2017 July 16 Archive - EXEIdeas – Let's Your Mind Rock

Every day, we get overwhelmed with the seemingly endless stream of advertisements that attempt to grab our attention. Naturally, we discovered ways to block and ignore these messages. This then becomes a problem for businesses because it is part of their job to capture us through media and engage with us for extended periods of time.Businesses already face the difficult task of acquiring new customers and interacting with them during the sales cycle. It’s even harder to develop a loyal customer base whose members keep coming back. Thus, generating new business out of existing customers can be equally daunting.Customer relationships require a lot of effort and resources. So how do you keep up?1.) Regularly Ask For Customer Feedback.It pays to ask for regular feedback from your customer base. Ask them how their general experience during your transaction went. Ask them about how good your product or service is. This way, you’ll be able to know which best practices should be adopted in your organization and which things can be improved upon even further.Letting your customers’ voices count helps create a bond between your brand and your clients. When you communicate with them well, you are able to form a sense of trust so that when they need something, they’ll instantly remember your company or brand and not look elsewhere.2.) Reward Your Loyal Customers.Giving rewards to customers can make them feel valued and appreciated. Most successful businesses are generous in rewarding customers for their loyalty. You can start by giving incentives for referrals or offering coupons or credits to existing clients who can make their friends sign up. Referral programs can be beneficial to both customers and providers, so make it a point to include effective customer reward programs as part of your overall business strategy.3.) Useful Content Is King.A good business practice is to utilize all available channels to distribute content relevant to both your potential or existing customers. Your customers probably have access to multiple devices ranging from laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and smart watches to which they can easily consume content from.For instance, you learned through your website analytics tool that there are a lot of searches around “how to…” keywords concerning a specific feature offered within your product. The best way to take advantage of this opportunity is to write content that directly addresses the question and post it on your blog or FAQ section. Clients fully understand and appreciate that since it’s your product, you’re obviously the best person to talk to for any questions or issues. Know that content coming from you can be very valuable.4.) Maintain Relationships Through Alternative Channels.Social media and email marketing have been proven to help maintain great relationships with your audience, but they’re not the only channels you can use. An example is through conducting web meetings. You can host audio or video conferences where you can directly talk to clients – sort of like the check-in calls technology providers usually offer their subscribers these days. You can also reach out using business SMS. It’s an easy, instant way to inform your customers that there’s an upcoming feature or a promo involving one of your products. Don’t be afraid to try out these alternative channels because they’re readily available at your disposal for a relatively inexpensive (and sometimes, free) price tag.5.) Personalize Your Interactions.Customers who are loyal to you deserve to get some form of loyalty from you, too. One way of showing them this loyalty is to actually show them that you value them. This could be done through personalized messages, freebies, discounts, and even content. The way you deal with infuriated customers should also be personal and not generic. You might have profiled your customers as part of your business process. If so, you can use this information to provide them with a personalized experience.Although customer relationships can be difficult to maintain, there are certain tools, technologies, and practices that can help you out in this aspect of your business. Don’t be afraid to try them out. Keep innovating and improving to make your business soar and stand out.About the Author:Klaris Chua is a digital content marketer who advocates emerging mobile strategies for businesses such as business SMS and mobile analytics. She used to be a reporter for a business newspaper but the conventional path of a writer didn’t appeal to her. You can reach out using business SMS.Find Me On Twitter