Kathy Ennis
As a micro business Mentor, I speak to plenty of new business owners who are ultra-confident about their product or service (which is great!) But when I ask how they’re going to get more customers, they look confused.
They’ve been working long and hard on perfecting their offer… isn’t that enough?
High quality products or services are important, of course. But without enough people who want to buy them, your business won’t be successful.
So, here are ten fool-proof strategies to help you get more customers.
1. Don’t Forget Your Existing Customers
When you plan for business growth the temptation can be to concentrate on the search to get more customers. But what about the ones you already have?
Don’t get so fixated on attracting new customers, that you leave the ‘old’ ones behind.
Especially when someone who has bought from you before is likely to buy again.
Not only that, but getting the customers you already have to buy something else costs about seven times less than attracting new customers.
Why?
Because your current customers already know you and love you!
2. Be Your Own PR Expert
You don’t have to become a character from Absolutely Fabulous to be good at PR.
All you’ve got to do is let more people know how amazing you are!
To do this, make sure you’re blogging regularly. Each blog post should demonstrate your knowledge, expertise, and personality, so people finish them feeling compelled to get in touch.
Meanwhile, journalists are always looking for knowledgeable people to comment for news articles, so why not be one of them? Type #journorequest into Twitter, and see who’s on the search.
Don’t forget about your local paper, too. If you’ve got an interesting story to share, why not put a short press release together?
3. Use Social Media (But Differently)
That famous old saying, “if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got” can be easily applied to social media!
Don’t keep pitching the same old messages, and make sure you adapt your tone to suit the platform you’re using.
(You shouldn’t use the same style for a tweet as you would a Facebook post, for example.)
But for the best customer-attracting results, don’t just write random posts every now and again.
Try scheduling specific campaigns (such as a seasonal offer) and plan specific, targeted social media activity that supports them.
4. Get Your Face and Voice Out There!
OK, this might involve stepping out of your comfort zone.
But recording a podcast or a video (or a Live video if you’re feeling brave!) will not only demonstrate your expertise, they will also help people get to know you.
And if they know you, they’ll feel more comfortable buying from you.
The Micro Pod is a podcast specifically for ultra small businesses. Check out the latest episodes here
5. Give Something Away
A downloadable lead magnet (think ‘Five Top Tips’ or ‘How To…’) will help attract potential customers to your website, and sign up to your mailing list.
If you can’t afford a designer to make your lead magnet look pretty, try experimenting yourself, with free, easy-to-use sites like Canva.
6. Host an Event
Shine a spotlight on your expertise, by hosting a customer-attracting event.
This could be a webinar, a networking meeting, or even a conference – whatever takes your fancy the most.
(Don’t forget to plan a social media campaign to promote your event!)
7. Collaborate with a Talented Partner
Two heads are better than one, so try teaming up with another businessperson, whose skills complement yours.
Is there a specific project you could launch together… something that would attract new customers to both of your businesses?
Don’t put pressure on yourselves, as this doesn’t have to be a formalised ‘company’. Just find someone you can have fun and share ideas with, and you never know where it might lead!
I’ve worked on lots of creative and exciting projects with my main collaborator, the amazing Emma Goode of 24fingers, including our regular co-hosted training events.
8. Let People Know You Care
You don’t have to do all the heavy promotional lifting yourself, you know!
Share reviews, testimonials, and longer case studies that show potential new customers just how much your current ones love you.
Drill into as much detail as possible about the problems you helped them solve, and how happy they were with the results.
9. Invest in Advertising
As we covered in Strategy 3, it’s not enough to broadcast random messages here and there.
You have to get campaigning, and that involves being specific.
So, do some research and testing to help you discover what type of ad campaign will work best for your ideal customer group.
This could involve social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram, web campaigns like Google Pay-Per-Click, or even old-fashioned leafleting.
(Yes, advertising costs money. But once you hit on a method that works, it’ll pay dividends!)
10. Be Planned and Be Consistent
Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for spontaneity… sometimes!
But when it comes to business, planning is best, because it helps you focus on what you need to achieve.
For example, saying “I want to get more customers” isn’t helpful unless you also understand, a) how many more customers you need, and b) how you’re going to get them.
So, create a plan, then follow it.
Measure your progress along the way – the great thing about having a plan is that you can check how well it’s going – and make adjustments as needed.
If something’s working particularly well, keep doing it… and if something’s not working at all, stop!
It really is as simple as that.
I hope you’ve found something useful to work on here.
Need some extra help? Remember, my own expertise involves helping micro business owners and side-hustlers like you do all of the above!
So, why not download one of my powerful toolkits, or contact me for a half-hour, no obligation Breakthrough Session?
