7 Foolproof Ways To Attract New Customers
If you own a business, it’s as bright as day that the list of your customers is your lifeline. Your current ones keep you alive, but the new ones make your company grow and flourish. So, it’s logical to conclude that to fulfill your company vision – it’s vital to attract new customers. So, how do you build a valuable client list? How do you keep people burning with interest in your services and products?
Here are our seven useful steps that will show you how to attract new customers.
1. Networking
One of the oldest ways to get acquaintances who might turn into prospects is networking. Meeting new people is a great approach for when you need to figure out how to attract new customers. The more people know about your product, the higher the chances of them becoming your potential customers. Also, every single part of your team is equally relevant when it comes to networking. It isn’t just the CEOs’ and VPs’ duty – your other employees can network for you, too. Visiting or hosting conferences, meetups or quizzes promotes your business and product. If you include a few goody bags with branded merch, you’ll spark additional interest and get into people’s minds more organically.
You can also network on social media – groups in particular. Facebook groups and LinkedIn groups are fun places specialized in particular topics, and the discussion is run by people who are interested and skilled in these topics. If you have knowledge you’d like to share with a broader audience, consider joining a group and actively participate.
Moreover, there will be people who’ll know something more or something else related to the topic, so you’ll find yourself continually learning and upgrading your mastery. However, note that you shouldn’t join groups to promote yourself without any shame. If you use these groups to spam the group without any relevant context, the outcome might backfire. Instead, focus on being extremely helpful and help people with their inquiries and doubts whenever you can.
If you dedicate to “show up” for a certain period and you resolve to set yourself apart as a relevant participant, your ideal client will surely notice you. They’ll remember your name, your brand, and your core values. So, when the time comes, you’ll be the first person they contact.
2. Give something for free
People love free stuff – it’s a fact. If you decide to give your products, services, and advice for free, you’ll encounter positive outcomes. First of all, you’ll build awareness of your brand. People tend to share things among themselves, so if you offer a free eBook or an e-guide that is helpful in one field, the person who finds it useful might share it freely with their partner or colleague. That’s how you’ll get your name spread.
Moreover, by giving people the option to try out your service for free, you’ll get the chance to prove the value of your product and demonstrate its usefulness. A satisfied customer is one of the best ways how to attract new clients.
People who had a great experience using free software, which helped them a lot in their business will almost always purchase it, and with a little word-of-mouth, spread their satisfaction with your product. Moreover, because it’s free, people tend to be more relaxed.
If people know they can get that PDF with your tips and tricks for free, or that they can try out what you offer for two weeks free of charge, without credit cards and other forms of obligations, they are more likely to enjoy the service. You’ll willingly open the door to your world, and those who are interested will be more than glad to walk right through it.
3. Build your online presence with video marketing
Today, the majority of business exists online. You’re communicating via email; you connect with your colleagues and partners via various social media, sometimes you even have meetings online using a video platform.
The possibilities and ways to attract new customers are endless.
If you’re willing to make your brand stand out, you’ll need to embrace the digital world. The easiest and the most modern way to do it successfully is by using video marketing.
- Email marketing – possibilities are endless; from onboarding videos, thank-you videos, demos, training, or casual checking-ins, video marketing in the email will suit you like a quick, efficient, and hassle-free option.
- On your social media channels – a massive amount of content is generated on social media channel every day, but videos get the most significant span of attention. People love to absorb video content because it’s comprehensive, quick, and entertaining. Use it to address FAQs from your prospects, to express your opinions on a specific topic, or create engaging content that might accidentally go viral and consequently skyrocket your business to unimaginable heights.
- On your website – if people are visiting your web page, they’re halfway there to become your clients. But, if you offer them massive chunks of text, the possibilities they will leave are vast. Instead, record short, captivating, explanatory video, that will introduce everything you do to your website visitors without boring them.
- On your blog – the same goes with your blog. OK, people love *reading* blogs, but it can’t do any harm if you attach a related video along with your elaborated text. It will surprise your readers and make them come for more.
- Dedicated landing pages – if you’re selling a service online, create a dedicated “thank you” landing page, with a short but sweet video which expresses your thankfulness and explains what should your prospect expect next.
Important to note: video works best when it’s genuine and authentic.
The popularity of video marketing doesn’t mean that video content is obligatory on your every single step. Don’t go overboard; add videos only when it contextually fits.
4. Determine your ideal client
This one might sound a bit self-explanatory, but it’s easier to sell if you know to whom are you selling. Determine the type of your ideal consumer, and you’ll know where to start looking, and what how to construct the majority of your marketing strategy.
If you create a profile of your perfect prospect, it will eventually help you understand your customers better. That will lead to creating more relevant content, developing your services tailored to their specific needs, and satisfying their main concerns.
If that sounds too complicated or time-consuming, you can always start with creating a negative buyer persona – a representation of a person who you don’t want as a client.
It could include people below or over the age range your customers usually are or prospects who are too expensive to acquire.
Once you figure out the demographics, it will be easier to know in which direction should your marketing endeavors go, and what strategies you’ll have to form.
The best first step in creating your ideal customer persona is searching through your contacts database. Figure out who they are, how did they find you, and determine how they consume your content. Send out polls and interviews, which will help you discover many relevant data, such as job roles and titles, skills and knowledge your prospects have, their industry, the size of their company, even revenue and the level of their success.
You can even figure out their shopping habits, such as if they prefer buying online, or they like to interact with vendors via person or by phone.
And of course, don’t forget to ask why. You’ll get even more relevant information and learn more.
5. Advertise
Whether it’s an online ad, or just putting your number in the Yellow pages, advertising is a must. Before the digital age, it was a common thing for businesses to put out their phone numbers and addresses where people could find it.
Local directories
Today, you can do a similar process of getting listed on local directories.
Register your company on directories such as Google Business, Bing Places, Yelp, or Yahoo local. They are free and straightforward to use but offer a higher possibility to be discovered by people who are searching for the services you offer.
Online advertising is a bit more complicated, but it works. It works because the majority of people now uses the Internet as their primary source of information. People are watching YouTube more than they watch TV, so it makes sense to recognize this shift and try to swim in the waters of online advertising.
Google Adwords
There are different sorts of digital advertising, but one of the most common is Google Adwords. Google is the biggest and the most used search engine on the internet, and millions of people use it daily to find information.
The question you might ask is simple – “how much does Google Ads cost?”
The answer, however, isn’t simple. The biggest challenge regarding the cost of the Google Adwords campaign is that it depends.
According to WordStream, it depends on:
- Auction system that rewards businesses who offer high-quality ad campaign with lower costs and better ad placements.
- Scheduling, geotargeting and device targeting
- The average cost per click.
- High competitive keywords – if you work in a business that has high customer lifetime values, like law and insurance, you’re bidding for generally highly competitive keywords, which means the clicks you’ll get will be a bit more expensive.
However, with investing a decent amount of your budget, all while providing relevant and click-worthy content, you will attract new customers.
Flyers
Flyers sound like a solution that is too simple, but it can be highly beneficial. They work best for small businesses that target customers within a particular area. Hire a graphic designer that will know how to properly relocate the information you want to share on that flyer and make it visually attractive.
Print it out, find somebody who’ll distribute it, or even do it yourself.
You’ll eventually encounter potential customers who want to know more and will ask questions.
+ TIP: if you save the flyer in the PNG format, you can also post it online on your social media. That way, you’ll cover both online and offline world and spread the word efficiently.
6. Build strategic partnerships
The idea of building strategic partnerships is one of the most neglected sources of leads. Joining a pool of businesses that are not competitors, but operate in the same target market could help you with producing astonishing ROI. How to do it?
First, you’ll need to identify the partners you’d like to attract. Your customers can be a great source of suggestions. Ask them if they have any recommendations for businesses. Next, you’ll have to reach out and suggest your idea of partnering. Make sure to avoid cold calls.
Insert personalization into your communication. Copy some of those video marketing ideas you have and pitch the idea of partnership the right way. Ask them to show you how could you present them to your customers.
When you complete these two steps, you’ll have to make an action that will stand out. Create a valuable source of information, such as a webinar, an ebook or online training that will present both of the companies to your clients and prospects. Offer relevant information, suggest new ideas, and ignite further action.
Spark the interest by organizing workshops. Brainstorm all the creative ideas that will help you announce your partnership in a light that offers possibilities to the third parties, too.
Don’t forget to promote it – make guest blog articles on both sides, make a Facebook Live video (or record one and upload it on your website and social media channels), or create a virtual tour of their business.
Organize joint events, invite guests and make presentations.
7. Master the art of customer follow-up
Attracting new customers is crucial. However, businesses sometimes forget about the potential that exists in the list of their existing customers. The period after the sale is the most critical one. Even though there is a current level of excitement, this is also the phase that can make or break your future with this customer.
To bolster up that relationship, you’ll need to do a proper follow-up.
You can do all that by using telephone or emails, but personalized video marketing efforts will most likely get the best feedback.
Send a thank you message, or even better,a thank you video.
Check-in.
Reach out to your customers and see how everything’s doing.
Find out if they are satisfied with their purchase, how was the service, or if they need any additional assistance.
Listen to their needs and opinions. Even if everything were in perfect order, they’d cherish your effort and concern.
Send relevant information
You’ve stumbled upon or finished writing a blog post that might be extremely useful to some of your customers?
Excellent, send it over!
Providing them with high-value content will consolidate the trust between you.
Ask for referrals or testimonials
A happy customer will be glad to refer you to other clients. When a recommendation or an honest testimonial comes from a person who actively used your services, it offers another level of credibility.
It’s a mutual relationship.
If you’re providing them with a service that helps them make a difference, and you’re topping that with outstanding customer experience, they’ll be more than happy to advocate your efforts and help you attract new customers.
Summary
The seven efficient ways to attract new customers are networking, giving something for free, building your online presence with video, determining your ideal client, advertising, building partnerships, and following up with your customers.
Each of those helps you build your name, establish your presence, offer a variety of possibilities for people to learn, and make a difference.
And finally, one of the oldest, but the most efficient ways to attract new customers is to take proper care of the current ones. Be present, give incentives, make people learn from you, and whenever you can – be kind.
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