Building relationship, not getting people to buy from you!
Imagine if you only ever contacted people in your life when you wanted them to do something for you. I’m guessing that these people wouldn’t be that responsive or that interested in wanting to hear from you for very long.
Marketing is the same, if you only make contact with your customers or prospective customers when you want them to buy from you, they will switch off. But develop a communications strategy whereby on a regular basis you engage them in conversation, listen to what they want, give them what they need including advice and support and have a variety of conversations with them over time about a range of topics and you know what, they will want you to stay in touch with them. So if it’s that easy, why are some businesses and brands so good at getting it wrong, particularly in an era of rising costs for customer acquisition?
The reasons for getting it wrong are too many to list, but most failings have to do with a brand’s lack of understanding about their customers and what they actually need from them in order to solve their own unique set of problems. Other reasons include not listening, failing to respond to a changing market place and of course issues with customer care.
As a business owner you have access to lots of information about your customers, but there is often a lack of understanding about how you can use it to increase your knowledge of your customer’s motivations, buying history and behaviours so that you can enhance the relevance of every interaction and improve engagement.
Marketing success today involves understanding customers in every way, from their personality to their emotional drivers and then telling a story that’s relevant to that individual. So you need to:
- Communicate frequently and ensure that you have open channels of communication with your customers, highlight that they are your priority and their custom is valued through personal communication.
Bear your customers in mind when making decisions and ensure that they have positive experiences when dealing with your company.
Have open dialogue with customers so you can respond to their changing needs and get feedback to make improvements if required. - Deliver a consistent service and ensure that everyone in the business both understand and delivers high levels of customer care
- Reward your customers where possible in order to build loyalty and a good referral network.
So if you want your customers to like what you do, buy from you and talk about you to others then you need to invest in building relationships from the very beginning. Once customers know that you care about them and their personal predicament and that you have the solutions they are looking for, they will become loyal to your business and recommend others to use you as well.
For strategic marketing ideas and initiatives that will make a difference to your bottom line and customers who become your sales force, contact Vicky at Fuel on 07766 566690 or email vicky@fuelmarketing.co.uk