(ThyBlackMan.com) Even if you offer the best product in the world or have exceptional customer service, you won’t be able to lure new customers without adding some marketing ingenuity to the mix. Marketing methods to draw prospective customers to your doors help you keep your sales pipeline full at all times of the year. Here are five different ways you can lure customers, whether you’re experiencing a dry spell or simply wanting to promote a new, unknown product to the marketplace.
How to Hustle The Smart Way
You don’t have to stand on a street corner, flagging down people, to get them interested in your products and services. Most entrepreneurs don’t have time for that anyway. The key to hustling
for new business the smart way is to integrate these types of marketing ploys into your regular business activities. Here’s how.
1. Free Introductory Offer – You probably already have a website, so why not include a free introductory offer on it? If you want to emphasize your location, why not give away a promotional usb Sydney and your business name added to it. If you use an infoproduct or a free coupon offer, you can even tie to an autoresponder to deliver it, even if you’re snug in your bed when the order comes in. This serves two purposes, it gets you an instant email marketing lead. It also serves to introduce your business with their expressed consent.
2. Host-Beneficiary Arrangements – Why not ramp up the free offer method a bit more? You can use a host-beneficiary partnership to target a free offer to someone else’s business clientele that has a complementary offering to your business. For instance, if you’re a baker, offer a free cupcake coupon to the members of your local PTA to be handed out at the PTA meetings by the person in charge. This not only pre-qualifies your potential customers (who are definitely going to have a need for cupcakes in the future), but you also get a great reputation by being promoted by the PTA and serving your community.
3. Leverage Coupon Sites – Who hasn’t heard of Groupon or LivingSocial? These coupon sites are great for bargain hunters, but also for businesses trying to lure new customers. Just be careful not to give the store away! However, a carefully planned coupon offer can flood your business with new customers overnight, so be sure you can handle the demand you foresee.
4. Host Events – This may seem like it only works for physical stores, like cafes that host book club readings. However, you can host a virtual event online and it can provide you with a massive new customer list, as long as you force the signup for attendance. An online event can consist of an expert panel, a question and answer period, or a class or seminar. To sweeten the deal, offer a raffle to give away something at the end of the event to one or more lucky winners!
5. Psych Out Prospective Customers – There is no substitute for good, old-fashioned, marketing psychology. Fashion content that works. If scarcity is a trigger, make sure to hit on that one with a time-limited offer. If you are dealing with upper-end clients, being part of an exclusive group, either via membership or status symbol products and services, is the way to go. These triggers cause them to act right away, instead of waiting to sign as a new customer later on.
To be successful, learn to integrate new customer offers in with your regular business activities at different times of the year.
Staff Writer; Gabrielle Williams