Regardless of the sector, the type of company, the type of product, the customers are the sinews of war. Without customers, there is no business! Constantly attracting new customers must be the obsession of all business leaders.company.
Unfortunately, a brilliant idea is not enough to bring in customers. A business strategy must also be in place.
Acquiring new customers can be tedious as competition is fierce between different players. Consumers are over-stimulated by marketing campaigns campaigns and social networks full of all kinds of ads.
In this article we provide you with three strategies that will allow you to boost in 2023 your customer acquisition rate.
Strategy #1: Know your user
Define the persona precisely
There is no need to embark on marketing campaigns blindly. Before you start acquiring new customers, it is essential that you define your target precisely. What are the customer's needs? What do they expect from your product? What are their consumption habits?
So take the time to analyze the market and build the typical profile, the persona. If necessary, conduct surveys to learn more about your customer and his expectations.
Look at what your competitors are doing, what works but especially what doesn't. These elements will allow you to propose a product perfectly adapted to a type of clientele.
Adapting your communication to your target
Now that you know your typical customer, you are able toadapt your communication to your customer. You have different channels to reach your customers that do not all have the same impact or cost.
A young student is not the same as a family man or a business owner. By correctly targeting your type of clientele, you canoptimize your marketing campaign so that it is as effective as possible.
Use customer feedback
One of the best ways to get known is through word of mouth. Your most loyal allies in the race for leads are your current customers.
Indeed, they are already convinced by your product and become natural ambassadors of your brand. In principle, your customers are evolving in social spheres that are real pools of potential customers for you.
Your current customers are also an invaluable source of information. Their feedbacks allow you to fine-tune your offer and especially your sales pitch. Have them testify on your website and use their feedback to convince your future customers. They will allow your future customers to project themselves with your product.
Strategy 2: Optimize your communication
Take care of your website
In most cases, your website is the showcase of your business. A special attention must be paid to the design, the architecture of your site, the Customer Journey. You must make sure that the navigation on your site is as fluid as possible, this avoids losing potential customers along the way.
There is no point in having a beautiful website if it remains hidden in the depths of Google. Optimizing the natural referencing or SEO (Search Engine Optimization) must become one of your priorities.
Often, paid advertising campaigns via Google Ads are not enough, so take the time to take care of the different contents of your site to benefit from a natural referencing.
The use of a blog can be particularly effective for the referencing of your site but especially for your customers. They can find the information they need, your different offers, case studies and relevant feedback on your products.
Above all, the blog will allow you to establish your legitimacy in a field.
Diversify social networks
Today, it is impossible to ignore social networks. They allow you to make yourself known and to maintain the link with your current customers. Without social networks, you risk missing out on golden opportunities.
It's not enough to have a Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram page. Your various profiles need to be up-to-date and updated regularly to reflect the dynamism of your business.
Consider posting articles, making promotional offers, organizingsurveys or contests. A link to your website should appear on each post (whenever possible) to facilitate the customer journey.
Reactivity is essential. You can't afford to answer a question or comment 2 weeks later, at the risk of losing your customers for sure.
Maintain the link with your community and don't forget: they are your best ambassadors. For this, contact information must be up to date, remember to check it regularly.
Participate in podcasts
This is probably the best way to get your name out there.
During podcasts, you have time to present your company, your history, your products. You can highlight the benefits of your offerings using real-life examples. In a way, it is a large-scale customer meeting.
Take the time to prepare them well, and train yourself to present your offer as clearly as possible. When you're in the middle of your business, you don't necessarily realize how complex a situation is, the jargon you use, the multitude ofacronyms that only make sense to your teams. Be educational!
Strategy 3: Mobilize and maintain your network
Leveraging your network
Your network is much larger than you realize. It is essential to learn how to use it and mobilize it properly. It is based on three main pillars:
- Your personal network
- Your network of investors
- Your customers
Your personal network is made up of your friends, your family, but also the network you have built up during your studies or your previous jobs. Don't hesitate to use them because they are potential clients who are easy to convince because a relationship of trust has already been established.
Your investors can also help you win new customers. It is in their benefit too that your business prospers.
They usually have access to different spheres from yours in which you can promote your products. For example, they can get you involved in events related to your business or industry.
Finally, your customer network will do a real marketing job for you without necessarily realizing it.
Be careful, this can go both ways, if they are not satisfied, they will also be the first to send back a bad image of your company. Offer them promo codes for each new customer they manage to convince, this will encourage them to talk about you!
Maintain the link with your network
A network must be maintained! Don't let a prospect slip away, half the work has already been done, it's up to you to continue to convince them.
Keep in regular contact with your contacts. You can keep them informed of the company's progress by sending newsletters or exclusive offers.
How to finance this type of strategy
A successful marketing campaign requires some investments for the creation of the website, the hiring of a community manager or new sales, targeted advertisements or referencing.
At the beginning of your business you may not have the funds available to carry out all of these strategies.
Finding sources of financing takes a considerable amount of time and can be very tedious (putting together heavy files, pitching to funds, etc.). Moreover, some solutions are not always adapted to your needs or your business project.
For example, financing through the entry of a new shareholder can be a real brake for some entrepreneurs since it implies a loss of power.
Companies like Karmen offer alternative solutions that complement traditional funding sources. Karmen provides funding to software as a service ( SaaS ), recurring revenue and e-commerce companies to help them grow.
These financings have the particularity of being available within 48 hours and are non-dilutive, which means that you will keep 100% of the control. The repayment terms are set according to your activity and your needs. In short, if you were looking for flexible and fast financing, you have found it!
The company Karmen has just raised 50 million euros and offers 3 main products including Karmen Grow.
Karmen Grow can finance your growth on key expense items such as marketing and recruiting. This financing offer is precisely tailored to your needs by establishing an instant, fast, flexible and non-dilutive line of credit.
As you have understood, attracting new customers cannot be invented. A commercial strategy must be carefully defined with your teams in order to develop your activity.
Don't leave anything to chance, take care of your content, optimize your referencing, and maintain your networks, taking care not to spread yourself too thinly but rather to focus on your targets. You will gain in strength!
Now there are no more excuses for having a poor marketing strategy, even the problem of financing is no longer a problem. Alternative solutions exist, take the time to study them, you'll find the right fit.
