Attracting New Customers…Using the Customers You’ve Already Got

August 20, 2012

As a professional designer, attracting new prospects to your services is essential to your survival as an entrepreneur. But in an increasingly competitive market, how best to go about it?

As traditional marketing strategies continue to give way to the new economy of social media, platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest gain prominence by offering business owners interactive, 24/7 access to potential clientele. Experts tout social media as miracle marketing tools which are fast, easy and free (though the dedication of time and resources required to manage them properly sometimes feels like a full-job). So, while social media is undeniably an important tool in your marketing arsenal, the single most important marketing tool available to small business owners is often overlooked: your clients.

Your clients are your best assets, your “ace in the hole,” so to speak. Each client in your database has a database in turn: of friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances, all with the potential to become clients of yours.

Regardless of how many times you update your Facebook page or blast your followers with 140-character marketing campaigns, it’s a fact that people trust other people, and there is no better or more effective advertisement for your business than a word-of-mouth referral.

Without a doubt, clients are the secret marketing tool that can take your business from good to great…if you leverage them. Elevating your clientele from ‘customers’ to ‘advocates’ requires hard work, dedication and a solid plan of action. Here are two amazing articles that can help you leverage your current clientele.

10 Tips for Building Customer Loyalty through MarketingProfs.com is a great checklist for those who are new to business ownership or for mature entrepreneurs who are looking to recharge their batteries when it comes to client engagement and relationship management. Though written in mid-2010, the list is chock-full of insightful, effective suggestions and is very relevant in today’s marketplace.

If you’re ready to move on to next steps in creating client advocates, click over to Entrepreneur.com for 5 Ways to Take Customer Loyalty to the Next Level.

image via Bee Communications