How to Attract More Customers for Your Business

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Whether you’re a sole trading personal trainer or a larger computer repair shop, if you want to grow and build your business, you’ll need to attract new customers and keep them coming back for more.

Effectively marketing and positioning your business is one way to grow your brand and your business. Here are some great ways you can start marketing your business more effectively, to draw customers towards you.

What is marketing?

Marketing is a strategic mix of activities that aims to build your business’s brand. Having a strong brand helps potential customers easily identify your business and connect with it.

If you have a logo, a slogan or a website you’re already using marketing in your business, but marketing is about more than just fancy logos and glossy brochures.

Marketing is also about how your business is positioned in the market (e.g. are you a budget provider or a high-end shop?), the products and services you sell (e.g. what do you sell? How is it packaged?) and your customers (are they budget-conscious shoppers?).

To learn more about marketing, check out our marketing business topic and 5 Ps of marketing page.

A marketing plan can help you think about what you need to do to effectively market your business to customers and keep your business moving forward.

Some examples of things that you should include in your marketing plan are:

• who your target customer is
• your pricing model
• your advertising plan.

Go online

With the internet and social media at our fingertips, going online can be a fantastic way to market to your business. To market your goods or services online and strengthen your business brand, you could:

• Create a website for your business
  From online sales, to articles about your products and company contact information, having a website that details your goods and services is a great way to keep your customers up to date. A good website provides your customers with interesting and relevant information that keeps them coming back for more.
• Use social media
  Using services like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram can help you to engage with your customers in a more relaxed and friendly way. Linking to your website in social media can be a great way to increase web visits and generate interest in your products and services.

Advertise your business

Paid advertising can play a big part in your overall marketing strategy. It’s the part of the plan which involves getting your product or service seen by your potential customers. There are many things you’ll need to consider when advertising your business, including:

• Your target customer
  If you’ve been in business for a while, you should have a pretty good understanding of who your target customers are. These are the people who you expect will buy the majority of your products and services. If you’re not quite sure who your target customers are then it’s a good idea to have a look at who is currently buying your products and services and find ways to make sure your advertising is reaching them.
• Where to advertise
  How do your customers normally find you? Through the internet, social media, word of mouth, flyer, ad in a publication, online, on radio or TV? Find out how your current customers find you and use this knowledge to your advantage by targeting these areas.
• Your budget
  Advertising can be expensive. Make sure to pick options that will give you the best bang for your buck, while still reaching your target customers. Remember, the cheapest option is not always the best option! The best option will be whatever is most effective for your business. Some budget friendly advertising options include flyers, posters, social media and newsletters.