In the light of this world-wide pandemic, it is a reality that most people have been affected financially. The fact that more people need to find alternative ways to add to their income, or provide their own, raised the question even more on how to get customers for your small, local business.
Many of my clients sit with the dilemma of a lack of financial resources and marketing knowledge. The question keeps popping up on how to get clients when you are a new local business with very little or no money to spend.
Here are ten ways that will cost you nothing (or very little) and help get traction on your client acquisition.
1. Social Media
This is probably the easiest and cheapest way to start. Almost everyone is on some social media platform. The question you must ask yourself is on what platform is my ideal customer most likely to hang out?
You must remember that social media is in the business of attention. Your goal is to attract your ideal client’s attention long enough for them to get to know, like and trust you to the extend where they will buy from you.
If you have started a social media page (and I think for most local businesses, Facebook should be the number one option), it can get hard to keep up with consistently posting. Consistency after all is king. The most important rule to remember is the 20/80 rule. You only sell 20% of the time and 80% of the time you should deliver value.
In my post on the Secrets behind social media posts, you can read more about what you should post, as well as getting some ideas on different types of posts you can use.
2. Website
Although you can run a business without a website, having one will definitely be of great advantage to you. Your website (with correct SEO in place) will help people to find you when they search for your product or service in Google.
With a website you can also offer your products or services online, opening the number of potential customers you can serve. This fact has become top of mind during the 2020 Covid lockdown that was experienced worldwide.
For your business to survive and thrive, being present and able to sell online is a crucial part.
We all know that websites can be pricey, especially if you do not have a lot of money to spend when you just start. Although not the most ideal, you can always create a free website on WordPress.com or Wix.com
With these sites you do not have a custom URL, but at least you have a web presence and can in time upgrade your plan to a paid plan where you can have a custom URL. Not having a custom URL is not ideal, but far better than no web presence!
3. Google my business
Google my business is a free tool that allows you to promote your business profile and website on Google Search and Maps. This makes it easier for people to find your business in your local area.
Regardless of whether you are a local, regional, national, or international company, it is worth the effort to do it. Local search forms an integral part of any digital marketing campaign. In simple words, if people cannot find you, they cannot buy from you.
Besides the huge advantage of people being able to find you, it also has the advantage of customers being able to leave a review and give feedback. This will help to boost your appeal to potential customers. People value honest evaluation, and it drives their purchasing decisions.
4. Local business directory
When it comes to business directories, you will find both free and paid options available. Usually, paid options have a greater reach and more advantages. The business directories for most local towns, are free and you should definitely take advantage of them.
Being listed on these directories amplifies your online presence. When people search for example for a baker in your town, chances are that they will find you in the search results if you are listed. This will boost your SEP and increase your brand awareness.
5. Proper branding
Most often I see that local business do not use their branding to the max to get noticed locally. Although this is one of those activities that are not completely free, but with very little money spend, it can have a huge impact.
Imagine you drive around in your car that has been branded with car magnets. Everywhere you drive and stop, people will take notice of it. Doing this correctly is however the key. What you do and a contact number.
Since you must dress every day, why not wear branded clothing? No, not the brands you think of. Wear your own brand! Getting a logo embroidered on a shirt, bag or jacket can cost you less than a hamburger!
If you have an office or a home office, you can put up a sign or banner (permanent or removable) for relatively affordable prices. This makes it easier for people to find you and for people driving by to take notice of you.
6. Freebies/Competition
This is maybe the most fun way to attract attention. Let us say you have a new dog salon. An easy way to get people to notice you is to have a pretty pet photo contest online with the price one of your services. People can post photos of their pets and share the post to their profile. This will increase your reach and make people take notice of your business.
If you have a new coffee shop, host a tasting event where people can taste your coffee. Create an event on Facebook and share it to local groups. Let us be honest, who does not like a freebie?
You can even create a pop-up shop at a local mall or event to get people to sample your product and get to know you.
7. Collaboration event
Collaborative marketing is a marketing strategy that involves working with similar companies to promote brand, minimize costs and increase sales. The idea is that both companies have complimentary products or services that is used by a similar customer segment.
A hair salon and beauty salon can have a collaborative event where they showcase their products and services to the same group of women.
This enables them to reach both businesses target audiences (thus cross promoting). It also enables them to host an event with more grandeur, enabling them to attract more customers and potential customers.
8. Referral program
Another great way is to implement a referral program. This is a great way to get new customers to take notice of your business. Referrals are one of the most valuable forms of marketing. Not only do most of us look to others for product and service recommendations, but these recommendations also come with a high level of trust.
This can be as simple as simple as offering a 5% discount to the existing customer and gives a 5% discount to the referred customer with the first purchase. This incentivizes customers to refer your product or service to their friends.
9. Loyalty card
People like to be rewarded for their efforts. It makes them feel special and wanted.
Having a loyalty program or card is an easy way to motivate customers to keep returning to you for your service or product. This can be as simple as rewarding them with a free service after X times of using your service. If you sell products you can reward them with a stamp for X amount, they spend at your business.
Just make sure that the terms and conditions for the free service/product is clearly stipulated on the back of the card (or refer to it on your website)
10. Participate in community events
There is no better way to get noticed by the community, than by taking part in community events. There is an ever-growing tendency among people to support locally. Being active in the community and showing that you care for the community in return, will encourage people to take notice, and support you.
This can be through neighborhood cleaning events, local Park Runs or any other fun event. Just remember that you will have to wear branded clothing for this. It can be a conversation starter that not only creates brand awareness, but also a networking opportunity to connect with other residence and business owners in the neighborhood.
You can ask any business owner. Getting customers should be one of your primary focusses for your business. It therefore needs to be an activity that you actively plan and implement for your business.
Although marketing and advertising budgets can easily get extremely high, it is possible to grow and market your business with a low, or even no budget! Planning and putting effort in where it counts the most is however the key factor for success.
