Customer acquisition: How to cut through the noise

With consumers spoilt for choice in today’s hyper-competitive markets, you need to find ways to cut through the noise if you want to get your brand noticed. One way is by creating a robust and comprehensive customer acquisition plan. This is a process that, once implemented, can help you attract new customers to your business.

While acquiring customers and garnering the attention of new leads can sometimes feel like a never-ending process, there are ways to create a robust and sustainable acquisition plan. If achieved, this plan can do wonders for your business’ ability to convert leads into paid customers in a streamlined, effective and systematic manner.

Set the right goals

The first step in creating your “conversion funnel” is determining the customers you want to acquire. People have different preferences, so an approach that might appeal to one group could easily deter another. Are you trying to develop new leads or re-engage existing customers? Is your ideal customer a millennial, baby boomer or another demographic altogether? Are they other businesses or individual consumers, and direct or indirect? Your target group will have a big impact on how you target them. So you should plan how you will measure whom you are reaching – measurement is meaningful.

Bring them in with a good offer

Once you’ve determined your target audience, it’s time to offer them an incentive. And what better way than with a limited-time offer or discount? Your product or service doesn’t have to be free, but you can occasionally provide discounts or offers to new prospects and old customers alike. Not only do limited offers create a feeling of urgency that draws people in, they also demonstrate that you value your customers and want to reward them. Another way is by offering a sample or free trial. Try before you buy model gives you credibility, and once you’ve got them interested, you might find it becomes easier to convert them into paying customers.

Find the right closing points

Identifying and then utilising the suitable channels for customer acquisition can be tough. One way to test this is by running promotional ads in search engines, or on social media like Twitter, Linkedin, Instagram or Facebook. It’s important to also try offline channels, such as media publications, while experimenting with online channels. Once you’ve decided the channels you’re going to use, you need to find the right closing points that will help you convert leads into customers. This involves a compelling call to action (CTA), which explains exactly why it’s so important a customer purchases your service or product. Build a good rapport with your leads, be confident in your offering and explain to your customers why they stand to benefit.

Keep them engaged

Whether they’re new or existing, it’s important to keep your customers engaged. Once they’ve started using your product or service, offering them occasional rewards can enrich their experience and keep them coming back for more. Granted, if you’re selling cars, it’s unlikely you’ll get repeat business from the same customer regularly. But by keeping them engaged whenever they interact with your business – when they call your customer service, for example – you increase the likelihood of them referring you to a friend.

Over time, your customers’ needs will evolve, and issues of privacy and data security are causing change in online to offline transition rapidly. Your acquisition plan, therefore, should be flexible. If you’re agile and prepared to refine your strategy based on your customers’ changing needs, you might find it becomes much easier for them to say ‘yes’

Vijay Sundaram, Chief Strategy Officer, Zoho