Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you. Please read our disclosure for more info.
No matter what kind of startup you’re working on, chances are you want it to grow as fast as possible. The savviest entrepreneurs are just as smart as they are passionate, and that starts by making sure you identify completely with your target customer base. Identifying the customer is one thing, but actually grabbing their attention is another matter altogether. When it comes to getting sales, there is nothing more influential than the power of social proof. The following techniques can help you develop the strong customer base that you need to validate your business and get it ready for takeoff into maturity.
Promotional Offers
If your business centers around providing physical goods, then one of the best ways you can build up a customer base early on is by offering free gifts with your first purchases. You could consider a free offering to be like a form of investment into gaining your target customer base’s trust. Make it an item that will be used often and put your business in mind.
Keep an Eye Out for Potential Partners
One of the most powerful, but often-overlooked methods for developing a customer base is by keeping an eye on other types of businesses that share your customer base. Businesses that target the same kind of consumer, but aren’t necessarily direct competitors might be willing and valuable allies to make early on in your business’s lifespan. After you’ve identified all of your potential partners, you’ll want to come up with clear offers to them for mutual benefit. You might offer your partners discounts on services that have a low dollar cost for you, which can be a highly worthwhile investment for getting high-value testimonials from other professionals in the field.
The Host-Beneficiary Method
Many startup founders tend to attempt building their initial customer base by seeking out individual referrals, but this can sometimes be a bit more trouble than its worth. Going after a large group of targeted consumers all at once oftentimes proves to be a more worthwhile approach than pushing hard for individual conversions or using untargeted scattershot advertisements. Check out Succeed At Eagle programs and learn how to make your own marketing tools if that would be a good method for your business. There are many avenues you can take on the road to good marketing.
The pressure of having a successful startup can make many entrepreneurs feel like they have to focus entirely on validating their business and making as many impressions as possible, but this can be counterproductive. Seek to foster mutually beneficial partnerships with non-competing but related businesses, identify targeted group of specific consumers that you plan on appealing to, and don’t be afraid to invest in some initial free giveaways to build up trust and buzz.
Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
