How do I get more customers?
Insights on marketing strategy conversations
I’m a B2B marketer, I work with corporate businesses in regulated industries and professional services, which, I know, is not the most thrilling dinner party conversation. However, in my non-work worlds, friends and acquaintances know that I have worked in marketing for quite some time, and occasionally ask for advice.
In the right circumstances I am very happy to look under the hood of a different industry. Why? I’m incredibly curious nosy, and if it’s a business I care about, then I have a vested interest.
Recently, a friend and business owner asked for some advice to get more customers. I am their customer, so I jumped at the chance for a deep dive. We did a condensed version of the marketing strategy workshop I usually do for clients, which looks like this:
Where you are now?
I start by asking what is and isn't working. Asking this as an open question means that I can tell as much from what comes up (i.e. what’s important to you), than whether it’s working or not.
We’ll then explore some classic marketing audit questions about customers, competitors, the industry and marketing data.
Where do you want to be?
This can be tricky to pin down. I’ll ask: What does your business look like in 1, 3, 5 years time? What do you want to be known for? What do you not want to be known for?
These questions can throw up a lot of ideas and big aspirations. The key is to whittle them down to focused, measurable goals (more on this below!).
How are you going to get there?
The link between where you are now and where you want to be. My tool of choice here is a marketing funnel, which means we’ll look at how to generate interest, turn interest into customers and then keep the customers coming back for more.
So, back to the conversation I had with my friend. I realised that the conversations I have with one-person local businesses are not that different to those I have with bigger corporations. Here are some common themes:
1. Spend your time, money and effort where your customers are.
Aka, no you probably don’t need to be on TikTok just yet 😬
Most businesses have a pretty good idea of who their customers are. This is the starting point for everything else:
Your customer needs → your messaging
Where they hang out → your marketing channels
How they consume media → your content and campaigns
If you sell clothes and your customers discover you on Instagram, but you’re struggling to find the time to post, you need to figure this out through outsourcing or reprioritising other tasks. If you’re in a niche industry with an expensive annual trade show and absolutely all your customers are there, you need to work your budget around this.
Be ruthless with your time, money and effort. If your marketing isn’t bringing in new customers or helping you keep the ones you have, it needs to change.
2. Your product might be letting you down.
We all know of brands with great marketing but terrible products.
A fitness class with a cult following but a terrible booking system. Sending out orders with no delivery updates. An online course delivered through a ropey learning platform. These are all aspects of your product which are going to put off new customers, annoy your current customers, and can’t be fixed with a marketing campaign.
No one likes asking for feedback when things aren't working, but it really helps in situations like this. So, do it often, because the clues will be there, in your reviews, in lapsed customers and even in complaints.
3. Collaborate with the competition.
Just because you have similar customers and products doesn’t mean you have to be rivals. This can be a provocative suggestion but it’s always worth bringing up in conversation. Here are some examples:
Fitness classes at different providers in a city offering discounts for member referrals
Businesses in the same industry creating annual awards or a podcast
Working together to improve the supply chain, or even campaign for better regulations
Parting thoughts
In sharing this, you might wonder if I’m giving away all my tips and tricks to having marketing strategy conversations. The fact is, if I used this advice 15 years ago, I would have asked textbook questions and duly noted down all the answers. 10 years ago, I would have rushed to answer all the questions myself.
Today, experience helps, I’ve been on both sides of the marketing strategy conversation dozens of times. Knowledge helps too - particularly training as a coach and mentor and learning about structured conversations, questioning techniques and how to actually listen. Like many professions, the value lies in experience and knowledge, not the time spent together.
Last week I shared on LinkedIn that I had overhauled my website in a day. If you want to work with me, I have focused on offering two specific services to new clients: strategy and mentoring. Take a look!