7 measures for customer acquisition: methods for the B2C and B2B sectors

Customer acquisition is a major challenge, especially for young companies that do not yet have a large customer base. The measures should always be tailored to the company's target group and sector .

 

In addition to active customer acquisition, there are a number of ways, particularly in online marketing, to convince potential customers of the company and its products or services in a passive way.

 

In this article, Timo Specht presents 7 tips and methods for customer acquisition for companies with B2Band B2C target groups. You will learn how SEOand SEA measures can also support new customer acquisition.

 

 

Three methods of acquiring new customers

 

Depending on the target group, there are different methods of acquiring new customers with a company.

 

We would like to shed light on the advantages and disadvantages of passive customer acquisition and show you the benefits and challenges of cold and warm acquisition when actively approaching potential customers.

 

Cold calling for customer acquisition

 

Cold calling is one of the most challenging methods of customer acquisition. Companies actively approach potential customers even though they have not been in contact with the company before and may never have heard of its offer.

 

This method is still very popular, especially in the B2B sector. If the active contact is prepared thoroughly and takes into account the interests and needs of the potential customer, cold calling can be very promising.

 

In the B2C sector, you should always observe the data protection regulations when cold calling. If potential private customers have not expressly consented to being contacted, it is not permitted to call them or contact them by email.

 

In order to avoid warnings and fines, you should therefore focus on warm acquisition measures or passive new customer acquisition in the B2C sector.

 

Warm acquisition for more sales

 

During warm acquisition, existing leads are contacted again to remind them of the company and its offer.

 

This type of customer acquisition is much more promising, as potential customers already know the company and, at best, are already interested in what it has to offer.

 

Through previous communication and interaction, the wishes and needs of existing leads in both the B2C and B2B sectors can be better assessed.

 

If, for example, information material on a particular offer has been downloaded, it makes sense to use this topic as a bridge when contacting the customer again.

 

Now you can provide further information or make suitable offers to improve customer loyalty.

 

If the purchase was declined in the past because the lead already had an alternative, for example, you could now point out any improvements to your offer and ask whether there is now a need for the product or service.

 

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software is ideal for keeping an overview of all your "warm contacts" and their data, values and interests.

 

Passive acquisition of new customers

 

In contrast to cold and warm acquisition, the company does not approach its potential customers directly in passive customer acquisition. They must therefore become aware of the company themselves and begin to interact with it.

 

This can be achieved through advertisements or social media marketing, for example, but also through optimized findability in search engine results.

 

In order to make passive customer acquisition as effective as possible and avoid high wastage from campaigns, a comprehensive target group analysis should be carried out beforehand.

 

This allows companies to choose the right platform and make campaign settings that allow passive customer acquisition measures to be played out as precisely as possible to the target group.

 

Of course, target group analysis is also a must when actively acquiring new customers. Unlike search engine ads or social media marketing, cold and warm acquisition measures are usually free of charge.

 

Unsuccessful attempts to make contact would therefore "only" result in a loss of time and human resources, not money.

 

Acquisition method 1: Search engine optimization for more visibility

 

We now present the 7 most popular ideas and methods for customer acquisition. We would like to highlight the relevance of search engine optimization (SEO) in particular.

 

Without being found in search engine results, it will be very difficult for both B2B and B2C companies to attract new customers.

 

The vast majority of people and companies use search engines such as Google when searching for certain services or products.

 

If your company appears among the first search engine results or even at number 1 on Google, this not only increases your reach, but also the trust of potential customers in your company.

 

To improve your SERP ranking, you should be familiar with the various disciplines of search engine optimization. Relevant content is the be-all and end-all.

 

Provide website visitors with additional content about your offer and ensure that potential new customers can obtain information directly from you.

 

Blogs like Timo Specht's or the glossary, for example, fulfill this purpose very well.

 

However, content marketing is not the only decisive factor in ensuring that your website or individual landing pages such as blog articles rank high.

 

An appealing visual design, relevant keywords, link building, technically flawless landing pages with fast loading speeds and much more are also part of search engine optimization.

 

At Timo Specht, we help you to improve your SEO success and thus ensure more traffic, customers and sales for your company.

 

Acquisition method 2: Search engine advertising plays out offers directly

 

Search engine advertising is another way of passively acquiring new customers. With the help of Google Ads, you can ensure that your products or services are shown to potential new customers as an advertisement in the search engine results.

 

All your target group has to do is enter the right keyword in the search bar.

 

The challenge with search engine advertising: results that are labeled as ads are often not clicked by users - especially if they are initially looking for information and only decide to make a purchase later.

 

Depending on which products or services you sell, the ads have to prevail against a large number of competitors in order to be displayed in the search engine results at all.

 

As experts in SEO and SEA, we at Timo Specht help you to make the right campaign settings for better-placed search engine advertising.

 

Acquisition method 3: Social media marketing with young target groups

 

If your company appeals to young target groups, you should not underestimate social media marketing. Instagram and TikTok in particular are very popular with the younger generation. Facebook, on the other hand, has a somewhat older target group.

 

Your social media channels offer many opportunities for active and passive customer acquisition measures. You should make your profiles interesting and offer added value as well as entertainment.

 

TikTok and Instagram in particular are more geared towards visual content. Promote your offer in reels and photos, create stories and story highlights to spread news and ask the right influencers as multipliers to generate reach and reach your target group.

 

Social media ads are another way to target your offers to potential customers.

 

If you work in the B2B sector, business platforms such as LinkedIn and XING are particularly relevant.

 

There you can join groups for exchange, display advertisements to potential customers or get in direct contact with companies that might be interested in your offer.

 

Acquisition method 4: Email marketing & telephone acquisition for B2B

 

Email marketing and customer acquisition by phone are still particularly relevant for the B2B sector. If you want to contact private individuals via their email address or telephone number, you need their explicit consent. This method is therefore not suitable for cold calling in the B2C sector.

 

To successfully acquire business customers via emails or phone calls, you should not be too pushy and get to the heart of your offer.

 

Be prepared for queries and use a friendly customer approach to build trust.

 

You should keep a record of telephone conversations so that you don't forget to arrange follow-up appointments or send requested information material.

 

Acquisition method 5: Print media & mail as an old-school variant

 

Even if advertising flyers are often thrown away in letterboxes, this variant of active customer acquisition is also an option for cold calling in the B2C sector.

 

If no request to refrain from advertising is stuck to the letterbox or has been given to the sender personally, any form of advertising can be sent by post.

 

If the recipient's name is written on the letter or advertising material, the advertising may even be posted if there is a "No advertising" sign on the letterbox.

 

To increase the chances of acquiring new customers in this way, you should personalize your postal advertising as much as possible and tailor it to the interests of individual readers.

 

In addition to letters, there are of course other ways to use print media to attract customers. One example is large-format posters or flyers that you distribute at suitable locations - in front of your store, for example.

 

Although these measures rarely result in direct sales, they are very important for your brand perception and represent an initial point of contact with your company. This allows you to take measures for warm acquisition later if necessary.

 

Acquisition method 6: Trade fairs & events

 

Trade fairs and events are particularly suitable for making personal contact with potential buyers.

 

Particularly in the B2B sector, trade fairs are always being organized where you can come into contact with potential business partners that you may not have had on your radar before.

 

The good thing about trade fairs is that - similar to online job networks - they aim to establish business relationships. Your contact is usually received more positively here than with cold calling on social media or by post.

 

The personal exchange also makes it easier to build up friendships and exchange contact details or printed information material.

 

For B2C customers, events are particularly worthwhile if your offer consists of haptic products that can be tested directly.

 

In addition to city festivals and markets, there are also huge trade fairs for some industries that are designed for the B2C sector, such as Gamescom, FIBO or the IAA.

 

Acquisition method 7: Referral marketing

 

If an existing customer recommends your company to others, this has several advantages for your new customer acquisition. After all, who do you trust more than your friends or acquaintances?

 

The problem is that you only have limited influence on recommendations and word of mouth. There are a few tips and strategies for referral marketing to help existing customers recommend your company to your target group, ideally even online.

 

Essentially, the aim is for entrepreneurs to contact buyers a few weeks after the purchase in order to obtain a positive opinion of the service, the product and the entire purchase process.

 

The goals are not only positive feedback for the company, but also public reviews on Google and other review platforms.

 

You can also promote referral marketing via your social media channels, for example, and ask customers to share your posts or mention the product in their posts.

 

This marketing mix of social media and referral marketing can be very promising for your customer acquisition.

 

Another tip for referral marketing are two voucher codes that existing customers can share with their friends. This is also an effective strategy and brings you closer to your goal of gaining more new customers and creating better customer loyalty.