Create Quality Customer Relationships Using Digital Tools
In today’s increasingly competitive digital market, your customer must be at the heart of all innovation and development if you expect to keep them. The age of instant gratification and access to hundreds of thousands of products and services via the internet leave businesses reeling, looking for ways to rise above the competition with tools and services that no one else has.
Whether you fancy yourself a seasoned veteran of the digital world, or if you are branching out and learning how imperative the digital focus is to the success of your business, it is imperative that you focus on the customer and in particular, their experience (UX) with you. What do they need, what they want, what drives them to purchase, what their pain points are, and what problems you can solve with your business offering, are what should determine your business model.
In short, your focus should be on reaching your customers in a variety of ways and demonstrating your interest and investment in their success and satisfaction. Customers want someone to listen, value and respect them. Fill that need, and you'll practically guarantee that they will come back for more over and over again; this is the foundation for customer loyalty. Bottom line: you want loyal customers who will not only purchase from you, but they will also share information about you as well with friends and family, creating additional business.
How do we create customer loyalty in a world where your competitor is just a screen click away? How do you remain preferred over all other options? Here are some things to focus on as you become masters at gaining and retaining quality relationships with your customers.
You Need A Kickin’ Website
“Build A Bear” websites are a dime a dozen, and they won’t get you noticed. They all look the same, with URLS that are a mile long, and they are not exciting to view or navigate. Every successful business that is thriving in today’s market has a website that is pleasing to look at, easy to navigate, and easy to find. If a customer has to search more than three minutes to find a product or service that they need, chances are you’ve lost them; they’re on to the next catchy website with a memorable web address.
An intelligent business decision for all entrepreneurs is to outsource your website to professionals who will ensure that artistic design, keyword placement, and visibility are all optimized.
Making sure that your information is up to date, valid, and hyperlinked will ensure that customers that are drawn in stay long enough to make a purchase. Provide opportunities for customer communication and feedback, and commit to promptly responding so that you can address needs and concerns of your customers.
MaxGroup provides a FREE Complimentary Scan of your vital data on the Top 40 search engines in your local area. If your information is not accurate on them, you better stop whatever you are doing, and FIX THAT NOW!
Give customers peace of mind with secured transactions and easy options for payment, and add personal stories and testimonials from satisfied customers to increase credibility. A quality website will contribute to the growth of your business exponentially; consider making this a significant investment in your success.
Optimize Your Online Response Time Blame it on our digital age, but most customers have little patience when it comes to waiting for a response from a company. In a recent study done by Fonolo, over 80 percent of customers cited that the number one factor that they look for in deciding whether to maintain a relationship with a company is their ability to handle issues and communications promptly.
In fact, when purchasing online, most customers expect some response or resolution to their inquiry in less than five minutes, and this expectation grows more demanding with every passing day.
Companies like Disney-Store.com have revolutionized their attention to detail, boasting email response times of 1 minute, 47 seconds, and telephone wait times of 12 seconds or less. With companies like these raising the bar for all of us, it may be necessary to automate some of these communications to make sure that customers know we are at the top of our game.
Create User Self-Help Systems If you anticipate that your customers might have needs beyond purchases and returns, creating easily accessible self-help tools and systems of support might be the key to maintaining customer loyalty.
Resources such as user manuals, FAQs pages, and additional information and question/answer pages might allow customers to find answers to their issues without the need for further communication. Going the extra step and adding video tutorials and customer testimonials will give the impression to customers that you have anticipated their needs, and that they are in good hands.
Personalize Your Communications The most effective form of customer communication is personalization; creating an experience that is unique and valuable to each customer. Today’s customer expects customization to go beyond more than just being addressed by name. They want to have their needs met and their desires anticipated, and lending an ear to address concerns and meet those needs is key to maintaining loyalty.
Placing follow-up calls or emails asking about customer satisfaction and giving customers a voice will not only allow you to create a personalized experience for them, but it will provide you with valuable insight on how you can revolutionize your products and services. Win-win situation!
Create An Email List Organize your interactions with customers by building an email list. Email is a beneficial way to maintain communications with customers and build rapport. While it may be tempting to send out blast communications with the latest and most significant innovations in your company, be careful not to overuse this medium--if you come across as pushy you could lose your following. Create real, authentic and valuable content instead.
Create Quick Surveys For Customer Feedback Create and send out surveys to collect information on what customers need, what drives them to purchase, and what they would like to see from you in the future. Being able to provide them with the ideal experience will be one of the many ways you can use technology tools to set yourself apart from the competition.
Create And Maintain A Blog! A blog is an excellent way to increase visibility and credibility in the eyes of your customers. Through relevant and engaging posts, you will make connections with your customers and cause them to think of you when the need arises to make a purchase.
Sharing stories relevant to your products, personal testimonials from customers, and even providing tutorials that customers would find valuable are all excellent ideas for blog posts. Blog posts drive traffic to your website and turn those views into leads.
Plus, a blog is absolutely necessary if you want search engines like Google to take your website seriously. I have seen websites that are so beautiful, that they are like artwork. Clients that have come to use for SEO assistance and want to rank on the #1 page for Google have confessed they have spent $10,000 to $30,000 on their site, but have no blog.
Your website is the most important marketing tool that you have. There is no sense in creating and maintaining a website today without a vibrant and updated blog. Google tells us that “Content is King,” and Google loves great, authentic, resourceful, user-friendly blogs.
Consider that 92% of searchers make a purchase because of an “influencer’s” recommendation. The easiest way to become that influencer is to have an outstanding blog.
You will become regarded as an expert on your brand, and people will look to you to fulfill needs with your products and services. Start writing, or at least consider hiring a qualified professional to do so!
MaxGroup has seasoned content writers, bloggers, journalists and editors on staff in order to supply original content for you, your blog and ultimately your website for your online presence. With packages starting with SEO Essentials at $400 a month, there is no reason not to have a blog. Contact MaxGroup to get started today!
Optimize and Streamline the Digital Experience The average American consumer owns two or more devices. Providing your customer with tools that they can use both online and on handheld devices will allow them to access your business at all times. Building unified, cross-channel services will enable your customer a streamlined experience that they will come to prefer when making choices about purchasing. Through a combination of texting, emails, and SMS messaging, you can maintain relationships with customers and stay at the forefront of their minds when deciding what to buy.
What Are the Digital Tools At My Disposal? It is essential that you learn to create quality digital tools of all kinds in today’s competitive market. Streamlining your communication across all mediums is also crucial for continued growth and success. Consider using combinations of the following digital tools to maintain quality relationships with your customers:
Social Media Presence
Citation Sites
Mobile Optimization
Blogging
Backlink Campaigns
Professional Article Placement on Forbes, Fortune, Inc., and more
Customer Reviews And Testimonials
A Kickin’ Website!
More! Just ask us.
Let Us Do The Heavy Lifting!
If the thought of you using all of these digital tools seems overwhelming to you, never fear! Most business owners choose to outsource and streamline digital services so that they can focus on other aspects of owning and growing a business. We have some suggestions for working smarter, not harder, as you climb the ladder to success. At MaxGroup Business Solutions, we specialize in creating you as a brand that stands out from the competition. With our focus on streamlining all aspects of branding, digital marketing, messaging and customer retention, we will create digital visibility and a digital imprint that gets you noticed.
Turning your digital material into a front-page story that sells is what we do, and we do it well. If you don’t have the time and expertise to create a digital brand that inspires customer loyalty, we do! Let the professionals at MaxGroup catapult you to the next level of business success. Contact us today at www.maxgroupbusiness.com for more information. Here’s to your continued success!
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