(Newswire.net — August 7, 2017) — Customer acquisition is important for all businesses, regardless of size or brand equity. It doesn’t matter whether you’re trying to make your first sale or you already run a billion-dollar firm, because in Palo Alto, everyone is trying to add customers and drive growth.
But if you’re a company owner in the former category, it’s helpful to study what the brands in the latter category are doing to understand today’s best practices and most effective techniques.
Five Ways to Find New Customers
The first thing to notice is that no two brands approach the challenge of finding new online customers in the same way. There are far too many moving parts and independent variables to allow for a one-size-fits-all formula.
The following tips are helpful, but you’ll want to calculate how well each would fit your current situation.
1. Go Multi-Channel
The first thing you’ll notice leading brands do is break out of the traditional sales format that dictated you had to focus on one primary channel and master it before adding a second. This no longer applies today.
With the right technology, you can readily list your entire inventory on your website, as well as on eBay, Amazon, Etsy, Walmart, and as many other ecommerce platforms as you choose without losing control or compromising fulfillment. If you want more customers, go multi-channel as soon as possible.
2. Give Away Samples
Trial is often the biggest point of friction when it comes to converting online customers successfully. People would rather touch, feel, and use certain items before they’re prepared to buy.
In a brick-and-mortar operation, this is entirely possible. Online, a screen separates the customer from the product. One way to overcome this and encourage trial (in an effort you hope will drive sales) is to give away free samples. Many brands do this; here’s an example of a current offer from Poo-Pourri.
3. Try Guest Blogging
You should have your own blog up and running by now. Creating fresh content on an ongoing basis for your audience is a smart move in the current digital marketing landscape.
But in addition to developing and maintaining your own blog, you might consider building guest blogging relationships with other companies and websites that serve your target audience. Even a single post with well-placed links and a descriptive bio can push new traffic to your product pages and generate a flurry of sales.
4. Incentivize New Customers
Acquiring a new customer is far more difficult and costly than reengaging a former one. If you understand this, then you should realize you can benefit from incentivizing a customer’s initial purchase.
The popular deal site Groupon is one brand that does this. It often runs deals in which customers get 25 percent off their first purchase on the site. Maybe you do something similar to attract new customers.
5. Launch a Referral Program
Referral programs don’t necessarily work for every online brand, but they can be effective if strategically implemented alongside a suitable product offering. The beauty of referral programs is that they put your existing customers to work for you.
This approach clearly doesn’t come without any cost, but that cost is typically offset as soon as repeat purchases get made. It’s a great way to boost brand loyalty, especially from the referring partner.
Think Outside the Box
There are plenty of basic customer acquisition strategies that could work for you with nominal results. But if you want to create substantial growth and see the level of results you’re hoping for, think outside the box and take some risks.
Put your own spin on some of the tips and ideas outlined in this piece and see how your target market responds. You can’t know until you give them a try.