While our economy might be starting to turn around, there is no doubt that small businesses are selective about where they spend their money, if they spend it at all. I have one client who canceled my link building service because money was short. My response was that now more than ever he needed to spend money on marketing if he wants to increase sales! He still canceled.

So that left me a hole in my lineup and I needed to fill it. 2 years ago I had a waiting list of clients, today I’m actively seeking clients. Some of my clients rank #1 for all of their top keywords, while some canceled because they couldn’t see the value in my work. Part of that is my fault, and part of that is because they’re expectations are not reasonable, also partially attributed to me.

So what did I do? I found 3 new clients and now have a waiting list again! Here are 3 quick and easy ways to find new clients in a down economy.

1. Become the visible expert.

You might already be the expert, but that doesn’t mean people know that you’re the expert. In my city of about 50,000 people, I am about 99% sure there are no better link builders than me. I say that because I know almost everyone who does search engine marketing and optimization and all of the marketing companies. I know their clients and I’ve done my homework on them. With that in mind, there are still many businesses who don’t know me and what I do, so I need to become the “visible” expert. I need to show them that I am the expert. I do that with face-to-face meetings, newsletters, examples of past clients and their current rankings and offering my best clients as references.

2. Offer a deal they can’t refuse.

With link building, I don’t have set prices. Some keywords are more difficult than others and will take a greater effort to get to a #1 ranking, so each of my clients have different prices. With my new clients that I know price will be an issue with, I quote them higher and then give them a discount that expires at a certain date. Of course I’m just removing a mental barrier for them, but small businesses with a physical storefront often expect to get a discount so instead of me telling them, “No, I can’t offer you 20% off.” I lead with, “And I can give you 20% off, if we start by the end of the month.”

3. Ramp up your online marketing.

The great thing about extending your online marketing presence is that it nearly lasts forever. This is a huge selling point for many businesses who are experienced with buying traditional media advertising. When you pay $1000 for a billboard, at the end of the month, you lose that advertising and you have nothing more to show. When you spend $1000 building links, at the end of the month, you have links to your site that will still be providing value years down the road. I have clients that I built links to 4 years ago that still have #1 rankings! That is the power of online marketing.

Depending on your link building skill level, you can outsource this work or you can do it yourself. Depending on your keywords, the competition might be easy to beat, or it could be impossible for a single person.

DIY Link Building
If you’re determined to do it yourself, make sure your content is link-worthy. This means that you give webmasters a reason to link to your site. Also, check out some paid web directories like Ezilon Regional Web Directory (great for small businesses), BOTW, and even the Yahoo! Directory. These are great for quick and easy (maybe not free) links. Often times these directories are scraped by a lot of other websites so you have a good chance that you link will show up on other sites.

Outsource Link Building
If you decide to outsource your link building, make sure they companies you’re talking to can prove that they get results. Ask to see client rankings, ask to see the types of links they build. The content of the page and the relevancy of the site shouldn’t be high up on your list, but seeing the anchor keywords should. The company should be able to show you current and past clients. Their past clients should still have some rankings if they did their job right.

In a nutshell, become a presence in your community (online or offline), offer great deals, and do it online and offline and you’re sure to find new clients!

Bio: Brandon Hopkins is a freelance link builder and small business owner. You can find him on Twitter and you can see his SEO Services and prices at his website.

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