For many, business or entrepreneurship is a game of numbers. This refers to numbers in the form of customers, revenue, and so forth. When all things are considered, the foundation for a business or entrepreneurial success is the customers. You need to be able to lure, get them to buy, retain them, and have them draw in others. No matter how great your business or startup looks, it will be pointless if you are struggling to get customers. In objective terms, customer retention is the most cardinal thing. However, today our discussion is on how to attract new customers – that is where it all starts after all.

Giveaways And Promotions

It is no secret in Zimbabwe that most people want something free or cheap. No wonder, even in politics, these attributes are capitalized on. In business or entrepreneurship, you can capitalize on them too. Since people mostly want freebies, conduct giveaways. These days on social media, giveaways are common, which speaks to how effective they are. You can conduct online contests that involve participants tagging friends or inviting friends to like your brand’s platforms. The catch will be one or more participants winning something. This creates a drive in people to share with others, thus spreading the word about your brand. Many people know about your brand and even become your customers. The same goes for promotions where the catch will be for people to buy things cheaper. Well-structured and timed giveaways or promotions will draw new customers to your brand.

Study Your Competitors And Fill The Gaps

No competitor can ever be perfect in business or entrepreneurship. There will always be some areas where they are lacking. Obviously, their areas of strength are for your emulation. More importantly, take note of their weaknesses. Once you do that, you come up with ways to do or provide better. That alone can draw new customers to you effortlessly. It can be cheaper prices, a more comprehensive product or service range, better payment terms, and so on. Find out the pain points of your competitors’ customers and provide solutions. You have many sources where you can find detailed information about your competitors. Fill in the gaps and take advantage of the loopholes to lure new customers.

Consider Business Partnerships, Joint Ventures, Or Strategic Alliances

Collaboration can be so game-changing in business. Yes, competition seems to be the norm, but there is more to be benefited from collaborating. That is why influencer marketing is such a gem in modern-day business and entrepreneurship. Just by collaborating with an influencer, you can easily tap into their large following. Your chances of scoring new customers will be high. The same applies to collaborating with other businesses or startups. You stand to tap into their customer pool, where you will score some new customers. Collaboration is one of the fastest ways to tap into pools where you can get new customers.

Ever Heard Of Direct Response Marketing? You Need It!

In Zimbabwe, I have noticed most people simply advertise or market and end there. It is akin to just making an announcement, and they believe they are done. Did the audience get the message, and what are their thoughts? How will you know? That is why direct response marketing is imperative. Direct response marketing is a marketing approach where you include a direct call to action (CTA). This is a CTA that will ultimately make your audience do something to make them customers. For example, a CTA can be for someone to sign up, send a message, call, and so on. The response rate will provide invaluable insights for future strategies. Those who do respond positively will constitute your prospects. That way, your marketing becomes engaging, not just a one-way street where you leave everything to chance.

Build As Much Social Proof As Possible – Especially Online

These days customers base their purchase decisions mostly on what others say. Have others been buying what you are saying? If so or not, what are they saying about your products or services? They would rather hear it from them, not you. That is why social proofs are vital nowadays. This requires you to elicit feedback from your customers in the form of things like online ratings, testimonials, reviews, and the like. Make these visible on your online platforms, e.g. your website and social media accounts. One good example of a Zimbabwean brand doing this is The Daily Sale Shop. You can even go as far as putting up physical, social proof, e.g. on fliers, banners, billboards, or posters. This will boost your brand image and attract new customers.

Concert Your Efforts On Channels With a High Likelihood Of New Customer Inflows

This should be informed by doing some research to find out where you will most likely find new customers. There are many platforms, and you cannot practically target all of them. You need to zone in on the ones where you know the chances are high. For example, on social media, should it be on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? Should I organize in-person outdoors events to attract them? Maybe I should figure out how to put together an email list and use email marketing. Is it probably radio or television where I can best find them; so maybe I should advertise there? You have to do your homework and then concentrate your efforts on the best channels. Though, of course, the idea is to market via multiple channels, you should figure out the best.

These are sure ways to attract new customers to your brand in Zimbabwe. These are ways you can all use in unison and virtually daily. Efforts to draw new customers must never be periodic or seasonal; they should always be ongoing. Do not forget that getting new customers would be meaningless if you do not retain them. Both aspects are important and complement each other.