Finding true romance requires a little luck. As much as we’d like the formula for finding the perfect relationship, sometimes it’s simply a matter of right place, right time.
However, when it comes to relationships with your customers – you can’t wait for love to come and find you, you have to make your own luck to earn a place in their hearts.
So, jump over the cracks in the digital pavement, walk under those virtual ladders and follow these 13 tips to get lucky.
Every meeting is a first date
First impressions are everything.
Listen to your customers and learn about them – seize the opportunity to capture as much information as you can, but always ensure it’s a two-way conversation. Give them your number, so you can continue to develop the relationship.
Get on the front foot
We’re not mind-readers.
According to ‘Socialnomics’ author Erik Qualman, people do not find news anymore. Instead the news finds them. If we widen that beyond ‘news’ and talk about ‘brand’, we’ve got something quite interesting.
Imagine your customer had breakfast with you. What could you tell them that would help them get more out of your product?
Work with your customer
Why don’t you ever listen? We’ve all heard that one before.
What better way to find out what your audience wants than to use them to crowdsource ideas and seek feedback on your brand?
Technology gives you an interface with your customer – one they can engage with at any time. Create a platform for your customers to communicate with you, an outlet to channel their comments and suggestions.
It’s a relationship-driven world so know your audience
Forename, surname and address hardly constitute the definition of ‘best friends’ now does it? You need to be thinking about behaviours, tastes and preferences if you’re going to make it to that third date.
Brands looking to genuinely engage customers online should be using data and technology to provide insight on their market, and their audience.
Know not just their needs and likes, but the why too.
Make your customer happy
A smile goes a long way.
In 2010, Mike Duke, Walmart’s CEO talked about an ‘era of price transparency’. We call it an ‘era of brand transparency’. The smiles on your customer’s faces are being ‘twinstapinned’ and ‘posted’ the second their eyes light up. This kind of connection goes way beyond digital communications and deep into product and customer service.
Talk with your customers
Why don’t we talk anymore?
Remember, it’s not a communication, but a conversation: one-on-one, two-way, and with some personality too. Keep it clean and professional, but steer clear of awkward corporate language and personality-deficient copy!
Leverage your consumers’ sphere of influence
We all know that any good relationships need approval from those that matter most – close friends and family, otherwise it could be sabotaged from the start.
Consumers that influence others should be considered valuable assets for your brand. Use social-media monitoring software to seek them out and engage them directly.
Build a leader board of top influencers, and develop a plan to engage each one on a 12-month programme.
Be clear about when you want to engage
There’s a time and a place. Public displays of affection aren’t to everyone’s liking.
In the Digital Age, customer expectation is to be able to choose their preferences. “Do you want us to send you a generic email once a month every month about our expanding business estate?” Ideally not.
Make a decision about your engagement timetable and set the parameters of the relationship up front. Understanding this and allowing your customer to make decisions about each of these will help your long-term engagement programme.
Manage expectations
Nobody likes nasty surprises.
For today’s ‘on-demand’ society, your customers will expect to be able to access information when they want it, and expect an answer to their questions when they ask them.
An easy starter for ten - provide real-time updates before your customers need to ask the question. Whether it’s delays to flights, queues at restaurants or retail delivery schedules: provide the customer with detailed, relevant information.
Deliver. Surprise. Delight.
Brands that invest in random acts of kindness and reward engagement are connecting on an emotional level with their customer. Think powerful long-term strategies than discounting to acquire new customers.
Embrace change
A little spark every now and then to rekindle the fire is important. But if that spark comes through the adoption of new technology, are you sure it’s right for your customers too?
Sure, Snapchat sounds all the rage today, but is your audience even there? Is it right for your brand? Understanding how quickly your audience is moving and why it drives relevance is critical.
Invest in your customer
Like all successful relationships, it needs a bit of work. The honeymoon period doesn’t last forever.
Return on Investment should live in every strategy: to deliver better return, start with experience as your KPI.
Review your KPIs today. Define your measure for customer experience and make sure ‘experience’ gets the bold treatment.
Be there for your customer
For better, for worse; simply being there can be what matters most in a relationship.
While one customer is sleeping, another is consuming your brand. You need to be always-on 24/7/365.
By Ian Stockley, MD of Indicia.
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