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July 6, 2025 17 mins

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Feeling trapped by social media algorithms? Tired of the constant content creation hamster wheel? You're not alone. Today we're breaking free from the social media grind with three proven strategies to bring in quality clients consistently without relying on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook.

We start by tackling the gold standard of lead generation: referrals. Discover why referred leads convert better and how to build a referral system that works automatically. I share my exact approach for making it effortless for happy clients to send business your way, including templates, timing strategies, and incentive structures that create win-win situations. The key insight? People genuinely want to help, but they need clear direction and occasional reminders.

Strategic partnerships emerge as our second powerful approach. Learn how to identify complementary businesses serving your same audience, create mutually beneficial relationships, and formalize arrangements that deliver consistent leads. I reveal why "owning a stage" – whether through a podcast, newsletter, or signature content series – creates natural partnership opportunities and how these collaborations expand your reach without advertising costs.

The final strategy – and my personal favorite – focuses on niche communities where your ideal clients already gather. I explain my "big fish in a tiny pond" approach that generated the majority of my income last year (my highest-earning year in five years). You'll discover how keyword alerts save time, how consistent value builds trust, and why my "consensual sales" philosophy leads to stress-free client acquisition.

Ready to build a more stable, algorithm-proof business? Pick one strategy and implement it this month. Remember, progress beats perfection every time. Your clients are out there waiting – no scrolling required.

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to episode 144 of the Uncut Summer Series.
I'm Sarah Noelle Block.
This is Tiny Marketing, andtoday we're going to talk about
how to get leads on repeatwithout social media.
I'm Sarah Noelle Block, andtoday we're diving into
something I know a lot of youhave been craving, especially

(00:23):
with all this fuckery going onhow to consistently bring in new
clients without relying onsocial media.
We're all a little over socialmedia, so today I'm talking
about how to bring in newclients without it.
Yep, you heard that right.
No doom scrolling, no algorithmstress and no constant content

(00:46):
creation just to stay visible,just to appease the algorithm
gods.
If you've been feeling asburned out as I have about the
endless grind of social mediaand just the propaganda that is
thrown at us regularly, or youjust want more stability and
predictability in your business,you're in the right place.

(01:09):
Today, we're going to explorethree actionable strategies to
keep your client pipeline full,including one of my personal
favorites, which will be a freemasterclass in a couple of weeks
leveraging niche communities.
So grab your coffee, your tea orwhatever fuels your creativity

(01:29):
and let's get into it.
So, number one we're going totalk about the power of direct
referrals.
I do not like relying onreferrals, but I like having it
as something in my back pocket.
On referrals, but I like havingit as something in my back
pocket.
So let's start with the breadand butter of most service

(01:51):
businesses, and that's referrals.
So while I don't like relyingon them I know so many of you do
so let's talk about how to doit better.
This is a strategy that works,no matter what industry you're
in or your audience size.
In fact, referrals are oftenthe highest converting leads
because they already trust you.

(02:11):
They were recommended to you bysomeone they trust, so
obviously they're going to trustyou a little bit more.
It's transference the trustthat they felt for the person
who referred you in the firstplace is transferred to you.
It's just psychology, like allthe rest of the things I talk
about on this show.

(02:33):
Here's how you can maximize yourreferral strategy.
So one make it easy to referyou.
You can set up right in Gmail atemplate that can go out to
your clients on a semi-regularbasis.
I like to send it right afterI've wrapped up a successful
project or after they send me amessage saying how what I did

(02:57):
for them impacted their business.
That's a great time to send itbecause you're hot on their mind
on the benefits that youprovide from your offer.
Some other easy ways to do itis let's say, you have a
referral link because your offeris maybe it's a course or it's
a program, so you have anaffiliate program with it.

(03:20):
Then anytime they send someonetheir referral link, they get a
little bonus sent directly tothem, even something really
intimate like a handwritten notewith a little reminder about
your services and maybe yourreferral program is another
great way to make it easy torefer you.

(03:41):
Number two is to incentivizereferrals.
So offer something valuable inreturn for a referral.
For example, you could giveclients a discount on their next
project if they send a clientyour way, or you can give them a
bonus free consultationwhenever they send you a new
client.
You can also send themaffiliate income.

(04:03):
I have a contract with a fewstrategic partners where they
get a 10% kickback every time Iclose a client that they send my
way.
It's a little thank you Saying.
I appreciate them trusting meenough to send someone that they
care about.
They value their relationshipto me.

(04:24):
And three ask consistently.
So don't just send them onereminder that you have a
referral program or that you'reavailable for referrals.
Send it semi-regularly.
I like to send it after I wrapprojects with them and then
maybe I'll send a newsletterwith referral opportunities once
a quarter.

(04:44):
I have a mix of my offers, ifI'm going to use myself as an
example.
So I do have some clients withexecution, so I'm doing
one-on-one execution for them.
And I have other clients wherethey are part of the tiny
marketing club so I doone-to-one strategy sessions

(05:07):
with them and feedback sessionswith them.
But a good chunk of it iswithin the tiny marketing club.
So they have referral programsthere, no-transcript, but do it
on a semi-regular basis.
When you wrap up a project witha happy client, it's a perfect

(05:30):
time.
If you know anyone who couldbenefit from this, I'd love an
introduction so you can make itlow-key like that.
Just ask for introductions.
Think of it like yourconnection calls.
When I'm on a connection callwith someone, it's just a
15-minute conversation wherethey tell me about their
business, I tell them about mybusiness and then we talk about
how we can help each other out.

(05:51):
And it's similar when you'reasking for a referral from
somebody who's already workedwith you.
Hey, I love that.
You loved what I delivered foryou.
Do you know anybody within thesame industry as you that could
benefit from the same offer?
I'd love an introduction.

(06:11):
So just make it part of yourprocess and remember people love
to help, but they need a nudgeand a clear path to do so.
They need reminders that you'reaccepting help.
Not easy to offer help when youdon't know that someone's going
to accept it.
Strategy number two is strategicpartnerships.

(06:34):
So next up, let's talk aboutbuilding those strategic
partnerships.
This is where you collaboratewith complementary businesses or
professionals who share yourtarget audience, but they aren't
direct competitors who shareyour target audience, but they
aren't direct competitors.
So here's how to do it Identifyyour perfect fit partners.
Think about businesses thatserve the same audience as you

(06:56):
but in a different way.
For example, if you're agraphic designer or a web
developer, a brand consultantcould be a perfect fit for you.
Maybe you like doing thedevelopment part, but you don't
like doing the visual strategyfor it.
Or maybe you design websites,so a partner would be a good
copywriter, for example.

(07:20):
Reach out with value.
So when approaching potentialpartners, don't just ask for
referrals.
Offer something valuable first.
This could be sharing theirservices with your network, like
with a newsletter swap.
It could be co -hosting aworkshop or creating a joint
offer.
I always recommend to my tinymarketing club members to own a

(07:45):
stage that you can leverage forbusiness development
opportunities like strategicpartnerships.
That's why having a podcast isgreat.
That's why turning your activelead generator into a signature
series is awesome.
That's why having newsletter isgreat, because you have this
stage that you've built, you own, that you can leverage and

(08:08):
invite people in so thosestrategic partnerships are built
organically through valueexchange and then last formalize
the partnership.
So, once you've established arelationship, consider making it
official with a referralagreement or a shared marketing

(08:28):
plan, like I was talking aboutwith the referrals.
I have a contract with peoplewho consistently bring me new
clients because I want them tofeel like they're getting
something big out of it.
They get a little kickback,they get a bonus for it.
This creates consistency andclarity, ensuring both parties

(08:49):
benefit from the collaboration.
I have partners where I receivePayPal notifications every
single month because I sent thema client and, in return, I get
a percentage of their monthlyincome from it.
Strategic partnerships canquickly expand your reach and

(09:09):
help you tap into warm audienceswithout spending a dime on ads
or battling that algorithm, andyou're building relationships.
At the end of the day, prettymuch everybody who listens to
the show is in the servicebusiness.
You are either executing aservice, you are consulting, so

(09:29):
you're working with a business,you're a fractional and when it
comes to that, it's all aboutbuilding relationships.
People aren't going to workwith a service provider unless
they know, like and trust you,and this is a way to do that
effectively without the socialmedia algorithm taking over your

(09:53):
life.
All right.
Three, and also the last oneI'm talking about today is niche
communities.
So this is my favorite strategyNiche communities.
Joining and activelyparticipating in the right
communities can be a gold minefor new clients.

(10:16):
I've talked about this in myEveryday Profit Habits
Masterclass.
I've talked about this in a fewof my podcast episodes Hold on,
I'm going to pause this so Ican tell you exactly which ones
I talked about it in.
I'm back.
I talked about it in at leastepisode 115 and 116 and in my

(10:36):
Everyday Profit HabitsMasterclass.
So there you go.
I love it.
It's where I find the majorityof my clients, the keys, to be
genuinely helpful and present,not salesy.
This is the thing.
So I talk about this.
Sales a lot for somebody whohates selling.

(10:58):
But I go with the salesapproach of soft sales,
non-sales sales.
I focus on value above anythingelse in relationships and then
they turn into sales.
Consensual sales is somethingthat I've talked about before

(11:21):
too.
I never start the salesconversation.
I am always the one who isapproached with wanting to
convert that conversation into asales conversation.
I want you to feel fullycomfortable with it before we
start talking about that.
I'm never going to assume thatyou want to be a client of mine.

(11:42):
You bring it up, and I thinkthat approach pairs well with
niche communities, because it'sall about building those
relationships, building thatvalue, and as you're telling
people about your offer, they'regoing to naturally say, hey,
I'm interested in that or I'mnot.
Let's talk about something else.

(12:03):
So here are some ways toleverage niche communities
effectively.
First, find the rightcommunities.
Look for spaces where yourideal clients hang out.
This could be industry-specificforums, it could be Slack
channels, it could be localmeetups, it could be online

(12:23):
groups.
Don't forget about virtualsummits and online courses.
They usually have some sort ofactive community attached to
them.
Show up and provide value.
So when you join a community,don't just lurk?
Please don't just lurk.
Share your expertise, answerquestions, provide resources.

(12:45):
For example, if someone isstruggling with email marketing,
you could offer a quick tip ora link to a free resource you've
created, or you could evenoffer a connection call to walk
them through something they'redealing with.
One way I do this is I set upkeyword alerts in all of the
communities I'm part of.
So I'm only notified whensomeone is asking a question

(13:10):
within a category that I'm anexpert, so I can be the first
person to answer that questionfor them and we can start a
conversation that way.
So do not sleep on setting upkeyword specific notifications.
It saves you a ton of time.
All of these communities canget really overwhelming if you
don't have a strategy around it.

(13:31):
Next, position yourself as thego-to expert.
So over time, your helpfulnesswill naturally build trust.
People will start thinking ofyou as the go-to person in that
area of expertise and when theyneed help, guess who they're
going to reach out, to guess whothey're going to tag.
When someone asks a questionwithin your category, it's going

(14:02):
to be you.
Then use soft calls to actionwhen appropriate.
Invite people to connectoutside of the group.
For instance, you might say.
If you want a deeper dive onthis topic, feel free to DM me
or check out this resource oruse my scheduling link and we
can have a quick chat.
Niche communities are powerfulbecause they're filled with
engaged, like-minded individualswho are likely in need of your

(14:23):
offer.
It is being the big fish in atiny pond.
I love that strategy.
If you're interested, you cango down to the show notes page
and go to the link for theanti-social media approach to
generating hot leads so you canlearn all about my strategies
and systems for nichecommunities.

(14:43):
It is powerful and it is how Imade the majority of my income
last year, which also happenedto be my highest income year in
the last five years.
So, yes, it works.
So there you have it Threeproven strategies to
consistently get new clientswithout relying on social media.

(15:05):
By focusing on referrals,strategic partnerships and niche
communities, you can build asteady stream of leads without
the endless scrolling, thealgorithm, all that that goes
along with social media.
If you're ready to take action,I challenge you to pick one of
these strategies and implementit today.

(15:26):
Fine this week, fine this month.
Take one of these strategiesand implement it this month.
Start small, whether that'ssending a referral request,
reaching out to a potentialpartner or joining a new
community.
Progress beats perfection everysingle time, and if you found

(15:47):
this episode helpful, I'd loveto hear about it.
Leave a review, send me a DM.
I spend my time on LinkedIn,which is funny to talk about,
since I'm all about limiting mysocial media access, but
LinkedIn is one that stayed.
Or share this with someone whocould use this tip Until next

(16:14):
time.
Keep building your tiny butmighty marketing empire.
And thanks for listening toTiny Marketing.
That's that.
Thank you for joining me today.
If you enjoyed it, share itwith a friend and I will see you
next week.
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