Practical Strategies for Businesses To Find New Customers

Businesses face many challenges, especially small businesses. One of the biggest is finding customers and potential buyers for their products or services. Without a steady stream of customers, it’s difficult for a small business to grow and thrive. In this article, we’ll explore some effective strategies and their applications that small businesses can use to find potential buyers and grow their businesses.

Before we delve in detail into each of these strategies, it is important to first conduct what I will like to call the preliminary but most important strategic move – identify your customers before going in search of them. 

Identify Your Target Audience

While finding potential buyers is critical for your business, it is however important to note that potential buyers are those who have a need for your product or service, and are likely to buy from you. Without clearly understanding who exactly these people are, it is difficult to create effective marketing strategies that resonate with them. 

Here are some steps you can take to identify your target audience:

• Define your ideal customer: Start by defining your ideal customer. This is the person who is most likely to buy your product or service. What are their characteristics, interests, and pain points? This will help you create buyer personas that will guide your marketing efforts.
• Analyze your existing customers: Look at your existing customer base to identify common characteristics. This can help you refine your ideal customer profile and develop more effective marketing strategies.
• Conduct market research: Conduct market research to gather information on your target audience. This can include surveys, focus groups, and online research. Use this information to better understand the needs and preferences of your potential buyers.

A very effective strategy for defining and identifying your ideal customers is the Halo Strategy. This is a framework popularized by New York Times best-selling author Sabri Suby in his book Sell Like Crazy. 

This is a framework we often use with our clients, and we have written extensively in this article: The Holy Grail for Increasing a Business Conversion Rate.

Strategies for Finding New Customers

With that out of the way, we can now discuss clearly the different tactics you can implement to find customers for your business. There are different tactics out there, but from working with different businesses we have the following to be the most effective;

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
2. Social media marketing
3. Content marketing
4. Email marketing
5. Networking and partnerships

We will discuss each of these tactics and how you effectively apply them to form an efficient marketing strategy for your business.

1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is no longer a new lexicon in the world o online marketing. It is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). 

SEO has become important because most people use search engines to find products and services. Here are some steps you can take to optimize your website for search engines:

• Conduct keyword research: Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to identify the keywords your potential buyers are using to find products and services like yours. Try to understand what they search for (search intent) when they look for businesses like yours online.
• Optimize your website content: Use the keywords your ideal customers use to search online in your website content, meta descriptions, and image alt tags. This will help search engines understand what your website is about and rank it higher in SERPs.
• Build backlinks: Backlinks are simply links from other websites to your website. They are an important ranking factor in search engine algorithms. Build backlinks by creating high-quality content that other websites will want to link to.

Following and implementing all of these steps will improve your business’s visibility on search engines.

2. Social Media Marketing

Yes, the almighty social media. With over 4.2 billion active social media users, social media is a great way and a powerful tool for businesses to find and reach potential buyers especially those within your ideal customer profile.

Here are some steps you can take to use social media for marketing:

• Choose the right social media platforms: Based on the insights from identifying your ideal customers using the Halo Strategy, choose the social media platforms that your potential buyers are using. This will vary depending on your industry and target audience.
• Create a content strategy: Develop a content strategy that includes a mix of promotional and non-promotional content. Share content your potential customers find valuable, this will help build your brand and engage your audience. 
• Use paid advertising: Paid advertising on social media can be an effective way to reach a larger audience. Use targeting options to reach potential buyers based on their interests, demographics, and behavior.

Applying these simple tactics on your social media will put your business in the faces of millions of your potential customers that are on social media.

3. Content Marketing

Content marketing is another goldmine for businesses. Content marketing is the process of creating and sharing valuable content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. 

There are different forms of content marketing from sharing content on social media to articles on blogs, vlogs, etc. Here are some steps you can take to use content marketing to find potential buyers:

• Identify content topics: Use your buyer personas and market research to identify the topics your potential buyers are interested in.
• Create high-quality content: With that insight, create high-quality content that is useful and relevant to your potential buyers. This can include blog posts, videos, infographics, and whitepapers.
• Use a variety of formats: Use a variety of formats to create content that appeals to different segments of your potential customers. This can include written content, visual content, and audio content.
• Share your content: Share your content on your website, social media channels, and other online platforms to reach a wider audience.

4. Email Marketing

Email marketing is one tool not fully utilized by business owners, especially SMEs. It is a highly effective way to reach potential buyers and nurture relationships with existing customers through email. Here are some steps you can take to leverage email marketing to find potential buyers:

• Build your email list: Build your email list by offering a lead magnet or incentive to encourage people to sign up for your email list.
• Segment your email list: Segment your email list based on characteristics like location, interests, and behavior. This will help you create more targeted and effective email campaigns.
• Use automation: Use automation to send targeted email campaigns based on triggers like website activity or email engagement.

5. Networking and Partnerships

Networking and partnerships can be powerful ways to find potential buyers for your small business. It is one of the biggest ways to exponentially grow your business. There are different steps to follow to network and build partnerships:

• Attend events: Search for industry-specific events, physical or virtual to meet potential buyers and build relationships with other business owners.
• Join industry groups: Join industry groups and associations to network with other business owners and stay up-to-date on industry trends.
• Build partnerships: Build partnerships with other businesses that serve the same target audience. This can include cross-promotion, co-marketing, and referral programs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, finding potential buyers is a crucial part of any small business’s success. By implementing the strategies outlined in this article, you can increase your chances of reaching your target audience, building relationships, and growing your business.

However, marketing can be complex and overwhelming, and it’s okay to seek professional help to develop your marketing activities and go-to-market strategy. If you’re looking for a team of experts to help you with your marketing needs, don’t hesitate to contact Effe Towers today. Our team of experienced marketers can help you take your small business to the next level.