For new and older businesses alike, attracting new customers is always a crucial long-term goal. Acquiring new customers assures teams that their products and services are relevant and prospering in the current economy. However, growth is not always an easy task, and it can be a challenge to develop a growth strategy that works.
Businesses struggling to reach and gain new customers may need to get more creative with their tactics. There are many ways to get your brand in front of new audiences, but it’s essential to be strategic with your approach. The following are ways you can attract new customers, whether you’re maintaining your business or starting from square one:
1. Cater to Your Audience
Defining and catering to your audience is critical in creating an environment that resonates with customers. Depending on your business model, there are a number of ways that you can adjust your strategy to appeal to the lifestyle of your customers. Businesses targeting families for instance may have success when installing playground equipment in or outside of their business establishment. IKEA, in particular, provides free childcare services in-store so parents can shop efficiently without worrying about childcare. This type of offering will make families feel more welcome, and may even encourage them to pick one establishment over a competitor.
It’s equally critical to understand the demographics of your audience. Researching locations, average age ranges, and gender can help you develop strategies that will bring in new customers. If your customers fall into the 18-22-year range, becoming involved in college communities will help you get your brand name in front of the younger demographic. Targeting and catering to specific audiences will help you pour resources into areas that are more likely to reap results.
2. Community Involvement
Even if your business is digital or tech-related, it would be a missed opportunity not to take advantage of local efforts. Most towns and cities often have festivals year-round that give local businesses the chance to contribute to local events. Hosting a booth will help you get your name in front of people and put a face to the brand. This will create a connection with the town, and even build a sense of loyalty among citizens.
Larger examples of community involvement may include sponsoring entire events or purchasing locations like stadiums to get your name at the top. While these goals may not be reasonable for every business, they are good examples of associating your brand name with a city. When your business contributes to a community, it will doubly serve as a promotion for your company.
As your brand grows, you will become a source of pride among the local community. This pride can inspire interest in your business, and may even peak the interest of other businesses looking for partnerships.
3. Leverage Social Media
Social media strategy has become an integral part of business growth. Regardless of team size, any business can use social media tools to expedite their company’s brand awareness and connect with new customers. Social media creates an environment for businesses to connect with audiences directly. Contests, hashtags, and memes are a few content ideas to help engage with your followers. Keeping on top of social media trends also helps your brand stay relevant in conversation.
As you dive deeper into your strategy, other tactics can help you reach and connect with your most engaged consumers. By publishing targeted ads based on customer characteristics like location and purchase history, you can reach those more likely to engage with your brand. Overall, active paid and organic social media efforts will further your reach online. With a social media presence, your brand has a better chance of getting in front of new eyes every day, making it an essential part of your growth.
4. Plan a Growth Campaign
When a company focuses on attracting customers, creating a marketing campaign with specific growth goals can help steer all teams in the right direction. For example, Disney+ was newer to the streaming scene a few years ago. When the service started, there was a joint effort across multiple marketing channels to promote Disney+ and subscription offerings. It’s not always obvious to the consumer, but the company most likely had an overarching goal across several teams to market the streaming service.
Developing a goal-centered campaign makes it easier for numerous business divisions to work together as a team. Instead of your web team fighting for online sales growth on its own, your company can develop an entire campaign that encourages each team to contribute to the growth effort. Planning growth around a campaign will also help you track results and know which tactics worked the best in your efforts.
Growth Requires Effort
Regardless of which path you choose, attracting new customers can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. Finding the strategy that works for you may involve some trial and error, and it will take time. Whether through catered audiences, social media presence, community involvement, or a thought-out campaign, growth can require a lot of effort. But the growth you see as a result, will always be worth the hard work.
