Leveraging Platforms to Expand Your Customer Base

Businesses are operating in an increasingly competitive landscape, and it can be challenging to stand out from the crowd.

Expanding your customer base is key to sustainable growth and long-term success, but with various platforms available, knowing where to start can be overwhelming.

Many business owners struggle with identifying which platforms are suitable for their target audience.

Some don’t have a cohesive marketing strategy to use across various platforms.

And others cannot consistently engage and retain customers through these channels.

This article shows you the practical strategies for leveraging platforms to expand your customer base.

Let’s dive in!

How To Leverage The Best Online Platforms for Customer Base Expansion

To attract more customers, you need to be customer-driven. This means that every action you take should be done with your customers in mind.

Hence, choosing the best online marketing options should be based on the value you want to give your customers.

1. Know Your Target Audience

There are different platforms for different people.

To get the most suitable digital platform for targeting your customers, you first need to understand who you are targeting.

This means you should know their preferences, habits, and demographics.

For example, what is their age range? Are they professionals or executives at work? Are they students or parents, single or married, newlyweds or married for a long time?

Where does your target audience live? Are they limited to a locality, country, or global? How familiar are they with technology?

Knowing who you want to attract can help you choose the platforms where they are most likely to be active and receptive to your messaging.

Here are some tips for defining your target audience:

Create buyer personas: Develop fictional representations of your ideal customers based on demographics, behaviors, pain points, and motivations.
Conduct market research: Use surveys, focus groups, and online analytics tools to gather data on your target audience’s preferences and behaviors.
Engage with your existing customers: Interact with your current customers through feedback forms, social media, or email surveys to gain insights into their preferences and behaviors.
Analyze competitors: Examine the platforms and strategies used by your competitors to engage with their target audience.

2. Identifying the Right Platforms

Remember, not all platforms are suitable for everybody.

After you have identified your target audience and their preferences, you can now choose the right digital platform that ticks the boxes.

You should know what kind of content they like to consume: Do they like videos, audio, texts, or images? How old are they? What would they like to see?

Do your target audience like to actively engage with their brands or do they prefer to drop reviews on websites?

Here are the most effective platforms you can use to grow your customer base.

Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms are online networks that allow users to create and share content, connect with others, and engage in social interactions.

They are powerful tools for businesses to build brand awareness, engage with their audience, and drive sales.

Social media is like a digital sea, there are billions of fish waiting to be caught.

In fact, social media advertising statistics show that by 2027, the number of social media users will grow to 6 billion or more.

Some powerful social media platforms are Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X (Twitter), and even LinkedIn.

However, do NOT make the mistake of believing that all social media is suitable for your audience.

If you are targeting C-executives, you will not find them on TikTok or Snapchat.

Instead, you’ll most likely find them on professional platforms like LinkedIn or Reddit. You can also find them on (X) Twitter.

The benefits of social media platforms include:

Large User Base: Platforms like Facebook and Instagram have billions of active users, enabling businesses to reach a vast and diverse audience.
Targeted Advertising: Social media platforms offer advanced targeting options, allowing businesses to tailor their ads based on user demographics, interests, and behaviors.
Engagement and Interaction: Social media eases two-way communication between businesses and customers, fostering stronger relationships and improved customer satisfaction.
Brand Awareness: By sharing valuable content and leveraging influencer partnerships, businesses can increase their visibility and establish a strong online presence.

Email Platforms

Email platforms allow you to create, send, and manage email marketing campaigns. \

They offer features like customizable templates, automation, and analytics to improve campaign performance.

Key advantages of email platforms include:

Personalization: With emails, you can send tailored messages based on individual recipient preferences and behaviors.
High ROI: Email marketing has a high return on investment, as you can easily nurture leads and drive sales with targeted and timely messages.
Automation: Email platforms can automate various tasks, such as sending welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, or follow-up messages, saving time and improving efficiency.

E-Commerce Platforms

With an online store, you can reach thousands of potential customers easily.

E-commerce platforms help you create online stores and sell products or services online. They provide tools for inventory management, payment processing, and marketing integration.

The benefits of e-commerce platforms include:

Accessibility: E-commerce platforms enable businesses to sell products 24/7, reaching customers worldwide and removing geographical barriers.
Scalability: As your business grows, e-commerce platforms can accommodate increased traffic and sales, providing a scalable solution for online retail.
Integrated Marketing: Many e-commerce platforms integrate with marketing tools, such as social media and email marketing, facilitating cross-channel promotion and customer acquisition.

Websites

If your business doesn’t own a website, then it is as good as non-existent.

Websites are businesses’ digital storefronts, offering information about products, services, and the company’s mission and values.

They are essential for establishing an online presence and building credibility.

The benefits of having a well-designed website include:

Credibility: A professional website conveys trust and authority, positively influencing a customer’s perception of a business.
SEO Benefits: Websites can be optimized for search engines, helping businesses rank higher in search results and attract organic traffic.
Content Marketing: Websites provide a platform for businesses to publish valuable content that educates, entertains, and engages their target audience.

AI & ML Platforms

As the world is evolving in technology, so does customer preference too.

Although artificial Intelligence has existed for decades, it only became a global “phenomenon” a few years ago.

AI and ML platforms help businesses harness the power of artificial intelligence for various applications, such as predictive analytics, chatbots, and personalized recommendations.

Benefits of using AI & ML platforms include:

Automation: AI-powered tools can automate tasks like customer support, data analysis, and marketing campaigns.
Improved Decision-Making: AI platforms can analyze large datasets, helping businesses uncover hidden patterns and make data-driven decisions.
Personalization: Machine learning algorithms enable businesses to deliver personalized experiences, increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Mobile Commerce

Mobile commerce platforms are heavy on convenience. They allow you to sell products or services through mobile apps or mobile-optimized websites.

They cater to the growing number of consumers who prefer shopping on their smartphones.

The benefits of mobile commerce include:

Convenience: Mobile commerce allows customers to shop anytime, anywhere, offering unparalleled convenience.
Personalized Experiences: Mobile apps can leverage device features like location and user preferences to deliver highly personalized experiences.
Omnichannel Marketing: By integrating mobile commerce with other channels, businesses can create a seamless shopping experience and improve customer retention.

As we have seen in this list, each type of digital platform serves unique purposes and offers specific benefits for expanding your customer base.

However, ensure each platform you choose aligns with your business goals.

For example, social media platforms (e.g., Facebook and Instagram) are effective in increasing brand visibility and attracting new customers.

Also, email marketing platforms like Mailchimp and HubSpot can help nurture leads with personalized content and offers.

Social media platforms with messaging features (e.g., Facebook Messenger) and AI & ML platforms (e.g., chatbots) can provide personalized and prompt customer support, boosting retention.

Note: Business is all about creativity. There is no limit to the digital platforms you can choose. You can use social media, e-commerce, AI, etc.

3. Crafting a Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy

A multi-channel marketing is an effective customer-centric strategy for business growth.

If you want to grow your customer base, you need to connect to your target audience on different channels they use.

For example, you can use social platforms to build brand awareness, engage with your target audience, and promote your content.

Then, you can use email marketing to nurture leads, promote products, and drive repeat purchases through personalized and targeted messaging.

Some businesses even use paid search to increase their visibility to their target audience.

It’s all about being in your audience’s face.

An effective multi-channel marketing uses more than 2 marketing channels.

Statistics show that campaigns using at least four digital marketing channels will most likely outperform single or dual-channel campaigns by 300%

Benefits of Multi-Channel Marketing

Increased reach and engagement: Using multiple platforms allows you to connect with a larger audience and engage with them through various touchpoints.
Improved customer experience: A well-coordinated multi-channel strategy provides customers with a consistent and seamless experience across different platforms.
Better customer insights: By collecting data from multiple sources, you can gain a more comprehensive understanding of your customers’ behaviors and preferences.

Key Elements of a Successful Multi-Channel Marketing Strategy

Clear goals and objectives: Define what you want to achieve through your multi-channel marketing efforts (e.g., sales, brand awareness, customer retention).
Target audience segmentation: Group your customers based on demographics, behaviors, and preferences to tailor your messaging and content for each segment.
Consistent messaging: Ensure you maintain a consistent brand voice and messaging across all platforms to create a cohesive customer experience.
Integrated marketing plan: Develop a comprehensive plan that outlines your marketing initiatives across all platforms and ensures they work together to achieve your goals.

By integrating different platforms into a cohesive multi-channel marketing strategy, you can effectively reach and engage with your target audience.

The more you engage with your audience, the more they trust you ultimately expanding your customer base and driving business growth.

4. Engaging and Retaining Customers on Digital Platforms

Every business has different customers at different levels.

These customer levels include:

Potential customers
New customers
Loyal (repeat) customers
Low lifetime value customers
Former customers

Each customer level is very important. For example, you cannot expand your customer base if the former customers always leave you for your competitors.

You also need your loyal customers because they are the ones who will spread the good news of your business to others.

The customers at each level have different goals.

However, one thing is for sure: You need to keep them engaged with quality content.

Tips for Creating Engaging Content on Different Platforms

Understand platform-specific best practices: Tailor your content to suit the format, audience, and purpose of each platform (e.g., short-form video content for TikTok, and long-form articles for a website blog).
Use visual elements: Incorporate eye-catching visuals (e.g., images, infographics, videos) to make your content more engaging and shareable.
Encourage user-generated content: Ask your audience to share their experiences, testimonials, or content related to your brand, which can boost engagement and build trust.

Importance of Responding to Customer Feedback and Providing Excellent Customer Service

You also keep your audience engaged when you respond to their feedback.

Remember, your existing customers are as important as your potential customers. They play a vital role in helping you get more customers.

Responding to customer feedback and providing exceptional customer service are essential for building trust, improving customer satisfaction, and ultimately retaining customers.

Here are some best practices:

Monitor customer comments, reviews, and mentions across all platforms to stay informed about their experiences and needs.
Address customer feedback, both positive and negative, in a timely manner and with a helpful, empathetic, and professional tone.
Offer various customer support channels (e.g., live chat, email, phone) and ensure that your team is equipped with the knowledge and resources to deliver exceptional service.

5. Measuring Success and Optimizing Your Approach

Always track the success of your strategies to be sure you are on the right path.

With accurate information, you can adjust your strategy for using these online platforms based on data-driven insights.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Monitor these KPIs to evaluate the success of your marketing efforts across various platforms:

Website traffic: Measure the number of visitors to your website and their behavior (e.g., bounce rate, time on site, pages per session).
Conversion rate: Track the percentage of users who complete a desired action (e.g., signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase).
Social media engagement: Measure likes, comments, shares, and follower growth on your social media platforms.
Email marketing metrics: Monitor open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates for your email campaigns.
Content marketing performance: Track website traffic, time on page, and search engine rankings for your content assets (e.g., blog posts, and videos).

Tools for Tracking and Analyzing Your Results

Several tools can help you collect and analyze data on your marketing performance:

Google Analytics
Social media analytics.
Email marketing software
SEO tools

6. Optimizing Your Approach Based on Data-Driven Insights

Once you’ve collected and analyzed your marketing data, use these insights to optimize your strategy:

Identify high-performing content: Focus on creating more content that resonates well with your audience and drives engagement or conversions.
Test different tactics: Experiment with various tactics (e.g., different posting times, content formats, subject lines) and analyze the results to determine what works best for your audience.
Reallocate resources: Adjust your marketing budget and resources to prioritize the platforms and strategies that yield the highest return on investment (ROI).