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Whether you’ve been in business for two months or two years, there’s always room for more clients. While there are plenty of ways to get new clients, some take longer than others. It’s important to have a well-rounded strategy so that you have a steady influx of prospective customers.
Still, this is easier said than done. If you have a marketing plan in place, you might feel like you’ve already done everything you can. The good news is that you can lure in new clients with just a few action steps each day. Let’s take a look at some proven methods.
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10 Ways to Attract New Clients to Your Business
1. Reconnect with Former Customers
It’s easier and cheaper to attract previous customers than new ones. Think of your entire list of former customers as promising leads. They’ve already shopped with you, so they know the value of your product or service. You just need to remind them.
Create a list of clients you haven’t seen or worked with for three to six months. Whether by text, email, or phone call, send them a “We want you back” message. Here, you can even offer a discount to reward them for returning and making another purchase.
Not sure what to say? Keep it fun, light, and short. Use a tagline like, “Let’s stay together” or “We miss you.” Then, offer the discount and give them a timeframe in which they must use it.
2. Request Referrals
Referrals are a popular method of earning new clients – and for good reason! There are few things more effective than word of mouth. However, you still have to be proactive – you can’t wait around hoping that your happy clients will tell their friends about you.
When your customer expresses gratitude for your product or service, ask for a referral. Let them know how much you’d appreciate it if they told their friends, family, and colleagues about your business.
You can take this a step further by creating a referral system. This is where you create a process around reaching out to happy customers on a consistent basis. Follow up to make sure they’re satisfied with their purchase. Let them know what’s going on with your business. Then, ask for referrals.
3. Team Up with Other Small Businesses
You can earn new traffic by tapping into another business’s following. Partner with a complimentary business that has a comparable customer base to your own. Then, team up to create an event or promotion in which you both highlight the other business.
It’s important to choose a business that isn’t a direct competitor – you shouldn’t sell the same thing. For example, if you sell dog training services, you might work with a company that sells pet supplies.
4. Check Your SEO
You might have a gorgeous website with super helpful content… but it’s all for nothing if it doesn’t come up in searches. This is where SEO (search engine optimization) comes into play. There are hundreds of factors that Google uses to rank your website. The more you adjust to meet this standard, the more people will see your site.
First, research relevant keywords. These are the words people will search for when seeking your type of business. You can use free tools like Google Keyword Planner, or get extra assistance with paid tools like Semrush. Include these keywords in your website copy to rank for them. Be sure to use them both in regular text and in headers.
Other easy ways to can boost your SEO include:
- Make sure your website is mobile-friendly.
- Update your website so that it loads quickly.
- Add alt text to your images, using full sentences to describe the image.
- Link to internal and external pages.
- Consistently update your website.
- Create a weekly or monthly blog and target new keywords in each post.
5. Create a New Client Promotion
Some customers need an extra push to try new things, including making a purchase from a new business. By offering an incentive to new customers, you encourage people who may have been considering buying from you to make the move.
You could offer a small discount on a service or include an add-on service that you normally charge extra for. If you sell physical goods, you might do a BOGO (buy one, get one) offer or a free gift with purchase.
When you do make sales this way, be sure to capture that new customer’s email so you can add them to your email list and turn them into regular customers. You can also track what they purchased so that you can get specific with your marketing in the future.
6. Get Testimonials and Reviews
Recent surveys show that 95% of online shoppers read reviews before they make a purchase. Whether you’re selling to other businesses or directly to customers, people want to see that you have existing happy customers before they buy.
Ask previous customers and clients for reviews. Post those reviews on your website, in your service guide, or in your physical storefront. Plus, you can incentivize your customers to give you reviews. For example, offer a small discount or free shipping on their next purchase for leaving a review.
There are also third-party websites where your customers may be reviewing your business, like Trustpilot, Yelp, or the Better Business Bureau. Be sure to respond to any negative comments and offer solutions so that prospective buyers can see that you take care of customer complaints.
7. Accept More Payment Methods
Customers are quick to abandon a purchase when they can’t pay the way they want to. For example, if you don’t accept Discover and that’s all your customer brought into your store, you’re going to lose that sale. Or, perhaps a potential client wants to check out with PayPal because they feel more secure with it. If you don’t accept PayPal, they’ll likely choose to shop elsewhere.
By offering a wide range of payment methods, you can capture more sales. It’s easy to accept more payment methods with Pay.com. The approval process is fast, so you can be up and running in no time. Then, you can use the Pay Dashboard to quickly add as many payment methods as you like to your website with just a few clicks.
Click here to create your Pay.com account now!
8. Create a Rewards Program
Offering a loyalty program that rewards your customers for shopping with you can earn you new clients and retain your existing ones. The type of rewards program you build will depend on what kind of product or service you sell.
For example, you can use a points system. For every dollar spent or purchase made, your client gets a certain amount of points. Once they reach a predetermined amount of points, they get a freebie. You might also offer exclusive holiday and birthday discounts to people in your rewards programs.
9. Connect Person-to-Person
Many sales today are low-touch. Your client checks out online, and you may not even interact with them much. While this can be helpful as it gives you more time to work on other aspects of the business, it has a lower conversion rate than if you were interacting with your customer.
When you connect on a person-to-person level, you can show the customer how your product or service will improve their lives. You can work through any objections and lead them toward the best solution for them.
There are many ways to connect on this deeper level. They include:
- Talking on the phone
- Setting an in-person meeting
- Having a cameras-on Zoom meeting
- Chatting with people in your everyday life that could become clients
- Handing out your business card to well-connected people
- Attending local events
10. Advertise Your Expertise
Your clients come to you because you’re the expert in your niche. Whether that’s baking cakes or creating websites, people value the specialized knowledge that only you hold. You can earn new clients by showcasing that expertise.
Your particular industry will impact how you accomplish this. For example, you might attend trade shows to show off your products. If you’re in the leadership space, you might be better off speaking on a panel or hosting a webinar. If you sell handmade goods, you might find new customers at your local farmer’s market.
Likewise, you can also take part in community events. Here, you can have your own booth where you can interact with potential clients. Or, you can even sponsor a local nonprofit and advertise your business on their booth.
What's the Best Way for a Small Business to Accept Payments?
Whether you’re selling a product or service, you need to give your customers an easy, convenient way to pay you. With Pay.com, you get a full payment infrastructure, including a payment gateway, merchant account, and payment processing services. In other words, you have everything you need to start getting paid right away.
Pay.com is super straightforward. You can do everything from the Pay Dashboard. Here, you can create a customized checkout page for your website and then select a variety of payment methods. You can also send your clients direct Pay Links – no website needed. They’ll get the link via email or text, which takes them to a personalized checkout page.
You can even take payments over the phone with Pay.com. Simply navigate to the Pay Virtual Terminal from the Pay Dashboard, enter the client’s card details, and receive payment. Plus, Pay.com supports your business even after you close the sale. You can track payment status, update customer details, and check out reports on the Pay Dashboard.
Click here to find out how you can get started with Pay.com.
The Bottom Line: How Should You Market Your Small Business?
Ultimately, there are many ways to earn new clients for your small business. A good marketing plan will include multiple methods to ensure you have a steady stream of clients now and in the future.
If you’re in need of new customers right away, asking for referrals and connecting with former customers are some of the fastest ways to get business. However, it’s also important to spend time on more long-term strategies, like search engine-optimized blog posts and rewards programs.
Make sure you’re also allowing your customers to pay you however they want. pay.com is a convenient way to add more payment methods to your site - all it takes is a few clicks. You can also give your customers several checkout options, from using your website to sending Pay Links. However you want to get paid, Pay.com can help. Click here to sign up now!
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