There comes a point in the life of every business, whether it's a coffee shop, a bar, a restaurant, or even a hostel, it doesn't matter, when growth is necessary.
To grow, you need more revenue; to have more revenue, you need more customers; and to get that, you need to attract those additional customers. Nothing new here.
However, many companies jump straight to the tools and tactics of how to attract more customers to their establishment, leaving in the background the strategy that is based on perceptions and points of view about the product or service offered by the business.
In other words, these companies are starting from the middle of the buyer's journey, not the beginning.
What are the consequences of this?
Well, in short, the plan loses its foundation and tends to fail. Perhaps that's not the outcome you want for your plan to attract more clients, right?
That's why we've put together this list with three essential insights you should have before you start building your customer acquisition strategy.
1# Be aware of how people perceive your establishment
The first thing you should keep in mind when your focus is attracting new customers to your establishment is the importance people place on the experiences of others.
Before visiting a bar, a restaurant, or staying at a hotel, when is that moment when you actually decide whether or not you will go to the establishment?
Let's use the following example:
You heard about a new pasta restaurant that opened in town; the food is great, the place seems cozy, and the service is excellent, but you found the prices a bit steep.
In this scenario, would you still go to the restaurant if some people told you that the food arrives cold? Or, on the other hand, wouldn't it be a major influencing factor in your decision if they said the place is perfect and that you should definitely go?
Another example: what do you think has more impact, a great flyer from a coffee shop, or a bunch of people saying that the coffee shop serves magnificent coffee accompanied by the best cheese bread in the region?
There are many examples to confirm how significant and influential other people's experiences are; you yourself must have thought of a situation or two where the perception of another person shared with you was the deciding factor in whether or not you went to a certain establishment.
This is all because this whole idea leads us to the concept of one of the most powerful and oldest marketing tools: word-of-mouth marketing.
After understanding the true importance that people place on the experiences of others, let's move on to the second insight you should have to start attracting more customers to your business.
2# Make it easy for people to talk about your establishment
You might be wondering, "Okay, I understand the importance people place on the experience of others, but what now?" Well, now is the time for you to check if it's easy for your customers to talk about you.
The notion of the importance of others' experiences in decision-making leads to another understanding: the importance of having a good action plan to encourage your clients to talk about you.
It will all depend on your target audience's profile.
Where does he look for information about a place, where is he most easily impacted, how does he consume your product, what value does he see in your product, how does he react to your positioning, among other questions.
Understanding your customer journey will give you the insights to analyze the right time or times to introduce incentives and triggers to get your customers talking about you.
👉 Further reading: What is the customer journey and how to map yours?
3# Are you in the right place to start attracting these new consumers?
Have you ever heard of the zero moment of truth (ZMOT)?
According to Google, this is the moment between the stimulus that impacts the consumer (such as an advertisement) and the actual purchase.
This is where consumers look for information about your company and your product, and where they base a large part of their decision on the experiences of others, most often expressed through reviews (online ratings) from other customers.
Here you need to understand that working on your online reputation is essential to your strategy for attracting new customers.
You will make certain observations, such as, for example, does your online reputation on Google My Business make you appear ahead of your competitors?
But just like Google My Business, there are a multitude of online reputation sites (Tripadvisor, Yelp, Facebook recommendations, etc.) where your business needs to be (and well-ranked) to attract more and new customers.
Conclusion
By following the three points presented above, you ensure that, when designing your strategy for acquiring new customers, you will start from the beginning of the buyer's journey. Another positive consequence is that you will also strengthen your business's relationship with its customers.
👉 Further reading: The impact of review management on social media planning