Customer acquisition strategy: 8 best ways for attracting and converting more customers

Anja Bojic | 17. 10. 2024.

Want to turn curious browsers into loyal customers?  

Crafting a rock-solid customer acquisition strategy might be the secret sauce to driving growth and keeping your sales pipeline buzzing.  

In this blog post, we’ll cut through the fluff to show you practical, actionable strategies that don’t just attract the right customers — they convert them and keep them coming back for more.  

What is a customer acquisition strategy? 

A quick reminder for all of us:  

A customer acquisition strategy is a well-planned approach that outlines how your business will attract and convert new customers. An outstanding customer acquisition strategy can help you build a bridge between your product or service and the people who need it. 

It involves a combination of marketing channels, tactics, and techniques designed precisely to guide potential customers through the sales funnel — from becoming aware of your brand to making a purchase. 

You should try to design your customer acquisition strategy to be repeatable and scalable. This is the best way to make sure you can continuously bring in new customers without relying on luck or one-off campaigns.  

Moreover, a strong customer acquisition strategy represents a balance between:  

• Efficiency — keeping costs low, and 
• Effectiveness — targeting the right audience and converting them into paying customers. 

Why is customer acquisition important? 

No matter the size of your business or how long you’ve been in it, customer acquisition is paramount for your continuous growth and sustainability. Here’s why: 

• Acquiring customers helps you generate the cash flow needed to cover costs, pay employees, and invest back into your business. 
• It also serves as proof of traction for investors, partners, or even influencers who want to see that your business is growing and making an impact. 

This is why (among other things) having a solid customer acquisition strategy to systematically attract and convert customers keeps your business thriving and ensures you’re not leaving growth to chance. 

The purpose of a customer acquisition strategy 

Still unsure of why you need a customer acquisition strategy? Let’s go a bit further, then.  

The goal of your customer acquisition would be to create a repeatable and predictable way to bring customers to your business. While it might seem okay to rely on organic traffic or referrals (because they’re working just fine for you), without a structured approach, you’re risking stagnant or even declining profits. 

For many, customer acquisition seems a lot like marketing, but the truth is it goes deeper. While marketing helps you build awareness, customer acquisition is focused on the specific strategies and actions that turn awareness into actual sales. 

For those purposes, you can use various strategies and techniques to encourage potential customers to act. Having a thought-out systematic approach can help you consistently fuel business growth by bringing in new customers and boosting revenue. 

But before we move on to exploring strategies and tactics, let’s quickly go over the key elements of a successful customer acquisition strategy.  

5 Key elements of a successful acquisition strategy 

A successful customer acquisition strategy is built on several core elements that work together to drive consistent, sustainable growth. These include: 

• Target audience,  
• Value proposition,  
• Marketing channels,  
• Conversion optimization, and  
• Customer retention. 

Target audience 

Knowing your ideal customer is probably the first and most important step for coming up with a strong customer acquisition strategy. This is an ongoing process that impacts every part of your customer acquisition strategy.  

The more you know about the needs and behaviors of your customers, the easier it will be to adjust your approach to connect with them and even attract new customers. Here’s what else can help you:  

•  You can segment your potential customers, such as visitors and prospects, based on their behavior on your website. This includes factors like how often they visit certain pages, how long they stay, what they add to their cart, items marked as favorites, and their search history. 
• You can create profiles for different customer groups, giving them names, stories, and specific traits to better understand who they are. These are called customer personas.  
• You can (and should) identify the key challenges and issues your audience is facing so that you can craft your messaging to show how your product or service can solve these problems. 
• Make sure to know what influences your customer’s choices — whether it’s price, quality, brand reputation, or something else — and adjust your value proposition to match. 
• Don’t forget to talk to your existing customers through surveys to gather feedback on their experiences and areas for improvement. 
• Study your competitors and their target audiences. This might help you identify gaps in their approach that you can take advantage of. 

 A clear understanding of your audience’s needs, pain points, and behaviors allows you to tailor everything in a way that suits them much better.  

Value proposition 

Your customer acquisition strategy should clearly communicate what makes your product or service stand out.  

This is why you need a strong value proposition!  

Creating a strong value proposition isn’t just about making a sales pitch — it’s about coming up with a message that directly connects you with your audience’s needs. It helps you attract customers by showing them exactly why they should choose your business over competitors. 

Here’s how to do it: 

A strong value proposition can make or break your customer acquisition strategy, so make sure to think it through.  

Marketing channels 

Choosing the right mix of channels to include in your customer acquisition strategy (e.g., Viber, SMS, push notifications, email marketing) ensures you’re reaching your target audience where they spend most of their time.  

According to Statista, people worldwide used social media about 143 minutes per day in 2024. That’s about 2 hours a day for you to go out there and capture their attention.  

Moreover, focusing on more than one channel probably works best and the channels you use to attract customers play a big role in the success of your customer acquisition strategy.  

Here’s how to carefully choose and optimize these channels to better reach and engage your target audience. 

• Always pick channels that match your audience’s preferences. For example, if your audience spends a lot of time on LinkedIn, focus your efforts there. Google Ads are a good option, too.  
• Think about what your current goal is — whether it’s brand awareness, generating leads, or making more sales. Choose marketing channels that align with your goals. 
• Use a mix of channels to reach more people. Combining social media, referral programs, and paid ads (or any other channel that works for you) often works better than sticking to just one. 

Conversion optimization 

It’s not enough to get people to visit your website or engage with your content. We’re absolutely sure that you’re aware of that.  

Attracting visitors to your website or getting them to engage with your content is just the first step. The real challenge lies in turning their interest into tangible actions — like making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or booking a demo. This is where conversion optimization comes in. 

First, your landing pages should be clear and aligned with your audience’s needs. Every page must have a specific goal — whether that’s getting visitors to fill out a form or make a purchase — and it should guide them toward completing that action smoothly. 

Next, your calls-to-action (CTAs) have to be clear and strong. They should grab attention and clearly communicate your customers’ next step. Using action-oriented language, like “Get Your Free Trial” or “Start Saving Today,” helps visitors understand the benefits they’ll receive. Realizing the benefits can encourage them to move forward easier and quicker. 

Finally, user experience always comes first. Your website should be easy to navigate and function smoothly across all devices. In fact, for 48% of visitors, a website’s design is the most crucial factor in deciding the brand’s credibility. If you want to minimize lost opportunities, you should make sure your website is working for you and not against you. 

By integrating these elements, you can create a simple, effective path for existing and new customers, making it easier for them to act and convert. 

Customer retention 

Acquiring new customers is only the beginning of the entire process. To truly grow your business, you need to focus on keeping those customers engaged and loyal.  

This is where customer retention tactics come in handy to help you build and maintain strong relationships with your customers. 

Here’s what we recommend:  

• Stay connected with your customers through personalized communication like follow-up emails, special offers, and relevant content that keeps them interested in your brand. 
• Reward your customers for their continued interest with discounts, exclusive perks, or points they can redeem. A well-designed loyalty program can turn occasional buyers into your long-term brand advocates. 
• Make sure to resolve any issues quickly and ensure a positive experience. If you make your customers happy, they will be more likely to stay loyal and recommend your business to others. 
• Once you’ve built trust with a customer, introduce them to additional products or services that complement their original purchase, increasing their value to your business. 

If you’re eager to move beyond one-time transactions, integrating these retention strategies can help you build relationships that drive long-term growth. 

8 Best customer acquisition strategies  

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s dive deeper into some of the most effective customer acquisition strategies that can help you reach your business goals faster.  

We’re highlighting the 8 best strategies here, but keep in mind there are plenty more you can explore and adapt to fit your business needs. 

Search engine optimization (SEO) 

SEO probably is the strongest long-term customer acquisition strategy that will help you rank higher in search engine results pages. The nearer your result to the top of relevant searches, the more visible you become to potential customers who are actively searching for products or services like yours. 

This can be quite a great customer acquisition strategy that drives organic traffic onto your website, which would entail a consistent stream of new customers with no dependence on paid advertising. 

SEO basically uses organic search as its acquisition channel and in content marketing and blogging also as a means of optimizing its visibility. 

Example: Suppose you operate an e-store that sells exercise equipment. Because of search engine optimizing on words such as “best home workout equipment” or “quality yet affordable fitness equipment,” your store appears when a person interested in buying such equipment uses Google. As the months pass, you go up the ranking, and constant traffic from user-generated searches for this type of equipment finds its way to your website. 

Content marketing 

Content marketing will also enable you to improve customer acquisition since it helps to build trust and authority with the audience by disseminating useful and relevant information. Once you gain the trust of your customers, you can also enjoy increased conversions. But it takes some time for that. 

It should, therefore, go without saying that the whole point of your content marketing efforts should be the positioning of your brand as a go-to source. You can do that by publishing quality content on a regular basis that either answers your customers’ questions or solves their problems. This drives more traffic and also nurtures leads into customers. 

According to the 2024 HubSpot State of Marketing Report, web traffic is within the top two most common measurements of success for content marketing strategies. In most cases, main acquisition channels for content marketing include organic search, social media, and email marketing, since your content will be shared and discovered across multiple platforms. 

Example: A software company creates a variety of blog posts and videos regarding how automation can help small businesses. Because of the in-depth guides, case studies, and how-tos they provided, they attracted not just organic traffic but leads that would start to trust their expertise. So when the time comes that these potential customers are ready to buy, they’re most likely to be choosing them over competition. 

Blogging  

Blogging plays a crucial role in your customer acquisition strategy. It allows you to continuously engage your audience with fresh content — whether it’s informative or fun. In addition, regular blog posts improve your SEO ranking which translates into more organic traffic to your site and more reasons for the visitors to return.  

Blogging helps you showcase your expertise and build relationships with potential customers who are looking for trustworthy information before making a final purchasing decision. The primary acquisition channels for blogging are organic search, social media (where blogs can be shared), and email newsletters, where you can promote your latest blog posts. 

Example: A travel agency starts a blog where they share insider tips, destination guides, and budget travel ideas. By consistently publishing helpful content, the site attracts travelers who are planning trips. Over time, many of these readers turn into paying customers by booking trips directly through the agency. 

Social media & video marketing 

Social media and video marketing are ideal for customer acquisition because they give the ability to reach and engage with prospective customers where they’re spending their time. Just paint this picture a bit brighter: 9 out of 10 businesses have been using video for marketing in 2024. 

You have a wide option to share visually appealing content, videos, and interactive posts which catch attention and will help you to tell your value proposition. You are able to communicate directly with your customers on social media-to create relationships and enhance brand awareness. 

The given might be part of a customer acquisition strategy that is versatile, using social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or TikTok) and video hosting sites like YouTube or Vimeo as main acquisition channels. 

Example: The skincare brand would do short, enticing skincare routine videos both on Instagram and TikTok, showing their products. The brands tag influencers, encourage user-generated content, reach more followers, attract new customers online, which is where they usually tend to follow people’s recommendations. 

Email retargeting 

Email retargeting is particularly beneficial for customer acquisition because it helps you re-engage potential customers who have already shown interest in your brand but didn’t convert the first time.  

Personalized email campaigns allow you to: 

• Stay in touch with your shoppers,  
• Offer targeted content,  
• Send reminders, or  
• Offer promotions that encourage action.  

Email retargeting can nudge your prospects down the sales funnel and bring them back to your website, making sure they convert this time.   

The primary acquisition channel for this customer acquisition strategy can be various email marketing platforms but retargeting ads also represent a key part of this approach when integrated with platforms like Facebook or Google. 

Example: A visitor to an online clothing store adds items to their cart but leaves without purchasing. A few days later, the store sends an email reminder offering a 10% discount if they complete their purchase. This personalized email encourages the customer to return to the site and complete the transaction. 

Product pricing 

Pricing plays a direct role in acquiring new customers because the right pricing model can attract more buyers and solidify your already existing ones. By offering competitive pricing, introductory offers, or tiered pricing options, you can reduce barriers for potential new customers and make your product more accessible.  

A well-thought-out pricing strategy can draw in undecided customers who are still comparing options and help you stand out in a crowded market. To successfully implement your pricing strategies, you can rely on acquisition channels like paid search, social media ads, and email campaigns to better communicate your pricing offers and promotions to your customers. 

Example: A SaaS company offers a limited-time introductory discount for new users, promoting it through paid search ads and social media. Competitive pricing attracts users who are comparing software options, allowing them to try the service at a reduced cost and increase new signups. 

Session-based recommenders 

Session-based recommenders are among the most powerful AI tools that dynamically adjust your website in real time, based on what the visitor is currently browsing. Unlike traditional content recommendations, which rely on past behavior or demographic data, these recommenders operate in the current session and provide suggestions that address the user’s immediate interests. 

For example, take a customer who starts browsing a fashion website. They start with a pair of jeans and move on to jackets. While they were browsing through different categories, the session-based recommender kept recommending the jeans that they had an interest in, giving subtle hints towards their original choice.  

In this case, personalization can also be extended to the homepage carousel for jeans or similar items when a customer returns to the site at a future date, increasing the likelihood of their purchase.  

This advanced and personalized recommendation approach is made possible through Touchpoint Studio, a solution from Things Solver that allows you to create a seamless, adaptive shopping experience that engages more and drives increased sales. 

This AI-powered model surfaces the most relevant products out of all based on real-time and historical browsing behavior, making it one of the most powerful tools for e-commerce today. 

Example: A customer visits an online electronics store and starts looking at smartphones. As they continue exploring other categories like laptops and accessories, the session-based recommender keeps suggesting smartphones in a sidebar or carousel, highlighting models they viewed earlier. On their next visit, the homepage is updated to showcase similar smartphones, deals, and accessories, tailored to their interests, increasing the chance of converting their visit into a sale. 

Customer loyalty programs 

Although primarily a strategy to retain existing customers, loyalty programs are also extremely effective in gaining new customers through word of mouth. 

Happy customers of your loyalty program may refer or promote your brand to their friends and family, therefore becoming advocates that drive new business. In fact, over 50% of loyal customers are already actively recommending brands to others. So, if you haven’t given any thought to implementing a loyalty program for your brand, now may be a good time to reconsider it.  

Some of the loyalty program acquisition channels where you can promote the scheme and share the benefits with the intention of acquiring, include email marketing, mobile applications, and social media. 

Example: A coffee shop chain offers a points-based loyalty program where customers earn points with every purchase and later redeem them for free drinks. The shop promotes the program on its app and social media, encouraging customers to refer friends to earn extra points. This not only drives repeat business but also attracts new customers through word-of-mouth referrals. 

Final thoughts 

Building a strong customer acquisition strategy is about more than just getting people through the door; rather, it is about meaningful and lasting connections that turn new customers into loyal advocates of your brand. With regular implementation of a mix of SEO, content marketing, re-targeting, or loyalty programs, you will be attracting the right audience to take the right action. 

It requires striking a balance between what resonates with the audience and what fits the business goals while creating sustainable growth. This is where continuous strategy refinement and learning from the audience attract new customers and set the ground for long-term success. 

Your next loyal customer is out there, ready to find your brand. Now is the time to do something about it and grow your customer base.