Follow these 10 strategies to strengthen your Connect with Customers.
- Engage consumers through personalized interactions and responsive actions.
- Get in front of customers where they are (e.g., face to face, phone, social media).
- Customers should feel appreciated, and surveys should be used to get feedback.
- Small company owners who wish to build stronger relationships with their clients should read this article.
Your business depends on your consumers, so it’s critical to pay attention to how they engage with your brand. Find ways to continually demonstrate your caring for them; don’t simply contact them when you need their business.
Brands can learn a lot, according to Jessica Alba, founder and CEO of The Honest Company, by staying in touch with and listening to their consumers.
At the American Express OPEN Success Makers Summit for Business Platinum Card Members, Alba said, “I believe it’s crucial for businesses, especially ones [that] are truly consumer-centric, to stay connected.” Customers may reveal a lot about themselves through their actions and shopping habits.
Here are 10 efficient strategies to engage with customers and create strong bonds that will help to maintain their brand loyalty.
Also Read: How to Choose a Video Surveillance System for Your Business
1. Don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach.
You want your clients to feel special, and you can make them feel special by treating them all as unique individuals rather than as mere clients. Combining all of your customers will simply come off as unauthentic.
According to Park Mobile CEO Jon Ziglar, “We will treat a heavy user of our app differently from a casual user” in terms of messages. “We handle new users differently from seasoned users. We strive to make the communications as pertinent to that particular person as we can.
2. Respond to concerns.
Don’t limit your availability to times when your company is performing well or when your clients are happy. You must win the confidence and respect of your clients by demonstrating your commitment to their satisfaction.
A man, for instance, gave Park Mobile a one-star rating and claimed that the app was annoying and took time away from his date. They called the reviewer personally to express their regret and presented a gift card to the precise restaurant where he had been that day, according to Ziglar, rather than ignoring the remark or coming up with an explanation.
“We transformed a ‘hater’ into a tremendous Park Mobile enthusiast,” said Ziglar. “He genuinely liked the gesture.” He even consented to us using his tale in a social media promotion.
3. Go above and beyond.
Our second piece of advice comes from Ziglar’s account of his encounter with the disgruntled customer who later became an advocate: go above and above for your clients. You may take advantage of the intimate relationship you most likely have with your clients as a small business owner. Provide loyal customers with unique discounts, suggest particular goods depending on the customer’s interests you have knowledge about, and always make good on a bad experience.
There will be some clients that have a bad experience with your company. But it’s your responsibility to make sure your client or customer has a positive experience. Excellent customer service will entice them to return.
To create adoring customers for your company, you “sometimes have to go above and above,” Ziglar stated.
4. Follow up.
It’s simple to win over clients by following up. Nobody enjoys asking a question or making a complaint only to get a blank response. In order for customers to develop a relationship with you, respond to them throughout their purchasing process. This is a fantastic strategy to stay at the top of your clients’ minds.
Follow up with an existing client who purchases a novel or novel product to find out if they liked it. Thank your customers for their business. Everyone enjoys being recognized. A fantastic strategy to find dissatisfied consumers is to follow up with them before their bad experience results in an unfavourable internet review.
5. Keep it personal, not transactional.
Being more affable with clients, according to Money Mailer franchise owner and manager Peelu Shivaraju, helps you build stronger relationships.
For clients to realize your intentions are sincere, Shivaraju advised trying to be more consultative and conversational when selling.
Everyone dislikes salespeople, he remarked. Ask them questions about their company instead of talking about your goods as you enter.
6. Focus on face-to-face interactions.
Miscommunications frequently occur while utilizing technology as the main method of contact. Nothing beats face-to-face interaction, despite how handy emails and phone conversations are.
Over the phone or through a screen, you can comprehend your customers less effectively than you can in person. Shivaraju makes it a point to stop by clients’ offices to introduce himself and build a relationship with them on a personal and professional level.
He remarked, “I prefer to get to know my clients and learn about their company. “I thoroughly investigate their company and enquire about it often to demonstrate my genuine interest. To better understand how I can support their enterprise, I want to learn everything I can.
Speaking to a client face-to-face makes it simpler to understand them. Some folks, though, want to communicate with you distantly. Shivaraju advocated finding out your consumers’ favourite way of contact and using it exclusively.
7. Be active on social media.
Social media accounts are advantageous for businesses, but merely having one won’t cut it; you must actively participate. According to a recent poll, 40% of consumers want a business to reply to them within the first hour of communicating with them, and over 80% want a response within the first 24 hours.
Before making a purchase, a lot of consumers check to verify if a business is online. Customers are already browsing new products, leaving reviews, and sharing favourite things with friends on social media channels, so you should be there to engage them. Social media interaction is a fantastic method to engage with clients and keep your business top-of-mind.
Online is a significant probability that your business will come up in conversation on social media at some time because consumers are continually rating and discussing companies there. Engaging social media users directly and answering comments are excellent strategies to control the conversation being had about your company. Additionally, it might help you respond to criticism as soon as it appears. [Read related article: A Marketer’s Guide to social media for Business]
Your chosen platforms will rely on your reputation and fan base (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest).
8. Expand while considering your present clientele.
Your business will grow if your clients are satisfied. Shivaraju advised against getting too wrapped up in rapid expansion, particularly if doing so means neglecting customers and endangering customer service.
I usually try to work around company owners’ schedules since I understand that they are constantly busy, he added. All new clients receive follow-up visits after the initial mailing and another in a few months to check on their progress. I’ll always be accessible at the time and location of [customers’] choosing, so long as they give me a sufficient window of time. Always put my clients first.
9. Show your appreciation.
As you would with encouraging friends and family, let your clients know how important they are.
Shivaraju values two key categories of individuals. “The first is to my clientele,” he says. They give me money, thus it’s my duty to produce the most effective advertisement I can for their company and generate plenty of top-notch new leads for them. The second is directed at my product’s customers. In order for my envelopes to be opened and utilized, I need to fill them with high-quality hyperlocal information and businesses that my family and I feel comfortable doing business with.
Shivaraju sends out envelopes to his customers as a way of saying thank you for using local products and services. He also suggested offering discounts and Christmas cards as ways to express thanks.
10. Survey your customers.
Sending out surveys is a terrific method to keep up with what your consumers want and need. For instance, to get input on what items customers enjoy most, what modifications to make to current products, and what products should be added to your range, your company might periodically send out customer surveys. Loyalty may be increased when your clients feel like they have a voice in the services you offer.