Was one of your resolutions this year to increase your customer base? Here are 10 tried-and-true tips to help you attract more customers.
Getting new customers is essential for any business that wants to grow. But with so much competition out there, how do you make yourself stand out and attract new people to buy from you?
Here are 15 proven methods to get more new customers coming through your doors:
1. Ask for Referrals
Word-of-mouth is still one of the most effective ways to gain new customers Satisfied existing customers can be your best advocates. Make it easy for them to refer their friends and family by having a referral program in place Offer incentives like discounts or free products to customers who refer new buyers.
2. Network
Get out from behind your desk and start networking! Attend local events, conferences, trade shows, or join community organizations where you’re likely to meet potential new customers. Have a strategy in place, like preparing an elevator pitch about your business. Focus on building connections and rapport first before going for an immediate sale.
3. Offer Discounts and Incentives for New Customers
Everyone loves getting a deal! Having promotions like “20% off your first purchase” or “Free shipping on your first order” can entice new customers to give your business a try. Just make sure you promote these offers where your target audience will see them. You can also give away free samples or trials of your products/services to get prospective customers hooked.
4. Re-Contact Old Customers
Sometimes the best new customers are old ones. Don’t forget about people who have bought from you in the past but haven’t been back for a while. Run promotions like “We want you back!” to re-engage them. Offer incentives to reconnect with your brand. Email them with personalized recommendations based on their past purchases. This is an easy way to bring in more business.
5. Improve Your Website
For many businesses today, the website is the first point of contact for new potential customers. Make sure yours is attractive, easy to navigate, optimized for search, and compelling enough to convert visitors. Update your content regularly, remove friction in the buying process, and highlight reviews or testimonials. A website that leaves a positive impression can win over new customers.
6. Partner with Complementary Businesses
Strategic partnerships with other businesses can be a win-win for gaining new customers. Partner with companies that serve a similar target audience but don’t directly compete with what you sell. For example a restaurant could partner with a local theater. The theater promotes the restaurant to its patrons before shows, while the restaurant promotes the theater to its diners. This allows you to tap into an engaged new audience.
7. Promote Your Expertise
Position yourself as an expert in your field to build trust and credibility with new prospects. Share your knowledge by posting blogs, videos, and other content that provides value. Contribute guest articles to industry publications. Speak at local events or conduct webinars and workshops. People want to buy from knowledgeable professionals who can educate them. So showcase your expertise and watch new leads come flooding in.
8. Use Online Reviews to Your Advantage
These days, buyers have high expectations when it comes to customer service. Online reviews have become crucial in building a positive brand image and influencing purchase decisions. Actively encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews on sites like Yelp, Google or Facebook. This social proof is invaluable for attracting new customers, so leverage it in your marketing.
9. Offer Free Samples or Trials
Letting potential new customers try before they buy is an extremely effective tactic. Offer free samples of your product or a free trial of your service so they can experience it firsthand. This will enable skeptical prospects to get over the initial uncertainty and see your value proposition in action. Many will then be convinced to make a purchase. Just be sure to make the trial frictionless to sign up for.
10. Run Contests and Giveaways
Contests, giveaways and sweepstakes attract attention and build buzz around your brand. They are participatory, reward-based tactics that engage your audience. To maximize reach, promote your contests on social media, email, and your website. Require contest entries to provide contact info you can use to market to contestants as new leads. Offer exciting prizes and build excitement around the campaign.
11. Advertise in Targeted Places
Strategically place ads for your business where you know your target audience will see them, like industry magazines, local newspapers, niche websites, targeted social media, and relevant email newsletters. Choose ad formats that allow space for compelling copy, attractive visuals, and a clear call-to-action. Geotargeted digital ads also enable you to reach potential customers in specific locations.
12. Attend Relevant Events
Look for conferences, trade shows, networking events, seminars and other gatherings where you’re likely to interact with great prospective customers. Identify the most relevant, popular events and get yourself on the schedule to exhibit, sponsor or speak. Being present in places your target audience congregates makes it easy to connect with qualified prospects. Come prepared with plenty of marketing materials and follow-up plans.
13. Refresh Your Branding and Messaging
Sometimes you gain new customers simply by revamping your branding and messaging to be more on-point. Analyze if your brand identity, logo, tagline, website content, ads, brochures, etc. clearly communicate who you are, what you offer and why customers should buy from you. Update any messaging that feels outdated or vague. Craft compelling copy that speaks directly to your ideal customer’s needs and motivations. A brand evolution could attract a new wave of customers.
14. Leverage Influencers and Advocates
Influencers who have sway over your target market can be leveraged to help attract new customers. Reach out to bloggers, industry experts and thought leaders with an audience relevant to your business. See if they will feature or mention your company in their content. Having a trusted influencer vouch for your brand carries tremendous credibility that converts new customers. Similarly, recruit existing enthusiastic customers to become brand advocates who endorse you online.
15. Improve Your Search Visibility
Being found online is critical, so implement good SEO practices to boost your search visibility. Optimize website content with relevant keywords. Build high-quality backlinks from authoritative sites. Publish schema markup so search engines can better understand your pages. Creating content about high-search-volume topics in your industry also helps prospective buyers find you when they search things like “best product X” or “how to do X”. Improved search visibility leads to more website traffic and new customer conversions.
Gaining new customers doesn’t happen overnight. It requires an ongoing multi-pronged approach. But implementing some of these proven tactics will help attract more new buyers over time. Measure which methods deliver the best results. Double down on what works and continually refine your approach. With persistence and consistency, your business can build momentum and grow through new customer acquisition.
Ask for referrals
Once you gain a customer’s loyalty, put that to work for you by asking them for referrals. Current customers are one of the best sources of new customers. But you can’t be passive and wait for your them to bring colleagues, friends, and family to your business. Instead, take control and create a systemized approach to actively solicit referrals from your satisfied customers.
These 10 tried-and-true tips will help you attract more customers.©bearsky23 – stock.adobe.com
Build referral-generating activities into the sales process. Send follow-up emails to make sure customers are happy with their purchases, and then follow that up with another email asking for referrals. Consider offering incentives if the sale price warrants it. MORE FROM
Partner with complementary businesses
Teaming up with businesses that have a similar customer base, but aren’t directly competitive, and then strategizing how you can market to one another’s customers to drive new business is a smart way to attract new customers while not spending a fortune. For instance, if you sell baby products, working with a business that sells maternity clothes would be a great partnership.
Watch this to get your first 5 customers
How to get new customers?
• Don’t just shop small, grab takeout from a local restaurant. Many people think that shopping at local retail stores is the only way to participate. However, small independently owned restaurants, bakeries, and coffee shops would love to invite in new customers.
How do you get new clients?
1. Give something away. Every time we “give away” something, we get lots of additional prospects, which directly leads to new business. In our experience, the larger the prize, the more new clients we get in return. Not only do we have a lot of fun giving away something, but we get new clients in the door — it’s a win-win.
How do you find new customers and increase sales?
Before you can find new customers and increase sales, you need to understand who your customer is, what value proposition you offer to customers, and what your competition is currently offering in the market and where there are gaps for a new entrant.
