096: How to Find Clients Now Without Relying on Social Media or Ads: Blending Active and Passive Marketing

In this episode, Jules White answers a question from The Website Growth Club: “How can I get clients now while I’m working on my SEO? Should I be using Google Ads?” If you’ve ever felt stuck waiting for your SEO to kick in, or you’re tired of hearing you must be on social media to get clients, this episode is for you.

Jules breaks down the real difference between active and passive marketing, busts the myth that social media is essential, and shares practical ways to bring in new clients—without relying on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. Drawing on her own recent workshop launch experience, Jules explains how most sales came from conversations, relationships, and email—not social media.

You’ll come away with seven actionable active marketing ideas, clear examples of quick SEO wins, and reassurance that blending active and passive approaches is the most sustainable way to grow your business. If you want more honest, practical conversations and support, find the link to The Website Growth Club here.

Mentioned Links & Resources:

• The Website Growth Club – Jules’ membership for honest, practical support and bite-sized action steps
• How to Become ChatGPT Famous: Get Recommended in AI Search – Workshop
• Episode 062: Less Socials, More Success—Three Sustainable Marketing Strategies
• Episode 063: The Shift Away from Social Media – What’s Next?
• Episode 033: Social Media vs SEO: Busting The Myths
• Beginner’s QuickStart Guide to SEO

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction and Episode Overview
• 1:10 Active vs Passive Marketing Explained
• 2:31 The Role of Social Media in Marketing
• 3:26 Promoting Workshops and Networking
• 7:56 SEO and Quick Wins
• 15:02 Active Marketing Strategies
• 21:23 Blending Active and Passive Marketing
• 22:05 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Transcript

Introduction and Episode Overview

Jules White: Good morning. So this week's episode comes straight from a question I answered in my membership. One of the members asked, "How can I get clients now whilst I'm working on my SEO? Should I be using Google Ads?"

So if you've ever felt stuck waiting for your SEO to work, or you are wondering whether you should throw some money at it, or if you're just tired of being told you have to show up everywhere, or told "I need to be visible," then I hope this episode helps. 

So I'm going to break down the difference between active and passive marketing and why you don't have to rely on social media. I will also share simple ways that you can start bringing in new clients right now. And I would love you to be part of practical, honest conversations about this. If you want to come and join us in the Website Growth Club, you can find the link to that in the show notes.

Active vs Passive Marketing Explained

Jules White: Active marketing versus passive marketing. What does it mean and what's the difference really? Active marketing means that you are sort of putting yourself out there. You are reaching out to people, you're following up, you're networking, you are collaborating. It can be that you're posting on social media; it can be a form of active marketing. DMing people, basically what you're doing is you are putting yourself out there and directly interacting with people.

Passive marketing is about setting things up so that clients find you. So for that, think about your SEO, your website. If you've got a podcast, that could be both passive and active, depending on how you're using it. It could be referrals, it could be your Google Business Profile showing up in search. 

So there are lots of different ways that you can use both passive and active marketing. I think of it like active marketing is kind of like going out fishing. You are casting your line, you are choosing the spot where you want to sit, and you're hoping to get a bite today. 

Whereas passive marketing is more like planting the seeds in your garden. You prepare the soil, you water, you let the seeds grow over time, and then you harvest at a later date.

There are pros and cons for both, definitely, and I'm going to share those with you. I'll also share some ideas on how you can get clients right now and really just make the most of all the marketing you are doing, regardless of whether you want to be on social media or not.

The Role of Social Media in Marketing

Jules White: So, if you've been a listener of the show for a while, you know that I'm a firm believer that social media is optional. We don't have to use social media in our business if we don't want to. We certainly can do, you know, if you want to, that's fine, and it can be helpful. But it is optional, and I've talked to so many business owners who don't realise that. 

They don't realise that you don't have to use socials if you don't want to really. It's just one tool; social media is one part of marketing. There were businesses around for millennia before there was the internet, before there was social media, definitely. 

And it's not necessarily the best way that people get business and get clients coming into their business, regardless of whether they're using socials a lot or not really. A lot of people spend a lot of time on social media and don't really get much back from it. And that's a big part of my mission is to help people to understand that it doesn't have to be that way basically.

Promoting Workshops and Networking

Jules White: This week, I've been promoting my workshop that I did on Wednesday, which is all about how to become ChatGPT Famous and get recommended in AI search. It's a new workshop. I haven't promoted it before. I haven't got the SEO set up. I obviously set up the basics as I was building out the sales page for it, but it's not something that I'm showing up for in searches right now. 

I am starting to, because I've already talked about getting recommended and using AI search and using AI to actually help promote your business. I have started talking about that already, so it is being associated with my website, but certainly for this offer, this workshop right now, I've been mostly actively marketing that workshop.

And it's interesting because I have been promoting it on social media. I've definitely been doing more on socials than I normally would, and I've actually found that most of the sales that have come through for the workshop have been through emailing my subscribers, so emailing my list, and from chats and conversations in groups that I'm in. Definitely WhatsApp groups with people that I know. 

Some Facebook groups as well, but it has been more WhatsApp, really, more of those real private communities. Affiliates have been one. I didn't even have an affiliate program set up two weeks ago, but somebody asked the question. I was on a networking call. 

So that's the other thing is I've sold a few places on the workshop from doing networking calls and just having conversations with people. I feel like, you know, I'm looking at the list of sales and the majority of them have come from conversations, whether it's directly or one step removed conversations. They, it has come from there really. 

So the affiliate thing is I just, somebody asked me if I had an affiliate program on a networking call, whether I, you know, "Is there an, have you got an affiliate thing for this?" I'd love to promote it to my audience. And so I actually went into FEA Create and just did it. I just set it up. I recorded a video, maybe in the group. 

Anyway, you'll find that over on my YouTube channel as well of how I actually set up that affiliate program in FEA Create. I have done some tweaks to that, so I will go back and re-record, but it's, I just did it really simply and literally just got it out there and sent a message to a few people that I know who I've built relationships with and who I feel like their audience would benefit from the offer. And they get some affiliate income from promoting it. 

And from doing that, that's actually been a big percentage of the sales that's come in. I deliberately didn't want it to be something that was a big thing, you know, I'm all about doing things, getting it done, get it out there, a bit like the podcast, really, get it done. And actually I'm so glad I did because it has made a massive difference. And also just getting the word out there that this is what I'm doing. 

Obviously if people listen to the podcast, they know that this is, I'm doing this kind of thing and, and really sort of helping people with the changes in search. If people don't know about that, then actually just me chatting to people has made a difference. And just literally sending some casual messages saying, "Oh, I've got this thing. If you fancy being an affiliate, you can earn 40% commission." 

And that's been really good. It's been really good just to get some conversations going and just get some excitement and some buzz going around it as well, really. That's sort of been the main ways that I have sold this workshop rather than it being as a direct result of what I've done on social media. 

So I think it just shows actually how, how it doesn't have to be that even if you're actively marketing your business, it doesn't have to be social media. So, and in future this workshop will be, it will definitely be more passive, the marketing of it. So it will be me mentioning it on the podcast. It will be me having nurture sequences in place around this. 

So creating a lead magnet, a freebie, and actually mentioning it there. Mentioning it in my newsletters as well. And you know, I was just gradually bringing in more of that sort of passive marketing on this. Making sure the SEO, that all my blog articles that mention getting recommended by ChatGPT, making sure they all link to that sales page and link to that course there. That's one of those things that I will add in, which will help then to make this passively be able to be marketed, this offer. 

So I've got lots and lots of episodes around avoiding using social media or not having to use social media in your business. Episode 62 is all about less socials, more success. Three sustainable marketing strategies to build your business without social media. So go and have a listen to that one. I'll pop the list in the notes of all the episodes that are around avoiding social media or just using less social media, if that's what you want to do in your business.

SEO and Quick Wins

Jules White: Let's talk a little bit more about passive marketing and about SEO. SEO is showing up when people are actually searching for what you do or for a solution to their problem or for a business like yours. There are people out there searching; they want help, or they want a solution, or they want to buy something right now. So this isn't about cold DMs; it's about showing up when people are actually searching. So it's not pushy, it's not like, as I say, DMing people, it's not 'bro marketing.' It's all about actually connecting with people at the point that they're looking for a solution to their problem.

The downside is that it does take time to build momentum. You do have to do the work, because well, so SEO doesn't work unless you actually make the changes to your website and do the things that you need to do, unfortunately, I'm afraid to say. For brand new websites, competitive industries, or especially competitive industries who don't have a specific niche or a way of standing out, it can take time to build this up. 

We do need to have some content on our website. That doesn't necessarily mean a tonne of blog posts. And for some businesses, it might not mean that they need to use blog posts, but we do need the words on our website that connect with what people are actually searching for, and we need to build our authority on what we do so that Google, and now moving into AI search, they understand that we are the business that should be recommended in those searches really. 

So it's a slower form of marketing, and that's part of the reason that I like it. It's part of the reason that I love podcasting as well, because we don't get that dopamine hit that we get from social media where we post, and it succeeds or it fails in our eyes because we get likes. 

We get interaction on it. It's something that just ticks away in the background. So we do it, and then we wait and see what happens with it. And that's not to say that we don't get quick wins. There definitely are quick wins that can happen when we start working on our website and SEO and when we give it some attention.

So the ways that we can get quick wins is through things like updating our Google Business Profile, making sure that that's set up as we want it, you know, as it should be. Making sure that we are using all of the sections in our Google Business Profile that we can. 

Making sure that we are adding updates to our Google Profile if we have events going on in our business, if we have special offers and those kinds of things, putting those on our Google Profile. Whilst it's still going to be more that people are actually finding it in search, it is a little bit more of an active tactic. 

So doing that, definitely making sure that our profile is set up so that it ties in with the information on our website as well. We're using the same sort of words on our website as we're using on our Google Business Profile. If we're selecting categories within our Google Profile, making sure they match up with what we're talking about on our website as well. 

Making sure that our website is actually visible to Google as well. Some of the basic things that I often do in power hours with clients is we'll realise that they haven't got a site map submitted to Google Search Console, or they haven't set up Google Search Console. So there's no, like Google doesn't know where their site map is, which makes it easier for Google to crawl through your website and understand the structure and understand what's going on with it. 

That's often a quick win. Just fixing those basic things that are preventing Google from being able to easily read your website. Sometimes even basic things like I was on a power hour with a client a few weeks ago and they'd put canonical links. I'm not going to go into canonical links today, but that's part of SEO and part of what you can do to make sure your website is set up as it needs to be. 

But they'd actually put a canonical link, which was telling Google that their website was a copy of somebody else's website. So this is something that was just a mistake that they'd done where they'd seen something in the settings in FEA Create and had thought, "Oh, I need to put a link in there." 

But that was such a big issue because it will fundamentally stop Google from ranking their pages and showing their pages up, 'cause you're basically telling it, "No, don't show this one up. Show the other website," which wasn't even anything to do with, it was literally a website that was mentioning them and they thought they needed to build that link there. 

So fixing those kinds of things is where you can have those quick wins on your website. Even quick wins, like making sure your homepage is updated, making sure you're actually mentioning the things that you want to show up for on Google can then help you to have those quicker wins. Help you to get those big boosts in your SEO. It doesn't have to take months for your SEO to actually start working on your business. 

Especially if you are really clear on your messaging, you're really clear on your niche, and you're really clear on how you can actually stand out. So a quick win that we had with my client, Jane, who's a calligrapher, she's also a coach, and she teaches people how to use calligraphy. 

She published a blog about what is calligraphy, and within a few days, that was ranking on page one of Google and bringing new potential customers through to her website. So it's something that you can, it doesn't have to take months for it actually, until Google then realises what's going on in your website and shows you up in searches. 

As much as SEO is something that we don't want to fix, this is why we need these active marketing tactics as well. It's something that you can get quick wins on with that as well really. So the question that came up in the Growth Club was about Google Ads, and should I be using Google Ads whilst I'm working on my SEO, whilst I'm waiting for the traction to happen on that? 

And paid ads are an option, definitely. They can work quickly, definitely. If they're set up well, if you've got a high converting website already, if you've got a website that's working or you've got funnels that are working, then it can be great. 

But if you don't have that, if you don't have a website that is already really well set up, that is also then set up specifically to work with those ads as well, 'cause there is different strategy between landing pages from ads and ones where people are coming from search from more of a warmer audience coming through to your website. 

And if you don't have that set up and you just put ads out there, then you can literally just sink money. Because there are very specific strategies. Paid ads is not something that I specialise in, but it's something that I always say to people, make sure you've got those, the basics in place. 

Make sure the funnel is right. Make sure the landing pages are set up to convert before you spend money on ads, because otherwise you will just waste your money, basically. And there are plenty of other low-cost and no-cost active ways to get clients right now without sinking money into ads as well. So I've got a few ideas for you.

Active Marketing Strategies

Jules White: I've got seven practical active marketing ideas which don't involve social media. So number one is emailing or calling past clients or referrers. So if you have people that do love to share your details and love to pass on the amazing things that you do in your business, sometimes just emailing them, sending them a message is a great way just to nudge their mind that you're still here. 

You do have some space to take on new clients. Sometimes even just letting people know that is a massive help. I was literally just talking to our dog walker about this because dog walkers never need to advertise very much, really, especially if they're good dog walkers. But if she wanted to get some new clients, if she had some space or had more capacity, then her best plan would probably be just to tell her existing customers, "Hey, I've got a few spaces. 

Let people know if you know anyone who's looking for a dog walker." Because that is going to bring clients in faster for her. If people are being referred to us, then normally it's people who are going to be a much better fit for our business as well. I know if I'm referring somebody, especially in that kind of service, I wouldn't refer somebody who I think maybe would be unreliable for my dog walker as well. 

You know? So I think it's all about those connections, and actually sometimes even just reaching out to previous clients, not necessarily for them to bring in new clients, but sometimes for them just to realise that they need to use us again as well. Number two is attend or host a local event, workshop, or talk and talk to people whilst you're there as well. 

So see what's going on in your local area, regardless of whether you are a business that just works online or you've got a physical location and you work with people in your area. Then actually just getting yourself out there, and I know this isn't always easy, it's not, you know, networking can be, especially if you're not used to it, can feel really overwhelming, feel really scary. 

But actually just finding those right groups and those supportive groups nearby that you can get out there and meet people. I think this is the fastest way to get new clients, really. I would say that 90% of my business has been through me actually getting out there, talking to people, regardless of whether that is talking to people online or talking to people face to face, the majority of my business has come from that. 

So I think if you're thinking about active marketing strategies and you are comfortable talking to people, which realistically, if you are a service provider and you help people in your business, then you are okay with talking to people. As much as we might be introverts, and I'm dead in the middle. 

So when I've done personality tests before, it said that I'm 50% introvert, 50% extrovert, and I always have thought of myself as very introverted. I'm quite shy, and I think just getting out there and doing it, and obviously we do have to do these things that are a bit challenging sometimes. 

Then it doesn't have to be stepping into a big networking group full of 'bro marketers' and you know, 'cause sometimes it's definitely picking the right groups. But actually doing that and sometimes just in a small group situation or even just getting to know one person locally to you who could be helpful with your business is the most sustainable way to business. 

Because no algorithm can take away those relationships that you build. And that's why I always say focus on that first. Before SEO, before your website, before email marketing, definitely before social media. Focus on those relationships first and focus on those most, because that's the thing, as I say, no one can take that away from you really. So leading on from this, number three, is collaborating with local businesses. So cross-promotions, events, offers. 

Getting to know other local businesses who could potentially cross-refer could be massively helpful. And I'm saying local businesses, it doesn't have to just be local businesses, but if you are a local business, so for example, if you are a counsellor or a psychotherapist or even like, or a beauty therapist. Get to know your local doctors, wellness centres, other private practitioners who specialise in something different to you. 

Maybe offer to do a signature short talk, create a talk that you can deliver in 30 minutes and that would be helpful for their audience. And that has been one of the biggest ways that I've grown both my email list and actually grown my customer base, is from actually getting out there and talking, talking about what I do. And helping people. 

That's the fundamental thing with all of the talks that I do, my favourite part of it is the Q&A section at the end, because people have so many questions about tech and we don't necessarily see how helpful it can be to other people. And actually just creating like some kind of short talk and getting out there, meeting people, offering that for people with the expectation that you're just getting out there and helping people and trusting that it will come back to you. 

Getting to know people and building your relationships with people rather than going in thinking, "Yeah, I'm going to get a client from this one talk." Just thinking about that in terms of how you can actually help people and it will come back to you. But all that to say, yeah, you might find that you do get some clients straight away from it. But building the relationship and focusing on that, who knows where it could lead in the future. 

There might be somebody in the room who knows your next 10 clients, and that talk there can inspire people to get to know you and pass your details on really. I used to do this back in the salon when I did advanced cosmetic procedures, so like skin tag removal and skin blemish removal. And I used to do it with the local doctors in the village, and I did it as a referral letter, and some leaflets and, introduced myself. 

What I probably should have done is just gone in and actually introduce myself in person and offered something like, "You know, how can I, how can I help your patients?" Because if you can do that, if you can build those relationships, they may or may not be able to refer you, especially if it's an NHS doctor's. 

Certainly I had that where they did refer people to me. But thinking about how you can help them, how you can help their patients or their audience, to be like a win-win situation really. So the end user is getting help. The doctor is passing on good details, and you are getting new clients from it as well. 

And I think it would've been amazing if back when I was back in the salon, if I'd have done that with loads of local doctors, you know, could have really spread the net of that and massively focused on that as a way to actually get new clients coming in. 

And even though it is an active thing, that can also then be passive as well. Because once you're out there and once they know you as that referral partner, it then switches more into a passive way of marketing your business as well.

Blending Active and Passive Marketing

Jules White: So I think the best way to do this is to blend active and passive marketing. If you need clients right now, then passive alone can feel slow, and can feel like you're not getting what you want. But if you are just doing active, and you have to do that forever more, that can also feel really tough as well. 

And the goal is to get to a point where we have more passive ways that we have clients coming into our business than active ways. So we are not having to spend time actively marketing our business all the time. 

People are actually finding us when they're searching for what we do. And that's the goal with setting up our website and our SEO and really just having people connecting with us and finding us at the right moment really.

Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Jules White: So my advice would be to spend at least an hour this week working on your website or your SEO. And before you start, just spend 30 seconds thinking about the future clients that this work will bring into your business, and your future self will thank you for making your website better and for spending this time working on this. 

And if it feels challenging, then come over and join the Website Growth Club. We take bite-sized, actionable steps every week. And I'm there to support you and encourage you along the way so you don't have to do it alone. 

And then I would also suggest this week, update your Google Business Profile if you've got a Google Profile, and if it's relevant for your business, update it. Add a post to it. This is one that is, again, it's passive marketing, but it's kind of somewhere in between when you are actually posting that is a bit more active really. And then pick one of the seven active marketing strategies that I've suggested and take action on it.

We all want more passive ways to grow our business, but right now, if you need some more clients, sometimes focusing on one active strategy and really going all in on that, and my suggestion would be the relationship part. Building those relationships, building your network, and getting new clients coming in through that, I think is the best way to sort of focus really. 

So remember, you don't need to do it all. Just choose one active marketing idea to focus on and keep working on building your website traffic for those quick wins now and for a steady stream of clients in the future. 

So let me know which idea feels easiest for you to try this week. Let me know in the comments or you can text the show. So I hope that's been really helpful. It's a beautiful day today. 

Last week I manifested rain by talking about the fact that the week before it was so sunny that there were loads of people at the lake. 

So then the Saturday morning it was piddling it down, but I still had a lovely swim. So yeah, I will be swimming tomorrow and I hope you have a lovely weekend and I'll see you soon. 

Bye.