How to Acquire New Customers
01/11/2021 | Share:
A business simply wouldn’t survive without its customers. Customers are the foundation of any company, big or small, and just as important as it is to retain these people, it is of the essence to acquire new ones.
This post will focus on how to bring new customers to your business, with some valuable insights about how to keep them.
6 Best Ways to Acquire New Customers
It isn’t the easiest task to get new clients, but it is something that is needed for a company to grow. It can be a drain on resources, but it is important to see the venture as one of the best investments you can make for your business.
Digital Advertising
One of the best remedies for attracting new customers is to launch some digital marketing strategies; this is the quickest way to attract new buyers, and can be one of the most versatile.
Digital advertising is suitable for any kind of business to promote themselves online; even if you don’t sell online. There are many different digital advertising strategies that will increase your profits, but some are more effective than others.
A recent study into digital advertising discovered that there are six main strategies that give the best results, and these are:
Email Marketing: Those on your email marketing lists are your target audience, they’ve registered for emails because they’re interested in your products or services and this makes it much easier to push sales. Email advertising campaigns are up to 40 times more effective than other forms of digital advertising.
Social Networks: The greatest thing about social media marketing is that it can be absolutely free; providing you manage the campaign yourself, and avoid the paid-for ads. Social networks are accessed by 83% of internet users, which means your potential audience is astronomical. This is a great way to engage with clients and make your business appear more human.
Mobile Optimisation: Over 92% of people using the internet access it via mobile devices. If your website isn’t optimised for mobile, this could be extremely costly. Sites that take too long to load, have large images, masses of text, or no mobile view option are simply not going to be suitable for a mobile audience and is a sure way of making these people choose another business.
Visual Narrative: Videos on YouTube are shared over 12 times more on social media platforms than any type of written article, so are a great way to increase exposure of your brand without having to do a thing. Video marketing is a customisable venture that can be tailored to your business, sector, personality and want. It’s simple to get into and can be fun to do!
Content Marketing
Content marketing is very diverse, it can include blogs, podcasts, social media posts, video marketing, email campaigns, press releases, and the entirety of your website; including those all-important landing pages.
There are some unwritten rules when it comes to content marketing, and it is an ever-changing strategy. For example, keyword stuffing is a thing of the past, and Google will penalise your website if you’re found to be doing this. Organic content is the way forward; it must be relevant, engaging, factual and grammatically correct.
You can use content marketing to really build a picture of your business, particularly if you run a regular blog on your website, and start to really reach clients. Your content can be repurposed into all aspects of your digital advertising, and if you ask people to share (or include images and videos that will increase the chances of this happening anyway) your one post could be responsible for masses of new customers.
Business Partnerships
Business partnerships and strategic collaborations are fundamental to improving business outcomes. These relationships benefit everyone: customers, employees and business owners.
A company can truly broaden its relevance and increase its market, employees can expand their development and seek new opportunities, and the customers benefit from the offerings and strengths each business brings.
This is a great way to gain an advantage over your competitors and to entice new customers in, as you will be offering more than any rival in your field. These mutually beneficial relationships can also reduce your stress, financial outgoings and time as you’re combining this in one pool with someone else who has the exact same agenda as you.
Maybe your collaborations could be with someone who has the customers, but not the quantity of products; they win by meeting supply and demand, and you win by supplying the demand.
Enticing Offers
Today’s customers are looking for deals and good value for money. Introductory discounts, special buys, and things like free shipping for the first three purchases are great ways to lure in new clients. Bargains are a great way to attract potential new clients who are looking for a product or service you offer but need a little incentive.
Track the offers that have been redeemed for future marketing strategies to help cement their loyalty. It should also be noted here that ignoring existing customers is not good for business; they log on to your site to make a purchase and see it’s 50% cheaper for a new sign up, they’re going to be tempted to go elsewhere.
You could keep all clients happy with a loyalty scheme, such as for every five purchases, the sixth is heavily discounted, or buy three items to receive free gift-wrapping or shipping.
Referral Programmes
Current customers are a highly effective way to source new customers, providing you put in a bit of the leg work. Solicit referrals from your satisfied customers; you could even offer incentives such as money off their next purchase in exchange for a new client.
Try to make this look natural rather than pushy and salesy. You could send follow-up emails to clients after their purchase to see if they’re satisfied, then merely suggest they tell a friend in exchange for future discounts.
Reviews and Testimonials
Reviews and testimonials are a great way to promote a business and bring in new customers. 64% of marketing executives believe word of mouth is the most effective form of marketing. Potential clients are more likely to believe the word of a verified consumer about their experience of a product than the business that is retailing it.
Place testimonials on your product pages, or include them in your digital advertising campaigns to ensure your target audience sees them.
Summary
Customers are essential for your business to thrive. A boost to your existing customer base means increased exposure, better brand recognition, and ultimately, higher profits. Customers need constant enticement, not only to come to your brand but to stay with it. This is a highly competitive world, and acquiring customers is only one aspect of it.
Finally, remember you can also try to retain your existing customers for repeat sales.
