Guides · 6 min read
How to get more customers without paying for ads
Start with the people who already bought from you: a customer who comes back costs nothing to find. Keep their numbers, tell them when something they like comes in, ask happy customers to send a friend, and show your real work on your WhatsApp status. Ask every new customer how they heard of you, and do more of what works.
Step by step
Write down who already buys from you
For each customer, write the name, the phone number, what they bought and when. Ten names is a start. This list is the most valuable marketing you have: these people already trust you.
Tell them when you have something for them
Send a short message to the person, not to everyone at once: "Mama Tobi, the ankara you asked about has come in." Use a WhatsApp broadcast list for news that fits everyone; it reaches only people who saved your number, so ask customers to save it. One message a week to each person is plenty.
Call back the customers who stopped coming
Look for customers who used to buy often and have not come in a month or more. Send a short hello, with no pressure. Some moved, some forgot, and some had a bad experience you can fix. Winning one back is cheaper than finding a new one.
Show your real work on your status every day
Post photos of your own goods, finished work, new stock and the price. Your own photos, taken in your shop, are trusted more than pictures downloaded from the internet. A happy customer’s words, with their permission, are better than any advert.
Ask happy customers to send a friend
The best moment is when a customer is pleased: at handover, or when they thank you. Ask simply: "If you know anyone who needs this, please send them to me." Say thank you with something small, such as a discount on their next order, when the friend buys.
Make it easy to find you and to pay you
Put your number on every receipt, bag and sign. Create a free Google Business Profile, so your shop shows on Google Maps when people nearby search. Keep your account details ready to send, so nobody waits to pay you.
Count where each new customer came from
Ask every new customer: "How did you hear about us?" and write the answer. After a month, you will see what brings buyers: your status, a friend, the sign, Google. Do more of that, and less of what brings nobody.
An example: what one happy customer is worth
Bisi sells sandals at ₦15,000 a pair. One customer has bought from her every two months this year, and sent her sister:
- Six pairs in a year, at ₦15,000 each₦90,000
- Two pairs bought by the sister she sent+ ₦30,000
- Bisi’s thank-you discount on the next pair− ₦2,000
Brought in by one customer this year₦118,000
A customer found by an advert has to be found again and again. This one, kept with a message now and then and asked to send a friend, brought ₦118,000 in a year, for the cost of a few WhatsApp messages and a ₦2,000 thank-you.
Do this today: Write down ten customers who bought from you this month, with their phone numbers. Send two of them a short message about something they would like.
Questions owners ask
How can I get customers for my small business without money?
Start with the customers you already have: keep their numbers, tell them when something they like comes in, and ask happy ones to send a friend. Show your real work on your WhatsApp status every day, and put your number on everything.
Is a WhatsApp broadcast list better than a group?
A broadcast reaches each person privately, like a message from you, but only people who saved your number receive it. A group shows everyone’s number to everyone. For selling, most owners do better with broadcasts and their status.
How do I get customers to come back?
Remember what they bought, message them when something they like arrives, and call back anyone who has not come in a while. Customers come back to a seller who remembers them.
Clara can do all of this for you
Clara keeps every customer with what they bought and when. Ask "Who stopped buying?" or "Who are my best customers?" and she tells you who to message, from your own records.
Who stopped buying?
ClaraMrs Bello bought every month and has not come in 6 weeks. She spent ₦90,000 with you this year.