What Is Acquisition Marketing? A 2023 Guide

"I've heard of acquisition marketing, but I'm not sure what it exactly is."

Here's how acquisition marketing plays out:

Ever find yourself noticing the not-so-subtle product placement in an episode of the latest Netflix series? Or perhaps you encounter a sponsored ad in your favorite YouTuber's new video?

While you're not exactly paying attention to the ads themselves, chances are you will probably remember the brand name or some noticeable feature of the product being advertised.

The next step after that is acquisition marketing: Where you leverage your existing brand awareness through targeted acquisition marketing efforts that convert customers.

In a nutshell, acquisition marketing taps into the minds of your audiences and makes connections with the information they already know.

While we gave you the short-form answer above, this article will dig deep into the fundamentals behind developing successful acquisition marketing strategies.

What is "Customer Acquisition"?

Businesses rely on their customers to succeed. Shopify defines customer acquisition as "the process of finding and persuading prospective customers to buy from your business in a way that is both measurable and repeatable—not random." That means a business' success hinges on successful customer acquisition, which should eventually lead to successful customer retention.

In layman's terms, you need to be able to attract customers and keep them coming back to help your business flourish. The more customers you can bring in, the bigger your company will grow and the happier your investors will be.

You can reach new prospects through a number of customer acquisition channels, but be sure to monitor your customer acquisition costs to ensure you are spending efficiently. To learn more about customer acquisition channels and customer acquisition costs, check out our article, "What's An Acquisition Channel? A Guide."

What is "Acquisition Marketing"?

Indeed defines acquisition marketing as "a strategy that involves the promotion of goods or services to a new audience. The goal is to target consumers in the "interest" or "consideration" phase of the conversion funnel and convince them of the value of the advertised goods or services."

If you're wondering what a conversion/customer acquisition funnel is and how to create one, check out our article, "Customer Acquisition Funnel: Stages & Steps."

Instead of raising awareness of your brand amongst new audiences, acquisition marketing focuses on growing your business by converting customers who are already familiar with your brand.

These customers are researching a product that best suits their needs and, with the help of acquisition marketing, could very well choose your product in the end.

What are the key acquisition marketing channels?

Before you create your acquisition marketing strategy, you should work with your marketing team to decide which key channels you want to focus on.

Influencers, bloggers, and content creators are major drivers of customer purchase decisions, especially in the retail and service industries. When a beauty influencer reveals their latest amazing find or a TikToker talks about the "Amazon products you can't live without," people are usually more likely to hit "buy now."

This is especially the case when it comes to user-generated content (UGC). According to a study by Stackla, nearly 80% of consumers say UGC highly impacts their purchasing decisions and the majority of respondents prefer consumer-created content over other forms.

Keep this in mind when you design your acquisition strategy. If you're investing in acquisition marketing, you want to make sure you're getting the most value for your money.

1. Blogs

a. Brand-owned blog content

Blogs are a great way for businesses to share their expertise in their industry and engage in two-way communication with their target audiences. The goal of acquisition marketing is to convert people who are already aware of your brand and in the consideration stage of the buying process. By sharing industry knowledge, businesses can position themselves as trusted experts.

You can either choose to host your blog on a third-party website such as WordPress or host it on your company's website to drive more traffic to your site.

Make sure you are creating quality content that is relevant to your target audience and includes a specific call-to-action (CTA) or question to encourage readers to comment on your posts. Don't forget to monitor your comment section and respond to readers looking to connect with your brand. This is a valuable opportunity to build relationships with potential customers.

b. Blogger created content

Instead of creating their own content, some businesses may look to established bloggers to write paid or earned content about their products or service. The brand may send their products to the blogger or create a paid partnership.

By doing this, not only will the brand be able to leverage the bloggers' existing audiences, but audiences are also more likely to trust the opinions of an individual blogger than a business. Do keep in mind that bloggers are legally required to disclose when they receive compensation to talk about a product or service.

Both of these options will help boost your brand name to the top of search results. Keep a regular posting schedule to make sure your brand stays relevant and current.

2. Vlogs/TikToks/Videos

Do you actually check the "link in bio"? Statistics show that those "Amazon made me buy it" TikTok videos really do work. Having your product or service mentioned in a TikTok, vlog or video can boost the results of your acquisition marketing strategy, whether it's through paid sponsorships or organic features.

Video content is a powerful resource for acquisition marketing. According to WYZOwl, 94% of marketers say video has helped them increase their understanding of a product or service. While blogging works well to describe products and services, the added visual and audio components of videos allow for more flexibility in how you present your content.

Video content allows you to meet the needs of a wider audience and share information about your product or service creatively, while still getting the facts out. It's also often less formal than written content, easier to digest, and more relatable.

You can provide in-depth demonstrations, like how-to instructional videos, or have people talk about their experiences with your product or service. Viewers can see your product or service in action and better visualize themselves actually using them.

Like blogs, video content creators are also required to disclose when they are being paid by brands to create content.

3. Online reviews

Have you ever read a Google review and changed your mind about visiting a particular restaurant? There's something so human about wanting to hear someone else's opinion before making a decision. An honest, objective review video makes all the difference when trying to learn more about a product or service.

That's why UGC is so effective; 8.7x more impactful than influencer content, and 6.6x more influential than branded content to be exact. People want to hear from others just like them—people who look like them or are experiencing the same problems as them.

If you're shopping for a pair of pants, you're more likely to buy a pair that was reviewed by someone with a similar body type as you. And if you are renting an apartment, you'd more likely trust a furniture review from other renters than homeowners who are less experienced with living in a tight space.

4. Website

If someone is visiting your website, chances are, they're there for a reason. It's your job to find out what that reason is. They've passed the awareness stage and are more likely now in the consideration stage or the intent stage of the customer acquisition funnel.

Rather than wait for your sales team to get around to making sales calls, we recommend using Glass.io, an app that allows you to see how your audiences are interacting with your website in real-time and connect with them through video calls while they are on your site. Customer acquisition has never been easier!

Simply install the Glass.io javascript onto your website, and you'll be able to view your visitor's screen. Get a sneak peek into the customer journey as your website visitors scroll through your site, and have your customer service teams reach out once they show buyer intent. Move your potential customer out of the consideration stage and further along in the buying process using Glass.io!

5. Email marketing

Email is not dead. In fact, especially in B2B marketing strategies, email marketing is as alive as ever!

Your acquisition marketing strategy should always include email marketing. Your CRM is a treasure trove of potential customers who already know who you are. This is a (nearly free) way for you to share product updates, offers, coupons, or free resources with people who have already agreed to be contacted by you.

You can even include a section on your website or social media that allows users to subscribe to a newsletter or regular mailing from your business. You can use this as a way to gain new leads and share information with both your existing customers and new ones.

6. Social media

Is your business on the right social media platforms?

If you are just starting to venture into the world of social media, be sure to research the demographic of each platform before investing resources into growing your social media presence. Some platforms may be better suited for your business than others.

If you already have an existing social media presence, the ideal market for your acquisition marketing strategy is right under your nose. Remember, acquisition marketing is all about working with people who already know about your brand.

Reduce your customer acquisition cost by tapping into your following and creating content. With a dedicated social media calendar and content marketing strategy, you can convert your target audience into paying customers with high quality content.

We recommend featuring customer stories on your social media. Posting videos and testimonials from current customers will help showcase your product or service. As we talked about before, people are more likely to trust other people more than brands, so this type of content will help give your customer acquisition strategy a more relatable face. You can even encourage existing customers to post organic social media content on your behalf by hosting contests or creating a dedicated hashtag for your brand.

Marketing teams should also consider paying to boost a selection of posts on their social media calendar in order to broaden their reach and ensure the posts are seen by all of their audiences.

7. Paid ads

Boosting your customer acquisition using paid advertising can be pricey, but it has its advantages. Just because someone is aware of your brand doesn't mean they're following you on social media or encountering your brand on a regular basis.

Paid ads have a wide reach and can appear on any search engine, mobile devices, website or video. The most common ads businesses purchase are Google Ads or Bing Ads. We also recommend you integrate your paid ads with a strong search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. That way, your ads are more likely to appear on the right people's screens.

8. Search engines

SEO strategy is a must-have in any acquisition marketing strategy. Search engine results pages (SERPs) are designed to show results in order of popularity, value and relevance. Pages are given a ranking based on these factors by the search engine's algorithm. What appears on your SERP depends on the keywords you enter and the intent behind your search terms.

When planning your SEO strategy, start with keyword research and determine which keywords resonate the most with your audiences. What is your ideal customer most likely to google search? There are plenty of keyword planning software available, but one of the most popular is Google's Keyword Planner.

9. Referral programs

Your customers love your product. Leverage their passion and encourage customers to invite their friends and family to try your product or service. It's a win-win situation. You'll gain access to new audiences and your loyal customers will earn valuable perks. If you think your business can benefit from word-of-mouth advertising, think about implementing referral programs into your acquisition marketing strategy.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between "Acquisition marketing" and "Content marketing"?

Acquisition marketing, as we discussed earlier, is a type of marketing that targets audiences who are in the consideration phase of the marketing funnel. Acquisition marketing works to draw these audiences out of the consideration phase and bring them closer to making a purchase decision through targeted marketing efforts.

Content marketing is a little different, although it can go hand-in-hand with acquisition marketing. The Content Marketing Institute defines content marketing as, "a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience—and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action."

Unlike acquisition marketing, content marketing focuses less on conversion in the short-term and more on providing high-quality content. This can range from social media posts to more premium content such as webinars or eBooks. In the long-run, after regularly releasing content, audiences will view a brand and its products favorably which will eventually lead to a purchase decision.

What are some additional customer acquisition strategies?

If you're looking to build a strong acquisition strategy and you'd like some more ideas for your acquisition marketing campaigns, check out this video by LiveChat:

Conclusion

Market for long-term growth by investing in acquisition marketing strategies. Acquisition marketing is a useful way to grow your customer base and gain more leads. It builds on your existing marketing efforts by connecting you with customers who have already passed the brand awareness phase. If you are looking to reach more customers and move them out of the consideration phase of the marketing funnel, consider investing in a strong acquisition strategy.

Sarah Chan Rejante is a digital marketer and social media coordinator based in Toronto, Canada. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations from Humber College and is passionate about marketing and getting in front of customers in the right way.

About Glass.io

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What Is Acquisition Marketing? A 2023 Guide Sarah Chan Rejante January 11, 2023