How to Get Customers for Small Business

Published by Andrew Noll at January 27, 2016

One of the hardest things about having a small business is obtaining customers. Until you have customers, it is almost impossible to make a profit. If you work in a B2B industry, then you contact your customers directly and establish a relationship. What about when your customer has to find you? Read on to understand how to get found online and generate leads.
1. Have a Presence On Social MediaWith the advent of social media, the marketing world has been forever changed. Companies are no longer interpreted based entirely on a pre-determined and advertised message. Most consumer opinions now relate to electronic word-of-mouth on social media platforms. As such, all companies need a social media presence if they want to get new business and maintain relationships with their current customers.
Make sure to have a link to your company website in the description on all of your social media channels, so that you can be easily found. If you run an online store, you may want to post your products on sites like instagram and pinterest. Follow others in your industry and post about business on Twitter, but try not to sound too salesy. It can be off-putting.
Check out 4 Solid Ways to Gain Followers on Twitter
2. Be Search Engine OptimizedWhen your customers search for your company, they need to be able to find you. Make sure that your site is search engine optimized. To be search engine optimized you must establish the list of top keywords. These are the terms that customers will enter on search engines that your site will show up for. Afterwards, make sure to use these terms often in any articles, titles, page titles, image titles and throughout your site. You can also add them as html tags or, if you’re on WordPress with plugins such as Yoast SEO.

3.Use Inbound Marketing on Your WebsiteThis includes subscriber forms and other requests for information. You may also want to create a popup to obtain information such as email addresses. This is usually most effective for blogs but can also be utilized on shopping sites. This would not be advisable for all types of businesses. Put links to all your social media sites on your main website. This will help to increase your following and thereby customer engagement.
4.Be Easy to Contact
Make sure it is easy for customers to contact you when they are interested in your business. Clearly state your contact information on your website. It is a good idea to have both email and phone options, so that you can be easily reached.
Generating a large number of customers can be a difficult process. The easier it is to find your business online, the easier it will be for customers to learn about it. Having a social presence will help you be found more often, as you will have more visibility, and you will be able to lay the groundwork for how your business is branded. See how we can set this up easily for you!