Acquiring new customers can be challenging for businesses regardless of size or industry. If you’ve ever wondered how to improve your strategy, then this article is the one for you.
High acquisition costs, low conversion rates, and ineffective targeting are just a few of the common struggles brands encounter on a daily basis. To grow sustainably, your company needs a proven customer acquisition strategy that attracts, engages, and converts prospects efficiently.
In this article, we will go over the best customer acquisition strategies, complete with examples and a handy template that you can download and use for your own business goals. Let’s get started.
What is customer acquisition?
Customer acquisition is the process of attracting and converting business opportunities into buyers of a company’s product or services. Common techniques include marketing campaigns, lead generation, demand capture, and sales efforts.
Effective customer acquisition balances cost with potential revenue, which makes it an essential focus point for sustained business success. By continuously acquiring new customers, businesses can offset churn, tap into new markets, and achieve scalability, which will translate into profits down the line.
Why is customer acquisition important?
A well-defined customer acquisition strategy is crucial for sustained success because it systematically identifies, attracts, and converts potential customers. Having a coherent approach to customer acquisition will help your business:
- Ensure a steady flow of new customers
- Reduce costs and maximize ROI
- Increase conversions and customer lifetime value
Without a clear plan, acquisition efforts can become inefficient, costly, and unsustainable, jeopardizing long-term success. For this reason, you should prioritize creating a customer acquisition strategy for your company.
The customer acquisition funnel
Creating an effective customer acquisition strategy for your company starts with understanding the customer acquisition funnel. This can differ from company to company depending on industry, size, and other factors, but we’ve outlined the six main stages below to help you visualize the journey.
- Awareness
👀 Potential customers become aware of your brand, product, or service through marketing efforts like advertising, content marketing, or social media. Use targeted ads and content marketing to introduce your brand to a wide audience and create initial interest.
- Interest
💡 The prospect shows interest in your offering by engaging with your content, visiting your website, or following your brand on social media. Provide them with value, such as blog posts or webinars, to engage prospects and deepen their interest in your offerings.
- Consideration
🤔 The prospect evaluates your product or service by comparing it with alternatives, reading reviews, or exploring your website in more detail. To drive the decision to purchase, offer detailed product comparisons, testimonials, and case studies.
- Intent
🏪 The prospect shows a clear intent to purchase by taking actions like adding products to their cart, signing up for a free trial, or contacting sales. Provide clear calls-to-action, special offers, or free trials to encourage them to take the next step.
- Purchase
🛒 The prospect makes the purchase, becoming a customer. To facilitate a seamless experience, simplify the checkout process and offer diverse payment options to suit every business need.
- Retention
💓 After the purchase, make a visible effort to retain the new customer. Implement onboarding programs, personalized follow-ups, and loyalty rewards to keep customers engaged and encourage repeat business.
Having a clear understanding of this customer acquisition funnel will enable you to target opportunities with precision at each stage, increasing conversion rates by delivering the right message at the right time.
Top 10 customer acquisition strategies
There are many ways to attract and engage customers depending on who your target audience is. We’ve listed the top 10 customer acquisition strategy examples below.
1. Search engine optimization (SEO)
SEO is used at the Awareness stage to increase your website’s visibility on search engines, driving organic traffic from users actively searching for related products or services. It’s a cost-effective, long-term strategy that builds authority, leading to consistent traffic growth and higher conversion potential.
Key components
- On-page optimization (i.e., meta tags, headings)
- Keyword research and targeting
- Quality content creation (i.e., blogs, guides)
- High-quality backlink exchanges
For example, our Content Manager, Cezarina Dinu, performed keyword research using Semrush on the topic of customer acquisition before I wrote this article. By doing so, she ensured that the topic is viable and all our readers’ questions are answered.
Image source: semrush.com
2. Blogging and content marketing
Regularly publishing blog posts attracts and engages your target audience in the Awareness and Consideration stages by providing valuable, relevant information. Content marketing boosts SEO rankings, builds authority in your industry, and nurtures leads by addressing their pain points.
Key components
- Informational articles and how-to guides
- Case studies showcasing success stories
- SEO-friendly formatting and keywords
- Industry news and professional insights
For example, we post regularly on the Textmagic blog and try to approach a varied pool of topics to keep our audience engaged. This helped our website grow and evolve tremendously over the last two years.
3. Gated content
Gated content is primarily used in the Consideration stage to capture valuable leads by offering premium content in exchange for contact details. It qualifies leads by attracting users who are genuinely interested in your offering, helping build your email list and driving conversions through targeted materials.
Key components
- In-depth research reports and case studies
- Industry events, streams, and thought-leader talks
- Webinars and online workshops on valuable topics
- Optimized landing pages with clear calls-to-action
For example, Salesforce is offering gated free access to their most recent online event, which is a win-win situation. Potential customers get to stream interesting industry talks on AI, while the company registers their information to use in future sales or marketing efforts.
Image source: salesforce.com
4. Social media marketing
Social media connects your brand with audiences across several funnel stages (Awareness, Interest, Consideration, and Retention), fostering direct engagement and building brand loyalty. It increases visibility, drives traffic to your website, and enhances community interaction, which fosters long-term customer relationships.
Key components
- Engaging and shareable posts (images, videos, polls)
- Targeted ads based on audience demographics
- Collaborations with influencers and brand ambassadors
- Analytics to track engagement and refine strategies
For example, this is a recent post we made on the Textmagic LinkedIn page. By providing our followers with a shareable image, we created a conversation around our brand without directly promoting our services.
Image source: linkedin.com
5. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising
PPC delivers immediate visibility to prospects in the Awareness and Consideration stages by placing your ads at the top of search engine results and on relevant websites. It drives targeted traffic quickly, offers measurable ROI, and complements broader marketing strategies.
Key components
- High-intent and relevant keywords
- Compelling and action-oriented ad copy
- Landing pages optimized for conversion
- Clear budget limits and bid strategies
For example, this is what you might find on the first page of Google when you search for this article’s topic. These brands bid on this specific keyword to make sure that their promoted pages are the first thing users see.
Image source: google.com
6. Email marketing
Email marketing keeps your brand top of mind in the Consideration, Intent, and Retention stages while nurturing relationships with both prospects and existing customers through direct communication. It’s cost-effective, highly targeted, and drives conversions by delivering relevant content directly to your audience’s inboxes.
Key components
- Lead magnets that grow your email list
- Audience segmentation based on behavior
- Personalized content and offers for each segment
- Clear calls-to-action that drive engagement
For example, I recently received the email below from Society6. I’ve bought some T-shirts from them in the past, which makes me the prime audience for their discounts and special offers. In this way, the brand is ensuring that they get repeat business.
7. Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing leverages the trust and established reach of influencers to promote your brand to an audience in the Awareness and Interest stages. It helps you build credibility and drive conversions by using trusted recommendations from voices that resonate with your target market.
Key components
- Influencers who align with your brand values
- Authentic content creation (i.e., product reviews, tutorials)
- Unique discount codes or promotions
- Messages amplified across several platforms
For example, one of my favorite YouTubers recently collaborated with ThredUp on an ad in one of her recent videos. Mina Le’s commentary videos often focus on topics related to fashion history, so the brand made sure they reached the right audience with this one.
Image source: youtube.com
8. Referral programs
Referral programs encourage existing customers in the Retention stage to refer new customers, creating a powerful word-of-mouth marketing channel. They are a low-cost customer acquisition strategy that builds loyalty while leveraging your current customer base.
Key components
- Simple and user-friendly referral program
- Attractive incentives for both the referrer and customer
- Promotion through email, social media, and websites
- Performance and reward fulfillment tracking
For example, PayPal is literally offering free money in exchange for referrals. This form of marketing is actually quite profitable for the company in the long run, driving growth through word of mouth at a minimal cost for the business.
Image source: paypal.com
9. Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing involves partners promoting your products or services to an audience in the Consideration or Intent stages in exchange for a commission on sales they generate. It effectively expands your sales force and increases your brand’s reach in a performance-based way, which means you only pay for actual results.
Key components
- Affiliates that align with your target audience
- High-quality marketing materials (i.e., banners, links)
- Competitive commission rates to incentivize affiliates
- Tracking tools to monitor affiliate performance
For example, Skyscanner makes money primarily through affiliate commissions and referral fees by directing users to airlines, hotels, and car rental services. The company earns revenue when users complete bookings through its platform.
Image source: skyscanner.com
10. Webinars and online events
Webinars provide valuable information to potential customers in the Consideration stage or existing ones in the Retention stage while allowing your brand to showcase expertise in real-time. They generate high-quality leads, build brand authority, and nurture relationships through direct interaction.
Key components
- Relevant topics that address audience needs
- Interactive elements to engage participants
- Post-event materials like recordings and slides
- Follow-ups that maintain engagement and drive conversions
For example, Slack constantly offers online workshops for both new and seasoned users. The screenshot below is from one of their beginner-friendly webinars, which is a great way to introduce customers to your brand and build trust.
Image source: slack.com
How to improve your customer acquisition strategy
Even the most successful B2B customer acquisition strategy requires some finetuning from time to time. To improve yours, consider these tips:
- Refine your understanding of your target audience: Use customer data, feedback, and market research to better identify your ideal customer profile.
- Optimize your value proposition: Clearly communicate the unique benefits of your product or service to stand out from competitors.
- Enhance your website and landing pages: Ensure user-friendly design, fast loading times, and clear calls to action.
- Leverage data and analytics: Continuously track and analyze customer behavior, marketing performance, and acquisition costs to adjust your strategy.
- Track your customers’ lifetime value (LTV): Monitor LTV to understand how much each customer is worth over time, allowing you to invest in high-value segments.
- Foster strategic partnerships: Collaborate with complementary businesses to expand your reach and acquire customers through referral programs.
- Focus on reducing customer churn: Improve customer retention through excellent service, engagement, and satisfaction, as loyal customers lower acquisition costs.
Customer acquisition strategy template
To help you streamline the process, we’ve created a comprehensive customer acquisition strategy template that you can download and personalize to fit your specific business needs.
This template is designed to guide you through every step of creating a strategy that effectively attracts, engages, and converts new customers. Whether you’re a startup looking to build your customer base or an established business aiming to refine your approach, you will find the structure needed to achieve your goals here.
Conclusion
Growing your customer base requires a thoughtful and strategic approach. By applying the tactics outlined in this article, you can attract and convert more customers while driving sustained business growth.
However, success doesn’t come from a set-and-forget mindset. Stay adaptable, monitor performance, and evolve your strategy as market conditions change and new opportunities arise. Continuous improvement is the key to long-term success.
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