Imagine a local bakery known for its delicious pastries for years. Despite having a strong presence in their local community, they noticed a decline in foot traffic and a plateau in new customer acquisition.
They know they can’t just rely on their existing customers because people’s preferences change — and losing a customer could have a substantial impact on their business. To solve this challenge, they will need to learn how to find new customers and increase sales.
If you’re struggling with the same issue, worry not. Although finding new customers can be challenging, there are effective strategies for attracting people and sustaining your growth.
The Importance of Finding New Customers
According to Nielsen’s Annual Marketing Report for 2023, the most important objective for marketers last year was customer acquisition, followed by brand awareness and customer retention.
The main reason businesses seek to find new customers is to drive revenue. It’s an important step to expand your customer base and increase sales, which contributes to the financial success and sustainability of your business.
Relying solely on existing customers can sometimes be risky because changes in the market and shifts in customer behavior can impact your sales. By constantly seeking new customers, you can reduce the risk of depending on your existing customers.
Moreover, finding new customers allows your business to enter new markets. This allows you to diversify your customer base and appeal to different age groups, income levels, or cultural backgrounds.
What's the Connection Between Customer Acquisition and Increased Sales?
By now, you already know that finding new customers means increasing the potential for more sales. Having a larger customer base means that more people are already aware of your brand. When you introduce new products and services, you can reach a wider audience, leading to more opportunities!
After you find new customers, you can also put effort into nurturing and retaining them, which translates to more sales throughout your customer-business relationship.
When these customers have positive experiences with your brand, you can build brand loyalty, which means that they are more likely to make repeat purchases and become brand advocates.
How to Find New Customers and Increase Sales
Below are tips and strategies you can try for customer acquisition:
Tip #1: Understand your target audience
The first important step in developing a customer acquisition strategy is to put some effort into understanding your target audience. This will allow you to tailor your marketing efforts to resonate with the people most likely to be interested in your offers.
Begin with market research. You can gather information through the following:
- Surveys
- Interviews
- Focus group discussions
Learn about their demographics, preferences, behaviors, and needs!
It also helps to take a look at your existing customers to understand the type of people who are likely to be interested in your products and services.
From your research, you can create detailed profiles of your target audience. This includes a summary of their characteristics, preferences, and behaviors.
💡Discover: How to Create a Buyer Persona Template for Your Next Referral Campaign
Tip #2: Optimize your website
If you don’t already have a website yet, you need to create one to help you reach more customers. A website provides an online presence for your business, making it accessible to a global audience 24/7. Think of it as your “digital storefront” where potential customers can find out and learn more about you.
It’s not enough to just create a website. Optimizing your website is another “must-do” for attracting and converting more customers.
Optimization includes making sure that it is easy to navigate and has fast loading times to provide a seamless experience. Don’t forget to create landing pages with attractive visuals and clear call-to-actions to encourage conversions on products and services you promote.
Lastly, don’t forget to optimize your website for search engines, and incorporate relevant keywords into your content to attract the right users.
💡Optimize your website to get more leads by following these strategies.
Tip #3: Do a product giveaway
If you’re looking for creative ways to get new customers, consider running a product giveaway.
It involves offering free products or services to generate interest and attract new leads in exchange for participants’ contact information. Participants should share your giveaway on social media and refer their friends for additional entries.
When done right, you can nurture your new leads towards making a purchase.
Many businesses have used the UpViral platform to capture the attention of prospects. Here are some noteworthy examples:
G4 Educaçao’s Milestone Campaign and Contest
G4 Educaçao, a Brazilian business education firm, was able to generate nearly 60,000 leads and reach $400,000 in sales which are attributed to UpViral leads.
To celebrate their third anniversary, the firm decided to launch a course bundle called “G4 pass”. For them to generate new qualified leads before the launch they decided to offer a free entrepreneurship course in exchange for people’s contact information.
One of their effective strategies was to ask participants not just their names and emails — but also their phone numbers and the roles they’re currently undertaking. Asking for specific information helps with segmenting their leads!
See the screenshot of their opt-in form below:
Daniela’s Simple E-Commerce Giveaway
Daniela d’Hotman de Villiers, founder of the marketing agency Savvy Social, decided to use UpViral to boost the advertising campaigns of Exact Clothing.
Their UpViral giveaway resulted in over 5,500 leads, 1,000 Facebook shares, more than 800 Instagram followers, and over 2,000 Whatsapp shares. What’s also surprising about this campaign was that it resulted in 20,000 ZAR (1,200 USD) in sales. 💰
A few things that worked: Giving away the right incentive — in this case, vouchers to be used for shopping at Exact Clothing, a well-designed landing page, and an ad with good targeting.
Tip #4: Engage on social media
Many businesses use social media not just to build an online presence but also to find new customers. To do this, you need to select social media platforms that align with your target audience. Different platforms cater to different demographics and interests.
For instance, LinkedIn is a professional networking platform where you can connect with other businesses. It’s a space used by business professionals and decision-makers. Because of this, it’s a good option for business-to-business (B2B) marketing.
Instagram, on the other hand, is a highly visual platform where you can showcase products through photos. It’s popular among younger, trend-conscious audiences interested in beauty, fashion, and lifestyle.
Tip #5: Offer special promotions
Limited-time offers, discounts, bundle deals, and other special promotions can also be effective in attracting new customers and increasing sales. This is because they create a sense of urgency and generate excitement.
For example, flash sales encourage potential customers to make a purchase quickly in case the sale ends soon. You can also offer discounts for first-time customers as a welcome incentive. Bundle deals allow customers to purchase a combination of products and services, which encourages them to try multiple offerings.
Tip #6: Leverage email marketing
Email marketing involves sending targeted messages to a group of people through email. Aside from your existing customers, you can also use your email campaigns to target new ones.
For instance, you can encourage potential customers to subscribe to your email list in exchange for getting a free ebook. When someone joins your email list, send a welcome email with special offers to encourage them to make their first purchase.
Email campaigns are one of the best ways to provide valuable educational content that establishes your brand as an authority in the industry. This can convert potential customers who are seeking information and solutions.
💡Click here for an additional reading about email marketing for e-commerce businesses.
Tip #7: Craft the right message
Whether it’s creating blog posts for your website, posting content on social media, or promoting your giveaways, it’s important to know what to say to attract customers. You can do this by communicating the value of your offerings and addressing your target audience’s needs.
In your promotions, be sure to highlight the benefits of your offers.
A sample template could be: “Experience the benefits of…” or “Discover how our [product/service] can improve…”. This can help potential customers understand the unique value of your offer while differentiating yourself from your competitors!
You can also offer to solve a problem by saying, “Say goodbye to [problem] with our [product/service]” or “We’ve got the fix for your [challenge]”.
Or use emotional appeal and say something along the lines of, “Feel the joy of…” or “Create unforgettable moments…”.
Other strategies include creating a sense of urgency, emphasizing the quality of your products, and showcasing testimonials.
Tip #8: Build relationships through networking
Networking is the process of building and maintaining relationships with individuals or groups for mutual benefit. In business, it involves connecting with other professionals and businesses to exchange information and create opportunities.
Networking events allow you to connect with people from diverse backgrounds, which boosts your chances of reaching new customers.
When you actively participate in industry discussions and contribute valuable information, you establish your credibility. This increases the likelihood for others to choose your business.
💡Read more: Collaboration Marketing: Increasing Your Brand Reach and Impact
Final Thoughts
You need to ask yourself, “What would you do differently to attract more customers and increase sales?”
The answer might lie in improving your online presence, offering discounts, or having a giveaway! Consider using the UpViral platform if you’re planning to run online competitions and referral campaigns. It offers a cost-effective way to generate leads through incentives.
This way, you can convince your existing customer base to refer new audiences, thereby reducing your customer acquisition costs. Click here to get started.
