10 Best Ways To Stand Out Online Without Looking Spammy or Sleazy

Here’s the deal.  People buy from people.

People buy again and again from people who make them feel special.

So you’ve landed a client.  Maybe your first one.  Congratulations.  Now go do what you promised.  That’s what they paid you for, right?  Great.  Awesome.  Fan-frackin-tastic…  But do you stop there?  Nope.  Not you.  You’re better than that.  You’re going to go the extra mile and stand out.  You’re going to treat them like gold!  And that is the secret to referral business.  To repeat business.  To having clients who love the snot out of you.  Cause you’re awesome.

Maybe that sounds like a lot of “extra” work….?  Come on, really?

Put yourself in their shoes….  Here they are, handing over their money to YOU to do a job, provide a service, deliver a product.  Once you’ve done that, you’re even-Stephen (or is it Steven??)…  That’s great and all but …..  that’s only serving your “right now” money. I’m talking about future money.  Back in their shoes you go.  You give your money and hope and pray you didn’t get scammed by some weirdo in their mom’s garage.  Not only do they do the work, but they do it well.  Deliver on time.  Are nice and friendly throughout the entire process.  You’re happy as a clam…  And then…  2 weeks later, you get a random email from them that mentions a blog post (not even theirs) that they think is relevant to you, to your business growth, to your health (or whatever niche it is)… Well, color me impressed!  That’s what I’m talking about.  

Here’s a list of 10 easy ways you can over-deliver for your clients without killing yourself in the process.

1.    Send relevant blog posts that will help them with the next step in the problem that you solved.  
Example:  You help people live a healthier lifestyle with meal plans and pantry purges.  You come across a blog post that talks about organizing your pantry for successful healthy eating and you just *know* that a few of your clients could benefit from it.  A simple email, just for them, makes them feel like a million bucks.  This is *not* the time to create a blast with your email manager.  I am talking about a real, thoughtful email that you might have also sent to your sister.
2.  Give them some insight on the competition.  
Just recently (like 2 days ago maybe), I ran across a Facebook ad for a local gym that was running a special for a free 6 week challenge.  Knowing marketing and how all that works, I knew it was going to be a successful campaign.  That ad got tons of engagement.
My client just recently had me design some Facebook ad graphics for his local gym in another state.  I’m no copywriter, nor do I claim to be an ads expert but I know good copy and a great ad when I see it.  So I screen shot it from my phone and dropped it into a quick Facebook message to him.  Not only does that show that I actually care about my clients (I do) but it also shows that I’m on his team, in his corner so to speak.  Because I am.
Stand Out Online
This is the actual screen shot I took from my phone. I sent it to him via Facebook messenger with this note:
This came up in my newsfeed for a local fitness challenge. TONS of engagement on the ad. Thought you might like to see their copy and the image they used.
   You can imagine that he was all too happy to see what is working for someone else and it really shows that I really do care.
3.  Refer them to people looking for the service or product they provide.  
This is huge.  You want referrals?  Give them first.
When I work with someone, I find out all I can about them and their business.  Not only does it help me do my job (graphics and branding) better but also, I get to find out who in my network might benefit from their product or service.
When you refer them to someone else, just drop them a quick email saying “Hey Jane!  Just wanted to give you a heads up that you might hear from Susan.  She is looking for XYZ and I told her how awesome your XYZs are.  Hope it goes your way!  – Rita”
Just that quick and simple.  Even if the person who you referred to them never gets in touch, it lets them know you still care about them and their business.
4. Are you in the same Facebook groups as your clients?

If you aren’t you should be. It’s great for market research.  It also gives you the chance to shout out your clients to the rest of the group.  For example, one of my clients does career coaching.  When anyone in our mutual group says, “I just don’t know what I want to do… I have so many ideas”  I pipe up and tag my clients and say “Jane does this and she has XYZ program that might be a good fit for you”.

This really does two things for your business.  Firstly, it (again) lets your clients see that you care but also makes you look like the go-to person with ALL the connections.

5.  Send a follow up email or give them a follow up phone call.  Just follow up.  However you do it.

This is one of the *easiest* and most overlooked thing you can do for your business and your clients.  Keep it real.  Keep it simple.  Be genuine.

My follow up goes something like “Hey, Jill!  Checking up on you to see how XYZ is going.  I want to make sure your XYZ is working properly and you aren’t having any problems.  By the way, I really enjoyed working on XYZ and appreciate you letting me be a part of your journey.  Talk soon!  Rita  PS.  If you know anyone else who could beneft from their own XYZ, be sure to send them my way!  And of course, if you ever need anything, you know I’m here for you”

BAM  Sincere and to the point.  I mean what I say.

If the client wasn’t especially peachy to work with, I still send a follow up and just make sure things are going smoothly.  

6.  Special milestone notes.

This is great for when you’ve helped your client reach a big milestone, regardless of your business.

Sell cloth diapers?  Send a congrats when you see that they’ve potty trained and don’t need you any more (you should know this by following up, by the way).

Did you help someone launch their business with your VA services?  Send them a special note 6 months later on their “biz-aversary”. If you are in business, your product or service fixes a problem your clients have.  Celebrate their wins with them.

7.  Go the extra mile.  Really.

This is something I do All.  The.  Time.  for my repeat clients.  If your business is based on returning clients (like mine do for graphic design), every now and then, give them a freebie.  Give them a big discount.  Show them you love them.

I can’t tell you how many times a repeat client has contacted me for a small, easy job and ask for a price….  and I tell them this one is on the house because I appreciate their business.  I wouldn’t do this for a big job but for something I know I can knock out pretty quickly, it’s a no-brainer for me.  This would really work well with things like copy writing, vitamins, coaching, etc.

8.  Send a personal thank you note.  In the mail.  With a stamp and all.

Of course, you don’t want to do this for a low ticket item but if you are selling high-ticket items or services (anything over $1500), drop them a thank you card in the mail.  That one thing will mean so much to them.  More than likely, they will snap a selfie with it and put it all over social media and help advertise for you!

9.  Offer your advice – constructively, of course.

 

When people come to me for logo or branding design, I always over-deliver on what they are getting.  Not just colors and shapes but really dive in to their brand and go deeper than they expected.  I hear all the time “Rita, you’re so much more than just a designer”.  I could take the lazy way and just do what they pay me for.  But I would never stand out that way.  

10.  Along the same lines, if you see your client making a mistake, offer to help.

For example, one of my long-term clients decided to do his own Facebook ad graphics.  It was bad.  Like it hurt my eyes to see them when they came across my newsfeed.

Unsolicited, I created some new ones real quick (less than 1/2 an hour, I know his brand well).  I sent him an email saying that I saw his ads and didn’t think they did his brand justice and sent along the ad graphics I had created, no charge.

Two days later, I get an email back saying how much better the new graphics were converting!  Exciting right!  Even better, he had a referral for me in the same email.  That is how you do it. 

 

There you have it.  10 ways you can make your clients feel like a rock star while growing your business and reputation!  
The important thing here is that when you do these things, don’t *expect* anything in return.
Let it come from a genuine place of helping your people.  Help them.  Love them.  They will love you back!
I would love to hear any ideas you have that I could add to my toolbelt!