2021 has been a hard year for many UK businesses. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many businesses have seen a steep decline in their sales. As we near the end of the year and 2022 lies ahead, many organisations are keen to attract new customers but they don’t know how.
We are here to help. In this article we will be sharing how businesses can attract more customers in 2022 and enjoy a more profitable year.
Share Your Knowledge and Expertise
A great way to attract new customers is to share what you know. We have all watched tutorials on Youtube or read ‘How to’ articles because these things help us solve a problem. What’s more, when the information is helpful and provides real value, it’s a source you will return to over and again.
As a business owner, you can attract returning customers by sharing your knowledge and expertise in the form of Instagram live videos, YouTube tutorials, blog posts and articles, guest posts, and photographs. There are numerous formats to choose from and they all help increase your brand authority, attract new customers and build customer loyalty so that your business can grow.
Maxine Bremner, Head of Content and Outreach at Hive19 shares, “when you provide valuable information, in the form of articles, guest posts, interviews, and more, you are providing value and establishing yourself as an industry expert. This tells your target audience that they can trust your business and is one of the best ways to reach new audiences, gain traction online and attract more customers.”
Offer Discounts to New Customers
How often have you been encouraged to buy from a company because of the discount they offer for new customers? We are all looking for great value and superb deals. So, offering discounts to new customers is a great way to boost your sales and increase brand awareness.
What’s more, offering discounts is an excellent strategy to encourage new customers to commit to a purchase when so many will be bouncing between stores, browsing the shelves. If you want to attract more customers, discounts are a great way to go.
Request Customer Reviews and Referrals
Did you know that one of the best strategies for attracting customers is actually the simplest? And that is asking for customer reviews and referrals. 9 out of 10 consumers worldwide read product or service reviews before making a purchase. This indicates that people care what their fellow consumers think. They have faith in the reviews and referrals of others. Harnessing this faith through your own customer reviews and referrals will help grow your audience and your business for long-term success.
As soon as you have earned a customer’s trust by delivering great products and services, you are in a great position to request reviews and referrals. However, you must be proactive. You can’t sit around waiting for them to share your brand on social media or bring their friends along to your shop, you have to take control.
A follow-up email, sent after a sale is made, can be a great way to make sure a customer is happy with their purchase. This offers you the chance to ask for a referral and request their review. You could even incentivise your request with money off their next purchase or the offer of a free thank you gift. Requesting customer reviews and referrals is one of the best ways to grow your business. It recommends your brand to others, increases your online authority, and cultivates trust between your customers and your business.
Build a Mobile Optimised Website
Businesses of all sizes need a website and with over half of the world’s population shopping online from mobile devices, that website needs to be optimised for mobile. The internet has made our world more connected than ever before. Shoppers no longer need to walk into brick-and-mortar stores. They can do all their shopping online from the comfort of their own home. It’s fact, it’s convenient, and it’s a better way to shop.
However, with so many of your customers now browsing for products and services online, your competition has dramatically expanded from just your local town to your competitors around the country and the world! If you want to stand out, you need a mobile optimised website. According to Google, 59% of shoppers say that being able to shop on mobile is important when deciding which brand or retailer to buy from.
The easier it is for customers to find your business, browse your products and services, and make a payment, the more customers your business will attract, both online and in-person. Prioritising a mobile optimised website will be one of the best ways you can attract more customers and grow your business in 2022.
Launch a Competition
Start the New Year off with a bang and launch a competition. Everybody loves taking part in competitions – especially if there is a great prize on offer. Competitions have a great sales impact on businesses and are a fantastic way to boost your customer base, grow your business, and attract new audiences.
According to Neal Schaffer, “when a contest is run effectively it is a great way to build a strong following. People might not know about a brand or a business until they have heard about it after their family, friends and social cliques share them – and a contest would definitely help them do just that.”
You can utilise social media to spread the word about your business. A great way to do this is to post a picture of the prize, explaining in the caption all about the competition and how to enter. In order to enter, customers should like, share, and comment on the post. This helps create traction and boost brand awareness by getting your business in front of new audiences. This creates a buzz of excitement and connects people with your business, spurring them on to find out more about your products and services.
Sign Up to Google My Business
Google My Business is a great platform to sign up to – particularly if you want to attract more customers. It is a tool that lists your business location on Google maps and in local search results, helping your customers find you.
When creating your Google My Business page, you can display all the important information about your business such as opening times, a link to your website, contact details, and more. Google My Business is free to use and is something we recommend small businesses prioritise if they want to attract more customers.
Final Words
The successful growth of your business depends, of course, on numerous factors. However, one of the most important is attracting and retaining customers. We hope this article has provided some useful suggestions and that it will allow you to grow your business effectively in 2022.
