A business without its clients is like pizza with no cheese – it exists, but nobody wants to take a bite. Customers spell life to any company, as a loyal customer base will keep the money coming in and the bills paid.
If you’re lacking customers though, chin up, all is not lost! There are plenty of marketing strategies that will help you generate leads, and up your profile to attract those much-needed clients.
Read on as we show you 15 surefire strategies on how to get clients streaming into your business.
1. Begin a Mutual Referral Rewards Program
The first and best strategy on how to get more clients is to speak to the ones you’ve already got. People are busy, and even though they may absolutely love your company and what it stands for, they may need an incentive to rave about you to their friends.
The best way to get your customer base talking is to start a referral rewards program. Offering your current clients a cash or money-off incentive will create a buzz, and will have a knock-on effect on your customers.
If both parties are rewarded for their custom, then people can ‘double their money’ by referring to more and more friends. Your program could go viral, and you’ll find the rewards far outweigh your initial investment.
2. Have a Solid (and Varied) Social Media Presence
Another tip on how to get new clients is to get onboard with social media. Social media has exploded in the last 10 years, with nearly 3.2 billion people using it worldwide. It has a massive impact on spending in the US through its digital marketing capabilities.
If you’re not already clued up on social media, you’ll need to get your head down and start now. And don’t just create a profile on one platform – research the most highly-accessed platforms for your target market, and become visible on them.
3. Collaborate With Others in the Industry
An awesome way to get clients is through a mutually-beneficial method – collaboration. Rather than viewing other players in your market as rivals and competitors, feel out which industry leaders could complement your business and vice versa.
Popular companies will already have a strong following, and they’ll also have a huge amount of knowledge and expertise to share. Reach out and grow your industry network contacts. See what helped them and whether they’d consider your input on niche products and services with their clientele.
4. Guest Posts
Guest posting is another great in when thinking about how to get more clients. Guest posts involve creating informative blog posts for other industry websites. It’s true you probably won’t get paid for your work, but the rewards are still there.
When your work is featured on another website, it will result in a backlink or a link back to your website within the body of the post. That way, any readers of the blog will be able to access your website and check out what you have to offer.
5. Highlight Your Niche Products and Services
When you’re worrying about how to find clients, you may be overthinking it somewhat. If your business offers the world something new or unique that fills a need, then that’s what you need to be focusing on.
Create a buzz around your niche products or services, and reach out to your target market. Use social media and quality content to show people just how useful they’re going to find it, and why they need it in their lives.
This is where your expert knowledge will come through, so dedicating time and effort to explaining exactly what your product or service is, and why it’s so great, will be an investment with a long-term payout.
6. Revamp Your Website
It may be that you’ve got your fingers in many marketing pies, but the place everything leads back to is your online storefront, your website. If your website is outdated, clunky or difficult to view, it’ll turn people off and will close down with the browser window.
Instead, choose a website design that’s clean, simple and unambiguous. Use high-quality images that show off what you’re selling, and use a limited number of colors to really make the information pop.
7. Dive into the World of SEO
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a powerful tool and should be a major player when it comes to any digital marketing campaign. Using a mixture of keywords and treats search engines can’t get enough of, your content can boost your popularity with Google.
Employing SEO means that your website will rank higher on Google, so you’ll get more exposure, and a greater chance of customers finding – and using – your website.
8. Write a Blog
A blog does something really special – it allows you to speak to people all over the world using an online voice. Blogs are a great way to reach your audience, and you’ll be able to connect with people when you inject some heart into your content.
The great thing about blog posts is that they work seamlessly with social media. A well-thought-out, thought-provoking blog post can easily be shared on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, and then opened up and read in an instant.
9. Write Quality Content
Just deciding to write for an audience isn’t enough to get clients interested in your business. You’ll need a great writing style tailored to your audience, and use language they relate to and understand.
For example, if you’re marketing to stay-at-home-moms, then a beach-bum drawl probably won’t appeal. And focus on the nuts and bolts like good spelling, punctuation, and grammar. It’ll make your writing more professional, and boost your reputation.
10. Share Your Expertise and Specialised Knowledge
Today’s consumer doesn’t want to be pushed. In fact, pushy, traditional marketing is dead, and has made way for the new era of digital marketing. Rather than repetitive ads and arbitrary instructions, consumers today want to be educated.
Think about it – how do you want to be sold something? Would you just look at one option and buy it because you’re told to, or would you compare it to others, look at your lifestyle, and list the pros and cons?
Don’t be a pushy marketer. Instead, become an educator. Explain through blogs and videos what your product is, why it’s better than the competition’s, and how it will benefit people’s lives. Empower potential clients, and they’ll want to keep coming back for more.
11. Produce an Explainer Video for Your Website
When looking at how to get new clients rather than building on your existing customer base, you need to think about how to explain your business in a nutshell.
Consumers often don’t have time to burn reading pages and pages of text, so why not produce a short explainer video, that does just that – explains to prospective clients who you are, what you do, and why you’re the one to pick.
12. Run Promotions
A tried and tested way to attract more clients is through promotions. Sales, discounts, and coupons can all help incentivize consumers and give them a reason to buy with you.
New customers might be hooked by a sale, but the quality of your products, services and customer support can be the things that reel them in and turn them into return custom.
13. Visit Trade Shows
When you’re looking at more people-facing ways of how to find clients for your business, trade shows are a great idea. Carefully selected trade shows could open you up to a whole host of new customers within your target market.
When attending a trade show, make sure it’s worth your while. Do the math, check you’re not spending more than you’ll sell, and be prepared with lots of contact information so people know where to find you when they leave.
14. Give Away Free Stuff
Another fabulous way of teaching people the kind of company you are is to give them a taste of what they’ll get if they choose you. Small, free samples of your products or services can throw the spotlight onto your quality and unique selling point.
You can send free gifts with all new orders, give them away at trade shows, or run a time-sensitive campaign on social media.
The more people that have your products or services, the more potential clients you’ll have.
15. Improve Your Reputation
Above all, the most important thing when you’re aiming to get clients in through the doors is to have a good, strong reputation.
No matter the marketing methods you use, or the money you invest in it, if your reputation lacks substance you won’t succeed.
Customers want a company they can trust, whose expertise they believe, and whose business principles they can endorse. If your reputation needs work, then look at ways to fix it, or call in the professionals to give you a helping hand.
How to Get Clients to Your Business
Knowing how to get clients to your business is the easy part, but getting your name out there involves hard work and dedication. The good news is, it’s totally doable and in your control. But with digital marketing taking over the advertising sector, you’ll need to play ball.
Own a killer website, use social media to shout your name from the rooftops, and harness the power of SEO to gain search engine popularity. With our top tips and some elbow grease, you’ll be well on your way to a flurry of new clients knocking on your door
If you’re still unsure on how to run a successful marketing campaign, though, why not contact us?
Our full marketing service can help you get your show on the road.