Attracting customers is the first thing you
should know when you consider starting a business.
It's also an ongoing process every day in
the life of your business. Hello, I'm Peggy
Collins, and I'm here to tell you how to attract
customers. It's been said that people only
buy three things. Essential needs like food
and shelter. Solutions to problems. And things
that make them feel good. Consider these things
when evaluating your strategy for acquiring
new customers. It's imperative to first determine
who you want to attract as a customer. If
you're selling dental equipment, the answer
is easy. Dentists. For most businesses though,
identifying the intended customer isn't quite
that clear or obvious. Find out everything
you can about your target consumer using whatever
resources are available to you. Market research
professionals can help you with everything
from surveys to focus groups. But if you can't
afford that route, use the internet to research
basic demographic data, such as age groups,
gender or ethnicity for your community. Find
out their buying habits, like preferred shopping
locations or merchants, frequency of purchases
and what they buy. Ask lifestyle questions
to find out how they spend their time, and
who influences their purchases, like children,
pets, or aging parents for instance. Now,
you should have a pretty good idea of who
your ideal customer is. And the info you've
gathered will help you determine the most
effective method to reach them, where to reach
them, and what offers would be most appealing
to that customer. Next, this information can
be helpful in determining the tone of your
message. For example if your customer is a
female, age thirty to thirty-five with school
age children, you might consider sponsoring
a kids event, or offering a gift certificate
for school supplies with a purchase of school
uniforms. It's also wise to consider offering
a complimentary service of particular value
to your customer, such as karate schools that
provide free transportation after school.
Or dry cleaners that offer free delivery and
pickup. Everything you do should be about
attracting and keeping customers, from the
sign on the front of the building to the way
you answer the phone and greet customers upon
arrival. The little things here can make a
big difference with your customer. So meet
a need, provide a solution for a problem,
and reach out to them where they live. To
attract new customers, advertising is really
essential no matter what form it takes. It
might be an ad in the local newspaper, a radio
or television commercial, banner on a high
traffic website, e-mail marketing, a creative
promotion, or a charity event. But to have
the desired effect you must know your customer,
period. Hiring a good advertising agency can
save you countless hours, frustration, and
plenty of money in the long run. Remember
it costs a great deal more to acquire a new
customer than it does to keep the ones you
already have. So treat them like the treasures
they are, and they will help you spread the
word and attract more new customers. These
are just a few tips on how to attract customers.
Wishing you good luck and good business, I'm
Peggy Collins.