Building a steady stream of new customers can seem like a complex task, especially if you are a small business. You have a great vision for your company, but you can’t prosper only on word of mouth. Try these 5 tips to get your company noticed and attract new customers.
To build a solid client portfolio, you need to attract visitors to your website, convert them into leads and only then can you close them as customers. But how can you accelerate this process?
There are websites and platforms that help small and midsized businesses generate leads right away. Thumbtack, BuyerZone, Opporty, Kinnek, ZocDoc, BuildingPros, HomeContractors.biz, Upcounsel.com, Service.ariba.com – just to name a few.
There are niche-focused lead generation platforms, as well as general purpose ones. Just google a platform for your industry and start attracting solid leads in no time. Leads from such platforms are more interested in a product or service your business offers, and, therefore, they are a much safer pick if you are a beginner and push hard to cut marketing costs.
Referrals and recommendations play a huge role in attracting high-quality customers. According to the recent report provided by Ambassador, over 80% of Americans seek recommendations from family, friends, professionals and other businesses when considering a purchase. It’s crucial to mix in with people who can refer prospects to your website and popularize your brand.
How do you get noticed and make the right connections?
As soon as you have nurtured fruitful relationships with influential businesses and industry leaders, you will see a positive difference in traffic, clients and conversions.
What kind of business are you? Have you ever given it a thought? If your answer is ’no’, right now is time to think about that.
Most likely, your business fills some sort of a void in the market. If it doesn’t, it didn’t make any sense to start it in the first place, right? In any case, you should focus on breaking down your core values because they help differentiate your business from competitors.
Differentiation is by far the most powerful marketing strategy. Your job is to figure out how you stand out from the others and then communicate it to your potential customers. Even if you own a run-of-the-mill business, you can differentiate yourself. Make a unique offer, solve a problem, or just provide top-notch customer service.
You can also build your brand around how different you are (even if you are not). Position your business against competition or let your customers uncover why you are the best in the niche. Just stick to it and be patient. The payoff will be huge.
To drive traffic and customers to your website, it’s crucial to play to your strengths. Why should customers choose your company over the others? What’s your competitive advantage? Is it high quality? Reasonable pricing? Or unrivaled customer service?
You must be able to answer the questions above. If you cannot, it simply means that you don’t know your business as you should. And if that’s true, you will never be able to showcase its strengths, not weaknesses, to prospective clients. Identify these strengths and focus your marketing efforts to highlight these reasons.
If you have to operate in a versatile industry, don’t be afraid to collect feedback from your returning customers. Create a brief or survey and ask them to help. No luck? Sugar the deal by offering discounts or special offers to anyone who sends feedback.
If you lack the expertise or time to do this on your own, ask for professional help. Research and hire an agency that provides digital marketing services in your niche. Certified pros will utilize the power of search engine optimization, pay-per-click marketing, and social media marketing to keep the juices flowing to your website.
How to choose a digital marketing agency? Ask your friends and relatives for referrals; check reviews on Google, Yelp and LinkedIn; search for companies that cater specifically for your industry.
Basically, you need to find an agency that is experienced in your industry niche and ready to go the extra mile for you. Let the professionals audit your website and devise a detailed digital marketing strategy for your business.
Finding new customers is often a fundamental problem for small business owners. Their companies are flexible, but lack marketing dollars to fortify their position in the industry. Don’t worry, you can still attract paying customers without huge budgets.
Use four of the aforesaid tips first and only then consider hiring a digital marketing agency. Most likely, you know your business better than anybody else, so take advantage of it. Create a buzz about your strengths (e.g. expertise, product quality, huge price discounts) and eventually customers will flock to your website.
If nothing helps, don’t be afraid to contact a professional. The chances are your website isn’t optimized properly, or suffers from poor usability, etc. Invest in digital marketing and, in most cases, you will see the results within a month.