Small businesses, here are five ways to help win new customers

Start with the basics — what would your target audience type into Google when searching for your business or service? Pull out keywords and phrases, and include them in your website and social channels (Google Keyword Planner is a helpful tool).

Go one step further by writing content for your website, blog and socials that will resonate with your customer profiles. However, don’t try to sell to them — instead, create value for your audience with thought leadership or practical content related to your offering. And don’t forget to include those key search terms to help new customers find you.

3. Map out (and track) your sales funnel

A sales funnel describes the customer journey, from their initial point of contact with a brand to closing a deal or making their first purchase. Why is this important? Because it increases the predictability and control businesses have around sales outcomes.

To map out your own sales funnel, start by identifying the critical touchpoints of the customer experience. These typically fall under four buckets: awareness, discovery, consideration and close.

From there, you can start identifying “leaks” to work out where you have room to improve. A simple Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system will help you gain this kind of insight and ensure you’re keeping track of leads.

Many CRMs can integrate with your accounting software and other cloud-based apps to give you a holistic business overview. Xero’s guide to simple CRM for small business is a good place to learn more.

4. Remember, marketing is a marathon, not a sprint

Every small business is different, but for many it can take weeks or even months to convert a quality lead into a paying customer.

With this in mind, you want a steady stream of potential customers continually flowing through the sales funnel. The best way to achieve this is by keeping an “always-on” approach to digital marketing. Playing it hot and cold will only make your pipeline harder to manage, clogging the top of the funnel or leaving it empty.

5. Prioritise loyalty over leads

Managing business development while delivering top-tier service to your existing client base is a careful balance. But ultimately, you never want to sacrifice loyalty for leads. Provide your customers with the best experience possible and chances are most will work with you repeatedly and even refer more business your way.

If you really connect with a client, ask them to write a short testimonial or leave you a Google Review that you can include in pitch decks or on your website. Word-of-mouth and reputation management are powerful (and free) marketing tools; don’t underestimate them.

There are all kinds of levers small business owners can pull to grow their customer base, but ultimately it’s about finding what works for your brand. Start with the basics, be consistent, stay adaptable and let the numbers guide your next move.

Make this your strategy, and you’ll be hitting new growth milestones in no time.

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