In 2022, the world of online business is a highly competitive environment, which often takes place in a truly global marketplace. Today’s consumers are quite prepared to deal with overseas companies via websites and may search on an international scale to find key products. If you have a start-up online business, or one that has successfully navigated the first few critical years of trading, a key goal will be to attract a growing customer base. This is vital for the continued prosperity of any business, especially when you consider that 50% of businesses fail within their first five years. Attracting more customers will always be a prime concern for any online business. In this article, four key strategies are explained, each of which serves to increase the customer base of your online business.
Know Your Customer Base
As a first point, every business must have a thorough understanding of its customer base. The start-up online business must have a clear idea of its target market, their needs, wants, and purchasing habits. A more established online company will want to know their existing customer base better, so that it can improve its product offering and draw in similar demographic customers, whilst retaining its existing clients. Customer relationship management (CRM) software can be a vital asset in this goal. CRM software can allow a firm to gain tangible insights into its customers’ purchasing behavior, especially when it is combined with product data, as shown in these examples. In addition to CRM software, companies can undertake regular customer surveys and request feedback on any orders. This rolling dialogue can often provide some key insights into what the online business is doing well and where there are avenues for improvement. This knowledge can be used to successfully retain and increase a customer base.
SEO Friendly Website
Search engine optimization (SEO) is another vital tool in growing a customer base. For many online businesses, it can be difficult to just get noticed in the increasingly crowded marketplace. Getting to the top of organic searches in Google should be the goal of any sales team, as the difference this can make in terms of web traffic is exponentially more than even lower-ranked results on the first page of sites. Ensuring that your website is SEO friendly is a key way to improve traffic levels and search page results. It can be achieved with a variety of methods. Firstly, web pages should be easy to navigate on a range of devices (including smartphones and tablets) and should have quick page loading times. In addition, content should be thoroughly researched with professional quality pictures of products along with well-written descriptions. The use of keywords can be vital when writing blogs and articles for the site, but it is also important not to undertake keyword stuffing, as this can lower a page’s value in the eyes of search engine analytics.
Leverage Social Media
The power of social media cannot be underestimated in today’s hyper-connected online world. Social media channels, such as Instagram and YouTube, can represent a cost-effective and quick route to growing your customer base. By using short and snappy promotions on these channels, with links back to the company website, leads can be generated that translate into paying customers. When it comes to promotional activities on social media, it is important to cultivate a similar tone for the business across each channel. This will help build brand awareness and recognition with the target audiences.
Introductory Offers
As a final point, it is worth considering the power of introductory offers to attract new customers. By giving 10% off any first order, you are immediately creating an added incentive for customers that will have significant appeal. First-time customers can also be offered discounts or special promotions in return for their feedback on various aspects of the purchase. As well as helping to instil brand loyalty with these new customers, it can also be a means of gaining valuable information on how first-time customers view the business and the website. Regardless of the size or age of your online business, introductory offers remain a highly effective way to secure first-time business to the site.
To Sum Up
Any online business that seeks to attract new customers should first have a deep understanding of its intended target market or existing customer base. The business must operate from a website that is professionally designed and runs exceptionally smoothly with high-quality content. The power of social media should be used to attract new customers with memorable adverts and promotions and introductory offers should be regularly featured on the website to entice new customers.
