In many respects running an immigration advisory business is like running any other business in New Zealand. This means you have to find clients, but how? I help businesses in a range of different industries with their online marketing, so this is a question I am often asked by immigration professionals? They want to know how to find more clients. To do that you need to find and manage leads.
Unfortunately there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and there is no magic formula. From my marketing, lead generation, and immigration industry experience, you need to adopt a multi-faceted strategy.
Some ideas that you can incorporate into your strategy are below, but it all centres around having a clear and worthwhile USP (unique selling point). Why should people work with you instead of the competition? What is that makes your offering different? If you can identify that and communicate it clearly, finding clients will become easier.
Here are some practical tips for finding new immigration clients:
- Build an online presence – potential immigration clients will find it easier to find you if you have a strong presence online. This doesn’t mean you have to invest thousands of dollars in websites and apps, but there are a few cost effective steps that you should take. This includes creating a website that gives details of your USP, outlines the services that you offer, and gives details of how you can be contacted. You should also register with Google My Business so that you become more visible in search results, and you need to market your online presence. You can do this in a number of ways including on social media and via a blog.
- Get referrals – referrals are crucial to almost all successful immigration advisory businesses in New Zealand. You can get them from two main sources: from your existing clients, and from other professionals. With your current clients you should simply ask them if they know anybody else who could use your services. It is also good to have a business card that they can pass on. With other professionals you will need to build up relationships. Remember that this sort of relationship works best when it is two-way, i.e. that you refer clients to them for their speciality, and they refer immigration clients to you.
- Operate an effective CRM – getting a lead from a contact message online, or a referral from someone in your professional network, is only the start of the process of getting a new client. You have to turn that lead into a prospect and then convert them into a client. To do this you need an effective CRM, preferably one that has been designed specifically for immigration professionals.
- Make timely contact with previous clients – previous clients are an excellent source of revenue so you need a system that reminds you to contact previous clients several months before their VISA expires. This will give you a chance to keep their business. A CRM like Ezymigrate will allow you to keep contact details of leads and communicate with those leads through email to build trust and promote your service. It also reminds you when VISAs are due to expire.
By implementing the four steps above you will find more immigration client leads, and you will convert more of those leads into sales.
My name is Anna Hyatt and I’m the director of Ezymigrate. Feel Free to contact me at [email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn at https://nz.linkedin.com/in/annahyatt.