While your business must overcome a wide range of obstacles on the road to success, impressing customers is one of the top challenges. Without them, the harsh reality is that triumphs in other areas of the venture will be made redundant.
Only a comprehensive strategy will achieve the desired results. Use the following 10 ideas to your advantage, and you won’t go far wrong.
#1. Get to know your place in the market
Spoiler alert: not everyone will be interested in your products and services. Unfortunately, trying to please everyone is one of the most common reasons why small businesses fail.
Every dollar spent trying to win over an unwinnable audience is wasted. Similarly, opting for overly generic tactics could alienate your audience. Therefore, identifying your place in the market and building a target consumer profile is vital. The insight will subsequently direct all future business decisions.
This could mean posting content on the social media channels that your demographic actively uses. Alternatively, it could help you unlock the right color schemes, product sizes, and suitable pricing. When you know your audience and their pain points, it becomes far easier to grab their attention and build strong connections.
Many consumers see the brands they choose as an extension of themselves. You must utilize this to your advantage.
#2. Build a strong online presence
Whether your company is a B2B or B2C venture, the vast majority of your customers are now online. And it presents an opportunity that you simply must not ignore.
Stats show that over 85% of consumers now conduct online research before making a purchase. A well designed website that navigates well across mobile and desktop is essential. When supported by a strong social media strategy, it makes the company look professional and successful. It will increase trust.
Furthermore, consumers are actively looking to discover brands online. As such, these will often form the first point of interaction. Appearing on the first page of Google’s SERPs will give you a major advantage over the competition. Not least because most people won’t scroll to page two or beyond.
A strong online presence won’t guarantee conversions, but it puts you on the path to success. Besides, it’s impossible to succeed if nobody knows you exist.
#3. Focus on smarter packaging choices
Of course, the product itself should be the priority. However, you should not overlook the fact that people enjoy products that provide a positive experience. Packaging will play a big role.
Whether picking an item off the shelf or receiving it through the post doesn’t matter. The packaging is the first thing that they interact with. Therefore, custom boxes can be used to jack up the business. It gives your business the ‘wow’ factor while many consumers will also share photos of cute packaging on social media.
Packaging designs can use your logo and bold colors. Alternatively, they can display slogans or personalized messages to truly create the VIP feel. The added source of excitement can subsequently increase their love of the product and, therefore, your brand. It will boost your hopes of repeat purchases.
Furthermore, luxury packaging solutions can reduce waste while simultaneously protecting the products. Poor packaging is one of the main reasons for product returns.
#4. Utilize freebies to their potential
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes: what do you want from a business? It’s likely that value for money will be one of the top items to feature on this list.
Therefore, looking for additional ways to provide it is vital. Custom merchandise as gifts and freebies are a fantastic solution. Aside from giving them something for nothing, the item serves as a continued reminder of the company. In this sense, your brand and its products will be what they think of in the appropriate times.
The key is to look for items that can add value to their daily lives. Custom car fresheners are a fantastic choice as most drivers will use their car each day. Likewise, people have a love for their vehicles, and improving their experiences behind the wheel is a great thing to do. It will subconsciously improve their opinion of the company.
Other popular freebies include t-shirts, badges, and cups. As well as enhancing opinions of the brand, it can be the perfect way to capture the contact details of potential leads.
#5. Invest in your order fulfillment duties
Clients won’t only judge your business based on its products. Its services are an equally crucial feature, and the fact of the matter is that now expect fast deliveries.
It’s important that your online and offline sales are calibrated. A POS and eCommerce system that uses automated stock levels is particularly useful. Meanwhile, you should ensure that your packers and other order fulfillment teams work fast. Where possible, orders should be dispatched in 24 hours.
However, you must not end your responsibilities at the moment a product leaves your door. You must ensure it reaches the customer fast. With this in mind, it’s crucial that you partner with a good courier service. Otherwise, delays and lost parcels will set a bad impression before a customer has even interacted with the product.
When this aspect of the venture is under control, you will also be better positioned to focus on creating products that people will love.
#6. Provide value through content
As already mentioned, the feeling of value for money is vital for a customer. Likewise, they need to feel that you ‘get them’. When looking for ways to embrace this, content is king.
Content is valuable for many reasons. For starters, people retain up to 95% of the message expressed. Moreover, B2B and B2C clients can view, read, or listen to content to learn more about a product or company before making a purchase. They can get the necessary answers quickly and at their convenience.
Explainer videos enable clients to get more out of products while also showcasing the USPs. From a buyer’s perspective, it also shows that you are an authoritative voice. There is also a suggestion that you are willing to go the extra mile and solve any problems that they may encounter. Seeing the product builds excitement too. Video is an incredibly effective tool to connect with prospects and customers, build trust, and drive conversions. It’s the key part of any content marketing strategy for most software-as-a-service (SaaS) businesses. Investing in video production and marketing for SaaS will ensure that your video looks and sounds professional and is effective at driving results for your business.
The use of engaging content also creates new touchpoints. It is very useful as many clients need multiple interactions before they are ready to make a purchase.
#7. Show social responsibility
As already mentioned, most people see the brands they use as an extension of themselves. So, they need to see that you have shared values. Corporate responsibility is the answer.
Social responsibility can take many forms. In today’s climate, supporting eco-friendly business initiatives is the most valuable step. Adding solar energy to your office building, switching to electric vehicles, and reducing your waste will help. It can also tie in with your bid for improved packaging by using greener materials.
Further steps can include supporting local charities and political issues. You can make social responsibility a key part of your brand image. Following this, you can celebrate triumphs by showcasing awards, accolades, or statistical improvements. This info can be presented online, via newsletters, and more.
On a side note, this is a great way to impress your employees and encourage them to take pride in the company. This may boost productivity and aid the company culture.
#8. Embrace the power of social proof
It’s one thing to tell customers why your business provides the perfect match. In most cases, though, they will pay far greater attention when this insight comes from other people.
In short, the power of recommendation is stronger than ever. Customer testimonials and positive reviews will influence decisions. Not least because most consumers will check the reviews before making a purchase. It is especially important when they have only recently discovered the company.
The power of social proof is also shown through endorsements. Nowadays, 62% of internet users trust social influencers more than celebrities. With this in mind, it may be worth focusing on those partnerships. They will engage an audience of users who fall into your target market and promote your brand in style.
People also respond very well to the recommendations of friends and family. Introducing affiliate marketing schemes can subsequently become a very useful tool.
#9. Value your customers
Building a connection with potential clients is one thing. For the best results, though, you need to show that they feel valued as individuals. They will respond better if they like you.
There are many ways to show that you value customers. Focus groups and other forms of feedback are great, and should not be limited to existing clients. Speaking to leads and people who haven’t yet been converted will be crucial. Individuals who are new to the brand will see this effort, which encourages them to trust the brand.
You can also show an understanding of client trends by analyzing data. Seeing where your business succeeds and fails will help you build a stronger brand. Meanwhile, providing repayment plans and accepting multiple payment options can work wonders. For both online and offline transactions.
Other ideas such as using an online translator software or boasting a diverse team may encourage improved responses. From new and existing clients alike.
#10. Communicate with consistency
Finally, whatever you do, it’s vital that you show consistency. Train your staff and invest in the right tools like VoIP that tracks a client’s journey. This will ensure that you make a better impression from the very first contact.
How Customer Experience Can Combat Customer Churn, provided by BillingPlatform, a company dedicated to empowering businesses via their enterprise billing solution
