How to Get Clients for Your IT Company: 9 Ways
From a recent survey, the global IT services market is expected to grow by 5.76% between 2024 and 2029 to attain a market value of US$1879.00 billion in 2029. This is bitter-sweet news for IT companies.
While it shows the potential in IT industries, the data indicates how hard businesses will have to work to secure clients in a fast-growing, competitive market. But don't panic.
If you're wondering how to find IT clients, it's easier than it sounds. With the right strategies, your startup can enjoy a steady stream of prospects.
The article explains proven strategies for client acquisition for your IT company and the do's and don'ts of IT startups you should know before venturing into one. Let's get started.
Part 1 : How to Get Clients for IT Company?
Getting new clients requires tact and strategy, especially for IT startups. To stand above your competition, start by understanding your target prospects and tailor specific methods of reaching them. The rule of thumb when using any strategy is to be consistent and patient.
Here's how to find clients for your IT company:
1Create an Online Presence
If you want to put your business before the client's eyes, create a website to build your online presence. While a website creates the first impression of your IT business, it doesn't end there.
To attract quality clients, go beyond a basic landing page and optimize your website for SEO. Ensure your website has a simple, easy-to-navigate design with an attractive layout to enhance user experience.
Whether you're into web designing, app development or any other IT domain, use these SEO tips to optimize your website:
- Create and publish valuable, educative blog posts, case studies and YouTube videos that solve your client's problems. Include relevant keywords in your headings, titles and overall content.
- Make your website responsive and mobile-friendly.
- Ensure your menus are clear and accessible, with internal links to enhance user experience. In a study, 31% of consumers believe that companies should primarily focus on delivering an engaging user experience when designing their websites.
- Include visuals/images with descriptive alt texts to improve accessibility and enhance SEO.
- Add testimonials and reviews to showcase the expertise of your IT Company.
Clients can tell an industry authority by looking at their website. Take yours like a marketing platform and give the users a memorable experience. In due time, the prospects will turn into clients.
2Referral Marketing
Nothing beats the power of referral marketing in any industry. If done right, this strategy can give you a steady client base.
This includes leveraging your existing client relationships for referrals. It is where your satisfied/happy existing or previous clients recommend your services to their friends and colleagues.
As a startup IT company, you may be looking for your first-ever client; how can you use referral marketing? Easy.
When starting, you may not have a paying client, but you have a portfolio showcasing your work, right? Reach out to people you worked with before and encourage them to tell their network about your services.
Offer referral cards and develop a referral program with incentives, rewards, freebies and discounts for the referring person and new client. Once you get new clients, keep the referral marketing going.
Provide top-notch services; sooner than you know, you'll get new clients joining your company. As per the Harvard Business Review report, referred customers also bring in about 30%-57% additional new customers through referrals.
3Networking
Whether you're a startup or an established IT company, networking is an effective strategy for getting clients. Attending Tech-related networking events physically or virtually is not only beneficial for creating social-professional relationships, but it's also a viable method of sourcing clients.
If you still don't know how to find clients for IT services, start by researching tech events within your locality to see which ones align with your company's interests. Attend such conferences, tech expos and meetups to network with other IT professionals and market your business.
Additionally, join online forums/communities and participate in discussions to demonstrate your extensive expertise. From these interactions, you can easily locate and reach out to new clients.
When attending these industry conferences or events, watch out for any opportunity to demonstrate what your company does. For instance, share business cards and present success case studies showing your company's authority. After the events, don't shy away from following up on your prospects.
4Leverage Content Marketing
Content marketing is another viable source of clients for businesses. According to Forbes, 74% of companies find content marketing a proven effective method of generating leads.
To leverage this strategy for your IT company, create, publish and share high-quality, value-driven, educational content within your expertise area.
The content ranges from informative blog posts to how-to videos, whitepapers, case studies, and YouTube videos. Ensure your content delivers value and solutions to tech problems your target group faces. Also, keep your content shareable to reach a wider audience.
By providing engaging content that entertains, you position yourself as a credible authority in your niche. This earns trust with prospective clients, attracting them to your company.
5Invest in Social Media Marketing
Social media is a powerful platform for networking with other IT professionals and promoting your business. According to a Statista survey, 65% of companies cited lead generation as one of the benefits of social media marketing, while 83% lauded the strategy for increasing brand exposure.
While Facebook is the leading social media platform, LinkedIn sits well with IT companies and professionals, with 70% of brands feeling more confident on LinkedIn, Instagram and WhatsApp.
Source: Hootsuite
To get clients via LinkedIn, optimize your profile and request to connect with other Tech professionals. Start by building a relationship before gradually promoting your products. Further, sharing LinkedIn-friendly content on your profile is another clever way of showcasing your expertise.
Aside from Facebook Ads (often paid), Tech-related groups are a good platform for IT companies to find clients on Facebook. Join groups like Digital Agency Owner Insiders to connect with other IT company owners and clients.
To get quality clients from Facebook groups:
- Research and join a few groups at a time
- Connect extensively
- Participate in conversations and demonstrate your expertise
- Engage with other member's posts, but avoid spamming the groups
- Share resourceful content
- Answer questions thoughtfully
If your budget allows, Facebook funnel Ads can promote your company to a wide audience. However, paid advertising may not be a good idea when your company is starting.
6Partnerships & Collaborations
Partnering with other staffing firms, MSPs, and IT agencies is another proven strategy for getting clients. Unknown to many, peer agencies can be a great source of clients through referrals.
Collaborate with such companies by offering complimentary services. Aside from building your portfolio, these partnerships are mutually beneficial. For example, you can partner with a firm offering Wifi services to create mutual referrals where you recommend each other's services to potential clients.
When seeking IT agencies to work with, ensure you don't offer similar services to prevent overlapping.
7Organize Virtual Events & Consulations
Host free workshops, webinars, roundtable discussions and free consultations to attract potential leads. Clients love receiving valuable information on how to solve tech issues for free. So, they are likely to reciprocate by paying for your services.
Every minute, people are seeking solutions for their IT issues. No matter your specialization, hosting free events and consultations gives the participants a sample of your expert services. It is a clever way of indirectly marketing your IT Company—and it works!
8Try Outreach Via Cold Emails
While it can be time-consuming, cold emailing is effective for sourcing clients. According to Hubspot, 78% of business decision-makers prefer to be contacted by email. Therefore, cold emailing is a goldmine.
Some tips to help you generate new leads/clients for your IT company include:
- Create a targeted email list: Collect emails from your subscription forms, LinkedIn networks and physical interactions. Compile an email list based on demographics, interests and behaviors.
- Personalize messages: Mention the potential client by name in your email headlines and messages. Personalization increases the open rate.
- Choose the right follow-up strategies: For best results, follow up emails regularly with personalized messages and value-based headlines.
9Join Freelancing Platforms
Freelancing platforms, including Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer and People per Hour, are excellent platforms for small-scale IT startups to build a portfolio. Create a free personal or professional profile on any of these and start bidding for work. While the prices are lower on these platforms, they give you a great place to grow your IT Company.
On Fiverr, for example, you can create a gig for every service your IT company offers and price them accordingly. Clients requiring services such as yours will contact you with a quote. Focus on building relationships that turn into long-term direct clients.
Part 2 : The Do's and Don'ts of IT Startups
Growing a new business requires hard work, patience and consistency. No wonder statistics show that 10% of startups fail within the first year.
That being said, knowing what to do and things to avoid is critical for the success of your IT startup. Let's explore the dos and don'ts of IT startups below:
Do's
- Research your market: Study your target market carefully, including their demographics, interests, preferences, and unique needs, to ensure you develop a unique product that can withstand competition.
- Establish a clear plan and vision: Draw a clear business plan with a roadmap to guide you towards achieving your vision.
- Build an agile tech team: Starting an IT company requires various skills and experiences. Bring together passionate, creative individuals who are ready to work towards growing your business.
- Establish a smart budget financial management strategy: Create a reasonable budget and track your expenses meticulously to avoid running out of finances prematurely.
Don'ts
- Don't ignore legal and regulatory requirements: Failure to pay software licenses or other legal and regulatory requirements may lead to costly legal problems.
- Don't be shy to re-strategize: If you fail to achieve your goals, don't be afraid to adapt new strategies.
- Don't be a one-man-show: Running a tech startup requires teamwork. You can't do it alone.
- Don't under-invest in marketing: Marketing is a key factor for IT startups. Failure to invest in appropriate marketing strategies can affect growth.
Conclusion
Thanks to the competitive tech industry, getting clients for an IT Company remains a headache for marketers. Whether you're a managed service provider, web designer, programmer, or Python developer, getting a steady client base is never easy. However, content marketing, referral marketing, networking, partnerships, and cold emailing can reward your client acquisition efforts. Try them on your IT startup today.
Hot FAQs about How to Get Clients for IT Company
Some of the best, proven methods of getting clients for IT services include:
- Professional networks and partnerships
- Leveraging content marketing
- Attending industry-specific events
- Social media marketing
- Referral marketing
- Offering freebies, such as free workshops and consultations
- Cross-promotions via guest posting on the website of your peers
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