7 Proven Strategies for Small Businesses Struggling to Get Customers

If you’re a small business struggling to get customers, you’re not alone—but you’re also not stuck. The reality is that most local businesses face the same challenge: they offer great products or services but can’t seem to get enough people through the door or calling their phone.

The good news? Customer acquisition isn’t about luck or having the biggest budget.

It’s about deploying the right strategies in the right order. This guide breaks down seven battle-tested approaches that actually move the needle for small businesses. We’re not talking about vague advice like “be on social media” or “network more.” These are specific, actionable strategies you can implement this week to start generating real leads and converting them into paying customers.

Whether you’re a contractor, service provider, or local retailer, these methods work because they focus on what matters: getting your business in front of people who are actively looking for what you sell.

1. Dominate Local Search Before Your Competitors Do

The Challenge It Solves

Right now, potential customers are searching for exactly what you offer on Google. They’re typing in queries like “plumber near me” or “best HVAC company in [your city]” with their credit cards ready. But if your business doesn’t show up in those critical first three results, you’re invisible. Your competitors are capturing those high-intent customers while you’re left wondering why your phone isn’t ringing.

Most consumers never scroll past the first page of search results, and the majority click on businesses that appear in the local map pack—those three listings that show up with pins on a map at the top of search results.

The Strategy Explained

Local search optimization starts with your Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business. This free tool is the single most important factor in determining whether you show up when someone searches for your services locally. Think of it as your business’s digital storefront on the world’s busiest street.

But simply having a profile isn’t enough. You need to optimize every element: complete business information, regular posts, photos that showcase your work, and most importantly, a steady stream of positive reviews. Google’s algorithm heavily weighs these factors when deciding which businesses to display.

Beyond your Google Business Profile, your website needs to be structured to signal local relevance. This means having location-specific pages, consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information across the web, and content that answers the specific questions your local customers are asking.

Implementation Steps

1. Claim and fully complete your Google Business Profile with accurate hours, services, photos of your work, and a compelling business description that includes your target keywords naturally.

2. Create a systematic review generation process where you ask satisfied customers to leave Google reviews within 24-48 hours of completing their service—response rates drop significantly after that window.

3. Post weekly updates to your Google Business Profile showcasing recent projects, special offers, or helpful tips that demonstrate your expertise and keep your profile active in Google’s eyes.

4. Build citations by ensuring your business name, address, and phone number are consistent across major directories like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and industry-specific platforms.

5. Add location-specific content to your website that targets search phrases like “[your service] in [your city]” with dedicated pages that provide genuine value to local searchers.

Pro Tips

Respond to every review—positive and negative—within 24 hours. This signals to both Google and potential customers that you’re actively engaged with your audience. When responding to negative reviews, address the concern professionally and offer to make it right. Future customers are watching how you handle problems, not just your successes.

Add photos regularly to your profile. Businesses with more photos receive significantly more requests for directions and clicks to their websites compared to those with sparse visual content.

2. Turn Your Website Into a Lead-Generating Machine

The Challenge It Solves

You’re driving traffic to your website, but visitors leave without taking action. Maybe they look around for thirty seconds and disappear. Your website looks professional, but it’s not converting browsers into buyers. This is one of the most expensive problems small businesses face—you’re paying for traffic through ads or SEO, but that traffic evaporates without generating revenue.

Most small business websites function as digital brochures: they tell people what you do, but they don’t guide visitors toward taking the next step. Every visitor who leaves without contacting you represents lost revenue.

The Strategy Explained

A lead-generating website is fundamentally different from a pretty website. It’s designed with one primary goal: getting visitors to raise their hand and express interest in your services. This means clear calls-to-action, reduced friction in the contact process, and strategic placement of conversion elements throughout the user journey.

Think about your website like a sales conversation. When someone walks into your physical location, you don’t just hand them a brochure and walk away. You ask what they need, you address their concerns, and you guide them toward a decision. Your website should do the same thing, but in digital form.

Conversion-focused websites remove distractions and make it ridiculously easy for interested visitors to take the next step. This often means having multiple contact options—phone, form, chat—because different people prefer different communication methods. It also means addressing objections before they arise and providing social proof that builds trust immediately.

Implementation Steps

1. Place a prominent call-to-action above the fold on every page—visitors should see your phone number and a “Get a Quote” or “Schedule Service” button without scrolling.

2. Simplify your contact forms to ask only for essential information (name, phone, email, brief description of need)—every additional field you add decreases conversion rates.

3. Add live chat functionality to capture visitors who have questions but aren’t ready to call—many prospects will engage via chat who would never pick up the phone.

4. Create service-specific landing pages that speak directly to individual customer needs rather than forcing everyone through a generic homepage—someone searching for emergency plumbing doesn’t want to read about your company history first.

5. Implement conversion tracking so you know exactly which pages and traffic sources are generating leads versus which are just consuming bandwidth without producing results.

Pro Tips

Add customer testimonials and before/after photos near your contact forms. Visitors are most skeptical right before they’re about to commit, so that’s when social proof matters most. Position testimonials that address common objections right where people are making decisions.

Make your phone number clickable on mobile devices. This seems obvious, but many small business websites miss this crucial detail. When someone on a smartphone wants to call you, they shouldn’t have to copy and paste your number.

3. Deploy Pay-Per-Click Advertising for Immediate Visibility

The Challenge It Solves

Organic strategies like SEO and content marketing take months to build momentum. You need customers now, not six months from now. Your business can’t wait for slow-building strategies to mature when you have bills to pay this month. Meanwhile, your competitors who are running paid ads are capturing the customers you need right now.

PPC advertising solves the time problem. While you’re building long-term organic visibility, paid ads get you in front of ready-to-buy customers immediately. It’s the fastest path from zero visibility to capturing high-intent searches.

The Strategy Explained

Pay-per-click advertising, primarily through Google Ads, allows you to appear at the very top of search results for the exact terms your customers are searching. When someone types “emergency electrician near me” at 9 PM on a Tuesday, your ad can be the first thing they see—and you only pay when they click.

The key to profitable PPC is precision targeting. You’re not trying to reach everyone; you’re trying to reach people who are actively looking for what you sell, in your service area, right now. This means targeting specific search terms, geographic locations, and even times of day when your ideal customers are most likely to convert.

Successful PPC campaigns for local businesses focus on high-intent keywords—search terms that indicate someone is ready to buy, not just researching. Someone searching “how to fix a leaky faucet” is in research mode. Someone searching “emergency plumber open now” has their credit card out.

Implementation Steps

1. Start with a focused campaign targeting your most profitable services in your immediate geographic area—don’t try to advertise everything everywhere on day one.

2. Build tightly themed ad groups where your keywords, ad copy, and landing pages all speak to the same specific service—relevance is the single biggest factor in ad performance and cost.

3. Write ad copy that addresses the specific pain point someone is experiencing when they search that term, and include a clear reason to choose you over competitors appearing in adjacent ads.

4. Send clicks to dedicated landing pages that match the ad’s promise rather than your generic homepage—message match between ad and landing page dramatically improves conversion rates.

5. Implement conversion tracking from day one so you know exactly which keywords and ads are generating actual leads, not just clicks that cost you money without producing results.

Pro Tips

Use ad extensions aggressively—call extensions, location extensions, and sitelink extensions give your ads more real estate on the search results page and provide multiple ways for people to contact you. Ads with extensions typically see significantly higher click-through rates.

Don’t ignore negative keywords. These are terms you specifically tell Google NOT to show your ads for. If you’re a high-end service provider, add “cheap” and “discount” as negative keywords to avoid clicks from bargain hunters who will never convert.

4. Build a Referral Engine That Runs on Autopilot

The Challenge It Solves

You get occasional referrals from happy customers, but it’s random and unpredictable. You can’t build a business on hope that someone might remember to recommend you. Referrals are your highest-quality leads—they close faster, complain less, and stay longer—but you’re leaving this revenue source to chance instead of systematizing it.

Most small businesses wait passively for referrals instead of actively generating them. The difference between businesses that grow through referrals and those that don’t isn’t the quality of their work—it’s whether they have a system that makes referring easy and rewarding.

The Strategy Explained

A referral engine is a systematic approach to generating word-of-mouth recommendations. It’s not about begging for referrals or offering desperate-sounding incentives. It’s about making it easy, natural, and rewarding for satisfied customers to recommend you to people they know who need your services.

The foundation of any referral system is exceptional service that people genuinely want to talk about. But even with great service, people need prompting and a clear path to take action. They need to be asked at the right moment, given an easy way to refer, and ideally, receive some acknowledgment for helping you grow.

The most effective referral programs work because they’re integrated into your customer experience rather than feeling like an awkward add-on. They ask for referrals when satisfaction is highest, provide specific guidance on who to refer, and create win-win scenarios where both the referrer and the new customer benefit.

Implementation Steps

1. Identify your referral moment—the point in your customer journey when satisfaction peaks, typically right after you’ve solved their problem or delivered exceptional results.

2. Create a simple referral request script for that moment: “We grow our business through recommendations from customers like you. Do you know anyone who might need [specific service]? I’d be happy to take care of them the same way I took care of you.”

3. Make referring effortless by providing referral cards, a simple online form, or even a text-based system where customers can forward your contact information with a personal note.

4. Implement a referral reward program that provides value to both parties—perhaps a discount on future services for the referrer and a special offer for the new customer.

5. Follow up with referrers to let them know you took care of their friend or colleague, closing the loop and reinforcing their decision to recommend you.

Pro Tips

Be specific about who you want referred. Instead of asking “Do you know anyone who needs my services?” ask “Do you know any homeowners in [neighborhood] who might be planning a kitchen renovation?” Specific requests trigger more mental connections than vague ones.

Send a thank-you note or small gift when someone refers business to you, even if that referral doesn’t convert. You’re reinforcing the behavior of referring, not just rewarding successful conversions. This encourages future referrals.

5. Leverage Strategic Partnerships for Shared Audiences

The Challenge It Solves

Advertising is expensive, and you’re competing for attention in crowded channels. You need access to new customers, but you can’t afford to keep increasing your ad spend. Meanwhile, there are businesses serving your ideal customers right now—businesses that aren’t your competitors but whose customers need what you offer.

Strategic partnerships let you tap into established customer bases without the cost of advertising. Instead of fighting for attention in paid channels, you’re getting introduced by a trusted source to people who already fit your ideal customer profile.

The Strategy Explained

Partnership marketing works by identifying businesses that serve the same customer you do but offer complementary services rather than competing ones. A landscaper partners with a deck builder. A wedding photographer partners with a florist and caterer. A home inspector partners with a real estate agent.

The power of these partnerships lies in borrowed trust. When a business your customer already trusts recommends you, that endorsement carries far more weight than any ad you could run. You’re not a stranger trying to earn trust from scratch—you’re pre-approved by someone they already believe in.

Effective partnerships are structured so both businesses benefit. This isn’t about paying for leads or one-sided arrangements. It’s about creating genuine value exchanges where both partners gain access to new customers through mutual recommendations. The best partnerships feel natural because they genuinely serve the customer’s best interests.

Implementation Steps

1. List 10-15 businesses that serve your ideal customer but don’t compete with you—think about what services your customers need before, during, or after they use your services.

2. Reach out to potential partners with a specific value proposition: explain who you serve, how you could refer business to them, and propose a reciprocal arrangement.

3. Create co-marketing materials that both businesses can use—joint service packages, referral cards, or collaborative content that positions both businesses as trusted experts.

4. Establish a simple tracking system so both partners know when referrals are happening and can follow up appropriately—this could be as simple as mentioning the partner’s name when new customers contact you.

5. Schedule quarterly check-ins with active partners to discuss what’s working, address any issues, and brainstorm new ways to collaborate and serve your shared audience better.

Pro Tips

Start with one or two high-quality partnerships rather than trying to build relationships with dozens of businesses. Deep partnerships where you’re actively referring business back and forth are infinitely more valuable than surface-level agreements that never produce results.

Make it easy for partners to refer you by providing them with simple tools: business cards they can hand out, a one-page overview of your services, or even a referral link they can share digitally. The less friction in the referral process, the more referrals you’ll receive.

6. Create Content That Attracts Ready-to-Buy Customers

The Challenge It Solves

You’ve been told to “create content” and “be on social media,” but you’re posting regularly without seeing any business results. Your content gets likes from friends and family, but it’s not bringing in customers. You’re spending time creating content that entertains people who will never buy instead of attracting people who are actively looking for your services.

Most small business content strategies fail because they focus on top-of-funnel awareness content when they should be creating bottom-of-funnel content that captures high-intent searchers. You don’t need more followers—you need more customers.

The Strategy Explained

Bottom-of-funnel content targets people who are already looking for what you sell. Instead of trying to build awareness or educate people who aren’t in the market yet, you’re creating content that answers the specific questions people ask when they’re ready to hire someone like you.

This type of content is search-focused rather than social-focused. Someone searching “how much does [your service] cost in [your city]” or “best [your business type] near me” is much closer to buying than someone scrolling through Instagram. Your content should intercept these high-intent searches and guide those searchers toward contacting you.

The most effective bottom-of-funnel content addresses common objections, answers pricing questions, and helps potential customers understand what to expect when working with you. It positions you as the obvious choice by demonstrating expertise while making the next step crystal clear.

Implementation Steps

1. Research the questions your potential customers are actually searching for using Google’s autocomplete, “People also ask” sections, and keyword research tools to find high-intent search terms in your market.

2. Create detailed service pages and blog posts that directly answer these questions with specific, actionable information rather than vague generalizations—someone searching for pricing information wants real numbers and factors that affect cost.

3. Include clear calls-to-action within your content that guide readers toward the next logical step, whether that’s requesting a quote, scheduling a consultation, or calling for more information.

4. Optimize each piece of content for local search by including your city and service area naturally throughout the content and in page titles and headings.

5. Update and expand your highest-performing content regularly to maintain search rankings and ensure information stays current—Google favors fresh, comprehensive content over outdated pages.

Pro Tips

Write content that you wish existed when you were trying to understand your own services as a consumer. The questions you get asked repeatedly by prospects are exactly what you should be writing about. If you’re explaining the same thing to every potential customer, turn that explanation into a piece of content.

Include real examples and specific details rather than generic advice. Instead of writing “we provide quality service,” explain exactly what your process looks like from initial contact to project completion. Specificity builds trust and helps searchers determine if you’re the right fit.

7. Implement Follow-Up Systems That Close More Deals

The Challenge It Solves

You’re generating leads, but too many slip through the cracks. You respond to inquiries when you remember, but there’s no consistent system. Some prospects get immediate responses while others wait days. You’re losing deals to competitors who simply respond faster and follow up more consistently. Every lost lead represents wasted marketing dollars and missed revenue.

Speed and consistency in follow-up directly impact your conversion rates. The businesses that win aren’t always the best at what they do—they’re often just the fastest to respond and the most persistent in following up with interested prospects.

The Strategy Explained

A follow-up system ensures that every lead receives a timely, consistent response regardless of when they contact you or how busy you are. It’s about creating protocols that guarantee no lead falls through the cracks and every prospect receives multiple touchpoints that move them toward a decision.

The data is clear: businesses that respond to leads within the first five minutes are significantly more likely to convert those leads compared to businesses that wait even an hour. But speed alone isn’t enough—you also need persistence. Many deals are lost not because the prospect wasn’t interested, but because the business gave up after one or two attempts to connect.

Effective follow-up systems combine immediate response protocols with structured sequences that continue nurturing leads over days or weeks. They use multiple communication channels—phone, email, text—because different prospects prefer different methods. And they track every interaction so nothing gets missed and you can identify where leads are dropping off.

Implementation Steps

1. Set up instant lead notifications so you know immediately when someone submits a form, calls, or reaches out through any channel—every minute of delay decreases your conversion probability.

2. Create response templates for common inquiry types that you can quickly personalize and send within minutes of receiving a lead, acknowledging their request and setting expectations for next steps.

3. Build a follow-up sequence that attempts to reach leads multiple times over the first week using different channels and times of day—if someone doesn’t answer your first call, try texting, then emailing, then calling again at a different time.

4. Implement a simple CRM or tracking system (even a spreadsheet works) where you log every lead interaction so you know exactly where each prospect stands and what the next action should be.

5. Schedule weekly pipeline reviews where you assess all open leads, identify which ones need additional follow-up, and determine which ones should be marked as closed or unqualified.

Pro Tips

Use text messaging strategically in your follow-up sequence. Many prospects, especially younger ones, prefer texting over phone calls. A simple text like “Hi [name], this is [your name] from [business]. You requested information about [service]. When’s a good time to chat for a few minutes?” often gets responses when calls go unanswered.

Don’t give up after two or three attempts. Many businesses stop following up too early. Have a systematic approach that continues touching base with leads for at least two weeks unless they explicitly tell you they’re not interested. Persistence, when done professionally, demonstrates your commitment and often wins deals from competitors who gave up earlier.

Putting These Strategies Into Action

You now have seven proven strategies for overcoming customer acquisition challenges. But here’s the critical truth: implementing three strategies well will produce far better results than implementing seven strategies poorly.

Start with quick wins that can generate immediate results. Optimize your Google Business Profile this week—it’s free and can start driving calls within days. Implement your follow-up systems immediately because they improve conversion on every lead you’re already generating. These two actions alone can significantly impact your bottom line within 30 days.

Next, layer in strategies based on your specific situation. If you need customers immediately and have some budget, deploy targeted PPC campaigns while you build longer-term organic visibility. If you have strong existing customer relationships, activate your referral engine. If you’re in a service-based business with natural partnership opportunities, start building those relationships.

The businesses that succeed with customer acquisition share one characteristic: they’re systematic rather than sporadic. They don’t randomly try different marketing tactics hoping something works. They choose specific strategies, implement them properly, measure results, and optimize based on data.

Consistency beats perfection every time. A simple follow-up system that you actually use will outperform a sophisticated CRM that sits unused. A basic Google Business Profile that you update weekly will outperform an elaborate profile you set up once and never touch again.

Track your results ruthlessly. Know which strategies are generating leads, what those leads cost, and which ones convert into paying customers. This data tells you where to double down and where to cut your losses. Marketing without measurement is just expensive guessing.

Tired of spending money on marketing that doesn’t produce real revenue? We build lead systems that turn traffic into qualified leads and measurable sales growth. If you want to see what this would look like for your business, we’ll walk you through how it works and break down what’s realistic in your market.

The difference between small businesses that struggle to get customers and those that have more business than they can handle isn’t luck or budget—it’s strategy and execution. Choose your starting point, implement systematically, and adjust based on results. Your next customer is searching for you right now. Make sure they can find you.