Reserve with Google
This is a guest post.
Getting more clients is a common question that experts get from entrepreneurs trying to build a company from the ground up. It is often challenging to raise awareness and attract first-time buyers during the early stages of a business.
Although there are tons of literature covering this particular topic, you may feel a bit overwhelmed when trying to find the correct answer to this question. To help you in this endeavor, we have shortlisted some of the most effective techniques you can implement to attract more customers.
Keep in mind that all of these strategies are both easy and cheap to implement. That said, if you don’t have that much money to invest in marketing at the moment, you could also apply for a working capital loan to get the funds you need to start putting your name out there.
1- Promote and compensate referrals
Referrals are a great way to leverage your existing client/user base by rewarding your current customers to attract new ones. The compensation you extend could come in freebies, discounts, promotions (2 for 1s or something along those lines), or some sort of VIP treatment.
Keep in mind that referrals often work best when both the referrer and referee are compensated for signing up, buying, or engaging with the company’s products and activities.
On the other hand, you must communicate the terms and conditions of the referral program clearly, so your customers don’t get upset because of a misunderstanding.
2- Participate in Facebook Groups
There are currently thousands of Facebook Groups that specialize in topics or geographical areas relevant to your business, and you could join them to advertise your products/services.
That said, even though you can join most of these groups for free, some of them have policies and specific requirements for businesses looking to advertise. Additionally, administrators may even charge you for posting an ad within their group, and you should be prepared to pay a few bucks to get your name out there.
We talked about what you can do to promote your business and actually have some use of social networks here.
3- Local SEO
According to HubSpot, 46% of all Google searches aim to find information about a local business, while 88% of the people that perform a local search either visit or call the store on that same day.
That shows you how powerful local SEO could be for attracting new customers and why your store or business should be easily found when people go to Maps to look for a particular product or service.
“Google My Business is your new home page”. People are constantly searching for their desired services nearby, and if your name is not at the top of the results, you don’t exist. There are lots of tips and tricks to own the top result and actually, bring the customer to your shop. Our favorite one: Reserve With Google. It adds a Book Now button to the results.
4- Partner with other more established businesses
Another way to raise awareness about your company is to partner with other businesses who cater to a similar market/segment to increase your customer base by leveraging on that of a similar business with which you don’t compete.
Offer a complimentary product or service. You could offer samples that accompany your partner’s product, or you could offer them a discounted version of your product/service to allow them to make money by selling what you sell.
These arrangements can take many different forms depending on your particular product or service. You can use the money obtained from a working capital loan to invest as much as needed to shape an exciting deal for both parties involved.
5- Strengthen your social media presence
A business social media presence nowadays is a window that lets clients take a closer look at what you do without them having to visit your store. Not having a presence in social media is almost as if you don’t exist, which is why you could invest some of the proceeds obtained from a working capital loan to improve your Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter profile.
Keep in mind that your company’s best social media platform will vary depending on your audience, so make sure you deploy your resources wisely to tap on the most popular platform among your prospective customer base.
6- Try reach ads
Reach ads are quite cheap, and they can put you in front of thousands of people in a matter of hours. You can use platforms like Facebook and Instagram to get those ads up and running in a few minutes. You’ll probably get the best bang for your buck if the primary goal of your marketing campaign at the moment is raising awareness about the existence of your business.
Bottom line
The six strategies we have outlined above are not necessarily the only ones that exist. Still, they are among the cheapest and easiest to implement within the extensive list of potential ones you may consider for growing your company.
