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Table of Contents
- Key Takeaways
- 1. Stop Waiting: How to Proactively Attract Clients
- 2. Why Video is Your Secret Weapon for Service Businesses
- 3. How to Create Videos That Actually Convert
- 4. The Power of Low-Cost Engagement Ads
- 5. Building Your Client Pipeline with a Simple Ad Funnel
- 6. Choosing the Right Platforms and Avoiding Mistakes
- Next Steps
Key Takeaways
- You don’t have to rely on referrals; proactive strategies exist.
- Short video is a powerful tool for building trust and showing value fast.
- A simple 3-step formula helps you create videos that convert viewers into leads.
- Low-cost engagement ads warm up cold audiences efficiently.
- A simple ad funnel (Awareness -> Warm Viewer -> Direct Offer) can build a consistent pipeline.
- Focus on clarity, structure, and avoiding common rookie errors for success.
1. Stop Waiting: How to Proactively Attract Clients
You know what’s worse than a slow week in business? Sitting around waiting for referrals… hoping your next client “just finds you.” What if I told you landing high-value clients doesn’t have to be like that? And it doesn’t involve cold calling, awkward DMs, or 10-page proposals.
It starts with one simple video and a smart ad strategy.
2. Why Video is Your Secret Weapon for Service Businesses
First—why video? Because trying to explain your service in text is like selling a car with a screenshot. It just doesn’t hit it. Video tells your story. It shows people what you do, how you do it—and why they should trust you.
One of our cabinet maker clients started filming dramatic before-and-after kitchen makeovers. Same service, same price. But suddenly? He’s booked out 3 months in advance.
Why?
Because people saw the value. Video makes the invisible—visible. And it builds trust fast. Viewers retain 95% of a video’s message, compared to just 10% of what they read. That trust shortcut can literally cut your sales cycle in half.
3. How to Create Videos That Actually Convert
Let’s dive into the 3-step formula for creating videos that turn viewers into potential clients:
Step One: Know Your Audience. Before you even think about hitting record, understand who you’re talking to. Write down:
- 3 problems they’re facing
- 3 objections they might have
- 3 things they actually want
That’s your video content map. Everything you film should speak directly to these points.
Step Two: Follow the Formula
Structure is key to keeping attention and driving action:
- Hook – Grab attention in the first 5 seconds. Use a bold stat or direct question relevant to your audience’s problems.
- Body – Show how you solve their problem. Be clear, visual, and relatable. Share a quick example or transformation.
- CTA – End with a crystal-clear action. Don’t confuse people. Tell them exactly what to do next: “Click below to book,” “Download the guide,” etc.
Step Three: Don’t Overthink Production.
You don’t need a fancy studio.
- Use your phone – modern smartphone cameras are incredible.
- Grab a tripod – steady footage looks professional.
- Plug in a lapel mic – good audio is crucial.
- Edit in CapCut or iMovie – these apps are fast, simple, and effective for basic edits.
Don’t want to edit? Hire someone on Fiverr or Upwork to do this for you.
Don’t want to record? Find a local videographer that can come out and spend a few hours with you each month.
This is an investment that pays off.
4. The Power of Low-Cost Engagement Ads
Let’s talk ads—because this is where the magic happens. Think of an engagement ad like a warm handshake before the sales pitch. They cost cents per view… and they get people familiar with your face and message before you ever ask them to book a call.
This builds initial awareness and trust without requiring a significant click or commitment from the viewer upfront.
5. Building Your Client Pipeline with a Simple Ad Funnel
Here’s the simple, yet powerful, funnel we use with clients to turn cold audiences into warm leads and then into booked appointments:
Let me break this down visually:
- Awareness Video (Cold Traffic): Run a short, hook-driven video as an engagement ad to a cold audience. This video introduces you and touches on a core problem your ideal client faces.
- Warm Viewer Retargeting (Video 2): Anyone who watched a significant portion of the first video (say, 25% or 50%) goes into a new audience bucket. They are now “warm.” Show them the next video, which goes a bit deeper into how you solve their problem or shares a compelling client story.
- Retargeting Ad (Direct Offer): The warmest audience (those who watched Video 2, perhaps 50% or more) are now ready for a direct offer. This ad is your clear Call to
Action – invite them to a free consultation, offer a lead magnet, or present your specific service offer.
That’s it. Simple, repeatable, and insanely effective for service businesses.
6. Choosing the Right Platforms and Avoiding Mistakes
We run this strategy mostly on Facebook and Instagram—because the targeting capabilities still work beautifully for identifying and reaching specific local or niche audiences.
But you can apply the same logic on TikTok or YouTube, too, adjusting the video style to fit the platform.
The key is this: anyone who watches part of your video (say 25% or 50%) goes into a new audience bucket. That means we know they’re interested. And we move them further down the funnel—video by video. This builds closeness, trust, and authority fast. They don’t even have to click. If they watch—you can retarget.
This is perfect for service-based businesses who want to grow locally or nationally, without wasting money on people who aren’t a fit.
And if you’re stuck on what kind of content to make? Use ChatGPT or Gemini to brainstorm. Just give it your niche and client pain points—it’ll spit out 20 ideas in seconds.
Before you hit record or set up your ads—avoid these common rookie errors:
- Weak hook? Open strong. Grab attention in the first 3-5 seconds. Use a statistic, a question, or a bold statement relevant to your audience.
- No retargeting? Always build at least two ad audiences: your initial cold audience for awareness, and a warm audience based on video views for retargeting. This is where the magic happens!
- Ads that are too long? Keep initial engagement ads concise, ideally under 90 seconds, sometimes even shorter. Attention drops off fast in the scroll.
There you have it. A clear, repeatable roadmap for using video and low-cost engagement ads to land your next high‑value client. You don’t need to be a marketing expert. You just need the right message, the right structure—and the courage to hit record.
Next Steps
If you’ve read this blog and are ready to start using simple videos and smart ad spend to build a predictable pipeline of high-value clients, let’s talk. You could implement this strategy and see results in Q1 instead of spending all year figuring it out… and potentially losing visibility to competitors who are already using video.
Book your free Discovery Call today, and we’ll lay down a personalised plan to leverage video marketing and engagement ads to attract the right clients and fill your calendar.