How to Attract Customers
It’s a common problem: you have an amazing product or service, but you don’t know how to prove that to customers. Attracting customers is an art that all businesses need to perfect, whether they’ve been trading for 5 days, or 5 years.
Most people understand that marketing can be extremely useful. However, there are far more ways to draw customers into your business than traditional paid advertising.
Many sources will tell you that to attract customers you will have to give products and services out for free - this isn’t necessary.
We’ve created a guide full of innovative and cost-effective ideas on how to attract customers to your business - with statistics.
Stand apart from the crowd
It’s quite universally known that all businesses need a unique selling point (USP). This doesn’t mean that you have to reinvent the wheel. Rather, you have to ensure that your business has unique qualities that customers can recognise and admire.
Share your values
Nearly two-thirds of surveyed global consumers want companies to campaign for the social, cultural, environmental and political issues that they care about the most. 63% of customers prefer to buy from companies that have an obvious moral standing point, and will avoid those that don’t [1].
Showing that your company is willing to be vocal about issues which your customers care about is important, as it humanises your brand. Having a moral compass shouldn’t be polarising or divisive - be inclusionary, professional and support your community via your platform.
Be recognisable
All companies want to be their customer’s go-to service. It’s been well documented that the average customer needs to view an advert or hear information about a brand 7-8 times before they buy into it [2]. Therefore, it’s important that your customers realise that it’s your brand that they’re viewing when they see these 7 pieces of information. Including your logo or social media handle on a graphic will help keep you fresh in customers’ minds.
Create unique, recognisable branding, and keep it consistent. Maintain this branding across your entire company - your logo, your social media, email sign-offs, and your decor, if you own a physical premises. People should be able to take a one-second glance at your logo and colour scheme and recognise that it’s you.
Compare and compete
It’s quite challenging to create a business idea that nobody on the planet has thought of before. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to innovate. Conduct regular competitor analyses to gather a full understanding of what other organisations in your industry are doing right and where they need to improve.
You don’t have to be the first business to do something, but you do have to do it best if you want to lead the market.
Share information through multiple channels
People can’t buy your products or services if they don’t know they exist. However, conventional forms of marketing are evolving. Paying for advertising isn’t necessarily cost-effective if you aren’t following a set strategy, or if you’re advertising to customers in a way which doesn’t resonate with them. Depending on the type of customer you want to attract, you may want to test out different forms of advertising.
Influencers is new word of mouth
US$6 trillion (about NZ$8.5 trillion) of annual consumer spending comes from word of mouth sales [3]. However, it can be difficult to get the ball rolling, and gather an initial group of customers to test your product and provide word of mouth reviews if you’re breaking into a new industry.
Influencer marketing is the fastest-growing online customer-acquisition method. This means paying people with a large following on social networking sites to advertise your products, services and brand, and speak about why they love them. However, the global Advertising Standards Agency outlines that consumers should be able to recognise that something is an ad, it should always be disclosed publicly [4].
Using real people to speak about your products is reminiscent of the concept of word-of-mouth. If an influencer appears to genuinely love your product and speak about it at length, customers may be more willing to trust their opinion and try it out.
Social media
Digital marketing experts estimate that consumers are exposed to around 4,000 to 10,000 adverts every single day [5]. For most people, it doesn’t feel like we view that many adverts in one day. This indicates that adverts are being conveyed in more subtle ways. It also shows that in order to stand out, you’ll have to try something to differentiate yourself from all those other ads.
Appearing on multiple different social media platforms may improve your customers’ experience. You are more accessible, more likely to be seen, and can reach a wider audience by appearing online. Some platforms to consider include Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Snapchat.
Of course, managing 6 different platforms can be extremely challenging. Work out where your target audience resides, what appeals to them and adjust accordingly. Your social media presence should always be data-driven, i.e. check regularly to ensure you’re on trend.
Website
While not all people use social media, the majority of people do prefer looking at a business’s website before they make a purchase. 70-80% of potential customers could be lost to businesses without a website, yet less than two-thirds of small businesses actually have a site [6].
The beauty of a website is that the company has full editorial control of how information is presented and prioritised. Your website is the hub of information about your company, where you can present as much information as you please.
There are a few essentials for running a successful website. These include: having a user-friendly layout, readily available contact information, a secure connection (SSL), a clear sense of what your company offers, and above all, fast loading times [7].
Having a lead form to grow your email list is also a great way to stay in touch with potential customers.
Community
Creating impressive brand awareness, which leads to genuine sales and customers, is more than just shouting information on as many channels as possible. You’ll have to be strategic and alter your content in order to appeal to different customer segments. As well as the forums mentioned, there are other places where you can typically advertise for free, or for a low cost.
Ask for reviews and references
Google allows you to register your business online for free, which automatically provides the opportunity for customers to leave reviews and ratings. Bing, Trustpilot, Tripadvisor and Facebook are also great platforms where customers can share their experience with your company.
Feedback is essential. You need to get a full picture of what customers expect from your business. Having reviews from genuine customers will also provide an extra layer of assurance to potential consumers. It also encourages social proof, which is when customers see others posting about a product or service, and decide to follow the trend. In turn they’ll try it, and share it onwards for others to see.
Network
Networking and collaborating with other local businesses is a great way to increase your brand awareness and attract new customers. Like referrals and references, if customers are loyal to certain brands, they may be more willing to invest in your business once they realise that their favourite company supports you.
You may want to write guest blogs for one another, or perhaps offer special discount codes for each other's employees and customers.
An example of this may look like members/employees of a certain gym can get 50% off their drink at a local coffee shop, in exchange for the gym advertising the coffee shop throughout their premises.
The small business owner community is quite powerful in most places. Engage and support one another if possible, the favours are always sure to be returned.
Offer top quality customer service
Of course, the best way to attract new customers is to offer great services, with top-quality customer service. Attract new customers by keeping your current customers happy, and running your business flawlessly. Selecting the right operation system is vital.
Choose a point of sale (POS) system which is catered to your industry: retail, or hospitality. You’ll want to make sure your POS has all the necessary integrations that you need to support your customers’ needs and requests.
Epos Now’s systems are customer orientated, yet designed with the business’s profits in mind. Some features include:
- Reports on how products are selling, and how much revenue each item brings
- Overview of your busiest hours and days, and seasonal trends
- Omnichannel, if you operate in multiple stores
- Loyalty systems, gift cards and personalised discounts
- Payment processing for customer convenience
- Integrations with marketing software, so you can continue your outreach
If you’re interested in expanding your business with a POS system, get in touch today.
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