How to get business clients without word of mouth

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

1. 1
   relying on word of mouth from friends
2. 2
   social media marketing
3. 3
   building relationships with renovation contractors and ID firms
4. 4
   Reaching out to businesses directly
5. 5
   Using Reddit, Facebook groups, Instagram, or freelance websites
6. 6
   Targeting businesses with outdated or poorly designed existing websites
7. 7
   posting regular updates and before and after photos on Facebook
8. 8
   considering lawn and vehicle signage
9. 9
   setting up a Google Business Profile
10. 10
    being visible in the neighborhood, visiting local coffee shops, chatting with owners during maintenance, and leaving cards at hardware stores
11. 11
    calling property owners directly on Zillow
12. 12
    Using hiring-request subreddits like B2BForHire, ForHireFreelance, and slavelabour
13. 13
    Answering technical questions in build-in-public subreddits without pitching
14. 14
    Chasing well-scoped fixed projects instead of retainer hunting

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.