10 entrepreneurs give tips on how to grow your customer base

"If you build it, they will come." Thanks mysterious voice in a field of corn but seriously how? Are you a buisness owner with good taste, a great product, and the perfect space but not sure how to get people to enter it and stick around? Looking for inspiration to start the flow? We asked 10 entrepreneurs what they do to build their customer base. Here's what we came up with.

SHARE YOUR PERSONALITY

Rhonda & Jillian Williams from Chem-Free Naturally says:

Our favorite method of growing Chem-Free Naturally is Social Media, mostly instagram with viewer engagement.Make connections, share your personality, and stay consistent. making connections could be a simple as story telling, tell your audience what's going on with your business the good, bad or indifferent.This will allow your audience to feel like they are apart of the brand and provide helpful tips to help you grow. People like people, so make sure you share your personality. No matter how quirky, someone out there can relate to you personally , know someone who acts like you and could inspire someone. Also, we all hate it when our favorite tv show ends ,or gets cancelled. That's how people feel on social media too, when you build a connection with your audience it important to stay connected while maintaining work life balance.

DEMONSTRATIONS AND WORKSHOPS

Linda J Howes-Smyth from Shining Waters Soap says:

I love showing and explaining to people how my products are made, the ingredients used and why. The more informed people are about what they put on their bodies, how it is just as important as what they put in them, the more informed their choices are.

AFFILIATE PARTNERSHIPS

Deborah Hurwitz from COBALT Coaching says:

Affiliate partnerships, specifically online summits. I love the generosity and win-win business model of creating a high-value event, sharing it with compatible audiences, creating and serving a new community inside an exciting, vibrant container, and then walking that audience into deeper support through the programs I offer. It's how I launched my business and how I've built a rock-solid high-six-figure company in just five years.

CONNECT WITH COMMUNITY

Kate Brown from A Sweet Whim says:

I love to use Instagram to grow my customer base and connect with my community. I can connect with and support other bakers easily, and I can reach my locals through location and hashtags. Since people eat with their eyes first it’s important to be visually appealing. I also love that I can showcase my personality through videos.

GOOGLE MY BUSINESS

Lindsay Fiander from Gloss Studio says:

One of my favorite methods for growing my business is the all mighty power of Google My Business. GMB works exactly like all social media platforms. The more features you have active, the more pictures and videos you post, the more exposure Google will give to your business in the Google search feature. When asked new clients often found my listing on Google, thanks to keywords to chose for my business, then clicked my GMB page for things like location andhours, website link, pictures and reviews, before landing on my social media platforms for more vetting to see if I would be a good fit for them as a hairstylist. GMB is very user friendly and even has an app to make uploading and changes quick and easy. For Gloss Studio this makes GMB an essential part of my customers journey!

IN-STORE SAMPLING DEMOS

Ana Stevens from Pepper North Artisan Foods says:

Previously, our favourite method to grow our customer base was doing in-store sampling demos as we have found that having people taste our product increases sales an creates return purchases. However, due to the pandemic, we have shifted our focus to our social media, in particular Instagram. We have found that by showing customers different ways they can pair our sauces with a variety of food has helped us grow our customer base tremendously.

GET TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Jessica Prescott from Flame & Smoke says:

Participating in community events and festivals is a great way to meet new customers! As an entrepreneur, you can take advantage of operating in a new neighborhood or city without the hassle and cost associated with starting-up a new permanent location. Culinary markets and events are also a great way to try new ideas and get feedback in real time!

CONSISTENCY

Sam Kaiser from Furlough Brothers says:

There are several different ways to answer this question. We enjoy engaging with our customers via social media and also love doing live cooking events out at breweries and other locations throughout Dallas. Both avenues give us an opportunity to get our name out into the community and grow our following. However, we think the best method for growing a customer base is to ensure consistency inside the kitchen. Having our sandwiches and bowls leave the kitchen exactly the same each time ensures that our return customers will continue to receive what they have come to enjoy and it gives them the confidence to recommend to their friends. These days, the market is heavily saturated with restaurants and all the delivery apps have endless options for customers. The days of a great review in a publication resulting in a perpetual line out the door are gone. If we can prove to our customers that we will consistently provide a quality meal with fresh ingredients, we can continue to organically grow our customer base.

FACE TO FACE

Phil Wingo from Sandhill Coffee says:

Anything in person. Being a coffee business, the easiest way to get a sale or at least positive interaction with someone is to have them try our coffee. Second would be social media as they can learn about our coffee business before trying us out.

WORD OF MOUTH

Ashley Robinson from BITE Box says:

Word of mouth has been our biggest driver of growth. Not only does it bring in more customers, but they tend to be better fits for what we offer. We encourage WOM through social, email, and in-person so it is something that overlaps with a lot of other methods.