How to search and find new customers

To ensure business continuity and withstand competition, every entrepreneur must focus on the search and acquisition of new customers. Initially, it is crucial to understand how to identify contacts interested in purchasing their services, initiating negotiations that can result in temporary trials or actual sales. Some customers may test the product or service only once, while others may develop long-term loyalty to the brand (loyalty process). In any case, the time devoted to searching for new customers should not compromise other responsibilities, such as operational management and relationships with suppliers.

Today, entrepreneurs have a wide range of effective methods and tools, both offline and online, to achieve this goal. In our daily experience, supported by targeted research, we have successfully contributed to finding new customers in various sectors, including manufacturing companies, tourist facilities, training institutions, employment agencies, telecommunications companies, and social enterprises. Each sector presents peculiarities that require differentiated communication approaches towards potential customers. However, our experience has allowed us to develop a consolidated method, adapted to specific situations, which has led to significant results in terms of customer acquisition and business revenue growth. Defining goals, target audience, and operational area is the starting point to navigate in the right direction and establish a budget, with constant attention to return on investment (ROI). It is not only important to acquire customers but to do so gradually and in a balanced manner.

In this article, I want to share with you the best strategies to search and find new customers with short, medium, and long-term investments, mostly feasible even for small businesses with a limited budget.

OFFLINE MARKETING STRATEGIES

Before examining the most innovative marketing strategies aimed at generating leads from potential customers, namely internet marketing strategies, it is crucial to recognize the importance of some traditional marketing tools, often overlooked without a careful evaluation of their real potential.

1. NEWSPAPER, RADIO, AND TELEVISION ADVERTISING

The term "advertising" essentially refers to traditional advertising, taking forms such as TV commercials, newspaper ads, or radio promotions. This form of marketing remains dominant, but the associated costs can often be prohibitive. A short advertising spot on a local network or half a page of advertising in a regional newspaper can incur high costs, considering production costs (copywriting, video shooting, graphics) and service fees. Paradoxically, advertising is also one of the few strategies without measurable return on investment (ROI). We know how much is spent to acquire new customers, but it is not possible to quantify precisely the results generated by this investment.

PRO:
- Wide audience

CONS:
- Unmeasurable ROI
- Generic target
- High costs

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Multinationals
- Local businesses
- Shopping malls
- Sports teams
- Medium-small businesses

2. TTELEMARKETING: FROM PHONE CALLS TO CALL CENTERS

Still widely used today, telemarketing involves the active search for new customers through direct phone calls. This strategy involves "cold" contacts, emphasizing the distant nature of the relationship between the company (or professional) and the potential customer. With the phone in hand, numerous entrepreneurs have promoted their businesses, one phone call at a time. However, it is evident that this methodology requires a considerable commitment of time and energy to find new customers. Call centers offer an alternative for those who prefer to delegate telemarketing activities, although it is necessary to assess at what cost and with what results.

PRO:
- Extensive advertising

CONS:
- Declining trust
- Difficulty in monitoring ROI (Return on Investment)

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Fast-moving consumer goods companies
- Gas and energy companies
- Subscriptions to TV services

3. PUBLIC RELATIONS: EVENTS, TRADE FAIRS, ETC.

Careful public relations management remains a fundamental tool for many medium-small businesses looking for new customers. In short, participating in relevant events, carefully selected based on the audience and target audience, is essential. Presence at events, trade fairs, festivals, and meetings with potential customers provides an opportunity to promote the brand directly, often the most impactful way, fueling word of mouth and opening new business prospects. However, costs remain high, especially considering that the event participation fee is added to the stand setup, product transport, accommodation, and salaries of any employees and collaborators during the fair days.

PRO:
- Personal contact with a targeted audience

CONS:
- High costs
- Difficult to measure ROI

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Car dealerships
- Start-ups
- Tourist activities
- Furniture stores
- Multinationals

4. SPONSORSHIP OF TEAMS, ASSOCIATIONS, EVENTS

Among the most effective offline strategies for finding new customers at the local level (municipality, province, or region), sponsorship stands out. This practice involves a direct or indirect contribution to teams, associations, non-profit organizations, and sports events in exchange for brand visibility in various forms. The beneficiary of sponsorship, whether an individual or a group, offers the company various visibility opportunities, from the presence of the logo on uniforms to signage, from brand inclusion in merchandising to dedicated newspaper articles. However, as with the majority of offline strategies, calculating Return on Investment is difficult. It often relies on intuition and the hope that the object of sponsorship will succeed, thus maximizing the audience. A positive aspect is the relationship between the reached audience and sustainable costs, allowing reaching a broad audience with a modest investment.

PRO:
- Effective at the local level
- Large audience reached
- Sustainable costs

CONS:
- Difficult to measure ROI
- Risk of negative image

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Multinationals
- Locally rooted businesses

5. FLYERING OR DISTRIBUTION OF ADVERTISING MATERIAL

Flyering or the distribution of advertising material is a direct marketing strategy that involves the physical distribution of flyers, brochures, or promotional material to promote a product, service, or event. This approach aims to reach the target audience directly, often in public places or at specific events.

PRO:
- Targeted localization
- Relatively low costs

CONS:
- Potential waste
- Environmental impact
- Difficulty in monitoring

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Local restaurants and pizzerias
- Local businesses
- Local events or non-profit organizations
- Cleaning or maintenance services

6. PERSONAL SELLING (DOOR-TO-DOOR AND NETWORK MARKETING)

Among the main strategies for acquiring new customers is personal selling, a practice involving the direct sale of products or services through representatives or collaborators in a network. A traditional example is door-to-door sales, which in recent years has been replaced by network marketing, a system where individuals earn commissions from direct and indirect sales. Renowned companies that primarily adopt this approach include Folletto, Gialean, or Herbalife. Implementing such a system, or even just creating a strong network of representatives, requires a significant commitment of energy and resources, with the awareness that the return on investment may not be immediate.

PRO:
- Measurable ROI
- Expenses consistent with earnings

CONS:
- Continuous turnover of collaborators
- Limited control

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Cosmetic manufacturers
- Home cleaning devices
- Personal well-being accessories
- Food and beverage companie

INTERNET MARKETING STRATEGIES

7. DIGITAL PERSONAL BRANDING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

The transition from the offline to the digital realm suggests adopting the personal branding strategy, accompanied by online public relations (PR) activities. The concept of personal branding extends beyond the mere promotion of individual figures, such as musicians, writers, or consultants, to the promotion of the brand and the company itself. This approach involves top entrepreneurs, partners, employees, and dealers, utilizing digital channels such as social media, email, and applications like Messenger or WhatsApp.

PRO:
- Low costs
- Enormous potential audience
- Flexibility

CONS:
- Difficult to measure ROI
- Reputation to build
- Requires many people working in synergy

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Medium-large companies
- Multinationals
- Innovative startups with a well-structured team

8. OPTIMIZED PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE

Websites and e-commerce platforms are the foundation for finding new customers through the Internet. Fundamental is the design and creation of a modern, flexible website with SEO-optimized structure and high performance. The site must be populated over time with high-quality content, easy to navigate for users, including mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, and continuously optimized to rank in search engines. In essence, a website must be designed from the start as part of a broader marketing strategy aimed at increasing corporate visibility online for potential customers and conversions.

Having a news section or an updated support blog with fresh and targeted news is another leverage point to expand the user base. Furthermore, a website is not a one-time tool that yields results indefinitely. Firstly, the site needs to be designed not so much to be "beautiful" but to generate leads (or conversions), i.e., contact or quote requests from potential customers looking for a solution to their problem. Afterward, the website needs to be kept updated and modern over time and continuously optimized through strategies such as inbound marketing, to increase the number of contacts over time, and monitored to evaluate possible improvements and intervene promptly in case of performance drops.

PRO:
- Essential business tool for finding customers
- 24/7 automated promotion
- Enormous potential audience
- Low costs

CONS:
- Requires technical skills
- The importance of integrating a marketing strategy is often underestimated (almost everyone has a website, but few really have a quality website useful for finding customers)

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Any business is suitable for promotion through a website

9. AFFILIATE MARKETING ON PORTALS, SITES, AND BLOGS

For those who own a website or an e-commerce platform, affiliate marketing is a valuable investment. In this promotion system, the brand is advertised on portals, sites, or blogs through banners or links. Essentially, whenever a user clicks on the banner or link, accesses the promoted site, and performs an action (such as booking a room, leaving an email, purchasing a product, etc.), the affiliate earns a percentage. Therefore, all program members are incentivized to maximize the visibility of participating companies. The market is dominated by numerous platforms, both Italian and foreign, offering the opportunity to register and participate under specific conditions and rates. In this context, ROI measurement is precise, but competition remains high and competitive.

PRO:
- Easy management
- Immediate implementation
- Global coverage
- Measurable ROI

CONS:
- High competition
- Risk of damaging the image if links and banners are placed in inappropriate contexts

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- All sectors that sell products or services are suitable for this type of marketing

10. DISPLAY ADVERTISING, FROM BANNERS TO POP-UPS

Display advertising differs from affiliate marketing in the scope and tools used. While affiliate marketing operates on specific platforms and exclusively on affiliate sites, display advertising can be implemented practically anywhere, especially on online magazines and blogs with a significant traffic flow. These platforms offer "virtual spaces" for the publication of banners, videos, or other graphic elements. A display advertising expert, considering the cost per click, will be able to optimize the marketing campaign to display ads only to users truly interested or inclined to make a purchase, the so-called "qualified users."

Alternatively, a web agency can engage influencers, bloggers, and influencers, managing the negotiation of space for the predetermined period. Tracking systems depend on the quality of the offer and can more precisely define Return on Investment (ROI)

PRO:
- Affordable prices
- Virtually unlimited channel numbers
- Segmentation by interests and buying intentions

CONS:
- Complex research and mediation activities
- ROI not always precisely measurable

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- E-commerce
- National and international companies without geographical limits
- Startups offering remote services

11. ONGOING SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT (WITH ADS)

Another strategy for acquiring new customers in the digital world is represented by social media and, consequently, the continuous management of one or more social networks. It is crucial to emphasize the adjective "ongoing": it is not enough to open a Facebook page or an Instagram profile, but it is necessary to keep each social network active through the publication of targeted posts, from a minimum of two per week to a maximum of one or two per day. Integrating organic activity with advertising (paid advertising) is an advantage. However, not all potential customers are on social networks: some business sectors may face difficulties in generating engagement, so it is crucial to carefully evaluate the opportunity to be present or not on a particular social media platform. In terms of costs, the budget to consider is significant, as it must cover various items, from the social media manager's management to advertising expenses.

PRO:
- Targeted audience
- Wide reach

CONS:
- Substantial costs
- Delicate planning
- Requires at least 6 months of professional management to see initial results

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Any type of business can benefit from a presence on social media

12. VIRAL MARKETING ON YOUTUBE, FACEBOOK, AND INSTAGRAM

How many times have you thought about creating that famous YouTube video and getting millions of views? In the era of the Internet, it is not necessary to have great technical skills, but it is essential to have good ideas. Like viruses, viral videos and content spread at the speed of light, turning a perfect stranger into a worldwide famous star (the success of the song and music video "Gangnam Style" is a historic example). This phenomenon not only concerns individuals but also involves companies, always looking for new viral content to engage potential customer audiences.

It is well known that the chances of creating a viral video increase in proportion to the firepower of the business. Therefore, companies and established societies on social media are more likely to surpass one million views. However, the Internet remains a democratic tool, capable of equally rewarding newcomers without a particular following.

PRO:
- Low costs
- Extraordinary marketing potential

CONS:
- Massive competition
- Requires attitude and creativity

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Any type of business can benefit from publishing a viral video on YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram

13. PAY-PER-CLICK AND GOOGLE ADS

Often promoted as a tool accessible to everyone and manageable directly by the entrepreneur or their acquaintances, pay-per-click on Google (formerly Google AdWords) is a strategy for finding new customers through paid ads on Google. These ads appear in search results, usually in prominent positions, when a potential customer performs a specific search, ensuring visibility to the paying company in front of those looking for similar services.

While it may seem simple to find new customers on Google, the reality is that managing Google campaigns requires expertise and attention. Many entrepreneurs, trying to manage campaigns on their own, end up wasting time and money, eventually considering this tool useless and harmful. In reality, Google Ads is a powerful tool that, if managed correctly, can ensure clear and immediate visibility.

Google Ads campaigns require careful planning and professional management to avoid wasting resources. Some companies, after trying to manage campaigns independently, turn to specialized Google Ads consultants only after spending considerable sums. This tool is vital for many companies, and experienced consultants can ensure rapid visibility and secure results.

Google Ads is particularly effective when you want to get customers in the short term, promote new products or services, or when the brand is not well known. By appearing in search results in response to users' specific searches, a company can be found by potential customers exactly when they are interested. Immediate visibility leads to opening negotiations with potential customers who are ready and interested.

PRO:
- Immediate visibility
- Guaranteed results
- Vast potential customer base
- Measurable ROI

CONS:
- Dependence on daily payments to Google
- Need for long-term strategies like SEO for consistent visibility

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- All businesses that offer products and services directly to consumers, not suppliers or third parties.

14. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION, FROM ANALYSIS TO SEO

The previous 13 strategies for finding new customers and promoting a brand share a common denominator: once the budget is exhausted or the activity is completed, the results also stop.

However, there is an exception to this corollary: SEO or Search Engine Optimization.

As the name suggests, SEO is the targeted optimization of a website to achieve a top position on Google when a user types specific keywords. The uniqueness of this strategy is that it allows improving positioning naturally or "organically," without having to pay Google. Through activities such as keyword analysis, content production, and code optimization, it is possible to emerge in search results and be found by potential customers without budget and time constraints.

A website or e-commerce positioned for relevant keywords will remain in place for years to come, requiring only occasional maintenance work. While requiring a significant investment, SEO offers a long-term economic return, and there are numerous examples of brands continuing to benefit from the positioning achieved in previous years through SEO and optimization work.

PRO:
- Results that last for years even after the initial investment
- Specific target
- Constant flow of contacts ready for negotiation
- Easy integration with other tools

CONS:
- Requires a long-term perspective

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Any business is suitable for SEO promotion through a website

15. FUNNEL MARKETING & EMAIL MARKETING

Another effective digital tool for finding and acquiring new customers is email marketing, closely related to funnel marketing (sometimes perfectly overlapping). Funnel marketing represents a sales strategy based on sending a sequence of highly targeted emails to the recipient, focused on a specific product or service (rather than the brand in general). The goal is to highlight the benefits of the offer through a series of emails. Each message can include videos, links to articles, resources, and anything that stimulates purchase. Subscription to the funnel is incentivized through tools known as lead magnets, such as a free ebook or an exclusive video accessible only to subscribers (those who fill out a form with their email). To manage email sending, platforms such as ClickFunnels or ActiveCampaign can be used, specifically developed to set up a funnel smoothly and seamlessly. Regarding email marketing, the strategy involves regularly sending emails to the subscribed audience, usually one or two per month to avoid being intrusive. Despite 30 years having passed since the invention of email, the ROI of email marketing remains the highest by far.

PRO:
- Best ROI overall
- Affordable sending tools
- Infinite storytelling possibilities

CONS:
- Need to create interesting content and offers
- Gain proportional to the number of subscribers

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Companies with high-value products
- Professionals selling courses
- Training schools
- Consultants
- Artists and artisans

16. GAMIFICATION AND PRIZE CONTESTS

In recent years, gamification has gained popularity thanks to the spread of various web applications of various kinds and levels. This marketing strategy allows engaging young or middle-aged customers, conveying sponsored content through banners, video ads, and more. Specialized companies like WiContest or Leevia handle gamification events and prize contests, managing logistical, development, bureaucratic issues, and even animation. Costs in this case can be high, often beyond the reach of small businesses. For example, only the legal deposit of the regulations for a prize contest (mandatory by law) can cost up to 1,000 euros. Therefore, it is essential to carefully evaluate: while giving away gadgets and prizes can be a great form of advertising, it is necessary to consider the budget and economic return, which is far from simple to calculate.

PRO:
- Originality of the initiative
- Transversal audience
- Extended advertising over time
- Selectable target in advance

CONS:
- High costs
- Difficult to calculate ROI

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Medium to large businesses
- Multinational companies

17. SPONSORSHIPS OF INFLUENCERS, BLOGGERS, YOUTUBERS

A relatively recent approach to identifying new customers online is to collaborate with influencers, bloggers, and YouTubers, sponsoring them through products and services. This trend originated in the fashion industry and then expanded into travel, food, and other niches. The company sponsoring an influencer, sending them complimentary products, or offering them experiences, promotes itself in the eyes of the community created by the same person. For example, product reviews with links in the video description can directly lead to the company's e-commerce or business website. The effectiveness of this strategy is directly proportional to the influencer's fanbase, i.e., the breadth and consistency of the audience that follows the blogger, YouTuber, etc. Costs can vary from zero, in the case of an exchange (the company gives the product, the influencer writes an article), to several thousand euros for more elaborate campaigns that include the creation of videos and articles distributed over time.

PRO:
- Very specific and loyal audience
- Excellent potential for brand identity
- Ability to delegate the entire campaign to the influencer and their marketing channels

CONS:
- Difficult to calculate ROI
- Sometimes high costs for very famous influencers
- Limited visibility over time

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Modern companies that want to interact with the online audience without resorting to traditional advertising

18. PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF FREE EBOOKS

The last marketing strategy proposed by our team involves the production and subsequent distribution of an ebook, strictly as a giveaway. Why free and not paid? Simply because, if paid, it would no longer be a marketing strategy but a sales strategy! Through a landing page, we can offer the potential customer a zero-cost resource, allowing them to delve into a topic of strong interest. For example, a company specializing in energy consulting could create a 20-30 page guide on the 110% Ecobonus. The reader, arriving at the site looking for information on the Ecobonus, can download the resource for free, discovering how the incentive works and, at the same time, recognizing the company's expertise. The logic is that those seeking support during consulting are likely to contact the company that provided the informative guide.

PRO:
- Low cost for ebook creation
- High value given to the customer

CONS:
- Strategy based on high user traffic; in some sectors, there is a lot of competition

BUSINESS EXAMPLES:
- Companies whose products or services are related to incentives
- Companies that provide tutorials, guides, or insights of various kinds

CONCLUSIONS

After exploring this article, you will have understood that relying on a single strategy is often limiting. To identify the most suitable customers, it is essential to formulate a well-structured action plan, prioritizing search marketing and integrating, if necessary, support solutions. In our approach at Insight Adv, we have developed an exclusive service aimed at professionals and businesses eager for research and acquisition of new clients through the web, without having to face high costs and with the possibility of precisely monitoring both the results obtained and the spending budget.