Follow these three simple steps to attract the perfect client through social media.

Though they may sound absurd, they’ve worked for others.

1. 1, Picture a perfect albeit flawed client, and write about him or her or them in a stream of consciousness style.

Here’s an example of how this might begin:

“My ideal client lives five miles away from my office, is 32 years old, the only partner in his firm not to have attended an ivy league school, has recently changed his mind and decided not to sell to developers the villa bordering a bird sanctuary he won at Monte Carlo years ago.

At the same time he has absent-mindedly allowed his pilot’s license to expire, and now can be seen from time to time on a public bench writing intensely in the margins of Dickens novels…

What’s more this ideal client has recently switched from Ralph Lauren Purple label to Ducky Brown without calling much attention to himself, volunteers for the food pantry, wholeheartedly supports his mother’s extended family who live in a far away, poor country where he used to excel at rugby, has a collection of 19th century marine paintings, and eyes that match those paintings turbulent greyish greens…”

This profile comes to 84 words. Try putting down 1000 different ones as fast as you can.

2. 2. Now imagine a social media as a vast, open-air market, outside the crenelated walls of some ancient metropolis at the crossroads of East and West.

Do you see the market in your mind, feel the weather, hear the hawkers’ cries and shouts, the rising dust and restless gendarmes?

Fine. Where is your ideal client to be found in all this? You could follow a blog called discountgarlicstall.com and indeed your client may be there shopping, but so will throngs of others. Where else? How about formerrugbyjocks.com? Maybe, but you don’t know anything about rugby and aren’t interested in learning.

Later, in the outer perimeter of this marketplace of ancient times, you wander past a small, cluttered booth with 19th century marine paintings on display which arouses your curiosity. It’s a Facebook group of two dozen members called Friends of Foam and Frigates in which there’s a lively discussion about the coming Sotheby’s auction of Dawson’s depiction of Lord Nelson’s embattled flagship Victory.

3. <strong>3. Join Friends of Foam and Frigates and start contributing your unique insights into design, composition and color palettes.

Focus on Friends of Foam and Frigates members who could easily live or work within five miles of your actual office.

Let your “Five C” character traits glow online: Curiosity, Creativity, Compassion, Calm, and Courage.

There’s little need to promote your services creating custom homes. As your qualities become known, your posts and comments valued, your ideal albeit imperfect client will inevitably seek you out, and not the other way around. As a high-profile member of Friends of Foam and Frigates on Facebook you already get where he’s coming from, and that he’s says at your first meeting is key as far as he’s concerned.