3 Low Cost Ways to Reach New Customers
By Andrew Patricio
October 16, 2017
Small Business & Entrepreneurship
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Customer acquisition is critical for businesses to survey. And while getting new customers is costlier than retaining existing customers, it doesn’t have to be cost-prohibitive. So let’s look at three low cost ways for your small business to reach new customers.
If you’re looking to reach new customers in a short period of time, a contest might be just what you need. Run a social media contest, eliciting the support of key influencers, and give away a core product or service that you offer. Over the course of the contest you won’t just get tons of new email addresses to nurture into customers, but you’ll be able to advertise key products and services to an even larger audience.
This tactic is a pretty clever way to reach new B2B customers. But it does take a bit of time. The idea is to engage your target audience with a survey and then continue to nurture them towards becoming hot leads.
If you have a local shop, or a booth at a tradeshow, don’t discount the power of good old guerilla marketing! Advertising your shop with fliers or removable stickers attached to the cars parked at a nearby beach or concert. Promote your booth on sidewalks outside the event with removable chalk. Hand out coupons promoting your 30-minute trim to busy lunch goers. Look around the neighborhood and you’ll find plenty of opportunities to get your message into the hands of local customers.
Acquiring new customers with low-cost tactics is critical for small businesses like yours, but don’t overlook the most low-cost customer, the one you already have!
- Run a Contest
If you’re looking to reach new customers in a short period of time, a contest might be just what you need. Run a social media contest, eliciting the support of key influencers, and give away a core product or service that you offer. Over the course of the contest you won’t just get tons of new email addresses to nurture into customers, but you’ll be able to advertise key products and services to an even larger audience.
- Survey to Sell
This tactic is a pretty clever way to reach new B2B customers. But it does take a bit of time. The idea is to engage your target audience with a survey and then continue to nurture them towards becoming hot leads.
- First, identify the target audience you want to engage. This should be your ideal customer, the role who makes the ultimate purchasing decision.
- Second, develop questions you want to ask this target audience. This is easy since chances are, you are in need of VOC (voice-of-customer) to help guide your offerings or marketing.
- Third, conduct the survey. You’d be surprised how many people will talk to you if you’re doing “research” but you may need to hire an outside firm.
- Fourth, engage participants with relevant content like: the results of the survey, high-level thought leadership around its key themes, how you help companies address these key themes, etc. Use content to lead targets through your marketing funnel until they are ready to speak to someone about the services you offer.
- Guerilla Marketing
If you have a local shop, or a booth at a tradeshow, don’t discount the power of good old guerilla marketing! Advertising your shop with fliers or removable stickers attached to the cars parked at a nearby beach or concert. Promote your booth on sidewalks outside the event with removable chalk. Hand out coupons promoting your 30-minute trim to busy lunch goers. Look around the neighborhood and you’ll find plenty of opportunities to get your message into the hands of local customers.
Acquiring new customers with low-cost tactics is critical for small businesses like yours, but don’t overlook the most low-cost customer, the one you already have!