In times when it’s never been easier to reach your potential customers through the wonders of the digital, ironically, it’s also never been more difficult to transform them into loyal clients.  

Continually evolving industry trends, rising customer expectations, and growing competition are just some of the factors that challenge the steady growth of your business. 

Whether your sales are going down or you wish to refine your lead generation strategy, staying on top of the customer acquisition trends tops the list of every serious business owner. 

We’ve asked the experts from some of the best marketing companies about the top strategies for attracting new customers, and here’s what they had to say. 

Facts to Know about Brand Discovery and Brand Evangelism 

An extensive background check on relevant stats shapes every good strategy that yields valuable and tangible results. Thus, before discussing the customer attraction methods, let’s take a look at the research that defined them. 

According to Hootsuite’s Social Trends 2021 report, 73% of the questioned marketers rated “increased acquisition of new customers” as their main goal of social media in 2021, compared to only 46% in the last year.  

However, even though the power of social media has considerably grown during the pandemic, social platforms still aren’t the main brand discovery source.  

Namely, GlobalWebIndex’s Brand Discovery report suggests that search engines have surpassed TV ads and online ads, respectively, as the chief method for internet users to discover new brands and products.  

TV ads are still reserved for baby boomers: however, the trend seems to be waning.  

Namely, 70% of internet users aged 55-64 stated they had purchased something online during the pandemic, and predictions say that by 2024, households with cable TV will be outnumbered by those without it. 

In addition, word-of-mouth recommendations stand strong, with celebrities and influencers’ endorsements reaching their peak in 2021, especially among younger audiences. Finally, GWI’s report infers that “age is the single most important determinant of brand discovery source.” 

Surely, your offers and prices do affect whether or not people will transform into loyal customers, but there are other major factors at play.  

For example, users cited authenticity, transparency, and trustworthiness as key determinants in becoming a brand supporter. Moreover, studies suggest that users want to see more meaningful content that is vocal about social issues.  

Finally, social proof, such as reviews and testimonials, has a major role in customer acquisition. 

So, how do you implement these findings into your customer acquisition strategy? 

1. Choose the Right Customer 

Now, more than ever before, users seek brands that acknowledge and understand their wants and needs and put effort into establishing a personal relationship with customers. Thus, marketing to just about anyone out there simply doesn’t cut anymore. 

While crafting your ideal customer persona, rely on information about your existing clients and brainstorm who may be interested in your products/services.  

Start with the basics – gender, age, location, income – and filter the target audience further with hobbies and interests, behavior, life events, etc. 

Test out your marketing strategies across audiences and use the data to refine your perfect customer further. 

Source: Unsplash

2. Create Content Tailored to the Marketing Platform 

We’ve already discussed studies on different brand discovery trends across age groups and advertising sources. Once you’ve pinned down your ideal customer, it’s time to define the platform(s) you’ll market on. 

Of course, casting a wide net across numerous target audiences and diverse digital and traditional marketing channels is the most beneficial way to start.  

However, as many businesses do not have the luxury of having that extensive marketing budget, their best strategy is in-depth research and data-driven decisions. 

Identify where your ideal customers are. (e.g., if you’re a New York web design company, you can ascertain that businesses and entrepreneurs will search your services online).  

On the other hand, brands such as Coca-Cola incorporate traditional marketing, most notably with Christmas TV ads, to create a coherent brand image and present themselves to a wider audience.  

Conduct customer behavior research to learn where your ideal users spend their time and start building your brand image tailored to those platforms. 

3. Rely on UGC 

Integrating UGC (i.e., User Generated Content) into your marketing strategy will be the best thing that has happened to your brand. Why, you wonder? 

Promoting the content created by your users is not only cost-efficient but also presents your brand as trustworthy, authentic and eager to build meaningful connections with customers.  

Besides, your potential users get to see how your brand helped others just like them – people with identical problems and pains. That’s why UGC is the crucial nudge in evangelizing prospective users. 

4. Get Personal and Real 

People are done with supporting brands that promote themselves through rose-colored glasses. Instead, they are more likely to support businesses that acknowledge their mistakes, speak out about social issues, and support causes their target audience believes in.  

Users recognize when brands are genuine about who they are and what they fight for. It’s up to you to turn nouns into verbs when it comes to your brand values and beliefs. 

5. Give to Get 

Whether you try out direct response marketing or the good old giveaways and discounts, you can’t expect to receive and give nothing in return. 

The tactic is especially beneficial for first-time users who are unfamiliar and inexperienced with your brand. These users don’t know whether you offer value for money, so be the one that makes the first move and entice your prospects to react as you desired them to do. 

Subtly ask them to complete a quick, specific action, such as sign up for your newsletter or share your social media post, and reward them with an ebook, downloadable template, or a spot in a contest. 

If you want to take things a step further and build a strong connection to your customers while showcasing your expertise, use webinar software to offer them a special presentation that will benefit them in their professional endeavors by teaching them skills they may not already have. 

Use the information you acquire during these strategies to further bolster relationships with your customers and create a personalized approach to meeting their needs.  

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