As profitably applied to some of the world’s

leading businesses by Strange and Dawson -

The Acquisition Agency

THE ACQUISITION MANIFESTO

6 imperatives to finding, getting

and keeping new customers

Every business needs new customers to grow.

So you can’t just rely on existing customers; you’ll need a customer acquisition strategy.

But many businesses don’t know where to start looking.

They exhaust their contact base and then struggle with where to go next.

You need to identify your target audience, discover where they are and find ways to reach them.

Then planting seeds in the right place will grow new relationships. But it won’t happen overnight.

LEARN HOW TO GROW

Number 1 THE ACQUISITION MANIFESTO6 CONSIDERATIONS IN GETTING NEW CUSTOMERS

Looking for new customers starts with analysing your existing ones.

Understand them and you’ll understand where to go next.

Work out what your customers look like on the inside. What are their buying patterns? What marketing campaigns have worked well and why?

Ask customers for feedback so you understand why they like you or how you could improve your offering.

You might be surprised at the results: you may assume a customer likes you because of price, but maybe it’s your customer service that keeps them happy?

Perhaps you’ve already got your market positioning in place but listening to your customers may force a rethink about what makes you different.

UNDERSTANDING YOUR EXISTING CUSTOMERS FIRST

Number 2 THE ACQUISITION MANIFESTO6 CONSIDERATIONS IN GETTING NEW CUSTOMERS

People misunderstand data as a cold and dehumanised commodity. But using data to better understand user behaviour can revolutionise your business.

Understanding what makes the customer tick will inform your knowledge of the target market.

So make sure you’re capturing customer behaviour and exploring user analytics.

Social media can help research and understand customers – by exploring behaviours and trends online you can get under a customer’s skin and gather insight about how best to acquire them.

Data can drastically minimise guesswork – identify which messages resonate and what customer need you’re meeting.

But avoid letting data alone make your decisions, it needs the human touch to connect the dots that lead to true insight.

LOOK FOR PATTERNS IN THE DATA

Number 3 THE ACQUISITION MANIFESTO6 CONSIDERATIONS IN GETTING NEW CUSTOMERS

Now you know your customer, you need to craft a message to reach and engage with them.

What is their ‘buy button’?

If it’s worth saying, it’s worth saying brilliantly so don’t waste your opportunity.

Remember that getting the creative right is critical – great creative work is an effective way to differentiate from your competitors.

Tell a story, use some emotion to engage.

Remember the message should be more than just a sell; utilise content marketing – creating and curating great content that demonstrates your expertise.

Getting that message right – at the right time – is key.

If it’s wrong or uninspiring you risk killing off leads.

CRAFT THE MESSAGE

Number 4 THE ACQUISITION MANIFESTO6 CONSIDERATIONS IN GETTING NEW CUSTOMERS

Now you’ve got your message right you need to work out where your target audience is and find the right way of reaching them.

Is it a banner ad, a billboard on their drive to work, a wrap around projection on a building or a radio ad? What is the optimum platform?

Remember it may not be a traditional ad campaign, it might be an email, an approach on LinkedIn or via Twitter.

Social media may not be the best tool for selling, but it’s a good tool for listening to, monitoring or reaching out to your audience.

The good news is that you are able to accurately direct your media budgets rather than just see what sticks, so target your prospects via the channels they frequent and inhabit.

Remember you can make limited budgets work harder with digital tools that are trackable. You can change tack as you go, so review your strategy depending on success.

TARGET THEM RIGHT

Number 5 THE ACQUISITION MANIFESTO6 CONSIDERATIONS IN GETTING NEW CUSTOMERS

The acquisition process is a wheel – each cycle feeds the next with data, insight and understanding.

Don’t expect instant results: it takes time and effort to build a relationship with your audience, engaging with them by providing valuable content and know-how before you can convert them.

Acquisition is more than just generating and targeting a lead; it’s identifying a prospect and taking them on the complete journey to create a satisfied customer.

Watch and learn – see what works and adapt accordingly: Implement > Measure > Review > Adapt > Implement.

Remember, acquisition is not a one-off activity; it’s a never ending cycle of joined-up thinking, so make sure the entire organisation buys in to your vision – mixed messages means leads that don’t convert.

ACQUISITION IS A WHEEL

Number 6 THE ACQUISITION MANIFESTO6 CONSIDERATIONS IN GETTING NEW CUSTOMERS

New business isn’t going to generate itself. You need effective, creative, data-driven customer acquisition programs. And we can help you deliver them.

Strange and Dawson provides customer acquisition and demand generation services to some of the world’s leading brands. And we can do it for you too. As we always say: ‘if they’re out there, we’ll find them’.

TAKE ACTION ON ACQUISITION

© Strange and Dawson 2012

TALK TO STRANGE AND DAWSON THE ACQUISITION AGENCY

Contact Andy Reid on +44 (0) 117 925 3830 or email areid@strangeanddawson.com

Web www.strangeanddawson.com Follow us on Twitter @ Strange_dawson Connect with us on LinkedIn @ Strange & Dawson

As profitably applied to some of the world’s

leading businesses by Strange and Dawson -

The Acquisition Agency

t. +44 (0) 117 925 3830

e. areid@strangeanddawson.com

w. www.strangeanddawson.com