When we were younger, we could make friends easily. Strike up a conversation, finding that common thread to connect us, and then we’d be friends. Unfortunately, it gets a bit tougher when we’re adults, and it’s even tougher when you’re a business looking to expand by gathering more partners and clients.
Ultimately, business relationships are still very much like friendship: it relies on a common interest or goal. However, the difference lies in the fact that there is more at stake. After all, it’s a business that deals with profits and returns and potentially the future of everyone involved. For customers, their perspective is that of advantage: what benefits will they gain from choosing your services over others?
There is no single way to expanding your client base. If there was, every company would be a brand name. But that’s not to say there isn’t a way, and below are some ideas to get you started.
Figure Out Your Target Segment
Assuming that a general approach to marketing and service offerings is an idea that looks good on paper but often fails in execution. Simply put, not everyone you market your services to needs it. This makes marketing drives less cost-efficient as your effort and resources can be better put on a demographic that is more likely to become paying customers. Beyond receiving more customers, however, knowing your target segment also means you can tailor your services to accommodate them better. You will be able to hone and improve your product so that its quality becomes highly competitive and eventually become a defining factor in your brand.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Feedback
Those who fail to learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them. This is a popular saying that’s often ascribed to life lessons, but businesses can learn well from this adage. Knowing where you went wrong allows you to learn from it so that it’s not repeated, and knowing where you succeeded means you can replicate it.
Feedback offers this: it gives valuable and irreplaceable information that can help you make crucial decisions. Companies of the highest caliber are there because they’re not afraid to ask for feedback and benefit from it. Take feedback from your clients seriously, note down any complaints and observe if it’s an isolated case or a recurring one. Doing so allows you to fine-tune your product to eventually perfect.
Reward Loyalty
The fact that your clients are staying says a lot about what your company has to offer. Rewarding loyalty helps build a good reputation, making your company more appealing to those who haven’t tried your services yet. Your company’s focus shouldn’t just be on how to get more customers, but also how to make existing clients stay. And to make them stay, you need to take care of them. Offering a mailing list that provides information on your company’s latest products and services, even sales and discounts, means a lot. A reliable customer service that remembers your clients is also part of it.
Maintain an Online Presence
Everyone nowadays has one or more social media account that they consistently check every day. Even major businesses have followed suit, with even Fortune 500 companies (even ones in the financial sector!) taking advantage of social media’s ability to disseminate information in real-time. Having a strong online presence benefits a company looking to expand as it functions as a hub for those interested to check out.
You can generate a lot of leads by simply having an online page where your information and brochure are located, and you can turn those leads into clients by having appealing content that embodies the strengths of your products. It also helps solidify your reputation as you’re essentially creating a line of communication: clients can message your social media account, and you can respond promptly, creating a lasting connection that could not be otherwise achieved.
Give a Unique Experience
Customers and clients will naturally gravitate towards your business when it provides an experience like no other. Companies like COSM provide an immersive experience that can only be achieved through their state-of-the-art equipment. Disneyland created the standard for theme parks. The Raspberry Pi Foundation jump-started a community of tech enthusiasts by providing a one-of-a-kind product. Think of what makes your services different, what makes it unique, and a different breed of its own. Although coming up with a unique idea might seem like a tall task, it’s nothing a little creativity and looking at the needs and wants of your market wouldn’t solve.
With these ideas in mind, you can ensure that your client pool can grow. That can also help your business achieve growth and success.
