Ask any business owner and they will tell you that they are always looking to attract new customers. It is a vital component of any successful enterprise. New customers are the lifeblood of any business. They keep you vibrant, they keep you on your toes, they give you fresh input. They also encourage you to be innovative and current. 

Investing in new customers can be costly, but it is well worth it in the long run. So, what are the best ways to go about doing so? There are a variety of approaches, but I have pared them down to 10 tried and true ways that have worked for me as well as those around me.

• Identify Your Ideal Customer: Get absolute clarity about who your ideal customer is. Determine their demographic; age range, gender, income, employment, education, etc. Determine what their challenges are so that you can help them. Determine what their questions are so that you can answer them. Really get to know who they are, what motivates them, what keeps them awake at night, and what inspires them. The more clarity you have, the better you can tailor your messaging to them. Targeting your audience is key to success.

• Discover Where Your Customer Lives: Better yet, discover where your customer spends their time. What are their priorities, hobbies – what do they spend their time doing in a day? It is also important to identify where they are likely to be found – this means in physical as well as online spaces. What social media sites do they frequent the most? Where do they go when they have a question that needs answering? Find out what they are looking for and tailor your messaging accordingly.

• Promote Yourself as an Expert: We sometimes undersell ourselves and what we have to offer. We have so much to give and can provide a lot of value to customers for free. For example, if someone was a life coach, they could offer free personal development to potential customers. Establish yourself as an expert in the arena that you want to attract customers in. 

If you demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the problems that your customers are looking to solve, they will look to you when the need arises. You want to stay top of mind in your category of expertise.  This can be done by offering blog posts, webinars, or tools that will benefit your customers.

• Know Your Business Really Well: This seems evident, and it is, but it is worth highlighting. Customers can tell fairly quickly how well you know your business, if you have confidence, and believe in it. Showing your customers that you know your business inside and out is critical. What will attract people to you is your knowledge and your heart. If you care and know a lot about what they are trying to accomplish, they will be drawn to you. Trust is important. Knowing your business, as well as your competition, will go a long way in gaining this trust.

• Create Vertical Relationships: Ask yourself, who else caters to my ideal client in a non-competitive way? Building relationships is what we do. It is the foundation of our business. Along with knowing your own customer base, find related ones. Find other business owners who can benefit from your knowledge and expertise and vice versa. Business can be complimentary. They don’t always need to be competitive. See if you can cultivate those types of relationships. Forming alliances can open doors to potentially larger customer databases.

• Offer Discounts and Promotions: A 100% money back guarantee is beneficial as it demonstrates confidence in your product or service. If they don’t like it, they can return it – no questions asked. There should also be some sort of incentive that creates urgency and motivates customers to want to buy now. This could be in the form of a discount on their first order, an auto-ship incentive, an incentive for growing their cart – get creative in the ways that you offer promotions. It is also important to offer incentives for existing customers so that customers know there are benefits all the way along.

• Ask for Referrals: Ask your customers who they know. They are bound to have people in their circles who share similar motivations or goals. They may have the same desires and needs. Tap into your existing customers to gain new ones. Your current customers are your best advocates. They have already “bought in” and will encourage others to do the same. It is often better coming from them than from you because the confidence and trust is already established. If you’re active in Social Media, consider asking satisfied customers to do a referral post for you.

• Reconnect with Previous Customers: It is important to let your customers know that you still care about them and are there for them. Even if customers haven’t done business with you for a while, that doesn’t mean they aren’t interested. They may have simply forgotten that you were there. Life gets busy, things happen – it is worth it to reach out again to remind your customers of what you have to offer. Maybe they have new questions that you can address.

Create a schedule for cycling through previous customers. You can also sweeten the deal by offering them a discount or promotion if they return.  Consider a “we want you back” campaign for previous customers who haven’t purchased in awhile. 

• Network and Get Yourself Out There: This is always a good recommendation. Good business owners listen and ask questions. They demonstrate that they really care by engaging in meaningful conversation and deep listening. Participate in organizations and events that are relevant to your business. Building new relationships can lead to new customers. It is important to get yourself out there and maintain your presence. 

It is also wise to approach any new engagement with what you have to offer rather than what is in it for you.  Always add value.  When you are at a networking event, ask other business owners “If your ideal customer were to cross my path, what would that look like?  I would love to refer any business to you that I may come across.”

• Get Reviews and Testimonials: Show before and afters. People get engaged when they hear testimonials and see the results of other people. Have many different avenues for sharing the results of others that have benefitted from your product or service. You can do so by including reviews in your social media or by linking reviews on your website. When new customers see how current customers have benefitted, they are more likely to engage or buy in. Positive feedback goes a very long way and is always helpful.

I recommend exploring all of these ways to attract new customers, but even if you are only able to implement a few, it will prove to be beneficial. As our customers evolve, we evolve with them. As they grow, so do we. When changes are needed to meet their needs, we adapt. 

Being open-minded and flexible will bring new and exciting opportunities that will benefit our customers as well as our business. Keep the conversation going and continue to engage with your audience as much as possible. You never know where new customers will come from, when previous customers will return, or when new doors are opened to you. Be consistent, be diligent, genuinely care and good things will come your way.