The most challenging part of any startup journey is to sustain into high competitive market by acquiring new customer consistently, here we would be discussing about 7 basic steps to acquire more customer for your startup.
How to acquire more customer?
Know your customer (KYC)
In these competitive times where startups are evolving each day, it is a challenge to cope-up with rising competition and ever-rising customer demands. However, knowing your prospective customer before a meeting is a tested strategy that can provide you positive results. Certain important things to know are the age of your prospective client, their hobbies, favorite books, events they attend or follow, blogs they read or write, their social media activities etc.. This is an initial way that will help you impress your prospective customer in your first meeting.
High-quality content marketing that drives SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
High-quality content that describes your startup in a way that is robust and is unique as compared to your competition is the key in today’s generation, creating an eBook or marketing collateral for your business model can help you strategize your business goals and align your staff with the vision of your startup. Such quality of content helps to drive organic traffic through SEO. It is also advisable to hire a specialist content writer to frame your business offerings that can lead to customer acquisition.
Create a strong network of professionals on your Linkedin, Facebook, and other social media platforms. Linkedin is one of the best professional networks to leverage lead generation. By creating a Linkedin group you get a whole community of people you have access to by InMail and through posted content. You can interact with the entire group and also get connected to their connections that might be of interest.
Publish whitepapers, newsletters, and thought leadership related to your startup to educate your existing clients and prospects. Today the social media platforms are accessible on almost every handheld device. Thought leadership, newsletters, and whitepapers can also help attract potential customers and is a good acquisition strategy that also adds goodwill to your business.
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Client testimonials and case studies; a good way to showcase your abilities
Products and services that you tend to offer in your startup don’t speak for it, there must be an effort from your side to explain the concept to your prospects. Testimonials from existing clients add an advantage to showcase your good services to your prospects. Testimonials tell a story about your startup journey and what your existing clients think about your business and your vision.
Case studies on the other hand help you showcase a real-time scenario of how you helped a client meet their challenges and met their expectations in a way that is number driven and crisp. Case studies are known to be a strong selling tool for any business. To name a few startup businesses Flipkart, Paytm, HubSpot, Bigbasket, and many others have showcased their business success through case studies. This strategy helps you walk through your prospective clients with your accomplishments.
Leverage good relationship from existing customers and seek customer feedback constantly
Satisfying existing customers is the key to acquiring more customers. If your existing customers are delighted by your services then you should not hesitate for referrals. It has been proven by several studies in the past and present that businesses get more customers through referrals as compared to self-marketing strategy.
Seeking feedback is very important for your startup to grow as your existing customers are the key; there are several ways through which you can seek feedback. NPS (Net Promoter Score) is a well-known concept through which companies worldwide seek customer feedback. A face to face session with your customer is another way to gain feedback and that is advisable for startups in such a competitive environment.
Socializing and the importance of Whatsapp application for customer acquisition
Meeting your friends circle often can provide you with potential leads. The objective should not be just to sell your idea but to express yourself in your friend’s circle. Probably, you may get fruitful advice that can help you strengthen your business concept. It is also recommended that you learn about other business ideas and implement the best practices that they adopt. Another useful platform to socialize is Whatsapp – A powerful communication tool. Whatsapp is the best tool to promote your business strategies and thereby acquiring customers. It is free to use and almost every entrepreneur use it in their day to day life for business and personal reasons.
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Participate and speak at events; inspire and interact
Being a public speaker makes you popular and is a platform for you to express your business ideas. You must be crisp and to the point as at an event your audience would be interested in your thoughts. It is a proven fact that post the speech at the event you would be approached by interested individuals for further information. That is the time to win your prospective customers by impressing them further. Exchanging visiting cards is another important aspect to keep in mind as it is a channel to follow-up with your prospective customers in the future.
An inspirational quote for all the startup aspiring entrepreneurs
“Starting your own business is like riding a roller coaster. There are highs and lows and every turn you take is another twist. The lows are really low, but the highs can be really high. You have to be strong, keep your stomach tight, and ride along with the rollr coaster that you started.“–Lindsay Manseau, photographer, and entrepreneur
Conclusion
Adopting the above-mentioned customer acquisition strategies must help your startup to meet your goals. It is very important to closely track all your business meetings and be responsive always to your customers. Your startup needs not to spend a huge amount of money. In fact, a smart approach is a key, building relations with clients, and socializing is the key to win the battle. Any three to four above mentioned strategies, when implemented with caution and confidence, should bring positive business results.
