4 Ways to Get Clients That Have Nothing to Do with Social Media

The Marketing Strategies Nobody's Talking About (But Should Be)

If you've spent any time consuming marketing advice online, you'd think the only path forward is social media. Post more. Show up more. Make the reels. Beat the algorithm.

And yes — as a small business owner, you do need an online presence. But if you're a service-based or local business, some of the most effective marketing strategies have nothing to do with your follower count. Here are four underrated ones worth adding to your toolkit.

1. Collaborations

The basic idea: partner with another business that serves the same audience as you, but does something different. You're not competition — you're just running parallel lanes. And because you've each already built audiences that trust you, a collaboration lets you borrow each other's reach in a way that feels natural rather than promotional.

There are a few ways to make this work. You could create a bundled offer — like a local esthetician and makeup artist pairing up for wedding season, offering skin prep and makeup together at a bundled price. A physiotherapist and a massage therapist could do the same thing. A professional organizer and a cleaning service? I would personally pay for that without hesitation.

You could also run a joint workshop — especially if one of you has a space and you each bring complementary expertise. Or try shared email promotion: write a quick email to your list about your collaborator's offer, they do the same for you. It doesn't have to be a big production. A genuine "hey, my friend does this and she's great" goes a long way when it comes from someone your audience already trusts.

One solid collaboration can introduce you to a whole new pocket of potential clients you'd never have reached on your own.

2. Vendor Events

Markets, wellness expos, community fairs — these aren't just for product businesses. Service providers can show up at vendor events too, and the goal isn't to sell something on the spot. It's visibility and conversation.

Some of the best connections I've made at these events have been with the vendors set up right next to me. That alone can be worth the table fee.

The key is making sure there's some kind of exchange happening. If you're not selling a product, give people a reason to hand over their email address — a giveaway entry, a discount code via QR code, a free resource. Something that makes the interaction worth it for both of you and gives you a way to stay in touch after the event.

If you're introverted, yes, this one takes energy. But it's also one of the few marketing strategies that puts you face to face with real humans — and real humans who are already out looking for things they care about.

3. Networking Events

I know. Just saying the words "networking event" makes some people want to close the browser tab. But it doesn't have to be a pitch fest, and it doesn't have to be cringe.

The goal at a networking event isn't to find clients on the spot. It's to find collaborators, referral partners, and people who will remember your name when someone in their orbit needs what you do. I once met someone at a networking event whose twin sister happened to sell perfectly-fitted vintage Levi's. I bought two pairs. Danielle didn't have to pitch me — her sister just mentioned her, and that was enough.

That's how this works. Someone you meet refers you six months later. A web designer you connected with lands a new client who needs a copywriter, and your name is the one she reaches for.

For this to happen, you need to be able to explain what you do in one clear sentence. Not a paragraph of evocative language. Not a mission statement. Something like: I'm a copywriter for small business owners or I'm a therapist for dietitians. Simple. Specific. Memorable. The flowery stuff has its place — a networking event isn't it.

4. Referrals

Here's something I find interesting: when I ask new clients where their business comes from, about 80% of the time the answer is referrals. And yet most of those same businesses have never explicitly told their clients that referrals are welcome.

So — do your clients actually know you want them? Is it mentioned anywhere in your communications? Do you ask at the end of a project? Do you send a thank-you when someone sends one your way?

A real estate agent who helped my family once gave us a small gift with a sticker on it that said: we're never too busy for referrals. Years later, I still recommend her whenever someone in my network is looking. That sticker worked. It kept her top of mind in exactly the right way.

You don't need a sticker, but you do need some version of that message — whether it's a mention in your offboarding email, a referral partner agreement with someone in a complementary field, or a small incentive for clients who send new business your way.

And speaking of referral partners: think about who else serves your clients before or after you do. A web designer and a copywriter. A wedding photographer and a videographer. A florist and a makeup artist. Those relationships, when they're intentional and mutual, become one of the most reliable sources of new business you'll have.

The Bigger Point

Marketing doesn't have to mean being louder or more complicated. Sometimes it just means getting in the right rooms, building the right relationships, and making it easy for people to recommend you.

Pick one of these strategies and start there. It doesn't have to be a big swing — a referral partnership with one person, or showing up to one local event. The goal is just to remind yourself that marketing is bigger than your Instagram grid.

🎧 Listen to the podcast

If you're a local, service-based business owner who's done great work but struggling to put it into words, Market This is the podcast that helps you fix that. 

Listen to the show here: 

Shopify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1rfllDKDEW62DQBb7HMBHS 

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/market-this-local-business-marketing-content-marketing/id1719786195