Heading into the new year, you want to start off strong and attract new customers to continue growing your business. Acquiring new customers isn’t limited to a larger marketing budget although that plays a critical role too. Read the following tips on how to attract new business in the new year as a small or medium business:
Humanize Your Business
A customer becomes loyal to your brand when he feels more connected or passionate about it. The quickest way to encourage customers to resonate with your brand is humanization. Let people in on who you are and what you stand for through your social media accounts and interactions with customers.
Don’t be afraid to show your personality, as long as you remain respectful. You can still be professional while presenting yourself as an individual who cares about more than business. When sending an email or replying to a comment on your blog, try throwing a smiley face in when appropriate. It helps humanize your business as well.
Use Business Credit
If you’re low on extra money to invest in your business, consider using business credit to foster growth in the new year. You can find some good deals that benefit both you and the lender. For example, Business Credit and Capital allows you to use the loaned money without restrictions even with a low credit score. They deduct a small percentage from your sales in exchange for giving you the money upfront. The Business Credit and Capital team were small business owners too, so they are more perceptive to the needs and struggles of small businesses.
Reach Out to Customers Individually
Customers are more drawn to your business when you make them feel like individuals. Ways to reach out to customers individually include addressing them by their names when possible, wishing them a happy birthday, and remembering their preferences. These actions make customers feel important and valued.
To remember customer preferences, use customer relationship management software in addition to your memory. When you show customers that you remember little details about them, they will naturally feel important. How do you show customers you pay attention to their preferences? One way is to create an incentives or rewards program based on those preferences and invite them to join.
Treat Your Employees Well
Attracting new business doesn’t rest solely on your shoulders. Employees play a critical role in growing your customer base as well. If an employee doesn’t deliver good customer service, the customer will associate that with your brand and most likely never return. Therefore, you want to do everything possible to ensure employees are consistently working at their best. Treat your employees well and they will value the work they do for you. People are more productive when they are in a healthy work environment and enjoy the tasks they complete.
Let Go of the Irate Customers that Cannot Be Pleased
Assuming an employee is doing his job well, always have his back when a particularly disrespectful and unreasonable customer comes along. Don’t live by the motto “the customer is always right” because a good employee is more valuable than a truly overboard customer. Accept the lost sale or customer and look forward to new customers. The employee will feel happy you didn’t wrongly sacrifice him and thus continue to perform well.
Minimize Risk for the Customer
The more you minimize risk for the customer, the more likely he will be to buy. Examples of reducing risk include offering warranties, full refunds, and free replacements. Consumers worry about making a wrong purchase decision, receiving a defective product, and losing out on a better deal elsewhere. A business that has a no-refund policy is far more risky and anxiety-inducing to a consumer than one that offers full refunds within 30 days of the purchase.
Start the new year strong by implementing these techniques for attracting new customers while keeping the ones you already have. Although it may be tempting to cut your business expenses, this isn’t recommended because it will stunt your growth. If you look at the spreadsheets of many big businesses, they put more money into their business every year. Without an investment, you cannot have impressive growth. Consider using business credit if you don’t have the funds to invest more money in your business than the previous year.