How to Secure Your First Client Without Case Studies
Starting your own agency and feel like you’re caught in a dilemma? “Need experience to get work, need work to get experience.”
Been there, felt that. But fear not because today, we’re going to explore the strategies that’ll land you your first client without case studies to back you up.
Before diving in, however, let’s take a moment to understand the significance of case studies and why they’re often considered as the foundation of credibility.
Why Case Studies Matter
Picture this: You’re scrolling through Amazon, looking for the perfect tent for your next outdoor adventure. Are you going to gamble on the tent with no reviews over the one with a thousand positive reviews? Probably not.
This is the same thing that happens when prospects consider who they want to work with.
Case studies are like the Amazon reviews of the marketing world. They’re your five-star reviews, your proof that you’re the real deal. Without them, convincing prospects to take a leap of faith with your agency can be quite difficult.
So how do you convince someone to bet on you when you’ve got no case studies?
Let’s explore five key strategies you can use.
The Five Strategies to Secure Your First Client
1. Partner with a Media Buyer or White Label Service
One of the quickest paths to gaining credibility is through partnerships. By partnering with a media buyer or a white-label service, you can leverage their credibility to get your first clients and build your own case studies.
For example, if your service involves Facebook ads, you can partner with a white-label agency specializing in digital marketing and offer your service under that agency. You can then leverage their credibility in your outreach to easily attract your first clients.
There are two things you have to keep in mind though.
Firstly, only use this method if the partner company is okay with using their past work to promote your company. Have an agreement with them, and don’t try to use their work without their knowledge.
Secondly, choose partners whose case studies can effectively support your service. So don’t partner up with a white-label agency that specializes in YouTube content creation for restaurants if your offer is Facebook ads for fashion brands.
It probably won’t work.
2. Leverage Well-known Brand Strategies
While not claiming them as your own, you can reference successful strategies from well-known brands in your pitches. The idea is to demonstrate your understanding of effective strategies and how they could apply to your prospects.
For example, you can highlight how hyper-targeted Facebook ads helped a beverage company generate thousands of dollars in revenue and how similar results can be achieved for a prospect who’s also in the beverage industry.
So your email will be like, “Hey, see what [Big Brand] did with [Strategy]? We can do what they did for you too…”
It’s not about taking credit; it’s about sparking the prospect’s imagination in a non-misleading way.
3. Work for Free
This might seem counterintuitive, but offering your services for free to a reputable brand can be a smart investment.
You’d have to find a brand you like and craft a cold email proposal they can’t ignore, offering your services in exchange for a testimonial and the freedom to showcase the work done.
This sacrifice of immediate income can significantly shorten the time it takes to establish credibility—that one month of doing free work might save you three months of difficulties in prospecting, and if you produce great results, it could lead to networking opportunities too!
4. Freelance Your Way to Experience and Case Studies
Freelancer platforms like Upwork and Fiverr offer opportunities to take on projects that, while sometimes priced at lower rates (not necessarily), can be priceless.
Yes, you might be working for peanuts at the beginning, but these peanuts can initially be a strategic investment, providing you with both experience and those all-important first case studies.
In addition, the income you earn can be reinvested into acquiring leads, purchasing software, or other business needs.
5. Leverage Emotional Connections
For this one, forget B2B or B2C; it’s all about Human2Human.
Got a shared hometown with your prospect? Or maybe you’re both die-hard Philadelphia Eagles fans? Use those connection points in your cold emails to create complete personalized messages.
Sometimes, the logical appeal of case studies can be supplemented or even bypassed through emotional connections. Whether it’s through shared locations, interests, or alma maters, these connections can help you build trust on a more personal level without the need for case studies.
If you need tips on how to personalize your cold emails, check out our personalization tactics guide.
So, Are Case Studies Nice to Have?
Yes they are. Is it the end of the world if you don’t have them? Not at all!
Starting your agency journey without case studies is undoubtedly challenging, but far from impossible. By leveraging partnerships, tapping into freelancing, offering value for free, and utilizing the power of personalized cold emails, you can build the trust and credibility needed to secure your first client and many more.
Hungry for some more tips on how to grow your agency? Dive into our deep well of wisdom with this video on 10 ways to get more clients.
You can also discover more about mastering cold email campaigns and other outbound strategies at Growb2b.io.
Cheers to Your First Client!
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