When you are running your own business, the hunt for new clients never ends.

You need to always be out there generating leads, even when you have plenty of work to keep you busy.

It takes time to nurture relationships and you never know when you’ll bump into a lucrative business opportunity.

Here are 7 unique methods for finding new clients.

1. Ask for Referrals

The best business comes from referrals.

A happy client tells others about you and the new person already knows the unique value you offer.

It’s tempting to wait for referrals to naturally occur, but it’s even better to ask for them proactively.

Make it a regular part of your business operations.

Whenever you receive positive feedback from a client, ask if there’s anyone they know who could also use your help.

2. Join Social Media Groups

Social media is essential for finding new clients, but are you active in groups?

There are groups dedicated to every single topic of interest on these platforms.

These are places where people get together and discuss common interests. If you’re active there, you’ll raise your visibility.

3. Speak at Industry Events

Find offline industry events and trade shows to speak at.

Share your expertise with people and you’ll find new clients.

Give a presentation on a topic related to the work you do, then encourage participants to follow-up.

By teaching them, you’ve already started the relationship by giving them something of value they can use.

If you want to be more aggressive, you can make the audience an event-special offer.

Some events will even let you sell products at the back of the room.

If you are going to do this, be sure to make it a time-limited offer.

You want to see a rush to the back of the room as soon as you have finished speaking.

4. Hold Webinars

Hold your own educational events online through webinars.

In the past couple of years webinars have become very popular.

The great thing about webinars is that you don’t have to attend physically.

Webinars are low-cost to produce and prospects can join in from anywhere in the world.

As you share your expertise with your participants, you can start building a relationship with them.

At the beginning offer something special to those who stay to the end.

This can be a free download, discount, or some kind of one-to-one interaction.

Offering something special at the end will keep your audience engaged until you finish your presentation.

5. Put out Press Releases

Whenever there’s any news related to your business or your industry, put out a press release.

There are directories where you can publish press releases online and media outlets will pick them up.

You can also use press releases as content on your website or social media.

6. Write Guest Blog Posts

Guest blogging helps you reach a new audience with your expertise.

Reach out to blogs in your niche with a pitch for a post and see if they’ll publish it.

They get a free piece of high-quality content and you get exposure to their audience.

Approach guest blogging strategically, writing and publishing on a regular basis to high-traffic blogs.

7. Create Free Information Products

Pay it forward by offering free information products.

Info products are cheap and easy to produce.

They can be published on your website and other places online for potential clients to download and enjoy in exchange for their email address.

You can then market to them through email.

Create a Strategic Marketing Mix

Always be on the lookout for new marketing channels and strategies.

Add them to your mix one by one and monitor the results.

Gradually, you’ll build up a whole arsenal of techniques and streams of new prospects coming from multiple sources.