5 Reasons Why Your Business Is Having Trouble Attracting New Clients

Guest post by Ashley Wilson

One of the biggest challenges every business is facing is acquiring and keeping clients. Without a continuous stream of clients, your business is in great danger. This is especially true if you rely on a handful, or worse, one big client only.

However, getting new clients is not always a simple process, as many failed businesses have found out.

It’s not enough to have a brick-and-mortar location or to set up an e-commerce website. It’s not enough to pay for advertisements or simply offer a lower price than your competitors.

Attracting customers has to be an all-encompassing business effort. That means everything you do, from branding to marketing, must bring new customers through your door.

Read below for some things you should consider if you struggle with client acquisition.

Why Your Business Has Trouble Attracting New Clients

Even after trying out various tactics, you may find that your business is still not getting new clients. Perseverance and patience are strong traits to have as a business owner. Unfortunately, they don’t account for much if you’re making the wrong moves. Failure will affect you psychologically and demoralize your employees.

Therefore, you must first review the management side of the business. Make sure you have a great team and enough money for the marketing and operations side of the business.

With those out of the way, here are some reasons your business is not attracting clients:

#1 Poor Marketing and Customer Research Efforts

It’s entirely possible to market the wrong way if you don’t have a marketing plan and don’t conduct proper customer research.

Success in marketing starts with the ideal consumer in mind. You must know everything about them, including their age, preferences, and needs.

Discover their location and what problems they have. Ensure you target the right segment and use those words in your messaging.

Use persuasion tricks such as giveaways, promotions, and discounts. Analyze and adjust your price depending on the buyer persona and the value of your product. Consider contacting previous customers and selling to them.

Last, consider using video content to draw in new customers. Solve commonly asked questions and build trust with your viewers. This trust will create new leads that turn into paying clients.

#2 You Don’t Have an SEO-Optimized Website

Your business website will not be effective if your users can’t find it. To position your business in front of new clients, you need to optimize your website content for search engines too.

Using some SEO (search engine optimization) techniques, your content will rank higher on search engine result pages for the keywords your potential audience is looking for.

Set up a blog where you’ll write articles and answer questions from current and potential customers. Show how to use certain products in your portfolio. Guide people into your sales funnel and call them to take action.

Audit the website to ensure it’s responsive and mobile-friendly. Business Insider predicts that in the next five years, almost half of people will shop online through their phones. Remember, first impressions are crucial.

#3 Lacking a Social Media Presence

Nowadays, it’s a bad look for a company if it doesn’t have a social media presence. Social media is your company’s digital storefront. If you’re not openly engaging people online or they can’t find information about you, your company comes across as untrustworthy.

You can use multiple social media platforms to connect with new clients. Here, it’s also important to identify where your ideal audience spends their time. Social media sites vary greatly by the demographic they attract and what type of content is shared.

Another great option to get your business in front of a new audience is guest blogging. Teaming up with other popular websites to write content that ties back to your site enhances your audience reach and helps position you as an expert in your field.

You’ll provide solutions to the readers, drawing them to your products or services. This will play a part in establishing your brand across your niche and potential customers’ minds.

#4 Failing to Stand Out from the Competition

The challenges of setting yourself apart from the competition can be twofold. First, you are not clear on your value proposition to clients. The second part is failing to brand your company in the right way.

Every business must figure out what problem they are solving. If you can’t explain the purpose of your company, then your potential clients won’t see it either. Once you are clear on the value you’re bringing, you can broadcast it far and wide.

With proper branding, you’ll find that customers are more likely to promote your business to their family and friends. Word-of-mouth will save you a lot of money on marketing. New customers will show up out of curiosity, and you’ll get a chance to convert them to paying clients.

If you’re in business against some tough rivals that set the tone in the industry, don’t get disheartened. This is a perfect chance for you to investigate what strategies work for them and what audience they are not paying enough attention to. Adapt these strategies for your business and use their weaknesses to your advantage.

#5 Problem with the Product or Service

Ultimately, your products or services hold the entire fate of your business. If you don’t deliver on your promise and disappoint your customers, they will share their negative experiences wherever they can.

Start by conducting research to find out what the audience is saying about your products.

Ask users to leave reviews of your products or services. Reviews are a powerful way to attract clients that might be on the fence about your marketing messages but are willing to accept recommendations from peers.

Show your audience that you are listening to feedback and acting on it. This will position you as a brand that takes its customers seriously and has their best interests in mind.

Keys to New Business

Consider the tips above and ask yourself if something is missing in your approach. You could have a fantastic product but may have trouble getting it to the right people. Or you might struggle to identify how to stand out in a crowded market.

Knowing exactly what type of clients you wish to attract will be your first step towards finding them. Nowadays, customers have an abundance of options to choose from. You need to make it easy for them to find you first.

Set up a well-built and SEO-optimized website. Sign up for social media platforms and be active in connecting with other online users.

Finally, be authentic about what your business is all about. If you stay true to your brand, you stand an excellent chance of creating a community around your brand that will continuously reward you with new leads.

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Ashley Wilson is a digital nomad and writer for hire, specialized in business and tech topics. In her self-care time, she practices yoga via Youtube. She has been known to reference movies in casual conversation and enjoys trying out new food. You can get in touch with Ashley via Twitter.