8 Ways To Win New Customers
Jul
Growing your local business doesn’t take a big budget, just a bit of planning. Here are eight practical ideas to help you get noticed and win loyal customers year on year
Get found online
When someone in the neighbourhood searches for a local business, Google’s map results are usually where most decisions are made because most people never scroll further.
Claiming your free Google Business Profile is therefore the single most valuable hour a local business can spend. Complete every section, including accurate opening hours, good photographs of your premises and products, and a description that mentions the areas you serve. Then keep the listing alive by responding to reviews, post occasional updates, and check the details after bank holidays.
Encourage satisfied customers to leave a review too, as both the number and quality of reviews influence how prominently you appear in local searches. A complete, active profile signals a business that’s open, trusted, and ready for customers.
Spread the word
Word of mouth has always been the lifeblood of local trade. Ask any long-established business how customers find them and the answer is nearly always the same – through recommendations. Yet most businesses treat it as a pleasant accident rather than something they can influence.
If you have a satisfied customer, they’ll usually be delighted to recommend you. All you need to do is ask them. Build the habit into how you work on a day-to-day basis. When a customer thanks you for a job well done, that’s the moment to say, “If you’re pleased, a quick Google review would mean a lot to us.” Make it effortless, maybe a card with a QR code or a quick email with a direct link.
Local Facebook groups are today’s garden fence. When someone posts “Can anyone recommend a good decorator?”, a few genuine replies from past customers can win you a new client on the spot. You can’t post those recommendations yourself, but you can gently encourage regulars to speak up when they see the question asked.
Consider a referral thank you too. This could be a discount or small gift for customers who introduce a friend. It costs little, and it turns your happiest customers into your most persuasive sales force.
Buddy up
Some of the best marketing opportunities are right on your doorstep. The café displaying the florist’s arrangements, the gym recommending the sports physio, the hairdresser stocking cards for the barber next door. Cross-promotion between neighbouring businesses costs nothing and introduces each to customers who already shop locally.
Start by simply having a conversation. Which nearby businesses serve the same people you do, without competing? A joint offer, a shared window display or a mutual mention on social media can benefit both sides. Local trade thrives when businesses support one another and customers notice, and appreciate, a connected high street.
Show your face
Sponsoring the junior football team’s kit, taking a stall at the summer fête, donating a raffle prize to the school fair – visibility at community events builds that all-important trust. People buy from businesses they recognise and feel goodwill towards. Pick causes you genuinely care about, turn up in person, and the community will remember you and buy from you.
Advertise where people look
It’s easy to spend a small marketing budget quickly on national platforms, and much of that money goes on reaching people who will never set foot in your shop. For most local businesses, it makes far more sense to advertise where local people are actually spending time.
Community magazines go through the doors of the very households you want to reach, and they tend to be read at leisure over a cup of tea rather than scrolled past in seconds. Village noticeboards, parish newsletters, school fair programmes, and sports club publications work in the same way. The audience is genuinely local and the setting is a trusted one.
That trust counts for a lot. When people see your advert in a publication they know and like, some of that goodwill rubs off on you. Regular appearances help too, because the business that shows up month after month gradually becomes a familiar name in its own neighbourhood.
Jump on social media
Social media can feel like a full-time job, and small businesses that try to be everywhere at once usually end up doing it badly everywhere. You’re far better off picking one platform and sticking with it. For most local businesses, that means Facebook or Instagram, simply because that’s where their customers already are.
Little and often beats the occasional big effort. And forget polished corporate posts. What people actually respond to is the human side of a business. Ideas include a photo of the team, a job halfway done, a new delivery arriving, or the dog asleep in the corner of the shop.
Reply to comments, chip in on local groups when it feels natural, and let people get to know the faces behind the business. Once they feel they know you, they’re far more likely to come and find you.
Build a contact list
Most small businesses never ask for an email address or mobile number and this becomes a wasted opportunity. A simple mailing list or WhatsApp broadcast keeps you in customers’ minds between visits: a special offer, a new arrival, a seasonal reminder. It’s a direct line to the people most likely to buy again.
Look after customers
Winning a new customer costs far more than keeping one you already have. Remember names, throw in the occasional unexpected extra, and reward loyalty, even if it’s a simple stamp card. Customers who feel valued come back, and better still, they bring their friends. Look after them and your regulars will become your best recruiters.
