I don't know if this is the right forum so sorry.
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What is the best way to get clients? Considering Google Ads costs like $1.25 a click to even be shown. Any ideas would be helpful. I am willing to pay money for ads or something.

Thanks

The best way to get clients is by word of mouth, however you have to have the initial clientel for this to work :P I've found that advertising here at WHT will set you up initially, as long as you get good reviews. IMHO google ads is too flooded with ads and you're unlikely to get a good response for the money you're spending.

Yeah I put in 50 bucks for fun for ads in google, it failed lol, I've had 6 clicks in two days! I'm paying 1.25 a click, its so bad.. lol!

Google might work for you if you target your ads much more specifically: not "web hosting" or whatever, but "[your city] or [your specialty] web hosting".

But even that is iffy. You'll do better walking down the main street of your town and speaking to business people about hosting web sites for them.

My advise, take a day off, visit your local 'street market'
watch listern & learn, you will not find better 'Marketing Gurus'
Talk to them, they wont bite.

Then go home, think/decide your 'target', and think of your options:
Word of mouth, press releses, flyers, posters, business centres, phone calls, yellow pages, the options are limitless.
What method would attract your 'target' ?

For most in this industry 'Word of mouth' is the best, but you might need to add a little encouragement for clients.

Don't forget e-mail sigs.
pens
T-shirts etc.
Aim to not sell things, but market your business.

my 2cents, FREE -

also, if it's free, try it.

Well, to be honest, I always though the best place to advertise was online! So, in my local community is better? :)

Well, to be honest, I always though the best place to advertise was online! So, in my local community is better? :)
Depends what your doing, who with etc.

Take 2 extreems:

1, you sell only online, only 'hosting'.
Your prospective customer, has to find you or your ad, then he's 1 click away from looking elsewhere[xxx thousand competitors], and the chances are your not geared up to 'track them down' after they have gone.

2. you sell only at your local business centre, you find your potential customers, you get there details, you then 'sell to them'[without fear of them clicking away, and even if they do walk away, they are not going to walk straight into the arms of a competitor], not just hosting but 'what they want' you either 'do a deal' or not[but you have there info & can phone them up in a weeks time introducing your new special offer, and of course you gave them your business card, so they can always come back to you].

Now you just need to realise there are an infinate number of options 'inbetween' that are available.
But your first priority is to 'Define YOUR Tarket Market', because if you don't know who your selling to, you cant know what they want, or how to offer it.

The discussion done above is about getting visitors NOT clients. You get a visitor and then make him a client. For that you need to look at the contents of your site, do some SEO. Signup with google analytics and monitor your traffic and goals etc. It will take a while , however after a sometime (6 months/year) you will definitely be in a better position. You will need constant tunning and improvement of the contents of your site.

I don't know if this is the right forum so sorry.
-------------------------------------------------

What is the best way to get clients? Considering Google Ads costs like $1.25 a click to even be shown. Any ideas would be helpful. I am willing to pay money for ads or something.

Thanks

Giant Inflatable Gorilla

http://img2.photographersdirect.com/img/1/pd895289_s.jpg

Well, to be honest, I always though the best place to advertise was online! So, in my local community is better? :)

You'll find far less competition locally, as compared to the thousands of hosts online.

I'm also in a similar boat. I live in a small town of around 9,000 and there is only one other business that offers the type of services I'm offering. I've hit up a few businesses where I know the owner but so far I've steered clear of the places with no soliciting signs.

I feel that if I go in, they will just think of me as a person that can't read signs, even though I only plan on giving them a free consultation. Opinions?

I think if they've gone out their way to put up a no solicitation sign, it would be worthwhile to leave respect that.

Join your local 'Business Club', Chamber of Commerce or wherever you think they might go, then you can meat them 'elsewhere'.

Also, you already have a relationship with some of those businesses: the place you get your car fixed, the hardware store, the restaurant, etc. Next time you're there, ask them if they have a web site.