How to get new customers is a question that every business owner asks countless times in their tenure. As a startup, the answer to this question can be what causes your business to take off, or what crashes it to the ground. These four tips are designed to help you set up a strong foundation so you can get new customers and continue building and growing your business.
Strategy 1: Setting Up Your Digital Foundation
In today’s digital world, you cannot succeed in business without a strong online presence. If you don’t have the following free online platforms, you are missing out on new customers.
Despite almost being 2 decades old, Facebook is still a powerhouse for small businesses. The free social media platform is perfect for customer interaction, sharing information, and sharing your business. It gives you access to hundreds of local groups and thousands of people who are looking for what you’re selling.
Google My Business
Google My Business is how you get your website on Google Maps. It lists all of your relevant information, including address, phone number, reviews, and your website, and you can upload photos too.
Business Warrior
If you don’t have Business Warrior, you’re missing out on essential information about your business. It scans the web and compiles data to show you if your business is listed in all of the above sites, helps you manage your SEO (search engine optimization), keep track of reviews, and so much more.
Everything you need is in one place, so you can see what you have and what you don’t in a single glance. It will save you countless hours and money, and all of this is free.
Strategy 2: Email Marketing
If you have a base of subscriber emails from past promotions, then email marketing will be your best friend. You can automatically send out information, discounts, and sales-oriented emails to everyone on your email list using a low-cost platform like Hubspot or Mailchimp.
Email marketing is a numbers game. The more you send out, the more sales you’ll get. However, it’s not designed to sell with every email — you won’t get 100 sales if you send out 100 emails. According to MailChimp, the average open-rate of all industries is around 21.8% and usually, only 2-5% of those emails generate sales. This is normal! Play the long game, be patient with it, and you’ll see success.
Strategy 3: Get on Popular Directories
The big directories are Yelp and GMB, but don’t overlook these four either.
Yelp
Yelp is like social media, but for businesses. Founded in 2004, it is a popular online directory for discovering local businesses ranging from bars, restaurants, and cafes to hairdressers, spas, gas stations, and more.
However, Yelp is most commonly known for reviews. If you have a good Yelp review rating, then you’ll likely bring in new customers without spending a single cent.
Foursquare
Foursquare is not as big as Yelp, but it does provide listings for all kinds of local businesses. Over 50 million people use Foursquare to find places to go, so you don’t want to miss out!
Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages is a huge online directory that brings in about 60 million users every month. About 91% of those users contact the businesses they find within 24 hours too, so don’t miss out!
Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau allows every business to apply, not just the large companies. Once verified, customers know you’re legitimate and they know they can trust you. Just from that alone, it’s worth having a listing here.
Strategy 4: Patience
Nothing will work magically overnight. We all want our advertisements, videos, and business to go viral, but betting on going viral is a lot like a slot machine. It could happen, but it likely won’t.
As a business owner, you need to have patience and faith when you try something new. Some results won’t start happening for a week, while other long-term strategies (such as SEO) may take 3+ months to fully kick in. Knowing all that, you’re ready to get started. Go and grow the business of your dreams!