Try one new channel at a time, give it a month and a number to beat, and keep what works. A small business does not need more channels. It needs one more that works.
Where do new customers come from for a small business?
- Referrals. Your best customers know people like them. Most businesses never ask, or ask once and stop.
- Search and AI assistants. When someone asks Google or ChatGPT who does what you do nearby, you want to be the answer. A complete Google Business Profile and a website with prices and plain answers do most of that work.
- Partners. Another business already sells to your customer. A florist and a caterer, an accountant and a lawyer.
- Lead research. Software can find companies that match your best customers, read their websites, and hand you a short list with notes, so a person spends their time on calls instead of searching.
How does automated lead research work?
A set of automated workflows searches for businesses that look like your best customers, pulls what they say about themselves, scores them, and drops the best ones in your inbox or CRM. For one client, a small sales team has 49 of these running every day.
How do I know if a new channel is working?
Decide before you start: how much you will spend, for how long, and what result counts. Write it down. At the end of the month, compare. If you skip this step, every channel will look a little promising.
What should I try first?
Referrals and your Google Business Profile, because they cost the least and the people who find you that way are already warm.
If you want help picking and running the test, see prototypes and odd jobs or a fractional CMO seat.
Answered by Jared Lukes, Minneapolis. Twenty-five years in brand, UX, and technology, currently holding fractional AI and technology seats at three companies. About Jared.