Growing a business is challenging today, with the economy changing quickly and companies being forced to adapt quickly to changes in customer habits. Many businesses choose to focus on their existing loyal customers and miss out on the opportunity to grow their base exponentially.
However, savvy businesses are embracing new techniques and modern technology. It’s not that there are fewer customers to win over, it’s that many businesses are missing opportunities to reach new corners of the market. Here are five ways you can raise your profile and bring in new customers who will take your business to the next level.
1. Use Social Media
If you’re missing out on a market of billions when it comes to promoting your business, what are you doing? Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are the busiest on the internet, and countless people spend hours a day browsing them. This is a great opportunity to get information about your product across to a huge audience.
Not only will marketing on social media help with promotion, but it’s a fantastic opportunity for networking. It’s easy to meet potential partners and communicate with clients to answer their questions or concerns. Social media is popular with all ages, but finding the right site based on demographics and content can make marketing there far more effective.
2. Embrace Automation
You don’t have to put all the work personally into hosting events to raise your brand awareness. An online conference or promotion put together with the proper online webinar tools can reach an audience around the world. Not only that, but you can automate much of the process and have the program available online for people to discover it at a later date.
Automation is the key to getting the best results for the minimum effort. If your employees are spending time manually processing orders while they could be fielding customer service calls, you may want to invest in a better online shopping portal. The goal of automation should be to outsource repetitive tasks to a program so your team can focus on high-value work.
3. Retarget
Are you missing out on opportunities when it comes to your marketing efforts? If you’re targeting only a narrow slice of your market you know is enthusiastic, it might be time to broaden your efforts with targeted promotions. Look into who can benefit your business and who isn’t buying, and it may be worth diversifying your marketing efforts to reach out.
Sometimes you don’t have all the information when you start, so make sure to do polls and market research to find out what the clientele you’re targeting wants. They may be using different platforms or tools and not getting the content you’re promoting. You can only reach a new audience if they’re aware of what you’re offering, so don’t be afraid to change things up.
4. Influencer Reach
No matter how well you promote your company, you might not have the reach of the internet’s biggest influencers. That’s why it’s important to try to make their reach yours. Find influencers you can trust and contact them to see if they’d be interested in a partnership or a cross-promotion. Make sure to research them to find out which products they’ve promoted in the past.
Once you have a deal, there are multiple ways to make this partnership work for you. If you have a blog on your website, a column from an influencer can go a long way in driving traffic. If they’re based on a specific social media platform, a video there trying or reviewing your product might be ideal. It may take a while to find the right influencer, so sending out automated emails with a personally written draft may be the most time-efficient way.
5. Use Facebook Ads
Creating an ad campaign can be tricky, but Facebook ads are one of the most affordable methods. Not only are you reaching a massive audience, but you can target a specific audience and make sure you’re seen on relevant pages and groups.
Keeping and growing your audience is much easier when you can keep yourself in the public eye, even when they’re browsing a competitor’s page. While other sites may be more suited to your customer base, it’s worth the investment to keep a presence on Facebook for visibility alone.
Eye on Growth
Keeping your existing customers is important, but growing your base is how you stand out in the market. This is the perfect time to try to reach out to a new audience and boost your profile. The best way is to understand what they want, and figure out how your company can give it to them.