You know that you want to grow your business for better success, but you are not sure of the best way to go about it. You need ideas and marketing methods that you can be sure will work. Although there are many ways to build your business, these ideas will help you get started in the right direction and help you get more customers.
See What Your Competitors Are Doing
It is always a good idea to know what your competition is doing. Find a successful one and check out what they do to attract their customers. Not that you need to copy what they do, but get some ideas from them that you can use or see what you are not doing right.
Contact Old Customers
If you have an email or phone list of previous customers, you can contact them. Make an attractive special deal for them and encourage them to come back and visit through emails, texts, direct mail, or by phone. Make it an ongoing habit to re-contact customers you have not heard from every six months or so.
Have Special Offers
Special offers are a powerful way to get new customers. Many retail chains and stores use them. You can offer new customers introductory discounts, 2-for-1 deals, buy 3 and get 1 free, etc. You can also offer a discount if a customer spends $25 – or whatever price you want. If you regularly offer special deals that people want, they will come back and they will tell others. You can offer your specials on certain days of the week, special holidays, or whatever – but be sure to announce it in advance.
Stay in Contact with Customers
Once you get a new customer, stay in contact with them. You can do this in several ways. You can:
- Have a Blog
Depending on the type of business you have, you can post regular blog posts to it. Over time, you can use your blog to build an audience. You want to post special deals on it as well as product information, company information, and more – but keep it business-related. Before you blindly start using any content marketing, take time to create a marketing plan.
- Use Social Media
There are many forms of social media that you can use. Most likely, your target audience will mostly focus on one or another. Find out which one it is and go with it. Be sure to learn ways to use social marketing first by reading online articles about it. It will take some commitment to make posts regularly, but use emails, texts, and social media to direct people to your website. Video marketing can also work very well.
- Issue a Newsletter
Regular newsletters can also be very effective to keep in contact with customers. Include special offers in it and advertise new products.
Provide Great Customer Service
Remember that anyone can post a negative review about your business. If you will admit mistakes and correct them as politely as possible when they are made, people will hear about it. Friendly greetings and good service can go a long way to creating customers that come back.
Cross-Promote
Find a business that can complement – but not duplicate – your business. Your customers may want items related to what you offer, but you do not sell them. By working with another business, each one can help promote the other one – giving you more customers quickly.
Get Referrals
One more way to grow your business is to ask your customers for referrals – and reward them for it. Offer something that is an in-demand product or service that your current customers want – and you will get some new customers.
There are many techniques to grow your business. Focus on one at a time and do it well and then watch the statistics to see how well it works. Then, try another one and stick to those methods that bring in results with a good ROI.