Finding new customers to expand your client base is one of the most important parts of creating a successful business. Whether you work for an international corporation or a small business, expanding your customer base is an important job that shouldn’t be taken lightly. There are plenty of ways to do this. Read on to discover five ways you can start reaching more potential clients.
Amp Up Your Value
Image via Flickr by Didricks
Customers have certain expectations about the way businesses will work. Packages will be delivered in three to five business days. Waiters will stop by every once in a while to refill drinks. Purchases will be folded and placed in plastic bags. What makes a customer happier than anything is when businesses surpass their expectations. What if the package actually arrives in two days? What if the waiter refills the drink before the customer thinks about it? What if purchases are wrapped in brown paper and twine? Obviously, these are just examples, but placing more value on the small things in your business can pleasantly surprise your customers, which leads to them telling their friends, families, and colleagues, which in turn, leads to more business for you.
Encourage Referrals
The best way to get your business a bigger customer base is through referrals. It doesn’t matter if you have a $50,000 billboard if someone’s friend told them they didn’t like your service. If you’ve already got your current customer base hooked, consider incentivizing referrals. Whether it’s 10% off for both the referrer and the referred, or a little extra something when they come in, encouraging referrals will not only help expand your base, it’ll gain you more positive interactions with your customers. They like to know that you value their opinion and that you consider them important to your business, and encouraging referrals does just that.
Get Personal
This is especially effective for small business owners, but works just as well for big corporations. Getting personal with your customers will go really far in securing a happy client base, which leads to more word-of-mouth advertisement for you. This can be accomplished through a handwritten note tucked into their purchase thanking them for their business, or a personalized postcard reaching out on holidays, apologizing for an issue, or letting them know you appreciate their continuing support. If customers feel like your business really cares about them, they’re far more likely to tell their friends and family, and to increase their business with you.
Contract Out
Whether you’re a small business owner or a corporate CEO, you know advertising is important, but difficult. If you’re struggling with marketing, consider hiring independent contractors to help keep your marketing efforts on point. This is an approach used by Amway and other major corporations who use these contractors for their marketing, not only to their current client base but also to the community at large, so they can keep expanding.
Get Online
This is perhaps the most valuable tip, and the one that will go the longest way with your customers, who are going online to find information about businesses more than ever. Whether you set up a Twitter, Instagram, Blog, or Facebook page, keeping your pages regularly updated with information about your business is a great way to encourage clients to choose you, and the personal interactions these sites allow also means you can talk to your customers and answer their questions in real time. It can also be a helpful way to announce exciting happenings, changes, or events your business is involved in, keeping your customers informed about such things as sales and special promotions. And because you have established a regular presence online, you’re more likely to expand your customer base than a business who has no information on any social media sites, or only uses traditional, outdated methods of communicating with customers.
Using any or all of the above tips will help you expand your client base, as well as keep your current one happy and coming back.
Featured image credit: ShutterStock
