10 Reasons Why Your Online Presence May Not Be Attracting Dream Clients

Earlier this week I shared a post all about How Working With Dream Clients Can Change Everything, and today I want to dig a little deeper into some of the reasons why your online presence may not actually be helping you to attract those dreamy clients along the way.

Our online presence can be a game changing tool for our business and brand.

It can help us to build community, connect with the people we can serve best, and convert that audience into paying customers and clients too. For you and your business right now maybe those dreams clients are the ones who truly will understand and respect your creative expertise, or maybe you’re just getting started and dream clients for you right now are actually just going to be paying clients - whatever it is, your online presence can help you to attract and book them along the way.

If you’re feeling like you’re hustling crazy hard but you’re not seeing any client enquiries and bookings come in, today I have 10 reasons why that may be the case, and some jumping off points for how you can turn things around and start to unlock the potential your website, blog, and digital presence has to be the best and most effective marketing tool for you and your work. 

1. You’re not differentiating yourself from the crowd

No matter what industry and arena you’ve found yourself in, it’s highly likely that you’re not the only fish in the sea. If you don’t find a way to differentiate yourself from the crowd and build a brand that stands out amongst the masses, you’ll struggle to consistently bring in the work that you want to be doing.

Key takeaway: Don’t be generic; build a business worth paying attention to. 

2. You’re not clear on who it is you serve best

If you don’t know and understand yet who it is your work serves best, you can’t expect your dream clients to know and understand how you can help them either. Getting super focused and specific on who those dream clients are, and how your work, your services, and your creative expertise can solve their problems is how you start to truly build a brand that attracts dream clients along the way. 

Key takeaway: Brand clarity changes everything. Here’s a cheat sheet I made just for you to help you figure out who your dream clients are. 

3. Your content marketing strategy isn’t effective, focused, or purposeful

A purposeful, authentic, and game changing content marketing strategy is the key step to building an online presence that helps you to attract and book dream clients and keep your schedule filled up with work that pays the bills and that you’re crazy excited to do. If you’re just throwing together content in the hopes that it will have a cause and effect, without actually truly understanding your content marketing strategy inside and out, you’re going to struggle to make any serious progress along the way.

Key takeaway: Build a content marketing strategy that moves you and your business forward. Don’t understand what content marketing is? I have a post just for you here. 

4. You haven’t built your know, like, and trust factor

Your know, like, and trust factor can change everything. People need to know who you are if they’re going to have the opportunity to decide whether or not they want to work with you. They have to like and connect with you and your brand if they’re going to become invested in who you are and what you do. And they have to trust that you’re going to deliver and that you actually have the expertise to back up the services you’re trying to sell. 

Key takeaway: Prioritise building your know, like, and trust factor. Be authentic, consistent, and human every step of the way.

5. You're not sharing your expertise and value in a way that resonates and connects

If you’re just making noise, nobody is going to pay attention and listen. If you want to share your ideas and establish your expertise, you have to truly show up and be of value to your audience and potential dream customers along the way. This is where your story and your message plays a huge part in shaping your ability to attract and book dream clients; there has to be some weight behind your brand that connects with your dream clients on a deeper level than just the exchange of money for services.

Key takeaway: Don’t just make noise for the sake of it. Show up and say something that resonates and connects; always remember that people buy from other people. It’s a human transaction, especially as creative entrepreneurs. 

6. Your website isn’t being the second employee that you need it to be

Your website is here to do the hard work so you don’t have to. It’s your most valued employee (second to yourself of course) and you have to make it work for you. It needs to position your brand in a way that attracts the right people for you, and there needs to be a clear path for visitors to travel through so they can engage with you and your work in a way that is effective and purposeful. A website isn’t just there to look pretty; you need it to be smart and intuitive too. 

Key takeaway: Pay attention to your website and make it work for you. Build systems and pathways that makes it easier for potential dream clients to know and understand that you’re the best fit for them.

7. Your services don’t attract the people you want to work with

Your services themselves may be the thing holding you back from attracting and booking dream clients along the way. If they don’t directly resonate with the people you’re trying to attract, you’ll struggle to consistently bring in the work that you want to be doing. Think a little bigger with your service offerings; really start to align them with who it is you want to serve along the way. Don’t be afraid to get super specific so you can be of even more value to your dream clients. 

Key takeaway: Services need to inspire, excite, and delight if you want to attract and book dreamy clients along the way.

8. You haven’t built your own methodology

This one’s a game changer. I truly believe honing in on our message and building our own methodology is how we become a brand worth hiring. If we’re just saying what everyone else is saying and bringing nothing new or unique to the table, there’s no reason why dream clients should choose to work with us over anyone else within our industry. We have to truly understand our work, our ideas, and how we can show up and be of service if we really want to deliver for our clients and our customers.

Key takeaway: Build your own methodology. Without it, dream clients will struggle to really understand who you are, what you do, what you stand for, and how it is that you can serve them best.

9. You’re not building your audience in a way that makes sense for your brand

A large and engaged audience doesn’t always equate to client enquiries and bookings. What you need is a community and an audience that makes sense for you and your brand. This means attracting the right people for you and truly honing in on who it is you can serve best. Forget about the numbers and start thinking about what those numbers (and the real people behind them) truly mean. 

Key takeaway: Build an audience that aligns with your dream clients; attract the readers that you can truly serve best with your work and your ideas. Don’t worry about the numbers, and instead focus on the depth and quality of the audience you build. 

10. Your sales page and copy just aren't working

Maybe you have some killer services, some awesome content, and a skill set that could be a huge game changer for your dream clients if they took the leap into investing in working with you. But your sales page and your website copy sucks, and you’re losing people because you just can’t share your value in a way that resonates and connects. Your sales page and your copy changes everything - it’s not just something you throw together and hope that it works. Sometimes all it takes is a simple tweak in your brand messaging and on your sales page to turn passive readers into excited clients and customers. 

Key takeaway: Pay attention to your sales copy. Invest your time into making it as powerful as it can be. 

To finish...

If you build a game changing online presence that helps you to attract and book dream clients, you can then focus your energy into getting back to doing what you do best. An online presence that acts as an authentic marketing tool is how you don't have to hustle crazy hard for each and every single client that comes through the door. I'm not saying it's not hard work and a serious commitment to building an online presence that works for you and your business, but when your clients come to you instead of you having to search high and low for them, running a service based creative business feels so much more enjoyable and doable along the way. 

What are you finding the hardest part of attracting and booking dream clients for your service based creative business?