You might find sales flagging as initial interest peters out, or want to expand your business to new markets. Whatever the reason, businesses need new customers to survive and thrive.
But finding new customers and reaching out one by one can be quite the challenge. Instead, businesses will find it more cost-efficient to set up alluring advertisements, promotions, and campaigns that draw customers in without much active effort on the business’ part. But what are some effective methods to appeal to customers? If you’ve found yourself struggling to answer this question, don’t worry. This guide will walk you through five techniques that can help you attract and retain new customers.
There are dozens of methods to attract new customers with varying degrees of success. But for small businesses just starting out or looking to break into the big leagues, here’s a checklist of the most cost-effective and failproof methods to attract customers in the modern age.
1. Leverage Social Proof
Before we get into specific, actionable steps you can take to attract new customers, let’s first talk about a psychological technique called social proof.
Essentially, social proof is the concept that, when unsure of an opinion or decision, people will follow the recommendations and actions of other people, trusting that those before them made the best choice. When in doubt, a consumer will trust that something that other people like and enjoy is something that they’ll like and enjoy in return. This helps them overcome decision paralysis and make a purchase decision.
In business and marketing, you can leverage social proof by offering opinions and statistics about previous customers during key parts of the marketing and sales process, such as by highlighting:
- Reviews
- Customer-made fan content (artwork)
- Endorsements
- Statistics
For example, on your advertisements, you could beckon consumers to join the “thousands of happy customers” who endorse your business. Then, as they come to your store, highlighting a “most popular option” will give them a reliable choice to make, helping them complete their purchase faster.
As you peruse the rest of these tips and techniques, keep social proof in mind to make the best out of each action your take.
1. Build Your Online Presence
Our first tip is to establish your presence online. In the digital age, the first thing customers will do when they hear of a new business is to Google you. When they do, you’ll want to greet them with a reputable and appealing website or social media page that provides more detail about your business and invites them to contact you or visit your store.
Beyond simply creating a website or social media site, it’s important to update them regularly with recent news about your business, such as recent events or promotions. Be sure your website is SEO optimized with keywords related to your business so you’ll appear at the top of search engines.
Beyond verbose descriptions of your business, a picture is worth a thousand words: rather than a verbose description of your business, embed photos and videos that capture the mood of the environment, showing what customers will feel when they visit and purchase your product. You should also post information such as hours of operation, prices, and FAQs to help potential customers make informed decisions.
If your product requires a more involved and personalized sales process, you could also use lead magnets, which are pieces of helpful information or tools locked behind a request for a potential customer’s personal information – for example, if you run an accountancy firm, you could have a tax calculator tool locked behind a request for the page visitor’s email. That way, you’ll know that whoever submits their email is a highly qualified prospect with a real need for your services rather than a tenuous lead.
(Not sure what a lead and a prospect are? The difference can be hard to understand, but essentially, a prospect is a lead with some traits of your ideal customer – in this case, a relevant need for your services.)
1. Sales and Promotions
Now that you’ve established your identity online, spur consumers through your sales funnel by offering sales and promotions. Though you might be earning less per margin, an attractive discount campaign will make up for it in sales volume.
When you do a sale or promotion, it’s best to add an element of uniqueness or time exclusivity to the offer– in other words, an item with a limited supply or a limited-time offer. This plays upon the well-proven fear of missing out, giving the customer a sense that if they don’t make their purchase now, the opportunity will be gone forever.
Make sure to drum up some interest for your sale or promotion by posting on social media, posting ads around your area, and telling all your friends!
1. Start a Referral Campaign
If you have a more niche product that can’t be advertised or promoted to the masses, a more subdued, on-the-down-low marketing strategy is to start a referral campaign, where you incentivize customers to refer their friends and family to your business.
After all, your current customers are extremely familiar with your product and the exact benefits it provides. They’ll intrinsically know exactly who in their social circles would be interested in the same benefits and know exactly how to advertise it to them, information that your sales reps would never be able to find out through research.
Plus, remember the concept of social proof we mentioned earlier: people are very likely to follow other peoples’ recommendations. Even more so if it’s a friend they trust!
Be sure to offer something in exchange for the referral: you could offer a discount or freebie for every new customer that a person convinces to purchase.
1. Strategic Partnerships
Finally, we recommend you strategically partner with another business to reach previously untapped audiences.
If you’re a B2C business, you could do this is by sponsoring an influencer online to talk about your business and promote your products. This would be best for businesses with a younger target audience online. Rather than looking for influencers in your industry, it’s best to look for influencers outside your industry but who still have the same target demographics: that way, they’re unlikely to have heard of your business before, but will are likely to have a need for it. For example, a law firm for small civil claims could advertise in a gym, as they could both have a target demographic of young adults in the same socioeconomic range.
Alternatively, if you operate in a B2B market, it might be better to host a guest interview or exchange referrals with another company in the same industry. This will help both companies reach new audiences and improve their reputation, as they’ll be seen as an authority by the other company’s audience.
Conclusion
All businesses need new customers to grow and thrive. Whether your business is big or small, customers and the market are always changing, so the best techniques for attracting new customers will change with the dawn of each day. If you’re looking to grow your business, these five techniques will help you catch and keep consumers’ eyes, bolstering your sales and spurring your business to success.
