5 ways to get new business

Connecting with your customer audience is much easier these days so you have many opportunities to grow your business.  If done correctly social media is a great way to connect with your customers. By adding valuable content that your customer base wants to share will work; but if you are spamming your product by “buy it now!!” messages, the customer base will be uninterested so you’re not making the connection with them.  Starting with easy ideas that will take just an hour or so, to ones that will require a bit more effort, here are 5 new ways to attract new customers.

1. Find out who you are selling too.

Knowing your customer unveils what your specific audience loves to see and what annoys them. It gives a clear perspective on the type of marketing content you need.  Spend time on finding your customers Income, demographics such as age, gender, and occupation as well as hobbies and interests.

With this information you can target the customers with the right content and promotions. This can be achieved by market research such as sending surveys, reading their feedback on social media and review sites. Google analytics is a great way to capture customer data, with this you can then personalise your approach to them.

 2. The Power of Past Clients

New business doesn’t always mean new clients. Past customers are one of the best, cost-effective ways to generate sales.

One of the easiest ways to get new business from old customers is by sending them well-structured newsletter.  A newsletter is a great tool to tell your customers about new products, upcoming sales or simply to wish them happy birthday with a specific discount for them. If you’re contacting more than a few clients, make sure to use a dedicated email newsletter solution to help you manage your contacts and track your campaign’s performance.

 3.  On the Beat

To attract new customers, you will want to make your name known in your local area. This will ensure that potential customers in your area will think of you when they need the service or product you provide. The best way to do this is to walk round local businesses, getting involved and start making connections in your area. Meet as many people as you can.

The local papers are a good source of information regarding events. Attending these events will get your name out in different circles – remember that every person you speak to is a potential customer or could be a link to one. Remember you are not giving a hard sell, you are letting people know what you do and how you could help them.

4.  Build a relationship with other business owners.

One of the easiest ways that you can grow your business is to team up with another company. 

Tapping into the other companies’ current list of clients is an effective way to introduce yourself to a new audience.  For example, you can offer a free gift when a purchase is made through your business pairing, this will expose your product/service to them.  Remember to have cards and advertising in place so the prospective customer knows where to find you.

5.  Run a contest.

Running a contest in your local area will get people’s attention just like giving away something for free. You can do this by creating a fun interactive contest that generates talk in the town and a buzz on social media.  You could invite people to create a name or idea for a new product.  Having customers taking and posting pictures of themselves with your merchandise is great for social media. Also interviewing winners of your contest can be turned into testimonials for your website which in turn is a great way for your business to earn more credibility.

In a summary here’s what you need to remember.

Spending time on customer research is key, offering the right service to the appropriate customer is important.  Using the correct software for customer data capture can make this an easier process.   Referrals is your business’s bread and butter.  Whenever you can, ask a satisfied customer if they know anyone who could avail of your service or product. Remember when targeting new customers to grow your business recording the appropriate data is crucial.

Lastly, always reward your customers. Depending on your type of business you own rewarding the customer and his referral gives more of an incentive to reach out to a larger demographic. 

If you have any questions or personal experiences that you would like to share, please lets us know.