A strong Customer acquisition strategy, or the lack of, can determine the success of your business. It’s absolutely critical for you, as a business owner to develop a sound customer acquisition strategy to increase the likelihood of business success
The problem is that with so much technology, so many possibilities that we, as business owners can often feel spread too thin. How on the world are we supposed to market our business across so many different platforms while at the same time ensuring our current client base gets the best possible experience? It can be overwhelming at times.
To help facilitate the process, and ensure it’s effectiveness, it’s critical you take the time to develop a customer acquisition strategy uniquely tailored to your business goals.
By the end of this article, you’ll be able to develop a customer acquisition strategy so detailed that you’ll have a detailed road map that will accelerate your business’ growth
What Is Customer Acquisition?
Customer Acquisition is the process is attaining a new customer for your business.
Customer Acquisition Strategies
The following are independent customer acquisition strategies that can also be thought of as marketing campaigns designed to help you achieve your business goals.
Before You Start Any Customer Acquisition Campaign Consider The Following
To make proper use of the marketing strategies outlined below it’s imperative you understand your potential customer’s demographics.
Take a few moments to understand your potential customer’s demographics, it’ll help you determine which of the following strategies apply the best to you.
SEO
First up is our favorite here at JetRank, Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
SEO is a customer Acquisition strategy that can have an exponential return on investment ROI when done right.
SEO is the process of ranking a website higher on the search results for specific keywords with the intent of bringing in more leads for your business or increasing brand awareness.
SEO can benefit practically any business. From local service providers to brands that market worldwide, more likely than not people are searching for your product or service online and you can market to them when they look for you. If you want to learn digital marketing you’ll need to be sure to get a solid grasp over SEO best practices.
Google Guaranteed (local service providers only)
Google Guaranteed is a relatively new feature designed to provide local service providers with leads. At the time of writing the minimum ad spend to advertise with this program is $105 per week. (This might vary depending on your service and city)
What’s great about the Google Guaranteed program is that it’s the first thing that shows up on search (above the ads and maps).
It also puts a small badge next to your brand name which helps boost credibility.
This program is available for specific services in specific cities. So it may or may not be available to you. To find out, visit this page or contact us and we’ll check.
Google Maps SEO
Google Maps SEO is great for any local business interested in getting more leads through local marketing online.
Basically you optimize your Google My Business (GMB) listing to show up for specific search queries.
If you do this right you can show up in the top 3 and your business listing will show up on the first page of Google above the organic listings.
If you’re a local service or a brick and mortar business be sure you take the time to at least verify your GMB.
You can do simple things like add photos and ask clients for reviews to help increase your GMBs credibility.
Google maps SEO is somewhat complex and can be very competitive. The main reason why you should consider investing in this strategy is that it’ll lead to more calls to your business.
If you have a considerable amount of positive reviews on your GMB and it is properly optimized so you show up for search queries you’ll get calls. It’s that simple.
This strategy works extremely well in emergency services like water damage, roof repairs, and any service where someone is looking for a solution ASAP.
Google Ads
Google ads, formerly known as Google AdWords is an advertising platform that allows you to advertise on Google search, the Google Display Network, and YouTube.
Search Ads
If you decide to advertise with Google Ads you’ll have the option to place an ad on Google’s search engine.
This ad will appear for specific search queries that you chose.
There are many benefits if you advertise with Google Ads.
- You can set any budget you’d like
- Target people at any stage in your digital marketing funnel
- A clear understanding of the users intent (by analyzing the keyword)
- You advertise to consumers who are actively searching for a specific product or service
- Advanced analysis capabilities
Overall Google Ads can bring high ROI when done right. It may take a bit of experimentation but eventually, you’ll have the winning formula that can bring a steady stream of leads.
Like mentioned above with Google Ads you can advertise on the following networks
- Display Network (banner ads on websites across the web)
- Retargeting Ads on the Google Display Network
- YouTube Ads
- Search Network
Social Media content marketing
Content marketing on social media is a solid customer acquisition strategy. To make the most out of this strategy consider making a content marketing plan where.
There are a few ways you can prepare your posts to avoid getting overwhelmed.
You can take one day out of the month where you make all of your posts (or have someone do this). Then you can have a software post the content on your social profile or you can post it manually. This will save you time during the week and streamline the process.
You just have to consider a few things prior to making your content marketing plan. Be sure you answer these questions while developing your strategy
Which social media platforms should you choose
You don’t necessarily need to post on every social media channel out there. Try to stick to those that would have the highest ROI.
Each social media channel will have its own demographic. Make sure you take the time to understand each one and stay active in those you think will bring in the most customers.
Some of the top social media platforms out there are (in no particular order):
- Forums (Reddit, Quora, bigger pockets)
- YouTube
Social Media Advertising
Social media advertising is next up on our list of customer acquisition strategies. This is a fast-paced method that can bring in results but you have to be careful not to burn through your cash.
There is a lot of potentials out there with social media advertising.
Social media advertising is a unique landscape. Unlike Google Ads where the consumer is actively searching for a product or service, users on social media are more relaxed and it’s typically their ‘downtime’.
When it comes down to it you have to develop a strong offer that compels your audience to make a move.
Some of the highest performing social media advertising platforms are:
- Facebook Ads
- Instagram ads
- LinkedIn Ads
- YouTube Ads
Set up an affiliate program (referral partner)
This is an out of the box customer acquisition strategy that is low risk.
To set up an affiliate program in your business you can go about it a few ways. You can reach out to an affiliate management company or you can do it yourself.
If you decide to do it yourself it’s not super complex just a bit of work.
Here’s a quick example of how you can set up an affiliate program.
- You own an e-commerce business
- Reach out to Instagram influencers
- Have them post an image of your product
- Give them a unique promo code to mention in the description
- If anyone purchases a product with their promo code give them 10% of the sale
Here’s another example
- You own a roofing company
- You reach out to a home inspector who works with many real estate agents
- You mention to him that if he sends you any business you’ll give him 5% of the sale
You basically have to look for people that sell services to your target market but are not competitors. That way you can refer each other business.
Cold Email Outreach
If you want predictable leads at the top of the funnel cold email outreach should be at the top of your list.
This strategy may or may not work in your specific service offering or product, but don’t disregard it. Take a second and try to get creative.
The way it works is simple.
- Make a list of your target market
- Send them an email
Where it gets interesting is in the details. You have to do a few things to get business from this strategy.
First of all, don’t send a mass email. This might be confusing but you can send mass email as long as it doesn’t look like it.
Make a cold email template that has a few fields unique to the prospect so it looks like you sent it directly to them.
If you get this right you’ll have an extremely scalable strategy that can lead to steady business growth.
Customer Retention
Customer Retention isn’t a customer acquisition strategy per se, but it can’t be disregarded. Along with your acquisition strategy, you’ll need to develop a retention strategy.
If you don’t consider retention and focus only on driving in new clients you’ll grow at a much slower rate and eventually burn out. It’s way more work to bring in a new client than to keep an existing one.The Ultimate Customer Acquisition Strategy
