In a time when customer churn can be sky high, it is important to success that companies provide a positive customer experience to keep consumers loyal.
Gartner reports that nine out of ten organisations believe that by 2016, the experience they give to consumers will be the main thing that sets them apart from competitors. It describes customer experience as: “… the sum of discrete moments that work together to strengthen or weaken a consumer’s preference, loyalty and advocacy for a brand.” However, this does raise the question of when is enough too much? And are brands actually providing consumers with the right experience?
Smartphones and other handheld devices have altered the way we receive content and the customer experience more often than not occurs across a number of different channels at a number of different times. This starts from the first time we encounter a brand, through content consumption, to the point of sale, use and support interaction.
Breaking down the customer journey may seem complicated at first but in many ways it is like having a continually conversation with the customer and brands need to make sure they consider everything they are saying, how they say it, the context they say it in and how often they keep in contact. This can and should adapt throughout the customer lifecycle dependent on the last interactions.
It’s all relative
Content should always be kept relevant. This means looking at and understanding the consumer’s interests and behaviour. Communication preferences are also key and making sure a brand’s product and services relate to the consumer at that point in time.
A good example of a brand getting this right is Fujitsu with its I-CIO content portal. Written for the C-Suite, the articles are in a serious tone, long-form and focuses on topics that are tailored to the audience. The content is written by a team of people with years of experience (CEOs, professors and fellows CIOs) in technology copywriting and provides strategic advice and insight from a first-hand account.
Each article is incredibly in-depth and knowledgeable, with no doubt that the content is aimed at a senior audience who will understand and appreciate it. The pattern of the content also matched the ‘always on’ culture that a CIO’s life mimics.
The part Fujitsu has really got right is the personal aspect – their readers really feel like the content is relevant and relates to them directly. This shows they know their audience and what they like – they understand them. Not only have they recognised this but they are acting on it and have created a personalised marketing communication, which will only help their consumers move from preference to purchase.
Timing is everything
Timely communications are also key with many brands now moving away from ‘interruptive marketing’ and instead looking at methods that reach audiences at a time and through a medium which is more convenient to them. This is shows a solid understanding of customers, knowing when they are going to be at home or at work, for example, and are amenable to being communicated with.
It’s also important to get timing right depending on the stage of the customer’s lifecycle. An example is knowing when a customer is close to a sale but hasn’t quite been convinced to make the sale yet. Brand teams should always consider what they want their customers to do next and guide them towards that, in a subtle way that the customer won’t feel pressured by. In an instance like this, a clear call to action, perhaps with a discount voucher, could coax a consumer into making a purchase decision.
In other circumstances, content should merely direct consumers towards something else to read or watch.
Finally, brands need to ensure their customer marketing is contextually driven. A great example of a brand that got this right on the money is Oreo during the 2013 Super Bowl 34 minute power outage.
The team quickly tweeted a simple social advert with the image of an Oreo saying, “You can still dunk in the dark.” Not only was this very quick but it showed customers the brand was very aware of where they were and what they were experiencing, in a non-generic, bland way.
Staying Flexible
We know experience intensity can and should vary but something brands must make sure they do well is actually listen to their customer and prospect feedback – and react accordingly – instead of pushing their own agenda. Treating customer interaction like a two way conversation, will prove to consumers they are valued and not just another face in a cast of thousands. There are not many brands who can boast having diehard fans, like Apple or PlayStation, and most have to work hard and not only winning customers but at keeping them too.
Brands must open their channels up to a two-way dialogue – and not just broadcast their message; sometimes, successful marketing is simply about staying in the minds of your customers rather than converting them to a sale.
By Mario Kyriacou, marketing and demand generation manager at Sitecore.
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