Finding Your Customers

Written By Shannon Marshburn

Without customers, businesses would not function. It’s that simple, but why does it seem so difficult? After all, customers are everywhere, but the customers that desperately need your product can be hard to find. I often think we are so lucky to be doing business today with social media as a marketing outlet where you can reach the whole world with your content! The hard part is that now that we have the whole world marketing their products right beside us, how do we stand out and find your customers? ​

​Find The Trends 
I know it’s easier said than done as trends come and go daily, but with digital marketing it can be as simple as using the trending song in your videos to get your SEO/analytics a boost and be recommended to new customers. Take for example, TikTok's algorithm recommends videos that use viral sounds because it already knows people like them and stay on the app longer for with content using that audio. So by incorporating the trending audio, you have a better chance of your videos showing up on more users' "For You Page", which is a function in many social media apps to help users find new profiles and content creators, like you! Utilizing today's ease of reaching a worldwide audience with apps like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram can get your name out there and could get your name into the hands of some important people! 
Did you know Justin Bieber found his fame and legacy from uploading a song cover onto YouTube? How about Clariz Marielle, owner of a custom pet-jewelry business, Woof Palace, who generated millions of views, followers and lots of sales just from her 30 second videos? Take a look at their TikTok page and notice the view count. Some videos have just 400 views and ones posted right by it get millions! Take notice to the hashtags, captions, music, video length, and if they had featured any collaborations to get those millions. 


Participate 
Stay up to date with events in your community and participate! Be sure to find events whose likely attendees will align with your ideal customers. You might consider setting up a table at the farmers market, displaying before and after photographs of your work at hardware stores on a bulletin board or by the registers, handing out samples during holiday parades, or asking small businesses and coffee shops if you can have a few items for sale in their shop. If you see conferences happening around you, investigate how you can become a sponsor and get your business name advertised on print material, see if you can set up a demonstration booth, or just attend an evening happy hour to make new connections. Don’t be afraid to ask and just get your business out there! 


Know Your People 
Knowing your audience can save you lots of time and money. This is where your research on your customers’ demographics  and interests come into play. If you know your customers are luxury level, big city living, and health focused people, don’t put too much of your efforts towards budget-conscious or faster, convenient lifestyle outreach. 
It’s important to know where your customer base hangs out and where they spend their time on the weekends. Are they digital savvy or would they rather read the newspaper? Do they attend all-day conferences or would they rather watch the short recap video a week later? Knowing how your ideal customer behaves can help you to avoid marketing frustration and to focus on the most impactful methods of outreach.


Think About How You Became The Customer 
Take a moment and look at the products you use in your daily life that are similar to your business. How did you find some of the products in your home? How did you choose that specific brand while lined up on the shelves next to the competing brands? What are your selling points, and how can you turn your personal selling points into those for your company? What made you put your money and trust into a company and what insight can you take from that?

Take some time to find your audience and how to reach them and enjoy the process! If you don’t know where to start we are here to help! Starting Line can help you get off the ground and work you through the process of creating your business and finding who your demographic is. You can apply today and complete the program online! If you are a little further along in your journey, join our I-Corps program that is focused all on customer discovery! Apply for our Summer 2022 cohort by May 22nd.