I recently ran a live class on how to get clients, and I started by asking everybody one question. How many clients have you had this year?

The answers came in fast. Zero. Zero. Only 2. None.

These were skilled people. Social media managers, video editors, virtual assistants, illustrators. So I asked a second question. How many of you post what you do, consistently, on social media?

Almost nobody.

That is the whole problem, and this article is the written version of that class.

Watch the full session

Your skill is not the problem

Let us begin there. Your skills are fine.

But clients cannot hire somebody they do not know exists.

People love to say I am a certified digital marketer, I am a certified this, I am a certified that. Who knows you are certified? Only you, and the village that came to your graduation.

Look at what is happening around you. Comedians are hosting radio shows. People who started by dancing on TikTok now have podcasts and TV slots. A company will pick the person with an audience over the fresh graduate with the right course, because people already know and like that person.

I once came across a plumber on TikTok. Plumbing does not take 4 years to learn. This man learned his trade properly, then used TikTok to show his work, and he now employs other people.

I am not discrediting anybody’s degree. But the degree is not the end, and school never taught us the part that matters here. Nobody taught us business sense, networking, communication or how to find the people who will pay us. We were taught how to package a certificate and write a CV.

When I finished university I could not find a job, and every person who had promised me a connection stopped picking up my calls. So I started a cyber cafe and designed posters for churches and fundraisers. Nobody was coming to rescue me, and nobody is coming for you either.

Kevin and Faith

Picture 2 graphic designers in Thika.

Kevin is very good. He has 40 designs sitting on his phone. Logos, posters, birthday cards. He posts once a month on LinkedIn, something like “happy and excited to have worked on this project.” It gets 2 impressions and one comment from a cousin. Then he waits for friends to refer him.

Faith posts one design every single day. She is active in 3 Thika Facebook groups. Her bio says she designs for boutiques. This month she got 6 enquiries and 2 clients.

You might be the best at what you do. People hire the most visible person.

I am not the best content creator or the best developer in this country. I am visible.

There are 5 routes to getting a client. Personal branding, social media, LinkedIn, job platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, and digital marketing.

Route 1: Personal branding

Your personal brand is what people know you for, and what they say about you when you are not in the room.

In the class I asked people what comes to mind when they hear my name. AI. Digital skills. Training. Social media management. Nobody said drama. That is a personal brand. Even when somebody criticises me online, they say I am always selling courses, which is still the thing I want to be known for.

Pick one skill and one audience

I do not love the word specialise, because it can make you turn down a good opportunity. Learn widely. But when you describe yourself to the market, be specific.

“I design posters” tells me nothing. “I design menus for restaurants in Nairobi” I understand immediately.

• Not “I do social media.” Say “I manage Instagram pages for salons in Westlands.”
• Not “I build websites.” Say “I build booking websites for gyms.”

You can even be specific by location. Start with Thika or Kilimani before you try to serve the whole country.

Being specific also gives you a repeatable system. Once you have managed social media for one gym, you already know what to do for the next gym.

After years of building all kinds of websites, I narrowed my own offer to platforms for people who teach online.

Write your offer in one line

Use this formula. I help [who] get [result] with [your skill].

• I help restaurants in Nairobi get more orders with menus and posters that sell.
• I help busy coaches save 10 hours a week by handling their email and calendar.
• I help churches turn Sunday sermons into short clips for TikTok and YouTube.

Think about that last one. Almost every church has a media team and hours of footage every Sunday, and most of it never becomes content. That is a problem waiting for a video editor.

Show proof

Nobody hires you because you say you are good.

If you were hiring an interior designer, would you ask for certificates? No. You would say show me work you have done.

So post real samples. Show before and after: the page had this many followers when we started, and here it is now. Share screenshots of happy clients. People ignore reviews and they are some of the most powerful things you can post.

Your samples do not have to be paid work. Build a website for your mother. Grow her TikTok page, or your own. It counts as evidence.

The profile checklist

1. A clear photo of your face. Not a footballer. Not a cartoon. Somebody once sent me very good video editing work, but his profile name was a joke and his photo was a cow. I could not take it further.
2. A bio that says who you help and how. Nobody cares about your star sign.
3. Your best work, visible.
4. An easy way to reach you. A client can be ready to pay and unable to find your number. I have over 1 million followers and I still reply to clear messages on WhatsApp.

Here is the difference a bio makes. Mercy is a graphic designer in Nyeri.

• Old bio: “Graphic designer. DM for designs.”
• New bio: “I design menus and posters for cafes and restaurants in Nyeri.”

Then for 3 weeks she redesigned the menus of cafes she liked, without being asked, and posted one every day on Facebook and TikTok. After that she walked into 5 cafes with her phone and showed them the work.

2 cafes paid her for new menus. 1 asked for monthly posters.

People fear rejection, but walking in saves you time. Within 10 minutes you can read on somebody’s face whether they are interested.

Route 2: Social media

Social media means using the platforms that already exist to show what you do.

Facebook

Facebook is still the most used platform in Kenya. Younger people laugh at it, but if you want clients, be there.

I got one of my first clients from a Facebook group for graphic designers. I posted a logo, somebody asked how much I charge, and I said 500 shillings. That was it.

How to use groups properly:

• Join the right ones. Business owner groups, buy and sell groups, and groups in your niche. The same applies to WhatsApp groups.
• Help first, sell later. Share useful tips before you ever mention your services.
• Answer real requests with real examples. If somebody asks “Does anyone know where I can get a logo for my boutique?” reply like this: “Hello Joy. I design logos for boutiques. Here are 2 I did last month. A logo plus 3 Instagram templates is 6,000 shillings. Happy to help.”

What not to do: do not spam the group with the same advert, do not argue in the comments, and do not send a private message to everybody who joins.

TikTok and Instagram

Show your process. Do not overthink it.

If you are editing a video, pick up your phone and record yourself explaining what you are doing and why. That is content.

And be consistent about one thing. If you post your work today, your girlfriend tomorrow, a footballer on Thursday and a club on Saturday, nobody knows what you do. Keep heartbreak off the page too. It communicates something to clients.

How often to post

I post between 20 and 40 pieces of content a day across my platforms, scheduled with a tool.

You do not need to match that. But posting today and then waiting until next week is not consistency. Think about how many times a news channel posts in a day. Being seen often is how trust is built, and we are in an era where clients have been disappointed and scammed so many times that trust is everything.

What to post: 80 percent value, 20 percent offers

If you post 100 pieces of content in a month:

• 80 are value. Your work, a tip, a lesson, your story.
• 20 are direct offers. Clear and simple. “Logo design at 5,000 shillings. Here is how to order.” No begging.

A simple week for a social media manager: a before and after on Monday, 3 caption mistakes salons make on Tuesday, and so on.

Use AI to find ideas

If you do not know what to write, open Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini. The free versions are enough to begin with.

Tell it who you are, who you want to reach, and that you want to teach rather than sell. For example, ask for a post that explains colour grading in CapCut for business owners and ends by letting people know you edit videos.

In the class, that request produced a post that opened with “Your phone is not why your videos look cheap. The colours are,” followed by 5 clear steps: fix the light, fix the temperature, protect skin tones, add your look at low strength, and match every clip.

Nowhere does it say “I am a video editor, hire me.” But anybody reading it can tell this person knows their work. That is the kind of post that gets you hired.

You can turn the same post into a video by simply explaining it to the camera.

Turning messages into clients

1. Reply fast. People drop off quickly.
2. Ask what they need. Listen before you pitch or offer discounts.
3. Give a clear price. Not “it depends.”
4. Ask for a deposit. This is Kenya. Clients disappear.

An example:

“Hi. How much for a logo?”

“Hello, happy to help. What is the business and what do you sell?”

“It is a boutique. I sell mostly on Instagram.”

“A logo plus 3 Instagram post templates is 6,000 shillings and takes 3 days. A 50 percent deposit starts the work. Shall I send the M-Pesa details?”

Bigger jobs will need a proposal or a contract.

Route 3: LinkedIn

I joined LinkedIn in August 2023. Today I have about 125,000 followers there and around 142,000 impressions a week, because I post daily, sometimes up to 10 times.

Do not judge by one post. I have that many followers and some of my posts get 200 impressions. Others get 6,000. Often the quiet posts are the ones that bring clients.

Your headline is everything

Drop the corporate language. Compare these.

• Before: “Graduate. Hardworking. Open to opportunities.”
• After: “Virtual assistant helping real estate agents in Nairobi manage leads and viewings.”

More examples:

• “I build fast websites for clinics and schools in Kenya.”
• “I help restaurants fill tables using Instagram and TikTok.”

Fill in your about section, your skills, your services and the featured section, and make sure your contact details are there.

Getting found

Post at least 3 times a week to begin with. Share your work, a lesson or a thought. Be helpful before you think about money.

When you reach out to somebody, be specific:

“Hello Ann. I saw that your salon posts on Instagram about twice a month. I manage Instagram pages for salons in Nairobi and I have made 3 sample posts for your page. Would you like to see them?”

Compare that with a message that says “Hey” and nothing else. People are busy. Say what you are offering.

And whatever you write for LinkedIn, post it on Facebook too.

Route 4: Upwork, Fiverr and job boards

These are platforms where clients around the world look for service providers.

Upwork. Clients post jobs. You send a proposal. The best proposal wins. You need credits called connects to apply, and you buy those.

Fiverr. You list a service, called a gig. Clients search, find you and buy. For example, “I will design a modern menu for your restaurant.”

Tips that apply to both:

• Complete your profile. A clear photo, your portfolio and your rate.
• Send fewer, better proposals. If a job already has 400 proposals, move on.
• Write each proposal for that client. For example: “Hi Sarah. You need someone to manage your inbox and calendar so you can focus on your clients. I have done this for 2 coaches. Here is a 2 minute video of how I work. Which tool do you use for your calendar?”
• On Fiverr, use a clear title, good images, 3 price levels and the words clients actually search for.
• Start small and collect reviews. The first job is the hardest. Every review makes the next one easier.

Start low, then climb

For a logo, your first 3 jobs might be 10 to 15 dollars. Once you have a few reviews, move to 25. At 15 reviews with repeat clients, charge 50 and above.

Mistakes to avoid

Copying and pasting the same proposal to everyone.

Staying cheap forever. I used to build websites for 5,000 shillings. I had clients every day, and endless demands. I raised it to 15,000 and the problems continued. Then somebody asked me why I was struggling with 10 small jobs a month when I could charge 35,000 and aim for 3 good ones. That is what I did.

Paying anybody to get you a job. If a listing offers a huge salary and then asks for a processing fee, it is a scam. Real clients pay you. You do not pay them.

One more thing. If you are just starting, do not rush to these platforms or pay for premium accounts. Build your name locally first.

Route 5: Digital marketing

A one page website and a Google Business Profile

You do not need a 5 page website. One page that shows who you are, what you do and how to reach you is enough.

A Google Business Profile is free. It is how you appear when somebody searches “social media manager near me” or looks on Google Maps. Choose your category, set the area you serve, add photos of your work, and ask every client to leave a review.

Ads on a small budget

Once people can see that you have been sharing useful content, ads can speed things up. You can start with 200 to 500 shillings a day on Meta, which covers Facebook and Instagram.

An example for a lash technician in Ruaka: 300 shillings a day, shown to women aged 22 to 40 in the area, using a 15 second video of a finished set, with a button that opens WhatsApp.

Send people to WhatsApp, then have the conversation there.

Which route fits your skill

You do not need all 5 at once. Begin with personal branding and social media, then add the route that suits your work.

• Graphic designer: social media and Fiverr
• Social media manager: personal brand and Facebook groups
• Virtual assistant: LinkedIn and Upwork
• Web designer or developer: LinkedIn, Upwork and walking into businesses
• Video editor: TikTok and Fiverr
• Photographer: Instagram and a Google Business Profile

Your next 7 days

• Day 1: Fix your profiles. Photo, bio, contact details.
• Day 2: Gather 3 to 5 samples of your best work.
• Days 3 to 7: Show up every day. Post daily. Send 5 specific messages a day. Apply to 3 jobs.

Getting clients is a numbers game

People send one message and give up.

Here is what is normal. You send 35 messages. 7 people reply. 3 ask for a quote. 1 becomes a client.

That is not failure. That is the arithmetic. Expect it, and keep going.

When somebody does show interest, move fast. Send the quote or proposal the same day. Speed closes more deals than any clever technique.

Your first 100 videos will be bad

Somebody asked what to learn first: ads, search or something else. My answer was content, and especially video, because that is what is closing sales for businesses right now. People no longer buy from businesses. They buy from people they trust.

So what are you afraid of?

Stand in front of your phone and say: my name is this, I am a social media manager, here is work I have done, and here are tips for business owners in Kenya.

Your first 100 videos will be bad. Nobody will still be laughing after that.

You have the skills. What you do not have yet is a name. Start somewhere, and somewhere does not have to be perfect.

Start your digital skills journey on Click2Skill

— Elvis W.