Finding customers for your business is not easy, especially in this economy where companies are forced to close. Even with a great product or service, it can be challenging to find clients that want what you have. However, there are many ways to find potential customers for your business. This article will discuss ten different methods of finding new clients.
Develop a Plan for Customer Acquisition
Getting new clients can be an intimidating task, but it’s essential to have a plan in place for how you’re going to find them. This way, you can be systematic and organized about your efforts, which will make the process less stressful and more productive.
You can develop a client acquisition plan by:
Make a List of Your Target Clients and How You’ll Find Them
Set specific goals for the number of new clients you want to acquire each month or quarter, with timelines. You can set shorter-term milestones if that will help motivate you as well.
Evaluating which activities are most likely to produce results – some marketing strategies may not be worth the time they take up because they don’t yield many leads or sales. Doing this evaluation before going full steam ahead will save both money and effort on ineffective actions.
Figure out what steps need to come first to succeed. Sometimes this is obvious, but sometimes it’s more complicated – either way, it’s helpful to have this plan mapped out.
Creating a process or checklist for each step of the customer acquisition process, so you don’t miss any actions and can track your progress along the way.
Putting all of this together into an easy-to-follow action plan that you can refer back to regularly.
Find Clients Through Your Workplace
Your workplace is a great place to start looking for potential customers. You likely have an extensive network of people you can reach out to, and your employer may be willing to help promote your business.
You can get clients through your workplace by:
- Talking to your coworkers about your business and asking for referrals
- Promoting your business on company websites or intranets
- Participating in workplace events that could attract potential customers
- Offering special discounts to employees of other businesses
- Hosting a lunch-and-learn workshop about your product or service for coworkers
- Putting up flyers or distributing business cards in common areas
Get Clients Through Referrals
Referrals are one of the most excellent methods to acquire new customers for your business. Ask your friends, family, and colleagues to refer their friends and family members to your business. You can also offer them a referral bonus or commission for every customer they refer to you.
Ensure that you provide outstanding service so that your referrals will be happy with your business and recommend it to others. Thank your referrals for guiding you and providing them with information about how their friends and family members can benefit from using your services.
An example of using referrals is when you have a business making wedding invitations. You make them for a client who gets satisfied by your service. They will likely refer you to a friend who needs Truly Engaging wedding invitations that significantly elevate your business.
Find Clients Through Business Organizations
Business organizations are a great place to get potential customers because they usually have many people. When you network with them, whether it’s face to face or online, be sure to ask for referrals and testimonials and what your clients would like improved about the business organization so that future employees can better market themselves to potential clients.
The following are some examples:
Big Employers: Many big companies such as Walmart offer their referral programs where current employees refer new workers who go through an interview process and get hired. It is an excellent opportunity if you want more than just one client because why not try every company in the city. Just make sure that when applying for jobs at these places that you’ve qualified enough; otherwise, this turns into a situation where nobody wins.
Small Businesses: Small businesses are great for referrals and testimonials because the owner is usually the only employee. If you’re a good worker, they’ll keep hiring you back. Try to get on their bright side by being friendly and doing your job well so that when there’s an opening somewhere else or new business in town, they think of you first. It works exceptionally well if it’s something particular like dog walking or house cleaning, where referrals from friends can be more effective than advertising yourself online.
Make sure to have a plan ahead of time, though, because going into these business organizations can lead to many rejections. So ensure you have at least one or two backup plans in case they don’t work out so that when they do, even better.
Use Social Media To Get Clients
Social media is a great way to connect with potential customers. You can use social media platforms to broadcast your business, find leads, and build relationships with potential clients. There are various social media platforms that you can use, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.
Facebook is the most known social media application. Over two billion people use Facebook every month, making it a great place to reach potential customers. In addition, Facebook enables you to create pages for your business where you can share updates and photos. You can also add ads on Facebook to promote your products or services.
Twitter is another popular social media platform. Twitter enables you to post short updates about your business. You can also run ads on Twitter to promote your products or services.
LinkedIn is a social media application for professionals. Over 500 million people use LinkedIn each month. LinkedIn allows you to create profiles for your business, connect with potential customers, and post updates about your business. You can also run ads on LinkedIn to promote your products or services.
Google+ is a social media platform that Google owns. Over two billion people use Google+. Google+ allows you to create pages for your business, connect with potential customers, and post updates about your business.
Advertise for Your Clients
Advertising for your clients will help increase the visibility of their businesses. There are many different types of advertising, and it is essential to find the right style for your clients. For example, you can advertise in newspapers, online, television, or billboards. Make sure you know your client’s target audience so that you can reach the right people. It will draw more visibility to their business and result in more customers on your end.
Get Clients Through Your Activities
Your activities are what you do outside of work but can be a great way to find potential clients for your business.
Use the talents and passions that come from being involved in things like clubs or sports teams as a starting point when looking for new clientele.
For example, suppose people see you at every local soccer game on the weekends. In that case, they might ask what it is that you do – this would make an excellent conversation starter where you could talk about how their project management skills are lacking and offer them some consulting services. It is best if you also consider using other personal experiences or activities as marketing opportunities so long as there isn’t too much overlap with other businesses already operating in your area. But, again, it’s best to go after something unique that you can offer customers.
Use Job Boards
Job boards are a great way to find potential customers. You can find people who are already looking for work, and they might be interested in your product or service. You can also find people who are not looking for a job, but you can offer them a good deal that might convince them to switch to your business.
Make sure you target the right job boards and post a strong ad that will stand out from the crowd. Keep an eye on your competition, and make sure you are targeting the same people they are.
You should also track how many leads you get from job boards, so you can see if it is worth continuing to use this method of customer acquisition.
Network With People
Networking allows you to build relationships with other professionals and learn about their businesses. It becomes easier to find new customers when you have a secure network of people you can trust. People are more likely to deal with someone they know and trust, so make sure you take the time to build long-lasting bonds with the people in your network.
Ask for Testimonials and Reviews
Testimonials are reviews from previous clients. It is a great way to showcase your business’ credibility and reliability.
Testimonials can be as simple as having them write reviews on Yelp or Google, but you could also ask for reviews after projects are completed so that they know their feedback will matter. Have some testimonials ready to show potential customers if needed.
You should always request reviews if possible – even without an incentive; it’s still worth asking because the positive response might outweigh any negative ones in the long run.
Conclusion
There are many ways to find potential customers for your business. You need to put in the effort to find them and create a plan for customer acquisition. Once you have found your clients, be sure to work hard to keep them satisfied and get referrals from them. With some hard work, you’ll be able to grow your business with new customers.
