For small businesses, getting more customers is very important as it contributes to and determines the growth and success of the business.
However, the question most business owners ask is, how can small businesses get more customers for their business?
What are some great tactics to attract more consumers?
Getting more customers to patronize your business doesn’t have to be an uphill task.
Like most parts of business, it’s just about researching and employing strategies that work.
In this article, we are going to look at 10 actionable strategies and tactics that will aid you in getting more customers on board with your small business.
1. Leverage the customers you already have
One of the most effective tactics to get more customers is to leverage your existing customers. As a business owner, if your existing customers do not love and enjoy your services/product, getting more customers to your business will be difficult.
To get more customers that’ll contribute to the growth of your small business, you need to leverage and provide top-notch satisfaction to your existing customers, and as a result, you get effective and free advertising from your customers; word of mouth plus referring more customers to your business.
Having satisfied customers is your business’ biggest resource, treat your existing customers right, provide them the best value possible and watch them refer people to your business.
You can conduct a customer survey and ask your customers to rate the service, you can learn how to make your service or product better from the data gathered from the survey.
Also, you can use the reviews and ratings as social proof on your site.
2. Make use of social media
The benefits that come with making use of social media for your business are endless, one of the best ways to reach out to your potential customers is to make use of social media and research where these customer prospects spend most of their time.
That is where you want to be and promote your products, this way you can easily put your service/product in front of your potential customers. Aside from popular social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, you should also research and explore other social media sites where your target customers spend most of their time.
Establish an online presence on all the relevant social media sites so potential customers can reach you for inquiries.
3. Offer free trials, incentives, and discount for new customers
If you are running a small business online offering new customers free trials is an actionable strategy to get more people to use your service and learn about what you’re providing.
If they enjoy the experience during their free trial they become permanent customers and you build consumer relationships with them.
Similarly, offering incentives and discounts to new customers is a great way to bring more customers to your small business. Introductory offers such as buy two get one for half price or free will attract more customers to patronize your business.
Make sure to track what these new customers buy and the offers they redeemed, this way you can effectively target them with follow-up marketing strategies that will turn them into loyal customers.
4. Update your business website
With technology fast evolving, more and more consumers are making use of the internet to search for products and services.
Therefore it is very crucial for small businesses to have a website (If you don’t have one already) and also update your business site with enough information about your business and make sure it is well optimized for search engines.
This way, new customers searching for services or products your business provides can easily find you online and more views results in more of an advantage.
It is also important to make your websites mobile and user-friendly with a fast website load speed because if users find it hard to navigate your website, they’ll most likely exit your webpage to another business website with a better user experience.
5. Host an Event
If you happen to have a space in your business place then you can host an event and in turn, your business will get more exposure.
There are often groups and clubs looking for a venue to organize and hold their events and meetings, and by offering to let them use your space, you can get new customers from the people that attend these events and meetings and begin consumer relationships with them.
If you do not have a space to host an event, then there are other options like partnering with other small businesses that have space and co-host the meetings and events.
Also, you can choose to sponsor an event and host an outdoor event or a virtual event. You can also attend events in your community, meet new faces, and promote your business with word of mouth.
6. Complementary partnership
Joining forces with complementary businesses that are not direct competitors or offer the same service and product, but have the same target audience as you, can be a great method to get more customers to your own business.
In simpler terms, you should team up with businesses whose products or services will compliment yours and vice versa. This way you can take advantage of cross-promotion and strategize with your new business partner on how you can both target and refer your existing customers and get new customers to each other.
For instance, a company that sells paints can team up with painters and home decorators, vice versa and each can benefit from the other.
Research complementary businesses and organizations and partner up with them.
7. Get In Touch With Old Customers
In the process of acquiring new customers, also try to contact the old customers that haven’t patronized your business for a while. When bringing new customers to your business you shouldn’t lose the old ones.
You can create a list of customers you haven’t seen in 4 to 7 months, and send them a “We miss you” text via SMS, or email, and maybe offer them some type of deal or discount to win them back.
Also, try to know why they have not patronized your business and know how to better serve them, this will contribute to the overall growth of your business.
8. Leverage Online Reviews and rating sites
In both the B2B and B2C world, most consumers will check for online reviews and rating sites before making the decision to patronize a new business.
Therefore it is important to keep an eye on these reviews and ratings sites, so you can address complaints and make the best use of positive ratings and reviews about your services or product by adding them to your business website.
Also, make sure to ask your customers to rate their experience, so you can put the reviews up on your website and leverage the invaluable power of social proof.
Put up a signage in your restaurant, office, store, or any other business space where potential customers can see them. Social proof is something of an invaluable asset, and new customers will most likely patronize your business if they see positive ratings and reviews about it.
9. Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone
As a business owner, you may find it hard to get more customers if you have a narrow focus and strategy, if you keep employing the same strategy you’ve been using from the start then you’ll most likely miss out on potential customers, maybe that particular strategy works for you, but by not trying other tactics you’ll be missing out.
Learn to get out of your comfort zone, don’t just stick to an old strategy, research and employ a new strategy that can help boost your business and get you more customers.
10. Expand your network
Expanding your network is one of the most effective ways to get more customers to patronize your business.
As a business owner, you have to promote your business with word of mouth sometimes, and by attending events relevant to your business you get to meet new people and grow your customer base.
Then you can make use of the old social reputation marketing and let the new people in your customer base know about you and your company.
Participate in networking organizations, join a local chamber of commerce, trade associations, and go to meet up events.
Conclusion
The more customers you get, the more your business will grow.
Try these actionable tactics and get more customers to your small business.
