5 Ways to Expand Your Client Base

It’s a well-known business rule that in order to make your business worthwhile, you have to get people interested in your product or service, so it make sense that you want to reach as many people as possible. Instead of waiting patiently for new clients to come to you, it’s important to be persistent and aggressive in going after a wide range of opportunities to get your name and brand out there, and the following strategies will help you do just that.

Use Promotional Products

Promotional products work as great catalysts in getting more people interested in your company. Getting a free custom printed t-shirt, water bottle, or reusable grocery bag with your company’s name and logo on it can help you reach more people who you normally wouldn’t target. Unless someone is seeking out your specific service or they hear about your from someone they know, chances are they will never know your name, and that’s why promotional items carry so much weight in helping expand your business; they allow a much greater percentage of the general public to find out who you are, and that’s a huge leap in growing your company.

Offer Incentives

When going after a new client base, it helps to give potential new clients a reason to choose your company, and offering incentives is a great way to stand out. It doesn’t have to be anything too complex, but a simple coupon for X amount of dollars off the first month’s service can really sway someone to pick your company over a competitor. Implement a different incentive sporadically throughout the year, and you should clearly be able to see an increase in your new client list.

Cross Promote with Other Businesses

It’s all about who you know in the business world, and if you’re just starting out, utilizing any connections you have is one of the most surefire ways to increase your company growth. Try and reach out to any business that you could possibly cross promote with. Essentially this proven business tactic works to find a common denominator between two companies so that they can share clientele with each other. This can be as simple as handing out each other’s business cards, or for even better results, offer discounts or coupons if a client uses the partner’s business. For example, if you owned a smoothie shop and you partnered up with a fitness center owner, you could give out coupons for a gym membership when someone buys a drink, and in turn, the fitness center could give out coupons for your smoothies at their gym. It’s a genuine business practice where everybody wins.

Start a Referral Program  

A referral program works as a great way to naturally get an increase in clientele, and at the same time, it helps reward your existing customers. Ask your current customer base to refer their friends, family, or co-workers to your company, and for every new person they bring in the door, give them a coupon or a discount on their next purchase or bill. Not only will this bring in individuals who normally would never seek out your business, but people are generally more likely to trust products and services when it’s recommended by someone they know.

Strengthen Your Online Presence

A fast, efficient, and fully functioning website is one of most important tools in expanding your clientele, and it doesn’t have to be such a burden to the wallet. Your website doesn’t have to be flashy or complex; the important part is to just making sure it works and the information a prospective client needs and wants to know is easily accessible. Many websites have in-depth and high-end design only to have the services menu take forever to load, and generally speaking, most people are interested in getting the necessary information before they care about how aesthetically impressive a website is.

As much as you might hate social media, it’s an excellent resource for more people to become aware of your brand. Twitter, Facebook, and Google + profiles are important for you to keep up to date with especially if you’re just starting out, and the traffic they can help generate is well worth the few minutes it takes to like a status or send a new tweet.

Reaching a larger client base is vital in keeping your business afloat, and it’s not an overnight event. It takes patience, planning, and creative thinking in order to be successful, but the good news is that if one strategy doesn’t work out, there are countless others you can try. It all comes down to your personal dedication and perseverance, and if you have both of those, your company has a strong future ahead.

Julie Hartwell is a freelance writer who loves anything to do with the arts, design, and effective business marketing. When she’s not embarking on her own creative adventures, she writes about Blue Cotton t-shirt printing.