustin!

      Aug 29, 2012
      • dhartzler10 Reply

         @JoshuaWRivers You are welcome! Hope they help. Oh and you are officially in the drawing for the WordPress iPhone case, it’s pretty awesome 🙂

        Aug 29, 2012
    • warnerchad Reply

      It was nice meeting you at WordCamp Grand Rapids a couple weeks ago, Dustin. This episode is especially relevant to me since I’m seeking more client work. All my work has come via word-of-mouth; mostly by referrals from friends, family, and church members, but also from people I’ve met at business networking events, or overflow work from local web designers and developers. I also use some of the methods you mentioned, including showing my portfolio on my site, http://optimwise.com, blogging and tweeting about web design, and asking clients for LinkedIn recommendations. I just started offering gift cards for referrals, and have contacted a few past clients to suggest changes to their sites. I haven’t yet searched Twitter or job boards, but I may consider that. Thanks for all the useful ideas!

      Aug 29, 2012
    • stefangr Reply

      Awesome 😉

      Aug 29, 2012
    • billw529 Reply

      Thanks for sharing the t

      Sep 1, 2012
    • billw529 Reply

      Thank you for sharing the tips. Has anyone had any luck with Craig’s List?

      I have the perfect phone for that case 🙂

      Sep 1, 2012
      • dhartzler10 Reply

         @billw529 I’ve looked around for people asking about websites on Craigslist, and have never posted that my company builds website. For me, no work has come from Craigslist.

        Sep 3, 2012
      • warnerchad Reply

        I should have been more specific. The link in the post doesn’t point to the correct URL.

        Sep 2, 2012
    • stefangr Reply

      Working ok from Australia, hopefully just a routing issue.

      Sep 2, 2012
      • dhartzler10 Reply

         @warnerchad I hate when I forget the http:// in a link. That’s exactly what happened. Thanks for keeping me on my toes!

        Sep 3, 2012
    • AlexZiliak Reply

      Great episode!  I like most of your ideas including using Twitter as a means to grow your business.

      Sep 2, 2012
    • John Treck Reply

      Another tip: join linkedin groups about wordpress. People will ask questions about certain problems there to which you can respond and let them know about your services.

      Sep 3, 2012
      • dhartzler10 Reply

         @John Treck I completely forgot about LinkedIn! That is a great place to find people who need help and can become loyal clients. Thanks John!

        Sep 3, 2012
    • best digital camera 2014 Reply

      Hi fantastic website! Does running a blog similar to this take a lot of work?
      I’ve virtually no expertise in coding however I was hoping to start my own blog in the
      near future. Anyway, if you have any ideas
      or techniques for new blog owners please share. I know this is
      off subject nevertheless I just needed to ask.
      Thank you!

      Jun 26, 2014

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