Does it feel like you have tried everything to attract new customers but with limited success?
Or you don’t have the time or the resources to invest in generating new leads and securing new business?
While it may seem like an impossible task, especially in the current climate, there are techniques and practices you can adopt to attract new customers without blowing your budget.
From building a high-quality website to engaging on social media, read on to discover seven foolproof ways to attract new customers to your manufacturing business.
1. Encourage customer reviews
Did you know that having no reviews is just as bad as having lots of negative ones?
In a world where anyone and everyone can post their opinions online, it has never been more important for businesses to encourage their customers to review their products and services.
If you don’t have many customer reviews currently, there are lots of ways you can acquire these, including offering an incentive to write a review, reminding your customers to write reviews in any email correspondence, and offering multiple platforms to leave reviews, such as on your website and on social media.
You also need to make sure you are monitoring and replying to your customer reviews, both good ones and bad ones, so that your customers know that you are listening to what they have to say.
2. Start up a loyalty or referral program
Another highly effective tactic for attracting new customers is to set up a loyalty or referral program.
If you are new to referral programs, these are designed to encourage people to recommend your business to other people. Referral programs can be used by B2C and B2B manufacturing businesses alike, offering a low-cost way to attract new business and get people talking about your brand.
Loyalty and referral programs are also great for retaining new customers, as long as you offer rewards and incentives to them as well as any new customers.
3. Post on social media
Social media marketing should be a part of any digital marketing strategy, enabling you to engage with your target audience and increase awareness of your brand.
It is not enough to simply have social media profiles on all the relevant platforms. You need to make sure you are regularly posting engaging and relevant content that actively appeals to your customer base.
Social media platforms that are highly visual, such as Instagram and Pinterest, are perfect for businesses in the manufacturing industry as they allow you to showcase your products and encourage sales.
Social media marketing is just one of the many effective digital marketing strategies for B2B manufacturers that you can use to attract new customers to your manufacturing business.
4. Create great content
Following on from the above, if you want to set your manufacturing business apart from your competition, you need to be creating content. This can take many different forms, such as blogs, e-books, videos, podcasts, social media posts, and so much more.
The great thing about content is that it doesn’t cost much to create, but it has the ability to massively increase your visibility online and attract a much wider customer base.
If you don’t know where to start with creating content, then why not take a look at your competitors to see what they are producing? Alternatively, you could ask your customers what they would like to see in the way of content from you.
Remember that consistency is crucial when creating content, so once you start, make sure you post regularly to avoid disappointing your audience.
5. Improve the customer experience
There are so many different ways you can improve your overall customer experience and, in turn, attract more customers.
For example, you could utilize chatbots to facilitate the way you communicate with your customers. These enable you to respond to customer queries 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no long waiting times or delayed responses.
Other ways in which you can improve customer experience include making sure that your online business listings are complete and up to date so that your customers can find out all the relevant information about your business with ease. If you do not already have a Google business profile, then now is the time to get one.
6. Build a high-quality website
Your website is often the first impression that someone gets of your business, so you need to make sure it is a good one.
When it comes to building a high-quality website, there are many different elements that you need to consider, such as how fast your web pages load, how easy your website is to navigate, and how easily it can be viewed on other devices such as mobile phones and tablets.
Unless you have skills and experience in website design, it is advisable to hire a professional website designer to build your website or make any necessary updates for you.
If you are not sure whether or not your website needs improving, take a look at your current bounce rate to see how many people are coming to your site and then leaving straight away.
7. Generate quality leads
You may be surprised at the number of manufacturing businesses that waste their time and money chasing poor-quality leads that are unlikely to convert into sales. However, if you want to make money, you need to make sure you are generating leads that actually have a chance of becoming customers.
One of the most effective ways to do this is via email marketing which involves gathering email addresses and then sending out timely and relevant emails that nurture leads and encourage sales.
Takeaway
Attracting new customers to your manufacturing business is no easy feat, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be done.
By following the above techniques and putting in the time and effort to see what works best for your business and its customers, you are guaranteed to see your profits soar.
