Most new solopreneurs don’t have a pile of money to spend to attract more customers without advertising. If you’re starting your business on a shoestring budget, finding the people who want to buy your products or services can be a challenge.. But don't worry! There are plenty of ways to attract new customers without relying on traditional advertising methods. Here are some tips to help you reach your target audience and grow your business.
Offer excellent customer service
One of the best ways to attract new customers is by providing excellent customer service to the ones you already have. This can include responding to customer inquiries and complaints in a timely and professional manner, and going above and beyond to ensure that your customers are satisfied with the product or service you provide. It also means collecting contact information, such as their email addresses, to reach out and remind them how you can serve them throughout the year. For more information about how this work, check out our free “What Exceptional Customer Service Can Do For Your Business” report.
Network with other businesses
Building relationships with other businesses in your industry can help you attract new customers. Consider attending networking events, participating in local trade shows, or partnering with other businesses to offer joint promotions or services. The key here is to find complementary businesses that you can partner with to better serve your mutual customers’ needs. For example, when I started my first web hosting company, I partnered with web designers who provided the cute, babyish design styles my customers were looking for while I provided the excellent web hosting services they needed.
Optimize your website
Your website is often the first point of contact that potential customers have with your business, so make sure it's optimized for maximum impact. This can include using keywords that are relevant to your industry, having a clean and professional design, and making sure your site is mobile-friendly. If you’d like to learn more about how to optimize your website for the search engines, check out our SEO Power Up course.
Leverage social media
Social media can be a powerful tool for attracting new customers. Make sure to have a strong presence on platforms that are relevant to your industry and target audience. While some small business coaches may suggest you consider running targeted ads to reach potential customers, I’m going to tell you to skip this step. After losing my Facebook and Instagram accounts to hacking, and getting absolutely no help from Meta, I suggest you do not share your financial information with social media organizations. Instead, focus your efforts on attracting customers through groups and funneling them back to your site and your email list. My trusted mentor Cindy Bidar has a few ideas she’d like to share with you about building your funnel.
Ask for referrals
Word-of-mouth is one of the most effective ways to attract new customers. Encourage your existing customers to refer their friends and family to your business by offering incentives such as discounts or free services. Naturally though, if you’re really good at what you do, people will tell each other about it. When you find those people who are telling everyone you know about your product or service, take very good care of them. This is why I started my first affiliate program. When one of my web design partners would refer a web hosting customer to me, I’d send my partner a 10 percent commission on the monthly payment. At one point, that 10 percent equaled $300 a month for just one partner! If you’re interested in starting your own affiliate marketing program, check out Cindy’s affiliate marketing success course.
Offer promotions and discounts
Running promotions and offering discounts can be a great way to attract new customers. Just make sure to choose promotions and discounts that are relevant to your business and target audience. That said, I’d be careful about training your customers to only wait for a promotion or discount to order, particularly if you’re selling a luxury or high ticket item. However, if you’re selling something like PLR or online courses, and you’re serving a DIY market, this strategy may work well. Just take your costs into account when you setting your discounted or promotional prices.
As you can see, attracting new customers doesn't always require expensive advertising campaigns. By using one or more of these strategies, you can grow your customer base and take your business to the next level.
