Attracting new customers for your small business

Small business owners know the pain of trying to attract new customers to boost their sales. It is easy to retain the customers you already have and keep them as customers for a long time, but how can you get them to spread the word about your company to your friends?

One method a lot of small business and even big businesses use is to offer incentives to their existing customers to get them to bring new customers. Disney Movie Club and Golds Gym and known for this type of marketing. If you refer a friend to their company, they will give you a discount on your next purchase or on your monthly membership costs. This is an effective way to generate new leads and find some new customers that can boost your sales.

Do you have a web site? Begin marketing to a new audience with a web site. Your web site should be simple and effective enough to promote your product and establish your name in the market. When you are creating your web site you need to decide if it answers all your customers' needs within 10 seconds. Each page on your web site needs to have your contact information and copyright information. When a customer is browsing a web site, they want to obtain their information within 5 to 8 seconds. Once a customer is convinced of your value, they will begin looking at all the other pages on your web site.

The home page on your web site should be simple and clean. If it critical that you get the point on the home page, so your customers don't have to keep clicking through your entire site to find the answer they need. You must also have a "contact us" section at the bottom of your home page so your customer can contact you in other methods. After your web site is designed, you can list it on Google, Yahoo and MSN. You want your web site to appear high in the search engine rankings. By participating in pay-per-click advertising you can see what keywords your customers are using to find your site and your products.

Another effective way to market your small business to new clients is to become a blogger. You can reach a brand new audience by writing in a conversational way and show a "human" side to your business. Blogging has taken the business world by fire in recent years and many people are subscribed to blogging sites. By having a blog, you will increase your web site traffic and attract new clients. Another key benefit to a blog is the ability to receive feedback from your clients. This will allow you to rethink the way you create products or just do business in general.

Podcasting and videocasting are two other new forms of technology that marketing gurus have tapped into. With a microphone or video camera, you can show your subscriber audience about your products and your company. Podcasting and video casting are unique and many companies have found that it makes them stand out from their competitors.

YouTube is another place to market to a new audience. By posting informative videos on YouTube, you will be attracting clients who are looking for educational information about the topic you have posted. This allows you to get your foot in the door with a new audience. Be sure to list your web site on the video so the potential customer knows how to find more information about your company.

Another thing you can do is send a weekly or monthly e-mail to your existing clients. Having a newsletter continues to build your credibility to prospective clients that you are the leader in this field of expertise. Plus, it also has all your contact information right on the newsletter for clients to write down or refer to other colleagues. One other great fact, it's FREE advertising, that is if you write it yourself. You can have a third-party go about preparing one for you for small monthly costs; it just depends on what you want.