subject: Customer Acquisition Means Bringing Your Brand to Consumers' Technology [print this page] Customer Acquisition Means Bringing Your Brand to Consumers' Technology
Customer acquisition begins with not only the knowledge of where your customers live (both physically and from an online perspective), but also with awareness for how prospects and existing customers find and share information. All this, combined with a sixth sense for what moves them toward the act of purchasing gives us customer acquisition insight for create campaigns, promotions and strategies that build revenue for a brand.Customer acquisition stems from the valuation of the consumer and resources spend on each particular prospect in order to grow revenue. Costs that hardcore marketing teams factor into a strategy include research, promotions and events, and advertising to name a few. Simply put, customer acquisition costs relate to motivating the consumer to buy a service or product show just benefits alone or, better yet, giving an incentive that entices the customer on an emotional level.Metrics and numbers aside, what motivates consumers?Yes, Marketing 101 taught us to consider and focus on demographics when it comes to customer acquisition. Take the next step, though, and truly think about what your target segment already has, so that you can enhance your efforts even further and give the consumers a real interaction with your brand.Take the teenage demographic, for example. Today's teens almost always have at least one of these items in their possession at all times: a mobile phone, and an iPod or other MP3 player. It stands to reason, then, that a promotion involving a digital incentive in the form of a free music download, ringtone, or other mobile content scores big with this generation.Next is the much sought-after Mom demographic. Customer acquisition tenets for Moms view the group as Royal Consumers who make nearly all the decisions for buying food, household and hygiene products for their families -- not to mention serving as the final decision-makers for their younger children's clothing, entertainment, and mode of transportation. But make no mistake: Today's target Mom demographic is technologically shrewd, educated, and no-nonsense. Smart customer acquisition strategies for Moms, then, will involve digital promotions that are fast, easy, quality, and put money back in their pocket (translation: free). On-pack promotions that include PIN codes to redeem online for free eBooks, online movies or merchandise create a high-perceived value that brings instant gratification to its recipient. Don't forget Facebook and Twitter promotions in attracting Moms too, as their time on these social networking sites is some of the highest of all groups.Now, there are those disbelieving companies who have yet to assign resources, energy and customer acquisition funding toward engaging consumers and prospects through social media, but they should proceed with caution. Consumers will ultimately plug into their favorite brands where possible; but eventually competitors who step in and seize the customers' attention and loyalty will replace the brand's nonattendance. It's just not worth missing out on the opportunity to interact with your customer and be part of their circle.Without making light of a brand's need to keep and grow revenue, customer acquisition, after all, should be FUN for the consumer. It goes without saying that dragging an unwilling patron to a product or service isn't even plausible. Customer acquisition is about creating an interesting, transparent relationship with people. Deploying the advantages of technology as well as digital communications and entertainment so that consumers can draw closer to their family and friends makes customer acquisition seem less like surgery, more like community.
