No matter how great your product or service is, your startup business is not going to make any money unless people are willing to patronize it. Simply put, no customers means no business.
However, some startups usually find it difficult to attract customers. Oftentimes, it is not because people are not interested in their products but because people don’t even know about the existence of their products and/or services.
Are you an entrepreneur looking for ways to attract customers to your startup business and also retain them? Here are seven (7) effective ways to make your business bloom.
Leverage social media.
Data shows that millions of people use social media platforms every day, including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp, Instagram and LinkedIn. This makes social media a very favourable market for a lot of businesses.
There are many productive ways to connect with customers on social media. You can post pictures or videos about your products to gain awareness and drive sales. Also, you can communicate with both potential and existing customers about your business and foster good customer relationships.
Through these platforms, you can put up advertisements or sponsored posts to reach more people, thereby increasing sales.
Related: 5 Effective Content Formats To Boost Social Media Engagement
Develop a good website for your startup business.
In the digitalized world we are in, investing in a good and easy-to-navigate website is one way to improve your customer base. Having a good website and publishing relevant content can be a worthwhile investment for your startup business.
By optimizing site reach, you develop relationships with your market and increase your online visibility. This can also help you develop credibility among customers, making them trust your company and look forward to your products/services.
Engage in email marketing.
Email marketing is another proven way to attract customers to your business or company. This means you have to create a strong email list. To achieve this, you will have to develop an opt-in form on your business website where visitors can sign up to receive updates, promotions, and exclusive offers. Collecting email addresses during in-person interactions can be another helpful approach.
Once you have a list of subscribers, segment them based on preference, interest, or purchase history. This allows you to seamlessly tailor your email content to specific groups, thereby increasing the relevance of your message.
For instance, if you run a hairstyling business, you can send emails to your customers who have shown interest in a particular style and trend. Moreover, be consistent in your email schedules while maintaining a balance between promotional and informative content.
Explore your existing network.
While being on the lookout for new connections, endeavour to reach out to the network of people you already know. They could be your friends or acquaintances, colleagues, family, and even professional connections. Politely ask them to introduce you to people who might be interested in your products/services.
Notably, your focus at this point is not to close the deal but to look for early-stage sales exploration and sales engagement. If you get a lead from your customers, take your time to call them, listen and understand them better to know how to tailor your market.
Learn from competitors’ customers.
Interacting with people who have used or are currently using your competitor’s product might help you position your startup for increased patronage. This approach will help you discover how to develop your product to better suit the needs of customers.
In other words, the information from your competitor’s customers will enable you to strategize better to meet the market demand. However, don’t poach competitors’ customers as that is unethical and might bring you poor-quality customers.
Leverage online communities for your startup business
Search for and use relevant online communities to attract customers to your startup. Explore the forums where people are looking for products or services similar to yours or are raising issues that your products or services can provide a solution for. Some of these communities include Quora, Product Hunt, Reddit, etc.
Entice customers with discounts and incentives.
We all love a good deal on products, don’t we? Nonetheless, giving away discounted products may not appear as the most logical business plan for a startup business.
However, offering discounts on products can serve as an incentive to attract more customers. Therefore, you can consider offering introductory discounts for first-time customers or having special promos such as buy 2-get-1 free for the first three purchases.
You can also offer incentives to your existing customers to refer new customers. For example, giving existing customers $2 for every five referrals. While there is a chance this concept may bring your startup business more customers, it’s more important to offer quality services/products as the latter plays a more significant role.
Read Also: 6 Common Misconceptions About Online Selling You Should Know
Final thoughts
It takes more than just good products or services in this age to attract customers to your startup business. So, if you want to stand out from other competitors and become a successful entrepreneur, you need to go the extra mile by leveraging social media and online communities, developing a good website for your startup, engaging in email marketing and learning from competitors’ customers amongst other approaches.
Now that you’ve got some ideas to attract customers and grow your startup business, it’s time to step up your game. Wishing you the best in your endeavour.
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