By Author Ja-Nae Duane
People underestimate how easy it is to build their customer base, no matter what field they are in. Along those lines, companies want to make lasting relationships with customers. The business-to-business industry is no different. The more information you have about customers the better you can tailor your services to their needs. I will give you 7 easy ways to build your ideal customer base.
1. Develop your "Inner Business Circle" Invite a team of 10 people who are enthusiastic about your goods and services, to be a part of an exclusive team. This group is your “Inner Business Circle” because your job is to go above and beyond for them. Send notes, cards, newsletters, surveys and special offers. Help them understand what you want to accomplish and ask for their assistance. Chances are if they are happy doing business with you, they will tell others about you. They can be associates, customers, or friends. Make it very easy for them to participate by always making their connection with you special. 2. Give an appreciation award Find someone in your community to acknowledge. Call your local papers and tell them that you’d like to present a special certificate or an award to an outstanding individual. By positioning yourself as a prominent member of your community, it will give you more exposure and promote you as a “go-to” person within your community.
3. Offer FREE Stuff
Offer something of value that your prospects will be interested in so that they contact you and request it. What report, top 10 list, checklist, ebook can you offer to your prospects that's something they'll want to have? Remember, free samples work as long as you can really put value forth to the prospective audience.
4. Use Testimonials
One of the easiest ways to help your small business grow on a limited marketing budget is to take advantage of customer testimonials. Other than direct customer referrals, this is one of the best ways to remove the doubts of prospective customers and put their minds at ease. Customer testimonials serve to break down buying resistance on the part of new customers, in addition to increasing the loyalty of the customers who provided the testimonial.
Testimonials are powerful tools - but most small businesses fail to use them. It is important for you to include customer testimonials in every marketing activity, from display ads to sales letters and radio spots. You can even make brochures and business cards more effective by including customer testimonials. It you do not have any customer testimonials now, you should start collecting them right away.
5. Make Your Customers a Superstar
Want your business to get more noticed? Then feature your current customers. Use Case studies, customer profiles, customer-contributed content, and customer-focused ad campaigns as ways to leverage your base and give them added profile, thus increasing your profile and becoming a more valuable provider to them.
6. Comment on Other Blogs
Think of the number of blog posts you read in a day. Why not respond to a blog post that calls to you? When you respond, make sure to make your name and website. The more interactive you are on other people’s blog, the more traffic you will bring to your website.
7. Run a "Forward to a Friend Contest."
In your e-mail newsletter, let your contacts know that if they use the "Forward to a Friend" link to send this month's newsletter to at least one new recipient, they'll be entered into a drawing for a prize. An e-mail marketing service provider lets you see which subscribers forwarded your e-mail to a friend.
Once you incorporate some of these tactics, you'll see your list increase tremendously. More contacts mean more opportunities to bring in new customers and build lasting relationships.
