Ever wonder what your customers are really thinking? We can’t give you exact details, but we can share some insights we’ve gathered over the years. We've found that many customer frustrations are simply not being addressed as well as they could be, which causes businesses to miss out on huge opportunities. These tips should help.
Know Who They Are
Know your audience. Understand their problems. Personalize your outreach. You can easily do this by creating buyer personas, a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers. When creating your buyer personas, consider including customer demographics, behavior patterns, motivations, and goals. The more detailed you are, the better.
Authenticity Matters
In an era of clickbait, spam bots, and headline after headline exposing corporate scandals — honesty has never been a more powerful marketing tactic. Customers often value a positive user experience with a brand they can trust more than they care about product features. If your audience can easily see who you are as an organization, beyond the products you sell or the service you provide, they’ll develop a stronger relationship with your brand.
Referrals are HUGE Influences
According to a study by Zendesk, 88% of shoppers are influenced by online customer reviews when making buying decisions. And 92% of consumers trust referrals from people they know. Or how about this? 88% of online customers incorporate reviews into their purchase decision. The bottom line is, recommendations are ranked the highest in terms of trustworthiness. So, make sure you're opening the right channels for reviews and showcasing your customers’ testimonials.
Don’t Ignore Social Media
If 72.4%of the population is on social media, your brand shouldn't be an exception! Consumers live in a world of constant connectivity, and social media is about speaking the audiences' language. If you’re not maintaining a social media presence, you’ll miss important discussions – some of which may directly pertain to your brand. Social media allows you to both encourage and join in conversations about your industry.
Loyalty Programs Work
According to findings by NewVoice, 53% of customers will switch brands because they feel unappreciated. Not only that, but existing customers spend 67% more than new customers. In short, customer loyalty really pays off -- and customer loyalty programs end up paying for themselves. Good loyalty programs make customers feel like they belong to an exclusive group with exclusive benefits.
These are just a few of the things your customers wish you knew. To improve communication with your customers, build trust and expand your reach, contact us!
