Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
To attract customers and increase sales, choose a few tactics that suit your audience, business stage, and budget, then measure what happens. A new business may need its first customers; an established one may need more repeat purchases or a way to bring dormant customers back. “Creative” does not have to mean expensive, and no tactic guarantees a lift.
24 practical ways to attract customers and increase sales
These ideas cover discovery, trial, conversion, repeat business, and referrals. Pick the options that address your current bottleneck rather than trying to run all 24 at once.
Build trust and generate referrals
- Ask for referrals after a good experience. Add a personal request to post-purchase or service follow-up, when the customer has a reason to recommend you. The SBA suggests post-order emails and direct follow-up in its customer acquisition guide.
- Make referrals easy to act on. Give customers a short description of who you help and a simple way to introduce someone, such as a shareable link or an email they can forward.
- Consider a referral incentive. A discount, credit, or other reward may encourage introductions, but check that the cost fits your margins and that the offer follows applicable rules. Do not treat an incentive as a substitute for good service.
- Invite honest reviews. Ask customers to share genuine feedback on relevant platforms, and use testimonials appropriately. The SBA’s local marketing guidance warns against offering something in exchange for a positive review.
- Show customer-created content. With permission, share customer photos, demonstrations, or stories that help prospective buyers picture using your product or service. This can be especially useful for visual products and local experiences.
Reach people where they already gather
- Network in relevant groups. Join local or industry organizations where potential customers spend time. Lead with useful introductions and help rather than an immediate sales pitch. The SBA guide to finding first customers recommends networking and industry groups.
- Attend trade shows or industry events. Choose events whose attendees match your target market, prepare a concise explanation of your offer, and follow up with relevant contacts afterward. Business cards or a sales sheet can help in person, but neither is essential.
- Partner with a complementary business. A noncompeting business that serves a similar audience can introduce you to people who may need your offer. Agree on a useful, relevant way to share referrals or information.
- Run a joint promotion. Work with a partner on a bundle, event, or limited campaign that benefits both audiences. Decide in advance who will handle fulfillment, promotion, and customer questions.
- Support a community event. Sponsor or participate in an event that genuinely fits your customers and community. Make the activity useful or memorable rather than relying on a logo placement alone.
- Pitch local media with a story. Offer a timely, locally relevant angle or expertise—not just an advertisement—to local publications, broadcasters, or community newsletters.
- Host an experience-based event. A demonstration, open house, tasting, or behind-the-scenes session lets people experience what you offer. Set a clear next step for attendees who want to learn more or buy.
Make discovery and buying easier
- Improve the website’s next step. Make it clear what you sell, who it is for, and how a visitor can buy, book, or request information. Remove unnecessary friction from the path to action.
- Publish useful content. Answer real questions through articles, videos, podcasts, or guides. Educational content can build familiarity and help people find your business; it generally takes time to create and attract an audience.
- Improve search visibility. Use the words customers use for your products or services in useful website content, and keep important business details accurate. Search optimization is a longer-term effort rather than an instant sales fix.
- Keep local listings accurate. For a local business, check that its name, address, hours, contact details, and service information are consistent across relevant search listings and directories. Platform names and rules can change, so consult the current platform guidance.
- Use local social posts purposefully. Share updates, events, useful advice, and offers where local customers are active. Tailor posts to the audience instead of broadcasting the same promotion everywhere.
- Offer a low-risk first purchase. A limited introductory offer, sample, or trial can make it easier for a prospect to try your product or service. Track who redeems it and follow up with messaging that fits their interests; an offer does not guarantee a second purchase.
- Bundle related products or services. A well-matched bundle can make choosing easier and raise the value of a purchase. Show what is included and compare the bundle with buying items separately without obscuring the price.
- Suggest a relevant add-on. Recommend a useful complementary item or service at checkout or during a sales conversation. Keep it relevant, optional, and clear so it helps rather than distracts from the main purchase.
Bring customers back and extend reach
- Re-engage dormant customers. Review customer contacts and reach out to people who have not purchased or interacted for a while with a relevant update or offer. The SBA gives six months or a year as examples, not a universal schedule; choose a period that makes sense for your buying cycle.
- Use email to stay in touch. Send useful updates, product news, and relevant offers to people who have agreed to receive them. Segment messages where practical so customers see information suited to their needs.
- Create a simple loyalty program. Give repeat customers a clear reason to return, such as points, a reward after a number of purchases, or an ongoing member benefit. Check whether the reward encourages profitable repeat business.
- Test paid retargeting or affiliate promotion. Retargeting can remind eligible site visitors about an offer, while affiliates can introduce products to their own audiences. These options require careful audience, cost, and performance tracking; neither is automatically suitable for every business.
How to choose which ideas to try
Start with the result you need. If few prospects discover you, prioritize partnerships, local discovery, search, or useful content. If people visit but hesitate, clarify the offer or test a low-risk introduction. If sales happen but customers rarely return, consider follow-up, email, loyalty, or a relevant add-on.
- Audience fit: A local service business may benefit from accurate listings and community events; a B2B firm may prioritize industry networking; an online seller may test bundles, email, or customer-created content.
- Funnel role: Decide whether the tactic is meant to create discovery, prompt a first purchase, improve conversion, encourage another purchase, or generate referrals.
- Cash and time: Compare not only direct spending but also the staff time needed to create content, manage a promotion, or follow up with leads.
- Feedback speed: A limited offer may produce feedback sooner than search-focused content, which can take longer to build. A fast result is not necessarily a durable one.
- Measurement: Choose a measure that matches the goal: visits, leads, conversion rate, offer redemptions, repeat purchases, acquisition cost, or return on ad spend.
Test one or two ideas at a time, as Shopify’s marketing tactics guide advises. Set a baseline, define what success would look like, and review results before expanding. The SBA and Shopify offer practical tactic menus, but the cited guidance does not establish a universal best tactic or prove that every tactic causes sales to rise. Xero’s small-business marketing guide and Salesforce’s digital marketing guide also emphasize fitting marketing to goals, audience, budget, and performance measurement.
Recommended: Update Every Outdated Driver on Your PC in One Scan - Free →Recommended: Fix Windows Errors and Clear Junk Files in Minutes - Free Scan →
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Quick Recap
SaleBestseller No. 3
SaleBestseller No. 4
Best Value
Rank #4
Rank #3
Rank #2
#1 Best Overall
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
