I came to copywriting because I wanted to be a freelancer.
I loved the idea of working on my own schedule, being able to work from anywhere, and getting to work on a broad range of projects across a variety of industries.
Somewhere along the way, my mindset shifted.
I stopped thinking of myself as a freelancer and started thinking of myself as a professional writer with a business of my own.
That change in my way of thinking didn’t alter any of the perks of being a freelancer. I’m still my own boss. I still dictate my own schedule, write from anywhere, and choose which projects I want to take on.
But it did alter how I think about my clients.
Instead of landing one new client after the next, I became more focused on working with regular clients… clients who would come back to me again and again.
That shift in how I work with my clients came with a lot of advantages:
- I feel like I’m part of a team again.
- I’m treated like a partner instead of a vendor.
- I make friends.
- My income has gone from sporadic to steady.
- I can spend more time earning and less time marketing.
That’s all huge, especially in terms of work satisfaction.
If this sounds like what you’re looking for, read on. I’m going to give you a three-step plan for taking your favorite new clients and turning them into regulars.
Step 1: Create Your Own Criteria
Two notes about landing regular clients…
First, having regular clients isn’t a reason to stop marketing yourself. You should continue to put yourself out there and take on projects with new clients when you can. Sometimes, you’ll encounter a new client you just love working with and want to convert into a regular client — that won’t happen if you never take on work with new people. And sometimes, your existing regulars will have a change in circumstances that lead to your parting ways — when that happens, you’ll be glad you have a marketing system in place.
And second, not every one of your new clients will be a good fit to become a regular. One of the keys to great working relationships is knowing who you work best with.
So, that’s the first step — defining what an ideal regular client looks like.
Some questions to ask yourself:
- What size company do you enjoy working with most?
- What values do you like to see reflected in how a client does business?
- What niche or industry are you most drawn to?
- What types of projects do you enjoy working on most?
- What are your priorities in a good working relationship? Do you like clients who are efficient and get right down to business? Do you prefer clients who prioritize relationships and fun? There aren’t any wrong answers here… just think carefully about what is important to you.
Once you have a list of criteria to define who makes a great regular client for you, start evaluating each new client you land to see how they measure up.
If they seem like a great fit, you’ll move on to step two in the strategy.
If they don’t, but they weren’t a terrible headache to work with, you can continue to maintain open communication with them and take on any projects they send your way.
But, for the ones who are a great fit, you’re going to go the extra mile… maybe two.
Step 2: Do a Deep Dive
So, you’ve landed a new client. Congratulations!
Even better, they’re in an industry you love, they share the values that are most important to you, and they pay their bills on time.
If they asked you to do another project, you’d say yes in a heartbeat. So, why wait?
Once you’ve identified a client you can see yourself working with over and over again for months or years to come, it’s time to take steps to make that happen.
Now remember, you’re going to do this only for clients you really want to work with on repeat. And I suggest you limit yourself to spending a half day or less on the process.
Here’s what to do…
Dig into all the ways you can help them reach their goals.
Spend some time on their website. Sign up for their email list. Follow them on social media. See if they have a podcast or a YouTube channel. Watch for their paid advertisements. What does their sales funnel look like? Do they have a customer-retention strategy?
Make a list of possible ways you might help them make their existing channels work even better.
Start with the easiest wins. If they regularly publish articles on their site, take a look at what they’ve published recently and do a brainstorm about what else their readers might expect to see.
If they have an email list, take a look at the sign-up process. Are there ways to improve it?
If they’re on social media, study what they’re doing there to see if they’re missing any opportunities.
Everything you find goes onto your list.
Then go a step further and study what their competitors are doing. You may find all sorts of ideas to test — everything from a new paid-ad campaign to a new lead-generation strategy to a series of third-party publications they could contribute to. (And who better to write those contributions than you!)
Again, every idea goes onto your list. Be sure you include notes about each, so you have context when you come back to your list.
Finally, brainstorm how you would help them improve their results at every stage of the customer journey. What are new ways they can get found by their target audience? What are audience segments they aren’t yet reaching? What are some ways you can show how they’re different from their competitors? How can you highlight the key features and benefits of their products in new ways or in untested channels? What can you do to improve the experience of their buyers?
The answers to these questions also go onto your deep-dive list.
Step 3: Follow Up Each Project With a New Idea
In step two, you basically built out a comprehensive list of marketing possibilities for your new client. Turning them into a regular is often just as easy as closing out each project they give you with a suggestion for a new project.
Imagine you land a local client who does window replacements for homeowners. They bring you on to create an email series for people who sign up for a free quote.
You finish that project, and they love your work. You also love working with them.
So, you build your list of ideas. And then sometime within a week or two of completing the project, you reach out to your contact with your next idea.
Make sure you frame the idea in terms of how it benefits them and their customers.
Because you’ve already had a great experience with each other, they’re all but guaranteed to open your email. And since your pitch is highly personalized to their business, they’re going to be open to what you have to say.
Your email can be simple, friendly, and short. They know you, and you know them… so it doesn’t need to be salesy at all. And you don’t need to go into the hows of your suggestion, just an overview of the what and why.
It might read a little something like this:
Dear Carla,
I really enjoyed writing the “Get a Quote” email series for Wonderful Windows, and I’m so glad you’re happy with the results so far.
I spent a little time looking at your website during the last week, and I noticed you don’t have an FAQ page. Including an FAQ page can help those “on-the-fence” prospects decide you’re the window company for them. And a good FAQ section can also help you rank better in search engines and AI search tools.
If that sounds like something you’d like to add to your site, let’s set up a time to talk it through.
All the best,
Robin Robertson
Are you guaranteed to get this second project? Of course not. But you’ve got a much better chance of landing this project than if you sent a similar email to someone you hadn’t worked with before.
When you finish the FAQ project, a couple of weeks later, you’ll refer to your deep-dive list and send another suggested project their way.
And, even if they say no to any particular project suggestion, you can just send them another idea in a month or so. You might even notice that they start to bring projects to you, as well. Or, they ask you to take over one (or more) of their recurring needs, like emails, articles, or social media.
Before you know it, you’ll have a client who brings work your way on a regular basis, who you love working with, and who values your contribution… and that’s a great place to be.
