Those who start a new business often feel lost in the first few months thinking:

How to reach more customers online?

Before starting the company, everything seems very obvious, but as other concerns arise, we can’t see something easy that can bring us a lot of return.

Here are 10 ways to get more customers today!

• Ask for referrals, don’t wait for them
• Partnership with larger companies
• Search apps and marketplaces
• Follow up with lost customers
• Invest in paid advertising
• Join groups
• Show your portfolio
• Use Google My Business
• Get in touch with potential customers
• have a website

Ask for referrals, don’t wait for them

When a client likes your work, they usually recommend your company, right?

Not always, often customers are so busy that they forget to say how amazing you were helping them.

Therefore, always try to ask for references from clients you have seen with great satisfaction. Sending an email or making a call makes them see how important it is to you, and they certainly won’t let you down.

To reach more customers online, send an email like this asking for a referral and be amazed at the results.

Hello [name],

How is [company] doing? I enjoyed working with you on this project and would love to hear about your experience.

On the other hand, I’m looking for new clients to work with. Can you connect me to any person or company on your network that could use my services right now?

-John Doe

Partnership with larger companies

Mainly in the service sector, there are companies that do not take small demands or more affordable services.

At this point, instead of trying to reach more customers online on your own, you can embrace work and have a partnership with companies in your own field.

Think of an established marketing agency that deals with very large companies and received a budget from a small company wanting art for social media.

It would not be feasible for them to send a budget, as they know that:

• Budget is too low
• They have no interest in the project
• they don’t have availability
• They don’t have the necessary skills or knowledge

On the other hand, if they can get through to you, even while keeping a percentage of commission, it will be extremely valuable.

An example of an email to reach decision-makers within the company would be as follows:

Hello [name],

I follow [client’s company name], and I really love [some cool product or service they offer].

I run a design consultancy, [your company name], and we work with many startups / growing companies.

I wanted to get in touch to see if we can work with [customer company name] on projects that you may need an extra design resource for (such as projects with smaller budgets or if you have limited availability).

What do you think?

Search apps and marketplaces

Today there are several applications that can connect you with a future customer. In the marketing business, this is very common.

Sites like Workana, Fiverr, among others, are extremely valuable for those who are starting to be able to make their offer according to what customers are looking for.

If you have a company that offers services and products, you can also advertise on large marketplaces such as Amazon, Walmart, and eBay.

The problem with apps and websites is that they work like an auction, so if your price is higher than your competitor’s, make it clear why.

If your customer sees value rather than just price, they won’t mind paying a little more.

Follow up with lost customers

Doing a follow-up means getting in touch with customers who haven’t closed yet, or actually declined the proposal.

Surprisingly, some people didn’t close with you because they forgot about your proposal, so make a point of being remembered.

Put in a time that makes sense within your area and get in touch to ask how they are handling the process in relation to the service you offered.

At this point, there may be negotiations that will lead the customer to buy your product or service at the time of the call.

Invest in paid advertising

Briefly, let’s mention the two big names that are Google Ads and Facebook Ads.

On Google, you can appear first for customers who use the keywords you chose. For example, “buy a car in SP”.

Here, you pay for clicks only, that is, people who searched for your product and when they found your ad, clicked to learn more.

On Facebook, you can advertise on the network itself and on Instagram. It’s great for generating brand awareness and promoting more visual products like e-commerce for example.

Join groups

Be very careful here in this part. By joining groups, you will be looking for people who may be interested in your service, however, this does not mean promoting your product every day.

In addition to being annoying, it is considered SPAM and can give you some negative points in the group.

Be nice and deliver quality content, participate in posts and only offer your services to people who usually post in groups looking for help.

When joining a design group, for example, you can use the search tool to see who is looking for a designer.

Smarter than that, however, is to look for where your target audience is! In the case of websites, we find many people in need of a new website asking for help in venture groups.

Show your portfolio

Your portfolio cannot be hidden! It doesn’t matter if you can’t make a website right now, use some free portfolio platform.

This tip applies a lot to photographers, designers, illustrators, and musicians. The portfolio has to be updated and show the best you have to offer.

Use Google My Business

Google My business is a tool that puts your business on the Google map. This means that whenever someone searches for your product or service and is close to you, they will find your business listing.

The sheet is super complete and shows information such as opening hours, price range, photos and reviews from other customers.

The number of people who will contact your company will increase unbelievably with just this step.

Get in touch with potential customers

Social media is a powerful tool for finding customers. Define who your audience is and look for these people to offer them your services or products.

Don’t be too invasive, know how to really generate value for those you “stalked” and point out points of improvement that you noticed in the company.

If you make packaging, you can approach stores that sell jewelry, for example, say you saw a lot of potentials and invite them to take a look at your store.

If possible, send audio by Instagram direct. Regardless of the case, be extremely personal and show that it’s not just an ad message.

Have a website

Lastly, most importantly! Having a website today means being available to all your customers, 24 hours a day.

Beyond availability, you can apply all these tips that we talk about in the article automatically on your website, showing your portfolio, registering contacts for follow-up, and having a place where people can see who you’ve worked with.

If you’re just starting out, you may not have enough money to hire a professional, and that’s okay!

You can use very cheap platforms like Wix to produce your website and pay only a monthly fee.

The problem with these platforms is that as you will not be aware of important items such as usability, design, and marketing, it will not bring as much result as an agency/freelancer doing your website.