19 Ways to Get More Customers
A Comprehensive Guide to Help Expand Your Reach
When you're starting/running a business, one of the biggest challenges is reaching your target customers.
“Social media” seems to be the thing most of the entrepreneurs in my circle want to focus on, and for good reason: social media can help you get your message across to a massive amount of people for relatively little financial outlay.
However, there are other ways of growing your customer base – and they’re well worth considering.
The 19 Traction Channels
There’s a great book entitled “Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth”, where the authors Gabriel Weinburg and Justin Mares list nineteen “channels” (ways) that can help a startup gain “traction” (users/customers).
Imagine we’re setting up a dentist’s practice called “The Whole Tooth” (cool name, isn’t it?!).
Let's sink our teeth into how we might be able to use each of the 19 “traction channels” to get more clients.
(N.B. This isn’t the order that they appear in the book)
1. Existing Platforms
What it is: Leveraging existing websites or apps where your potential customers already are (e.g. social media platforms).
How we could use it: Set up a Facebook page for “The Whole Tooth”.
2. Content Marketing
What it is: Creating and sharing free valuable content to attract and retain customers.
How we could use it: Create and post short dental hygiene tips videos on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
3. Social and Display Ads
What it is: Paid advertisements on social media platforms or other websites.
How we could use it: Run a paid campaign on Facebook and Instagram ads to target local residents, showcasing before-and-after photos of our cosmetic dentistry work.
4. Community Building
What it is: Creating and nurturing a community around your brand.
How we could use it: Start a Facebook group where members can share their experiences and questions, with our dentists offering expert advice. Because it’s our community, we get to (occasionally) pitch our services!
5. Viral Marketing
What it is: Encouraging your current users to refer others to your business.
How we could use it: Implement a "Refer a Friend" programme where existing patients receive a free check-up when they refer a new patient to us.
6. Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
What it is: Paying for ads on search engines like Google.
How we could use it: Run a Google Ads campaign so that whenever someone searches for “best dentist London”, they see our ad.
(Next time you search for something on Google, look out for the “sponsored” search results at the top of the page – that’s SEM in action!)
7. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
What it is: Optimising your website to rank higher in search engine results (these are the results that are not ‘sponsored’).
How we could use it: Create informative blog posts about dental health topics (optimising the content to include key search terms) and ensure that our website makes Google happy (it loads quickly, is structured properly, etc.).
8. Targeting Blogs*
What it is: Getting your business featured on blogs* relevant to your industry.
How we could use it: Reach out to health and wellness bloggers to offer guest posts about dental health or to be featured in their "local business spotlight" sections.
(*Although the book highlights “bloggers”, I find it easier to think about “influencers” instead.)
9. Email Marketing
What it is: Building a list of email subscribers and sending them regular communications.
How we could use it: Send monthly newsletters with dental care tips, practice updates, and special offers for teeth cleaning or check-ups.
10. Engineering as Marketing
What it is: Building tools or resources that attract potential customers.
How we could use it: Build a tool on our website that allows users to upload a photo of their smile and see a simulation of how they might look with different braces or aligners.
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11. Affiliate Programmes
What it is: Paying others a commission for referring customers to you.
How we could use it: Set up an affiliate programme with local beauty salons, who can earn money by referring their clients to us.
12. Business Development
What it is: Forming strategic, mutually beneficial partnerships with other businesses.
How we could use it: Partner with local gyms to offer their members discounted dental treatments (it’s an extra perk that the gyms can offer).
13. Offline Ads
What it is: Traditional advertising methods like TV, radio, billboards, etc.
How we could use it: Place ads in local newspapers and bus stops in high-traffic areas.
14. Public Relations (PR)
What it is: Attracting (normal) attention from media outlets and influencers.
How we could use it: Write press releases about new, state-of-the-art equipment we’re using or innovative treatments we're offering. Reach out to local health and lifestyle magazines for feature articles.
15. Unconventional PR
What it is: Generating buzz through stunts, contests, or unusual events.
How we could use it: Host a "Best Smile in London" contest, with the winner getting an awesome prize plus a generous donation to the charity of their choice.
16. Sales
What it is: Directly reaching out to potential customers to make sales.
How we could use it: Have a team member call local businesses to offer corporate dental plans for their employees.
17. Trade Shows
What it is: Attending industry events to showcase your business.
How we could use it: Set up a booth at local health fairs or wellness expos to offer free dental consultations and showcase our services.
18. Offline Events
What it is: Hosting your own events to attract potential customers.
How we could use it: Host a "Dental Health Awareness Day" in a local park, offering free basic check-ups and dental health advice.
19. Speaking Engagements
What it is: Giving talks or presentations to raise your profile and attract customers.
How we could use it: Offer to give presentations about dental health at local schools or community centres.
Which Channel Should You Choose?
Should you pick just one channel, and if so, which one? Or perhaps you should pick more than one? Or maybe try all of them?! (Don’t do that)
The channel(s) you choose will depend on various factors, including your industry, target audience, budget, expertise, etc.
I’ve learned the hard way that finding the right channel(s) is a process - one that needs to be part of a strategic, well-crafted marketing strategy.
I hope you’ve been able to extract some value from this article. In future posts, we will, insha-Allah, drill down into more detail, so brace yourself. Until then, I’m rooting for you!
(I’ll see myself out.)