For early-stage startups, mastering customer acquisition is a crucial step towards success.
Attracting customers can be challenging when few people are familiar with your products, services, or brand.
To help you navigate this, Lennise Ng, CEO and co-founder of Borong (formerly Dropee), shares valuable insights and strategies in an engaging session during the Alpha Startups™ for Women Pre-Accelerator.
Here are six essential strategies to promote customer acquisition for your startup.
1: Get to know your audience
“At the very beginning, just be very curious about your customers”, advises Lennise Ng
Understanding your customers is fundamental. It’s more valuable to have 100 highly engaged customers than 1,000 passive ones. To achieve this, engage in open-ended conversations about their pain points and needs. Before diving into marketing ads, shortlist 30 to 50 potential customers and ask about their jobs, problems, and key issues they want to solve immediately.
Here are some sample questions to ask your customers:
2: Hanging our where your customers hang out
Identify where your target customers spend their time. Are they active on online forums like Reddit or Facebook community groups? Or do they frequent physical stores?
Knowing where they hang out allows you to effectively engage with them. Additionally, compare these with your competitors to refine your approach.
3: Clearly state how you solve an actual problem for them
Highlight how your product or service addresses a real problem for your customers.
According to Ng, many companies struggle to articulate the actual problem they solve. Customers may face numerous issues, but not all are pressing enough to warrant immediate solutions. Clearly communicate how you can solve their most significant problems, and be prepared for multiple rounds of testing to perfect your message.
4: Make the decision easy for them
Design a frictionless experience to make it easy for customers to decide. Simplify the process for them to test your product or service. Avoid lengthy and complicated steps; instead, streamline the journey to ensure it is as straightforward as possible. A smooth user experience increases the likelihood of customer conversion.
5: Do simple math to avoid losing money
In the early stages, focus on not losing money. Calculate the cost of acquiring each customer and ensure you’re making a profit. In your first year, avoid wasting investor money on excessive spending. Build your brand by creating credibility, value, and trust with customers, not through extensive advertising. Spend wisely and prioritize value creation, leading to organic referrals from satisfied customers.
6: Focus and experiment to gain mastery
Design a frictionless experience to make it easy for customers to decide. Simplify the process for them to test your product or service. Avoid lengthy and complicated steps; instead, streamline the journey to ensure it is as straightforward as possible. A smooth user experience increases the likelihood of customer conversion.
To conclude
Implementing these strategies can significantly enhance your startup’s customer acquisition efforts. By focusing on understanding your customers, simplifying their decision-making process, and strategically spending resources, you can build a strong foundation for sustainable growth.
For a deeper understanding, watch the full webinar by Lennise Ng:
