What strategies did you find most effective for promoting your startup when your direct friends weren’t part of your target audience? I will not promote.

Hi y'all! I've been running my startup hardcore for the last couple of months with my CEO, and we have been having an extremely hard time gaining traction when spreading the word about out company. (Of course, so does everyone else when running a startup) It seems like we're trying everything possible to reach people worldwide as we operate as a creative development agency, so we are indifferent in terms of location. Our direct friendships are unfortunately a little too young or not in the financial market for a web development job or AI automation job, so what were some ways you got out there and received traction from strangers? Obviously, a lot of that relies on trust and proving yourself to your potential client. Things we've tried: - cold call emails to low, medium, and high risk potential clients - incentives to potential clients that have shown some interest in working with us - promoted instagram posts - networking events - joining communities on facebook - sharing posts within our personal circles Please let me know!