Finding, targeting, and converting new customers is critical for sustainable business growth. But technology and consumer behavior are constantly evolving, which means businesses must continually update their outreach strategies to stay relevant.
What tactics will generate leads that want to buy from your business now?
To find out, we asked several experts how to find new customers. They gave us 14 ingenious ideas you can start using (or adapt for your business) today.
Contents
- Get specific with your audience targeting
- Update messaging throughout the year
- Tap into AI
- Learn from your competitors
- Get more personal with retargeting
- Look beyond the most popular sites and services
- Offer free advice
- Promote new payment options
- Include QR codes and URLs
- Build customer relationships and communities
- Ask for referrals
- Partner with local businesses
- Send handwritten notes
- Get involved with local events
14 expert ways to find and reach new customers
Of course, foundational tactics like a lead-generating website and a strong social media presence are a good place to start. But that’ll only put you on par with your competitors. These 14 ideas will place you head and shoulders above the rest.
💡 For even more ideas on how to find customers fast, check out our free, definitive guide to lead generation complete with 25 ideas, tips, and examples!
1. Get specific with your audience targeting
To be as relevant as possible, find your target audience and make sure they see your marketing messages.
According to Dhanvin Sriram, founder of Promptvibes, one way to do this is to get very specific with lookalike audiences when you set up ads on Facebook (read about lookalike audiences and other Facebook ad tactics).
“I’ve seen that creating hyper-specific lookalike audiences based on the behaviors of your most valuable customers—like repeat buyers or those with high lifetime value—can dramatically improve results,” Dhanvin said. “It’s all about focusing on quality over quantity to attract potential customers more likely to convert.”
This targeting can take many shapes and forms.
For Mimi Nguyen, founder of Cafely, it’s about targeting small businesses.
For Jonathan Goldberg, CEO of ring retailer Kimberfire, it’s targeting life events and relationship status to predict who might be getting ready to buy a ring.
For Ben McInerney, certified arborist and founder of GoTreeQuotes, it’s targeting home owners’ property size and even the tree species in the area.
“One particularly successful campaign targeted homeowners with properties similar to our top clients. We used parameters like lot size, neighborhood age [as] older neighborhoods often have more mature trees, and even local climate data,” he said. “This hyper-targeted approach led to a 60% increase in conversion rates for our premium tree care services.”
You can also combine data from various sources or create custom attributes to refine audience targeting via a custom lookalike technique, said Joey Peppels, founder of Money Maven Hub.
2. Update messaging throughout the year
As the seasons change, think about how the messaging about your products or services can evolve, too.
Match your message to the season for more attention.
McInerney noted tree care changes throughout the year, so he has aligned his marketing efforts with these cycles.
“For example, we ramp up our campaigns for spring pruning services just as the last frost is melting,” he added. “By using weather data APIs to trigger specific ad campaigns, we ensure our message reaches homeowners at the exact moment they’re likely thinking about tree care.”
The result? GoTreeQuotes boosted seasonal bookings by 45%.
3. Tap into AI
People continue to find new uses for AI in marketing. They include things like AI automation in Facebook ads and, as Dan Ben-Nun, CEO of Adspace notes, using AI-powered customer profiling tools.
“This approach uses machine learning to analyze massive amounts of customer data and predict which leads will most likely convert,” Dan explained. “AI tools such as Qlik Sense can easily analyze patterns in your existing customer base, segmenting leads based on a wide range of factors such as their purchase frequency, behavior, and engagement rate.”
He added that the algorithm assigns a score to each potential lead and ranks them based on their likelihood to convert, which you can use to prioritize outreach efforts.
Phil Portman, CEO of Textdrip, has also used AI to distinguish high-intent site visitors from those who were just browsing.
“For example, users who had engaged with certain product demos but hadn’t yet signed up were automatically sent a tailored message offering a limited-time discount on their next purchase,” he said. “This kind of precise targeting increased our conversion rates by 25%.”
4. Learn from your competitors
You can learn a lot about how to reach new customers by keeping an eye on your competitors’ ads. And there are plenty of easy ways to do it.
Here are a few things you can learn with a little bit of competitive sleuthing:
- Where are your competitors spending money on ads?
- How do they position their products?
- Which audiences are your competitors targeting?
- What tactics do they use to convert followers into customers?
To get started, review your competitors’ ads in either the Facebook Ad Library or Google’s Ad Transparency Center.
The Facebook Ads Library is great for learning from your competitor’s ads.
They try searching for them on Google, review their website, and see what they post on social media.
👋 Want more competitive analysis ideas? Download How to Spy on Your Competitors: 7 Ways to Become a Competitive Supersleuth.
5. Get more personal with retargeting
Retargeting is the practice of showing ads to people who have previously interacted with your website. Personalizing your retargeting efforts can appeal to new customers more than a standard display ad that follows them around.
An ad like this may show up for people who recently visited Hyatt’s website.
“Our retargeting strategy nurtures potential customers who’ve shown interest but haven’t yet converted,” McInerney said. “We implemented a multi-touch retargeting campaign across social media and display networks, showing different ads based on the specific services a user viewed on our site.”
He noted this personalized approach increased GoTreeQuote’s click-through rates by 50% and boosted conversions by 35%.
Sriram, too, has used personalized retargeting ads to nudge potential customers toward a sale.
“For example, if someone browses certain platform features but doesn’t sign up, we retarget them with ads highlighting testimonials or offering special trial incentives,” he said. “It’s more engaging than generic ads.”
Segmenting retargeting, in which you divide your target customers into groups and message each group based on their demographics and behaviors, is another way to take retargeting to the next level.
6. Look beyond the most popular sites and services
Depending on your product or service, you can also find new customers by looking in potentially unexpected places. That means going beyond the most popular social networks and websites to find other platforms where you can interact with relevant consumers.
Robert Benson-May, CEO of Pickle Rooms, tapped into this strategy by using Reddit to find new subscribers to his newsletter.
“I’d post interesting stories from my past, letting people copy the things that worked for me,” he said. “The stories got 474,000 views in my first two months of posting on Reddit.”
Other potential social platforms include WeChat, Snapchat, Pinterest and LinkedIn.
7. Offer free advice
Offering free, personalized tips to demonstrate your expertise in a particular product or service category is a great way to win over new customers.
Josh Qian, COO of Best Online Cabinets, noted his company has a “Cabinet Swap” initiative in which consumers submit photos of their kitchens to receive recommendations on which new cabinets will work best in their spaces.
“This one-on-one engagement draws in potential buyers and demonstrates our commitment to personalized service,” he said.
This tactic can take many forms. You can offer advice in forums, publish helpful blog or newsletter content, or appear on webinars. No matter how you do it, people will appreciate your expert advice and reward you.
8. Promote new payment options
People have less tolerance for hassle than ever. So if you can show them how easy it is to work with you, they’ll buy more often.
One way to do this is to promote your easy payment options.
For example, Mike Falahee, president of Marygrove Awnings, added the option for customers to apply for flexible payment options.
“As these payment options are highly convenient for them and others who are not our customers, we’ve managed to increase our customer base by more than 67%,” he added.
Add verbiage to your ads and product pages describing how easy it is to buy from you, and more people will take the plunge.
9. Include QR codes and URLs
The more you learn about current customer behavior, the better chance you have of attracting new ones. QR codes and unique URLS are great tools for tracking customer behavior. Try adding them to marketing materials.
“Businesses can gain valuable insights into campaign performance, including redemption rates, conversion metrics, and even geographic data on where their materials are being scanned or visited,” said Nicolas De Resbecq, general manager at Oppizi. “This data-driven approach allows for continuous optimization, ensuring that each subsequent campaign is more precisely targeted and effective than the last.”
10. Build customer relationships and communities
Your existing customer base can help you find new customers beyond lookalike audiences. Offering an unrivaled customer experience will spur loyal customers to evangelize for you.
Happy customers share their experiences online, encouraging more people to become happy customers.
“To attract new customers, you need to take care of the needs and wants of your current ones,” said Martin Gasparian, owner of Maison Law. “For this reason, I’ve focused more on cultivating personal relationships and offering robust legal services to my clients.”
For example, when one client was injured on the job, Maison Law helped him out to make sure his needs were met.
“After he had won the case, he made sure that his friends and family knew what we had done for him beyond the usual legal assistance,” Gasparian added. “Those who watched how we helped him started asking us about our services. After seven months, we noticed that we had attracted a new pool of clients.”
Beyond a solid customer experience, you can also nurture relationships with clients by building a community, said Vlad Khorkhorov, CEO of WebsitePolicies.
Portman said he uses this tactic, too. “Instead of constantly broadcasting messages, I focused on building a LinkedIn group for businesses looking to optimize SMS marketing,” he said. “It wasn’t branded around Textdrip, but rather about providing value and insights on how SMS could drive business growth. Over time, as group members exchanged tips and resources, we naturally became the go-to solution for many of them.”
This tactic resulted in a 15% increase in sign-ups.
Yet another way to build a community is to encourage customers to share online content with a branded hashtag.
“During a campaign last year, we saw a 50% increase in engagement and a 20% boost in sales just by running a contest where the best photo would win a limited-edition tee,” said Josh Neuman, founder of Chummy Tees. “Customers love to see real people wearing what they’re considering buying—it’s relatable and authentic, providing social proof that no amount of traditional advertising can match.”
What Josh described is called bandwagon marketing, and it’s a powerful way to get more people interested in your products.
11. Ask for referrals
A similar approach is to simply ask your current customers to refer your business to friends and family.
Nguyen does so by sending short surveys after a customer makes a purchase.
“Especially with our loyal customers, they seem more eager to speak about our brand and our products, bringing in a more unique audience to our site,” she said. “For me, the key to making this system work to our advantage was making sure we asked for referrals at the right time—when they’ve just made a purchase—and finding concrete ways to track and thank their efforts accordingly.”
You can grease the referral wheels by giving a small gift in exchange for the referral.
“For instance, you might provide a consumer a special gift or a discount on their subsequent purchase if they recommend a friend to your company,” added Ashwin Ramesh, CEO of Synup. “This helps you reach networks of people who are probably similar to your current clients in addition to bringing in new business.”
12. Partner with local businesses
In addition to customers, businesses in related fields can also help you tap into new audiences who are more likely to be open to your products or services.
For example, Textdrip partnered with a CRM company that targeted a similar market on a co-branded webinar.
“We showcased how Textdrip’s SMS automation could enhance their CRM workflows, making it a win-win for both of our audiences,” Portman said. “This partnership brought in over 500 new leads from a single event, with a conversion rate of nearly 20%.”
Gal Cohen, business development leader and field area manager at JDM Sliding Doors, has teamed up with businesses in related fields, like home improvement contractors, real estate agents, and interior designers.
“These partners often come across clients who need sliding door repairs or replacements, and they refer them to us,” he said. “Establishing these referral relationships enables us to tap into new customer segments and builds a network of mutually beneficial connections that drive business growth.”
13. Send handwritten notes
It never hurts to express gratitude, and a thank-you campaign is, therefore, a simple but effective tactic, Neuman said.
“We started this as an experiment, sending handwritten notes to our first 100 customers of the month,” he said. “Not only did it bring a smile to their faces, but we also saw a 15% increase in repeat purchases. It’s about making your customers feel valued and appreciated, turning them into loyal advocates for your brand.”
But really, any kind of gesture like this can work.
“In today’s digital world, a personal touch can set you apart in a big way,” Neuman said.
Those gestures can also bring in new customers when the recipient shares their great experience. That word-of-mouth marketing is priceless.
14. Get involved with local events
Finally, look no further than your local community for potential new customers.
According to Dionne Jayne Ricafort, marketing manager of CSO Yemen, engaging with the community through local events and workshops has greatly boosted her consumer base.
“By hosting and participating in these activities, we enhance our brand visibility and forge direct, meaningful connections with potential consumers, many of whom become loyal patrons,” she added.
Neuman, too, has found success through live events like pop-up shops.
“These events create a buzz and offer a tangible experience that online shopping just can’t replicate,” he added. “At a recent event, we attracted over 300 visitors in just one weekend, and about 30% of them made purchases on the spot.”
Let the pros show you how to find and reach new customers
The best ideas are the ones that have been field-tested and proven to work. The ideas we’ve collected here are exactly that. They’ve been shown to reach new customers and help businesses grow. Plus, if you feel ready to take your strategy to the next level, see how our solutions can help you squeeze the most out of the tactics above to find customers fast at scale.