How do private investigators get clients, and if they don’t, how do they make a living if business is slow?

The best advice from someone who has been in the business for 50 years is that the PI business is very cyclical, with massive peaks and even larger valleys. The “old school” admonishment is to be careful about your spending and income: “One month, you can afford to buy a Mercedez-Benz, and the next month, you can’t afford the gas.”

Here are some tips if you are beginning but understand this critical caveat: Your initial goal is NOT to find clients but to learn and develop your craft within the PI industry. You can have all the clients in the world but you will only get in trouble if you are not competent.

1.) Get a first-class website. The most important tabs are “about, services and contact.” You must have a landing site for clients to confirm your credibility and your online presence.

2.) If you have one service or many you will be promoting, do so with an SEO marketing program. If you are going full-service, you may want to designate 3–5 services.

3.) Concentrate on content marketing. Videos, blogs, and PPC are great, but you can only do so much at the beginning of your efforts. Work those in later.

4.) Don’t worry about emails until you define your target market. Some industry segments, like the public, don’t want to be contacted after their case ends.

5.) Decide what part or all of the following market segments you want to work in:

a.) Attorneys b.) Insurance Companies c.) Corporations d.) The Public e.) All of the above

6.) Knock on doors of law offices and leave a quality brochure and contact information.

7.) Let all your family members, friends, and associates know you have hung up your PI shingle.

8.) Visit the local courthouses and interact with the attorneys and clerks of the court.

Stay vigilant. It won’t happen overnight but it will happen for you.