How to get more customers for a small business
pixabayWord-of-mouth: When a customer is happy and satisfied with a product or service, they are likely to share this experience with people. So, how exactly can your small business grow an army of passionate customers? First, sell a product or service that works and provides great value. Secondly is great customer experience. People like to buy products and services from businesses that treat them with respect. Sometimes, you have to encourage, motivate or incentivize your customers to do word-of-mouth advertising for you. Start a referral or reward program for your customers. The more people they refer to you, the more free products, services and discounts they will enjoy.
Free stuff: Everybody loves free stuff. Giving away some of your products and services for free lets people out there know that you exist, gives you a chance to prove the value of your product or service and show that it works and provides your future customers with a risk-free way to try out your products or service without spending money. If customers find value in your products or services, they will be willing to pay money for it. Most people have a weakness for the word ‘free’. In their minds, it’s another opportunity to enjoy or use something without spending any money.
Discounts and deals: Discounts and deals are another creative and low-cost way to attract more customers to your business. People often see them as huge opportunities to save money and enjoy a product or service for a whole lot less. Discounts and deals usually influence customers to buy more products or services than they initially planned. They love to ‘take the opportunity because the same products may not be so cheap tomorrow.
Start a Contest: Everybody loves to win. It’s not just always about the prize, it’s the thrill of getting lucky or beating other people. You can start a contest and let people know about the prizes. Potential customers will start to talk about the contest and create free attention and buzz for you. Even though many of them will not win the grand prize, they will still be interested in finding out more about your products and services.
Own a Website: Most people simply use the internet nowadays when they want to find a product or service. With the spread of mobile phones across many parts of the world, it is easier and more effective to search Google for information rather than ask the nearest human being. The internet has now made it possible for everybody to enjoy the opportunity of getting found. You can get a website for free nowadays and www.blogger.com is a good place to start. With a Google email account, you can set up a single web page with a brief description of your business, products and services and your contact information included.
Local Directories: Thanks to the internet, small businesses can be listed for free on local directories and people around the world can find it on the map and view its contact information. The best part is, you don’t have to pay anything to become registered on these directories. Some of the most popular ones out there are Google Places, Yahoo Local and Bing Places.
Social media: Popular social media networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp are some of the top places where your potential customers hang out and it makes perfect sense that you register your business there too.
Online advertising: More people now depend on the internet for information nowadays. More people are watching YouTube and reading news websites and online magazines. Since more people now spend more time on the internet, it only makes sense that you follow them there. There are different forms of online advertising but one of the most popular remains Google’s Adwords Program. Google is by far the largest search engine on the internet and millions of people around the world depend on it every day for information.
Print and Distribute Flyers: Flyers usually work best for small businesses that target customers within a particular area (such as university campuses, residential estates, offices and industrial areas). You can distribute these fliers or put the flyers on parked cars and house entry doors.
Volunteer Work: Doing volunteer work is often an overlooked opportunity to enjoy free publicity. Get involved in volunteer work in your community, church or mosque. Sponsor an event or offer your services for free. Remember that all donations, sponsorships and support should be done in the name of your business.
Now put all these in practice and watch your business grow!
All the points raised are definitely going to help reel in more customers. Nice piece
Thank you for stopping by
It is a difficult stage for new business owners to raise customers at the beginning of their businesses, but with the hints you have pointed out, it will be more easy to achieve that height.