Most small businesses lack sufficient resources for expensive marketing or advertising campaigns to increase their sales. You don’t need to spend vast sums of money on growing your client base. The following strategies can help you maintain an active pipeline and keep your customers coming back.
Focus on your existing customers
Anyone who has been your client once is an excellent candidate for an ongoing business relationship. Much of what it is necessary to grow a customer base involves vetting opportunities and converting prospects to buyers. Existing customers can be the low-hanging fruit that can help you increase your bottom line.
Seek Referrals
Asking existing customers for referrals is a great way to solidify your relationship with them and grow your business. If someone has had a good experience working with you, they will likely be happy to encourage their friends, family or colleagues to do the same. Most people feel comfortable buying from anyone that someone they trust recommends.
Know the Competition
When it comes to growing your business, you can’t live in a bubble. It is necessary to know who your competition is and be aware of the methods others use to attract customers. You can use this information to help you strategize what might work for you and what you want to avoid.
Be a Stand-Out
One of the best ways to increase your sales is to provide a service or product that others do not. Even if other businesses have similar offerings, try to focus on some aspect of the experience you offer that no one else can provide. You may find that people may be willing to pay more for this.
Develop a Social Media Presence
Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest have transformed business marketing strategies and can achieve positive results with minimal expense. Appealing visual social media campaigns can increase brand awareness by reaching large numbers of people who might otherwise not know you exist.
Form an Association
Just as people may feel more confident buying from a business that others recommend, they may also prefer to buy from one that works with another company or organization they support. By forming a collaboration with a more established business, or donating a portion of every sale to a popular cause, you can benefit from the goodwill and exposure the association can generate.
Increasing your sales doesn’t have to involve large expenditures of money if you plan and implement a thoughtful strategy.