The Step-by-Step Guide When You Need More Customers

Given the challenges of the last 12-15 months, it should surprise no one that plenty of businesses need more customers. Folks have been operating from home & utilizing the convenience of click-shopping, well, everything. A number of businesses shifted hard into the online world, bringing in enough revenue to keep the doors open, even if only by the skin of their teeth. Now that things are opening up, these same businesses are wondering two things: 1) will their online customers stick with the convenience of a virtual storefront? and 2) how will they get new customers in the door (virtual or otherwise)?

It’s a tale as old as time when it comes to business. No matter how well things are going, there always seems to be a push to get one’s product/service into a new set of hands. But how do you get a new customer’s attention? There is an untold amount of saturation in just about every market, making it tougher to stand out from the competition. In the face of those kinds of odds, is it even possible to snag new customers & if so, at what cost?

If gaining new customers is something you’re struggling with, here’s a little guide to help bring things into focus:

Who Are Your ‘Old’ Customers?

You may not realize it, but your established customer base is a wealth of knowledge from which to mine. Look back at the campaigns that were the most successful & brought in the most customers. What things did they have in common? What were the highlights? Even more important to remember, though, is that in your quest for new customers, it’s important to not forget those that came before. Keeping them happy is vital for word-of-mouth networking, a key way to get the new customers you crave.

Gauging What’s NOT Working

It’s really easy to get caught up in “killin’ it” (as the kids would say) with the success of your product/service. Revenue is up, returns on investments made to your business are paying off in a big way, and you’re loving the financial freedom you’re experiencing in the moment. But are you trying to find out why there are sometimes dips in performance? What campaigns are belly-up? At some points, the good times will stop rolling, leaving you to figure out where to go next. This takes some introspective work.

Reassess Your Audience

If your current ideal customer base isn’t giving you the numbers they once were, it might mean that your audience has changed. Populations are dynamic entities. Assuming they’ll never change will doom you from the start.

Verify Branding & Company Messaging

Companies are a lot like sports teams. When they’re moving as one cohesive unit, they can’t be beat. But if the coaching staff has lost the locker room & premier players no longer have the ear of their peers, it all falls apart. You need to take the time to get all of your teams (e.g., sales, marketing, advertising) on the same page. You may not realize it, but when a company seems at odds with itself, the public notices really fast.

It’s a hard truth to accept, but when businesses need more customers, it’s usually a sign that something isn’t right somewhere. That said, the most successful enterprises know that if there’s a snag in the way they’re doing things, the right thing to do is to take a deep breath & get a handle on the root cause of problems. Needing new customers is par for the course when you’re in business, but having the wherewithal to admit you’ve got problems that need fixing? That’s tough to do. However, acknowledging this need goes a long way in getting to where you want to be.

Need more customers? It might be time to work with the pros at MindEcology, an Austin advertising agency setting standards for excellence in all things business.