Finding new customers and continuing your business’ growth is tough in a saturated online market that’s also struggling under inflation pressures. So how can you nab new customers? Elise Balsillie, Head of Thryv Australia, shares four simple steps to take to keep your business growing.

Australian small business owners say that finding new customers is their number one business challenge facing them today[1]. They have also said that going digital is difficult, with three in ten saying they are not digitally savvy; yet nearly all agree that in order to have a successful business, they need to be.

So, as a small business owner, how do you find customers, keep up with digital trends and continue to focus on growing your business?

It may seem like a mountain to climb, but taking a step back from the day-to-day to focus on long-term growth strategies is crucial for sustainable business success.

But before you think about what steps to take, you must first identify the issues. Review customer complaints, talk to your staff to uncover any flaws, and be open-minded to drive customer acquisition.

Four ways to find new customers and grow your business

Making the most of marketing and business growth means focusing on streamlining your processes and adopting new ways of working.

In working with businesses, I’ve identified four ways they can market and grow.

1. Automate and invest in the right CRM

Automation is a time saver and reduces manual admin-heavy tasks that hold you and your staff up. There’s only so much you can do on your own. With the world having undergone a digital shift, you cannot afford to operate your business manually.

Having an end-to-end CRM, or Customer Relationship Management tool, to handle the heavy lifting is a must. CRMs are great for staying organised and getting the most out of your customer data, and the right CRM make running your business a breeze.

A CRM can help your business with listings, a Google business profile, customer bookings and scheduling, invoicing and marketing and communications.

2. Implement a Customer Loyalty Program

We know that loyalty works on human psychology, so if you’ve already bought a product or service at a business and received a loyalty card, you’re more inclined to continue to go back.

What I hear from small businesses who have shifted their business to digital is they say building a great digital loyalty program can pay huge dividends in the future, including customer growth and their marketing footprint.

3. Customer-centric focus, always

When chatting with business owners, the goal in growing is to make things better for their customers.

So, with this in mind, the advice is to take the time to build out customer service policies that will make sure they always feel they are being communicated to. Put yourself in their shoes so you can understand what your customers experience when dealing with your business.

I recommend building a customer profile so you can understand who they are and what their age, demographic and lifestyle is. Collecting this type of data will help your marketing efforts.

4. Mobile-first approach

Mobile is a huge opportunity for small businesses, but I’ve seen many who have allowed mobile experiences to stunt their business growth.

Being mobile-friendly means being customer-friendly. There are new channels and technology emerging constantly, so adopting some changes could mean leaps for growth.

Here are three key things to remember:

• Prioritise your content: When it comes to your site, keep in mind that devices vary and each one is valuable. Your desktop view will have navigation elements to it; swap onto mobile and you’ll need to fix the navigation bar. The space on mobile devices is minimal and so dedicate it to your best content.
• Need for speed: How long does it take your webpage to load? Customers want information and they want it fast.
• Grab some cookies: Enable cookies to act as your customers’ ID card for your site. Adding cookies will allow your website to remember users, their shopping carts and more. Simply put, they only need to enter that information once. Any opportunity to not type repeated information on a small device improves the mobile experience.

In summary, by putting the customer experience first and in your hands, it can mean huge rewards for marketing and business growth.

[1] The Thryv Small Business Insights Research evolved from the Sensis Business Index, Australia’s longest running survey of its kind having been established in 1995. The September 2021 Insights Study involved 1,010 business owners/managers during the last week of September 2021. It was conducted by research platform Glow.

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https://www.kochiesbusinessbuilders.com.au/reading-minds-how-to-boost-sales-by-working-out-what-makes-your-customers-tick/