Where to market to get new small business clients
Choosing between platforms like LinkedIn and Upwork is the main difficulty when trying to reach small business owners and e-commerce stores. It is hard to understand whether these are actually useful platforms to search, or if there are better ways to connect. Not knowing exactly how or what ways to market stops people from getting the clients they need to keep their jobs going.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
Where to market to get new small business clients
- 1relying exclusively on word-of-mouth referralsDid this help you?
- 2Creating a one-page sheet with sample photos, minimum orders, and tiered pricing to leave with prospects.Did this help you?
- 3Using AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude to draft follow-up emails.Did this help you?
- 4Monitoring local news and job boards to target businesses that are newly opening or actively hiring.Did this help you?
- 5Walking directly into local businesses with a product sample to pitch office administrators.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I'm looking to expand my client base and have been considering LinkedIn and Upwork.”source ↗
“I'm trying to understand whether LinkedIn is actually a useful platform for reaching small business owners or whether there are better ways to connect.”source ↗
“I am planning to do marketing and get clients but i dont know how and what ways i should be doing it.”source ↗
“Please help me as i need to get clients to keep my job going”source ↗
“I would be really interested to find out as well- I am an accountant and I work with small business in e-commerce, particularly Shopify stores and would be interested if they feel LinkedIn is the right place to market/search”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 2How to target ideal buyers instead of sole traders
- 2How to get clients when your portfolio is from another market
- 30How to get first paying customers without an audience
- 8How to get business clients without word of mouth
- 19Why isn't cold outreach booking any client meetings?
- 2Can AI actually replace human market research agencies?