Let Your Clients Help You Market Your Small Business

With everything going on right now, small business owners might feel a little overwhelmed trying to market their business. What many do not realize that if asked, your customers would be more than happy to help you market your small business. Really! Here are a few examples where you can partner with your clients to drive more business for your company.

Ask clients for referrals

Your happy clients would be more than happy to refer your business, but like you, they are busy. How do you get more referrals from your customers?  Ask! It is that simple! If you reach out to your satisfied customers and ask them if they know anyone else who might love your product or service as much as they do, chances are they will refer business to you, but you have to ask to get that to happen. How do you ask for referrals from customers? HubSpot wrote a great article about how to ask for referrals and even included an email template you can use. So easy! Need more info on referrals and how they can help? We have several articles about referrals to inspire you to give it a try!

Ask for testimonials

People trust other people when it comes to buying a product or service. They will also take the word of a client over how well a company performs over the company touting their accomplishments, which is where testimonials come in. Sure, companies are only going to put the best testimonials on their own site, but your happy clients can go to any number of 3^rd party sites to write a testimonial for you, including Facebook, Google My Business, and Yelp.  Each website is different so it depends on what business your company is in and where your target audience is as to which would be best for testimonials and reviews so give your happy customer the option and make it easy for them to leave a review or testimonial by providing them the URL where they can leave a review. Do not think online reviews are helpful?  They are, but read this article on how online reviews help small businesses to convince you to give it a try.

Get customers involved in your marketing efforts

Encouraging customers to post or demonstrate how to use your product, service, or software is a great way to support your business while educating future and current customers. They can do this on social media channels, participate in a company video or a number of other ways. It is a win-win because it is also showcasing their company while they talk about your service or product.

Partner with your customers in their marketing efforts

Look at your current customers. Is there any kind of synergy between the two companies that might create an opportunity for you to join together in marketing efforts? Maybe you are a pet sitting company, and one of your customers sells dog food. You could do a joint email marketing campaign or webinar to promote both companies at once, or you can showcase them in your monthly newsletter, and they can do the same for you. That effort can extend to sharing your social media posts. Review your current customer list and see if there are some hidden marketing opportunities you can take advantage of. Again, it will be a win-win for both.

Get their candid feedback

Happy customers can provide invaluable insights into how you can better market your product or service. Take time to solicit their feedback regarding your company. Here are a few questions to ask:

• Why did you start doing business with us in the first place?
• What do you like about our product or service?
• Where can we improve our marketing message to better connect with prospects?

Your dedicated clients will be more than happy to share feedback to help you improve.

Your customers can be an invaluable resource for marketing your small business. Try these ideas and see how it can help you generate more leads and grow your company.