Imagine this: Your latest product launch has captured the attention of many website visitors. Your display ads and content marketing are driving traffic, but the carts stay only half full. High click-through rates can feel great, but converting those curious browsers into loyal customers can be challenging if you don’t have a clear customer acquisition plan.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the critical steps of customer acquisition strategies. You’ll learn how to target the right people, select the right marketing channels, and keep customers returning for more, among other strategies.
Let’s dive in.
Crafting your customer acquisition plan
A successful customer acquisition strategy begins with knowing who you’re selling to and mapping how they buy.
Define your ideal customer profile
Before purchasing display ads, create a buyer persona (or customer persona) to use as a model.
Buyer persona created by the author
Imagine you’re the marketing lead for an up-and-coming athleisure brand. You dive into your web analytics and discover two different audience segments:
- Segment A: 25–35-year-old professionals using Instagram to discover the latest gear, value healthy lifestyles, and respond to social proof from fitness influencers.
- Segment B: Busy parents who prioritize comfort and convenience, and are more likely to click on a quick “Shop Now” search ad link than on a long-form blog post.
These early insights—your data-driven insights—come from analyzing audience demographics like age, location, and income. This data is also paired with user behavior data such as time spent on your site and previous purchase patterns.
Label your audiences as prospective customers or potential buyers and map out your messaging:
- First-time visitors in Segment A receive an email marketing welcome series highlighting influencer reviews and a 10% discount on their first order.
- Returning shoppers in Segment B see retargeted search ads featuring one-click reorder for “most-loved” leggings or hoodies.
- High-value repeat buyers—those who’ve already made large purchases might be receive an exclusive loyalty program invitation or early access to new collections.
This way, you’ll tailor your messaging accordingly so that every dollar you allocate to display ads, social campaigns, or paid search will land in front of people most likely to convert.
Map the customer journey and funnel stages
Before diving into each funnel phase, it’s crucial to understand that today’s customer journey is rarely linear, Default explains. Shoppers bounce between awareness, research, and decision points across multiple touchpoints—social feeds, search engines, email, and even offline interactions.
When you map out these funnel stages, you can pinpoint where prospects drop off, optimize each interaction, and ensure your customer acquisition efforts convert more visitors into loyal, long-term buyers.
However, your customer acquisition funnel can look something like this:
- Awareness stage: Potential customers discover your business through organic search, social media posts, or video marketing.
- Consideration stage: Potential customers use blog posts, white papers, and gated content to compare your business against other companies. Reach a wider audience with the help of our PR CoPilot tool. It can generate articles in multiple languages while ensuring content remains relevant and informative.
- Purchase decision: Users complete the checkout process. They’re usually influenced by calls-to-action (CTA), credit card incentives, or free-shipping banners.
- Loyalty and retention: You encourage customer retention through loyalty programmes, email newsletters, and great customer service.
Proven customer acquisition channels and methods
No two customer acquisition channels produce the same return on investment (ROI). Let’s look at some strategies you can use.
Inbound marketing
Attracting high-value customers organically means giving them a reason to find and fall in love with your brand, long before you ever ask them to make a purchase. And, inbound marketing does just that through the following:
Content marketing
Publish blog posts that answer high-demand needs, like weight loss management for people with obesity. This is exactly what Form Health does. It offers a medically supervised Zepbound weight loss program with data-backed results, which helps it position itself as evidence-based and outcome-driven in a competitive market.
Implement search engine optimization techniques, such as targeting relevant keywords like “post-run stretch routine.” This will capture organic search traffic and position your brand as a powerful tool for wellness-minded shoppers.
Video content and user-generated content
When it comes to trust, nothing beats seeing real users enjoy your products. Video content—from tutorial clips to behind-the-scenes shoemaking tours—brings your brand to life. For more social proof, ask your customers to post user-generated content. This is when they share unboxing experiences or styling videos using your products.
These videos, reels, or stories become your social proof, as these are more likely to move prospective customers a step closer to conversion.
User-generated content has increased in popularity. In fact, in 2024, 8 in 10 shoppers aged 25 to 34 were influenced by this type of content when shopping online, Statista reports. And, according to Salsify, 40% of consumers believe that user-generated content, such as customer videos and images, can be an important tool for deciding which products to buy.
Social media marketing
No inbound strategy is complete without being active on your social media channels. Posting Instagram Stories, LinkedIn articles, or TikTok videos is a great way to engage directly with your target audience.
Create a consistent posting schedule. For example, during the week, you might post a poll to learn about customer preferences or run a live Q&A session. Over the weekend, you might share a short video snippet highlighting new shoe arrivals.
Make sure to respond to your followers’ comments promptly. These interactions help transform viewers into satisfied customers who feel seen and heard.
P.S. To see what people are saying about you or competitors on social platforms, use our AI-powered social listening tool to track conversations and reveal what others are saying about you.
Email marketing
Email marketing remains one of the most cost-effective customer acquisition strategies you can use. Email newsletters are an ongoing conversation with your prospective customers.
Start with a friendly welcome series:
- Day 1 could introduce your brand story.
- Day 3 could spotlight a best-selling product.
- Day 7 could offer an exclusive discount code.
Add valuable content. Think trend reports, like “Top 5 eco-friendly fabrics of 2025” or customer spotlights, like “Meet Jane: How she runs her first 5K in our shoes”.
When you deliver valuable insights and special offers, you help move subscribers smoothly through awareness and consideration toward the purchase decision, while keeping your brand in mind.
Paid acquisition
When you need faster results than organic tactics alone can deliver, paid acquisition offers a direct path to new potential customers. By carefully selecting and optimizing your customer acquisition channels, you can hit high-intent buyers exactly when—and where—they’re ready to make a purchase.
Search ads
These intent-driven ads appear when someone types queries like “best wireless earbuds under $100” or “organic protein powder delivery.” With smart keyword bidding and negative keyword lists, you can ensure your ad spend targets only the most relevant searches, driving up conversion rate while keeping customer acquisition costs in check.
Display ads and social media advertising
Display ads (banner ads across websites) and social media advertising on Instagram and Facebook can help move shoppers through the awareness and consideration stages. Use audience targeting—by interests, demographics, or past site behavior—to put compelling visuals and CTAs in front of your target audience.
Traditional advertising
While digital channels are your go-to tools for reaching potential buyers, don’t overlook traditional advertising, especially if your brand operates in a specific location or niche. For instance, direct mail postcards—complete with QR codes or personalized discount offers—often surprise recipients, leading to a lift in offline-to-online conversions.
Direct outreach
Sometimes, old-school still works. Strategies include:
Cold calling
While many marketing teams shy away from the phone, a well-trained sales team with a targeted cold calling script can win over high-value customers who might not respond to email or social ads. For B2B clients or large consumer accounts, a quick “Hello, this is [Name] from [Brand]. I noticed you’re interested in our premium running shoes—could I share a 15% partner discount?” often lands better than a generic display ad.
Identity marketing
Identity marketing offers a second chance for prospects who haven’t used their expired promo links or abandoned their carts. Use personalized emails that address each lead by name and reference their exact interest: “Hey Alex, your cart is waiting! Grab those trail shoes now with 10% off.”
Optimizing conversion and experience
Attracting traffic is only half the battle—now you need to convert it.
Focus on user experience
Analyze user behavior via heatmaps and session recordings. Fix any confusing navigation or slow loading times. Your site must guide visitors through the sales funnel with CTAs like “Add to Cart” or “Subscribe Now”.
Improve the checkout experience
Every extra field or hidden fee adds friction. To lift your conversion rate, simplify the checkout process by offering free shipping thresholds or one-click checkout.
Leverage CRM and automation tools
Integrate customer relationship management (CRM) platforms to track every customer journey and tag leads by source—be it paid ads, inbound marketing, or cold outreach. Use automation tools to send follow-up emails at optimal intervals.
Use A/B testing
Don’t rely on one copy version. Test headlines, images, or CTAs on landing pages to see what works for different audiences.
Track which variation leads to higher acquisition rates and lower acquisition costs.
Use support widgets
Add a chat widget to your website. This AI assistant can be available 24/7 so that website visitors can reach out at any time and get a response right away, even during nighttime.
Measuring and reducing customer acquisition costs
Keeping tabs on spending keeps your ROI healthy. Here’s what to do.
Calculate customer acquisition cost vs. customer lifetime value
Your acquisition cost should always be a fraction of your customer lifetime value. If you spend $50 to land a customer who spends $500 over their customer lifetime, you’re on the right track. Otherwise, revisit your acquisition methods.
Leverage customer feedback
Gather customer feedback after every sale so that you can unlock valuable insights to help improve any areas that might not be working well in your sales process.
Create short surveys where you ask:
- “How easy was it to complete your purchase?”
- Or, “What almost stopped you from buying?”
- Or, “Which feature do you love most about your new product?”
Offer a small discount on the next order. This’ll help boost response rates and collect honest feedback.
Retention strategies and building loyal customers
While it’s important to know how to acquire new customers, you should also be aware of the strategies that help you keep those users.
An effective customer retention strategy helps minimize your churn rate and turns satisfied buyers into vocal brand advocates who fuel sustainable, compounding growth.
Customer retention strategy essentials
To keep people coming back, make sure to provide ongoing value. Launch a customer loyalty programme with points, rewards, or exclusive perks that incentivize repeat purchases. For instance, you might award one point per dollar spent, then allow customers to redeem points for free shipping or VIP access to new product launches.
Reduce churn rate & fuel the flywheel model
Every saved customer directly lowers your churn rate, and each retained buyer can become a powerful engine for new acquisition—a concept known as the flywheel model.
To keep that flywheel spinning, ask for customer feedback through in-app post-purchase surveys. Ask what they love, what could be improved, and which new features they’d like to see. This feedback not only informs product development but also makes customers feel heard and valued.
Scaling for sustainable growth
Now, it’s time to supercharge your marketing engine and grow your efforts.
Identify your high-value customers—those who fill their carts with multiple items or return month after month—and study their behaviors. Which features drive their loyalty? Is it free returns, personalized recommendations, or a quick reordering process?
By prioritizing enhancements that matter most to these top spenders, you not only deepen their advocacy but also create social proof that attracts new prospects. For example, if high-value shoppers rave about your “build-your-own bundle” feature, mention that option in your email newsletters and display ads. When your best customers shine, they light the path for others to follow.
Wrapping up
Building a winning customer acquisition strategy is an ongoing process. You have to use different channels, like inbound marketing, paid acquisition, and direct outreach. These help you start seeing those half-full carts convert into completed orders.
Remember to continuously map your customer journey, optimize each funnel stage, and collect customer feedback to fine-tune your conversion rate.
Equally important is retention. Focus on a well-designed customer loyalty programme and personalized emails to turn one-time buyers into brand representatives.
Ready to drive real growth? Reach out to our experts at Agility PR Solutions. We help you stay ahead of the competition and turn prospects into lifelong customers. (We’ve worked with big clients, like McDonald’s and Porsche.
