5 Ways to attract customers to your business
Without your customers, you are not in business! This is why putting strategies in place to attract new customers and retain old customers is key to keep business going.
In this article, we examine 5 strategies you can apply to attract new and retain old customers. Let’s check them out.
5 Tactics to attract customers to your business
Attracting new customers to your business takes more than giving free samples and retaining old customers goes beyond giving discounts.
You need to devise sustainable ways to bring in customers to your brand, without relying on freebies to do the job for you. Here are 5 ways to do this.
1. Ask for referrals from old customers
A satisfied customer is the best sales strategy and you can put that to work by asking your customers to tell others about your business. People trust people than they do businesses, so, you are more likely to attract new customers into your business, if you use a referral strategy where people they know are the ones referring them to you.
To do this, build a referral strategy that will be applied to every customer you have. Start by doing a good job in serving every customer, then follow up regarding how they feel about your product/service. After this, send them a referral coupon that they can share with others to bring in new customers and thus more sales.
2. Attend trade fairs and other networking events
Attending networking events like local community meetings, trade fairs, etc is another way to get more customers. With events like these, you can meet new people who can turn from acquaintances to customers.
Start by attending trade fairs where you get a booth to sell your products. Your focus at these fairs shouldn’t just be to sell to customers there but to also retain them beyond the fair to become repeat customers. You can also get a booth at industry events where you can raise awareness about your business and even sell some products.
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3. Re-contact old customers
Re-contacting old customers is another means to generate more sales for your business. Don’t be only focused on making one sale from a customer and calling it a day. Ensure you stay in touch and re-contact old customers to see if they need your product/service again.
You can do this by taking an inventory of customers and when they last visited. So, if a customer hasn’t patronized you in a while, say 3–6 months, depending on how long your product/service lasts, you can send them a message to check up on them and initiate a sales conversation subtly. This will help you get repeat sales that can turn into lifelong business relationships.
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4. Partner with a complementary business
Partnering with a complementary business, with a similar customer base to yours is another way to get your business in front of new people. For example, if you sell women’s clothes, you can partner with a brand that sells women’s accessories like bags, shoes, jewelry, etc. This will help both businesses since you are serving the same customers, although with different products.
Partnering with a complementary business also allows you to increase your business reach to another industry where you can learn their strategies. Your partner can also help in promoting your marketing content to increase reach.
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5. Use reviews and testimonials to reach more clients
Many individuals want to see the feedback of others about you before they buy. In fact, it is one of the stages new customers go through before they patronize a business, especially to avoid a situation of what I ordered vs what I got.
So, to increase customers’ trust in your business, ensure you are not the only one talking about your business and how good your product/service is. Start by asking customers to drop a review for you after sales have been completed. This can be on direct messaging apps, your website, or anywhere you wish. Then ensure these reviews and testimonials are published where they can be easily seen by new customers checking your business out.
Customers, the lifeblood of your business
Getting old customers to become lifelong customers and new customers to repeat buyers is every business owner’s dream. However, getting to that stage isn’t a passive one, it is an active one that you must put effort into to achieve.
At Triift Africa, helping small business owners build and grow successful businesses is our priority, and we do that by offering a business community where you can learn and giving access to low-interest loans to expand your enterprise. Get in touch and let’s help you go from hustle to portfolio.
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