In order to be a successful B2B or B2C business owner, you need to know who your customers are and how to contact them. People might be interested in your service or products, but if they don’t know who you are or where to find you, your business cannot generate the revenue you need to grow.
Creating a system to ensure that you have a steady flow of customers is essential to the development of your business, however, this takes some research and skill to achieve. Having a plan is the first step.
Know Who Your Customers Are
You need to identify your target market. You should know details about your audience, such as where they are located, what they are interested in, how much money they have to spend and what they value.
This research should form the basis of your marketing strategy. There are many ways to conduct this research, from using your existing market data to conducting interviews, surveys and product testing.
Lead Generation Through Advertising
After you have identified your market, your advertising campaign should be tailored to reach that market. Using the information about values and location will help you plan what tools to use, whether that be social media, email, telemarketing, traditional media or other methods of engagement, such as discount offers.
Promoting your business in the right way is essential for generating leads and is the basis for developing a relationship with your audience.
Gather Contact Information
After you have engaged customers, you also need to start gathering their contact details so that you can send them subsequent information. There are various strategies to do this and each has its own merits based on the type of service or product you are offering.
The process should be easy for the customer, but provide you with enough contact information to create a customer database that can be managed and followed up on a regular basis.
Emails
For many B2B services, an email is the most effective way to reach your audience. Creating a segmented email list and managed distribution frequency will allow you to reach your audience without your message going straight to spam.
Social Media
Facebook, Instagram, WeChat and other social media services are a cost-effective (often free) way to promote your business fast. You need to consider the message you send due to the limits on space, however, you have the freedom to include striking visual messages.
Telephone Contacts
For a personal touch, calling customers can build your relationships fast. Creating a database of customers who have agreed to accept phone calls is a great way to personalise your business interactions.
Knowing your customer and creating leads is an ongoing process. You should have a long-term strategy that is revisited often. Your database should be well maintained and managed so that you don’t miss opportunities. Thinking creatively about how you can approach your customers and engage with them will be the foundation of your business success.
