Pricing is one factor you should review when trying to attract new customers.
By Henry Brown
Every business needs to find new customers. And there can be different reasons for this. If a business is struggling, getting new customers can pull it out of trouble. And when a business is looking to grow, this is only possible if it is able to attract new customers to it. So, it’s one of those things that is always important. And you can always learn more about the ways to attract new customers to your businesses.
- Be knowledgeable
When customers come face to face with your employees, they can be swayed either way. If they are convinced by what they hear, they might buy from your company. But if they get the impression the employee doesn’t really know what they’re talking about, they won’t. That’s why it’s so important to make sure everyone employee knows about the products they’re selling. It’s very easy to tell when a sales assistant is making it up as they go along, and this never impressed customers. Being knowledgeable is vital if you want to persuade more people to buy from your company.
- Get involved in social media conversations
These days, people expect businesses to act as a person would act on social media. It’s about creating a human voice that can represent the business and communicate with people. That’s why the social media accounts that just fire out information on behalf of businesses don’t work. The ones that work well are the ones that take part in conversations and speak as a normal person would. Finding that voice for your business on social media can be tough, but it’s worth putting in the effort. You’ll grow a larger following and start to appeal to new customers once you get this right, so give it a try and keep working hard on it.
- Encourage referrals
Referrals allow you to use your existing customers in order to reach new ones. A referral is when a customer speaks positively about your business to their friends and family member. You can informally encourage customers to tell their friends if they’ve had a good experience using your business. Or you can set up a structured mechanism that rewards people directly for introducing people they know to the business. People who do this could be given discount vouchers and something similar. Think about how this could be implemented and whether it could be worth doing.
- Use the right types of ads
We have so many different forms of advertising these days that you need to be on top of them all. Only when you understand the pros and cons of each of them can you decide which are best for you. For some companies, it is best to use PPC ads online. And for businesses that want to predominantly target young adults, social media ads can be very effective. But if you’re trying to reach out to people who are older, then these methods might not be quite so successful. First of all, you need to identify who your target customer is. Then you can start to work out the best way to appeal to them via advertising.
- Go directly to where your target customers are
Rather than staying behind your computer in the office, it helps to get out in the real world. Go to where your target customers are located and appeal to them there. You might want to undertake a guerilla marketing campaign, for example, which entails hitting the streets and doing something to catch the eye of the kind of person you want to turn into a customer. Quite often, this is the very best way of getting your message across to people because they can’t ignore it. There are not many marketing methods that you can say that about.
- Rethink your pricing strategy
The prices of your products or services will obviously be a factor that potential customers look at. If they think you are charging too much for what’s on offer, they will naturally look elsewhere. It’s not easy getting your pricing strategy right though. You want to give value to customers. But you also need to cover all your overheads and maintain a profit margin. You should regularly check your strategy and see if there are ways of improving it. You might be able to make more money by lowering prices a little and drawing in new customers. It’s something to at least consider.
- Tweak your website
Your website should be at the heart of all your efforts to attract new customers. Many potential customers’ first encounter with your business will be via your website. So, if that website creates a poor first impression, people might dismiss your business before giving it a chance. Your website needs to be kept updated with all the latest offers and products. And you should also do everything you can to incorporate SEO techniques. Also, it can be a great idea to add a blog to your website to attract more people too.
- Exhibit at trade shows
Trade shows are huge events at which many people in your industry get together to sell. It’s a place where customers and industry professionals are present, and you want to impress them all. With this kind of access and opportunity, it would be stupid not to attend important trade shows in your region or a major national show if you sell nationally. You can make sales on the day, but it’s about much more than that. It’s about raising the profile of the business and showing people that your business has something good to offer. They might not buy from you on the day, but they could remember your brand if you make the right impression. You can get exhibition design ideas from Steelhead Productions.
- Team up with other companies
Building partnerships and alliances with other companies is something you should definitely consider. Search for companies that offer products or services that could complement your own. Then you can get together and advertise their company to your customers in return for them doing the same for you. Or you could stage an offer that incorporates both businesses. The great thing about doing this is that it exposes a base of existing customers to your business and what you have to offer to them. Just make sure you do your due diligence first to make sure your values and ways of doing business match those of any potential partner.
- Hone your elevator pitch
Every business needs to have an elevator pitch. This is a short, sharp summary of the business and what it offers, something you could say in the time it takes an elevator to travel just a few floors. This can be offered to people when they ask the inevitable question, “What do you do?” If you have that pitch ready, you are prepared to make the case for your business at any time or in any place. This is very important because you never know when you might meet a potential new customer. You can keep working on and developing your elevator pitch over time until you think it’s perfect.
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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop he’s roaming the streets of London; uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.
