How to Reach Out to New Customers in 2021

Posted on October 15, 2021 by Leamon Crooms

No matter what industry you’re in, you have some potential clients out there who aren’t even aware of your brand or services. These customers may not even know that they have a need for the products and/or services you have to offer. At least, not yet. Still, this doesn’t mean you should overlook this group with your marketing plans. The key is knowing how to reach out to new customers—even when they don’t realize they need you.

By making this audience aware of your brand and what you have to offer, there’s a better chance that your business will be the first one they turn to when they do need your products or services. In this sense, a little proactive marketing now can make all the difference when it comes to your brand’s long-term success!

Figure Out Who Your Target Audience Is

Perhaps the most challenging step in the process of reaching these new potential customers is simply figuring out who they are. After all, it’s hard to develop an effective marketing plan for a buyer segment you don’t understand.

So, where do you begin when it comes to identifying this audience? You’ll need to figure out what works best for your business, but you may have some success with looking at your website’s current visitor demographics and social media demographics. This will give you a better feel for the segments that are most engaged with your brand, as well as the segments that are least engaged.

You may notice, for example, that a particular age group is lacking awareness or interaction with your brand. This could very well help you identify a potential buyer segment that you’ve been missing.

Create a Buyer Persona for That Audience

Once you have a better idea of where your brand awareness is lacking, you’ll want to sit down with your marketing team and create an actual buyer persona for that audience. Specifically, a buyer persona is a fictional representation of somebody in a particular part of your audience. This persona should have:

a name
interests
behavioral traits
demographic details

Once you have a buyer persona for your target audience, you’ll have a much easier time marketing to them effectively.

Discover Unique Ways to Market to Them

More than likely, you’ve already spent a lot of time figuring out ways to market to your current customers. However, you can’t rely on that same marketing plan to reach your new audience of customers who don’t know they need your services. After all, if that approach were effective, you wouldn’t be having this problem in the first place.

Based on the buyer persona you’ve created, and what kind of marketing is most effective for those demographics, it’s time to create a new and unique marketing plan to reach this untapped audience. Not sure where to begin while staying within your desired marketing budget? We’ve got some ideas below.

How to Reach Out to New Customers: Budget-Friendly Ideas

Keep in mind that depending on your audience, not all of these marketing ideas may be suitable. However, these are some potentially very effective marketing techniques that can bring in new clients without breaking your budget.

Hold a Contest or Giveaway

Who doesn’t love a good contest or giveaway? These can be a great way to spread awareness of your brand far beyond your “typical” audience. And you don’t necessarily have to give away free services or other costly/substantial prizes. A discount on a product/service or even recognition on your social media page may be enough to generate buzz and interest, so get creative with it!

Some examples of popular social media contest ideas include:

photo contests
“caption this” contests
random drawings

Whatever you decide to do, consider requiring your participants to “share” your post to enter the contest; this will help spread the word about your brand and generate even more interest!

Start (or Grow) an Email List

Your email list can be one of the most cost-effective marketing tools on your belt, especially when bringing in new clients. Did you know that email marketing has an average return on investment of $38 for every dollar spent?

If you’re not already focusing your marketing dollars and efforts on growing your email list, now is the time to get serious about it.

Try Your Hand at Blogging

Starting (and updating) a business blog can also be a great way to spread your brand awareness while also establishing your company as an authority within the industry. This, in turn, can lead to more conversions of your target audience.

Yes, blogging can be time-consuming, but it can pay off many times over in terms of new customers and improved search engine rankings. Take some time to research the kinds of topics that your target audience is most interested in, and then try to craft some blog posts around those topics. Be sure to share your posts to your social media pages, too, as this will encourage sharing.

Ask Current Clients for Referrals

Referrals from your current customers are among the best tools for bringing in new clients, so don’t hesitate to ask. You could send out emails to existing customers or even reach out directly via phone call or text. You might be surprised at how willing your happy customers are to refer a couple of potential leads to you. Even if they don’t know of anybody who may need your services right now, they’ll be sure to keep you in mind if the opportunity arises later on.

Start Reaching New Customers Today!

Taking your business to the next level means reaching your full potential and a growing customer base. Our team at Strategic Growth Advisors is here to help make that happen. Reach out today to find out more about what we can do for you!

Small Business Goals: How to Set Realistic Goals for Your Small or Expanding Business

Posted on July 19, 2021January 20, 2022 by Leamon Crooms

If you have a small business, you can keep it from getting stagnant by setting small business goals. These goals can also help you stay focused on increasing your business, which means ongoing success. Most people set goals at the beginning of a year, but you should be setting goals at least quarterly for a small business with the exception of one: Business branding and marketing should be monthly goals.

Choosing Small Business Goals

When you have many goals, make a list of them, then list them in order of priority. You can set more than one or two goals per quarter if you believe you can achieve those goals during that time. Each goal should have short-term and long-term actions and a plan for meeting that goal. For example, if you want to increase business by 50 percent over the year, your short-term goal might be to increase business by 12 to 13 percent each quarter.

In addition to the long-term goal of increasing business by 50 percent for the year, this goal needs to include a plan for getting to your goal and a plan for keeping the new customers. Your small business goals might consist of one or more of the following, including business branding and marketing. Some of these goals are for small businesses just starting, and others are for small businesses that have been in business for several years.

Hiring Employees

Whether you are a sole proprietor or have several employees, you will need to add additional employees as your business grows. It is best to speak with your accountant before hiring people to make sure you know about the regulations, and if your business can support the employees you need to hire. Some companies get trapped because they need another person, but they can’t support a full-time person year-round.

If you can hire the right employee at the right salary, the employee’s contribution should be able to pay for himself and bring in extra money to achieve other goals and help with the increase in business completing other goals created.

Manage and Reduce Business Expenses

The cost of running your business cuts into your bottom line, so the best thing you can do is reduce and better manage your business expenses. This goal could save you down the line should the economy crash.

Keep track of your business expenses, how often you incur the cost, and look for ways to reduce a specific expense. You might refinance to a lower interest rate to save on the mortgage payment for your building, or you might find a supplier with equal or better quality products for a more reasonable price.

Additionally, managing and reducing business expenses helps to make other goals easier to reach. When you minimize certain business expenses, you have more money to increase your business. For example, when you reduce your monthly utility usage, you can use that money to increase your budget for business branding and marketing.

Create Lists and Sub-Lists

The easiest way to set a realistic goal is to use lists. The top of the list should have the main, long-term goal, such as ramping up productivity. You should then list the actions you need to ramp up productivity. These will be the short-term goals you need to meet to bring the major goal to fruition. This list might look like this:

Check employee break times to make sure they are not over-extending breaks.

Keep employees off social media and personal email.
Make it easier for employees to do their jobs.

The third sub-goal might have its own sub-goals, depending on the type of business you run and the amount of restructuring you need to make an employee’s job easier. For example, if you have a restaurant and the cook is prepping, you might consider hiring a prep cook. The cook can then concentrate on cooking, which might mean opening earlier for lunch or staying open later for dinner service.

Additionally, you might provide the cook with better equipment. If you have a stove where one or two burners do not work, it is time for repairs or a new stove. Does the cook have all of the tools required to be more productive? For example, is the cook mixing something by hand that could be done with a new mixer? All of these issues cost money, so you need to separate this sub-goal into more than one part so that the goal is more realistic.

Create Timelines

Even though you might plan to accomplish a goal in 6 months or a year, you should establish a timeline, especially if a goal has several short-term goals that make it up. For items that cost money, know how much you need to save or borrow and how long it will take to obtain the cash. For employee items, you might discuss your plans with your employees – they will most likely have to make some of these changes to allow you to realize your goals on time.

For example, do you want to increase your online visibility? You might need a new website, or you might need to update your current website. While this sounds like a tedious task that could take months, but if you break it down into short-term sub-goals, you’ll have your branding and marketing in place before you know it.

Breaking your business down into sections and creating web pages for each area within a particular time is one of the easiest timelines to make. You can also hire professional web designers to help with online marketing, including websites, social media, and other digital marketing practices.

Contact Strategic Growth Advisors

For those businesses that need professional help in small business marketing strategy, Strategic Growth Advisors can help create a plan to grow your business. Contact us to set up a consultation to start growing your business branding and marketing.

Why Your Brand Matters When it Comes to Marketing

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Leamon Crooms

A good business brand tells consumers who you are and what you stand for as well as what you sell. Companies like McDonald’s, Kleenex, and Nike are synonymous with their products. If you think of social media, Facebook and Instagram probably come to mind. These companies have built their brand to not only exemplify their products but also their corporate philosophy. Take Nike, for example, their brand includes much more than just well-made sports gear and apparel. Nike is now recognized worldwide for its “just do it” mantra and its encouragement for customers and athletes to be all they can be. So what does a brand mean for your company?

What is a Brand?

Your brand is your corporate personality. Done well, it crosses all marketing channels, from print advertising to product packaging to digital marketing. It includes your logo, your packaging colors, the font on your name, and your slogan. Branding has been around since the days of the Egyptian pharaohs, but it has never been more relevant than it is today.

Why Branding is Important?

Branding sets your company apart from other companies selling the same or similar products. It also lets consumers and potential customers know what your company stands for. For instance, do you appeal to a young and active clientele or is your corporate persona more elegant and formal? Branding can help you define your marketing niche and, when done well, it becomes a reflection of your products, like Nike and Kleenex.

Tips for Creating that Dynamic and Memorable Brand

So, how do you create this memorable brand? Below are a few things to consider:

1. Keep it simple.

The best brands are almost always those that are easy to read and comprehend. Whether your customers are scrolling through web pages or driving by billboards on the highway, you want them to understand you with a quick glance. Keeping your brand message short and sweet increases the odds that consumers will identify your company with that branding the next time they see it.

2. Avoid being trendy.

You want your brand to be memorable for decades, not just for today’s trendy moment. To do that, avoid getting caught up in the latest graphics or colors and, instead, make sure that your branding is truly representative of your corporate philosophy.

3. Be consistent.

Another key aspect of good branding is consistency. A good brand is consistent across all your marketing channels, including print, email marketing, social network, communications, and point of purchase.

Creating a dynamic and memorable brand doesn’t have to be an impossible task, especially when you work with StratGrow! For the best–and most memorable–results, we can help you make sure that your branding accurately represents your company philosophy. To learn more about branding or our other digital marketing services, give us a call at 800-721-4953.

5 Ways to Use Social Media Marketing to Increase Your Business Profits

Posted on April 15, 2019 by Leamon Crooms

Your business must have a social media marketing presence to be effective, but you can use your social media accounts for far more than just engagement. Used correctly, your social media channels can help increase sales, drive revenues, and improve the organic reach of your business. Here are our top methods of leveraging social media marketing for sales and revenue:

Drive Social Media Traffic to your Main Site

While entertainment, engagement and relationships are the focal point of your social media strategy, you should also be using your social media channels to drive traffic to your main website. Your site is your primary selling tool—sending traffic from social media to a specific landing page designed with conversions in mind can help move prospects into and through your sales funnel. Tracking the posts that drive the most traffic to your websites also allows you to see which pieces resonate best with your target audience. Set these posts (or ones like them) to automatically enter your social feeds, even if you are not available to post.

Post to Social Media Consistently

Both your posting frequency and variety can contribute to your growth and sales success. If your accounts aren’t current, you post outdated information, or are just languishing, you can’t rely on that content to refer users to your site. No referrals means no leads for your sales team—and no sales for you. Make sure your social sites are optimized and updated with new content regularly to leverage them for sales.

Run Social Media Only Campaigns

Make select sales open to your followers only or try offering select social followers the first chance to buy your latest items. This is an effective strategy if you sell to consumers and have one strong social media platform and hope to develop another. Letting your Facebook followers know there’s a special deal available only on your Instagram page will drive traffic to your page and some of them will certainly take advantage of the social media campaign as an active user.

Promote your Opt-In

If you have a tempting opt-in for your email newsletter, make sure you promote it regularly on your social channels. Every person that opts in will enter your sales funnel and move one step closer to actually making a purchase. Change your opt-in reward regularly to offer new content and fresh opportunities for your followers, which will increase brand awareness.

Use Social Media as a Customer Service Opportunity

Social media can boost your profits in more ways than one. If you’re accessible, customers can easily reach out to you with concerns. Handle these well and you’ll not only prevent the loss of a valuable account, you’ll show other followers how well you handle complaints and requests. Losing a customer or prospect can chip away at your profits, but savvy use of social media for your Tucson business can prevent losses and safeguard your revenues.

Your social media sites serve you best when they are part of a digital marketing strategy that incorporates all of your marketing efforts and is tailored to match your chosen audience. Contact us to learn more about creating a social media marketing strategy that will appeal to your target prospects, assist you in making the most of your existing social channels, and increase your profits.

Video Ideas for Your Business

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Leamon Crooms

Videos are the up and coming method of marketing and advertisement for small to large business. With videos increasing traffic 157%, it’s worth bringing it into your business marketing strategy. Merging videos in to your social media strategy is a great way to make you more competitive and get your business out there, letting potential clients get to know your company.

1. About You and or Staff
Getting to know a business is important. Customers are looking for trust. It will never hurt you to have an “About Us” video even for your website. You can even expand the idea into different departments or individual employees. This is something you can share on all social media platforms and will help solidify your brand. Be clear, be personable.

2. Explainer Videos
People love explainer videos, whether it’s how to’s or how something works, explainer videos are a great way to engage people into your products and or service. It is one of the highest viewed types of videos, and one of the easiest to make. If you make them into short clips, you can create a series of videos to share.

3. Fun Things Around the Company
We love to see the interaction of co-workers, you can post short videos of people singing happy birthday to a coworker, or even videos about potlucks you have at work. Videos of visits from animals in the office do very well. Keep it fun, keep it light.

4. Events
Also promote events your company takes part in. It is a sure way to get some fun videos, and to show what kind of company you are. Show what is current, have the events live in the now. Live streaming is exciting and people are 82% more likely to watch a live video then a regular post video.

5. Time-lapse/Speed Up Videos
If your business creates/builds something, it’s worth showing the work it takes to create your product. Most people will stop to watch these time-lapse videos because they are interesting, and catch the eye. Everyone loves to see the finished product, but the process is really entertaining.

When you create these videos, don’t forget to place them on all your social media platforms, even create a YouTube channel if you do not have one. If you have a website make a video page and place some videos throughout the site. Videos will go a long way in natural growth for social media so make these videos work for you.

By Leamon Crooms

Tag: business growth