5 Methods to Get New Customers
So many people come to me saying that their primary issue is getting new customers, I wanted to share five ideas you can use right now to attract new buyers to your business.
Get New Customers for Free
OK first of all, nothing is actually free. But these methods don’t cost ad spend to push out to the world. They cost in time and effort, and in whatever tools you use to create them…
ONE
Use Social Media to Get New Customers
Social media posting is also a science in another itself so you do need to know what you’re doing you do need to get it right.
One example of this is that the posts on your Facebook page work in concert with your paid ad account. So you really do need to know what you’re doing when it comes to running paid ads as well as social posts on your Facebook page. But the basic formula is to publish three to five non-commercial posts to every commercial post. Using this ratio I’ve found lower ad costs (and frankly better overall efficiency) in the paid account.
I did a deep dive a while back on two accounts — one with terrible business page activities and one with excellent posts and timing.
You can do some really good business with just social media posting. Some people refer to this as organic posting. Always make sure that you’re not just drumming sales on your Facebook page. It’s really important to be human.
You can rotate your topics so that you’re sometimes talking about fun things sometimes talking about your dog sometimes talking about items in the store sometimes talking about vendors sometimes being relatable to your customers, sometimes promoting items for sale…
Don’t just post a picture of a different item every day and talk about how it’s for sale. Yawn.
TWO
Get New Customers with Referrals
Always ask customers and friends of your store for referrals.
Make it a practice always to get your customers’ email addresses at checkout. And then of practice is always too send emails asking for referrals after that sale. Don’t be silly about this. Make it fun. Ask them to bring their friends to the next sale event. Or any event for that matter.
The closer to the sale you ask for what you want, the higher the chance you’ll get it. How can you script your cashiers to ask for referrals when they are checking out customers?
THREE
Use Joint Ventures to Get New Customers
Joint ventures are doing business with people who already have your list. Think of someone who does business with your people that sells them something else (non-competing sales). How can you work together to sell more of what you sell to this joint non-competitor in your space?
For example, clothing sellers can do joint ventures with restaurants. Restaurants can do joint ventures with movie theaters.
These arrangements can be as simple as each business sharing offer cards in each other’s stores.
But you don’t have to have a brick and mortar location. Nor do both businesses have to exist online or offline.
An online pet supply store can offer to put coupons in veterinarians’ offices. The veterinarians in return, can be listed in a regional or national directory on the pet supplier’s site.
The next two items on the list may cost money up front (not always), but when done efficiently, you can get all of the new customers you can handle.
FOUR
Use Paid Traffic to Get New Customers (online)
Using social media ads that reach your targeted audiences.
Facebook has some of the best targeting available. Facebook owns Instagram, so the targeting is good for both channels.
I could write an entire book about how to run paid ads. But what will focus on for the purposes of this article will be just the fact that running paid ads gives you access to markets and audiences that you would not normally access in your local area.
Another Kind of Paid Traffic
One of my first successful marketing projects was a hybrid offline / online project. I bought a mailing list. I mailed letters… with stamps. Didn’t have a kitchen table for a week. After a few months I’d doubled my annual salary it worked so well. Basically the numbers were COGS (cost of goods sold): $50. AOV for that project was $2500. I learned a ton in that project and it was an off-the-charts success. So I felt I’d made up for some past failures, which was nice.
FIVE
Use Outbound Sales to Get New Customers
Back when I was in real estate I used to make cold calls to drum up business. I was on the phone for three hours a day, cold calling home owners. I was top listing agent in the board from year one of my time in real estate using this method.
This kind of outbound sales I used in real estate is different from most retail models of selling, but you can use outbound sales too.
My aim as a real estate agent was to build a huge listing inventory so other agents could sell the listings. I counted a “conversion” as a new listing. Listings were my inventory. Other agents were my sales team.
Depending on your business, you can do the same.
Outbound sales work for business to business (B2B) or business to consumer (B2C, also called DTC, direct to consumer).
Brick and mortar retailer (let’s say it’s a bicycle shop, for our example). Outbound sales for this business model could
Online retailer. No matter how you source your products (overseas or domestic), no matter the business model you’re using (distributor, drop shipper, private label or other)… you can use outbound sales to get new customers.
Let’s say you’re selling a health supplement. Sure, you’re relying on your website to make sales. But what if you built relationships with fitness clubs, spas, or health care providers to be a sales team for you? Make your outbound their inbound.
Use these five ideas in your business. Frankly if you use one properly you can make a ton of money. Use all five? Millions. I’ve seen it and done it.
Retail store owners! Want more methods? Want more success? Join the free Facebook Group built just for you: Traffic Handlers has your answers.