In today’s fast-paced and tech-savvy world, it is easy for your brand, business, service, or even church to get lost in the mix online. Most business owners don’t question whether or not they need to be connecting with their customers, the question is usually how.
Just because someone is a customer once, doesn’t mean they will stay a customer. It is vital for businesses to stay in front of their customers.
How do you keep from getting lost in a crowded inbox or scrolled by on a busy feed? It’s all about personal connections.
Who Are You Connecting with?
Before you can connect with your customers, clients, audience, or congregation it is vital to understand who that person is. The more you can define both who your target audience is and who your actual customers are, the more successful you can be in connecting online.
The following items are the information you should try to gather about your clients or customers in order to tailor your online marketing to them.
- Income
- Demographics like age, sex, location, occupation
- Hobbies and interests
- Shopping patterns
- Online habits
- Pain points
Once you have this information and a good idea of who you are connecting with, you can use this information to tailor your content, promotions, and marketing channels. You will gain insight into how to serve the demographics interested in your business.
Additionally, you should have your website connected to google analytics, which is a free tool to help you analyze who is active on your website. Where they are searching from, which web pages they are viewing, what they are clicking on, and so much more. Analytics is a powerful tool to get to know your customer on a deeper level.
How Do You Connect With Current Customers Online?
Now that you know who you are connecting with, let’s take a look at some easy ways you can stay connected to and in front of your audience. This is all in hopes of keeping current customers and maybe even gaining new ones!
Keep Them In The Loop
Whether you have a big company announcement, new products or services, upcoming sales or promotions, or new content on your website, you want to keep your customers informed. This is likely going to be done through email, newsletters, and social media.
Not only will this keep your brand and name in front of your customers but you are also reminding your customers about what value you can bring to them.
Here are a few ideas of how you can keep your customer in the loop:
- Social media posts
- live videos
- Newsletters
- Emails
- Blog posts
- webinars
Superior Customer Service
Customer service can make or break a sale and impact all sales in the future. According to an American Express Survey, “78% of consumers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience.”
Superior customer service is no longer optional when it comes to retaining customers. This will be implemented in many ways over a variety of mediums. A few things you should keep in mind when it comes to customer service include:
- responding to customers in a timely manner on social channels, forums, review sites, or emails
- go above and beyond whenever possible
- Listen to what your customers are saying about you on social media.
- Pay attention to both positive and negative feedback
Great customer service can be the difference between keeping a loyal patron and losing customers for life.
Update Website Content
It seems like social media is king when it comes to connecting online, but never underestimate the power of excellent website content. If your website is outdated or you haven’t reviewed your website content in a while, take the time to do so now.
It’s important to give your customer something to connect with as soon as they land on your website. Your website should tell a story that is engaging, on-brand, and engaging.
If your website needs a refresh or even an overhaul, our team at Torrch is experienced in website design and development. We specialize in helping small businesses design and launch websites that their customers can connect with.
Gather Feedback
If you aren’t sure what will help you best connect with your customers, ask them! Companies all over the world have been successful in gathering customer feedback through surveys and other forms of personal connection such as phone calls or personal emails.
There are many survey platforms available for you to utilize including Google Forms, SurveyMonkey, Typeform, and Survey on Facebook. If you want to make the connection grow further Make calls to your top customers and clients instead of sending a survey. This can show a level of interest and intentionality that makes a customer feel valued.
Moving Forward in Connection
The future is digital and your business’s online presence will play a huge part in connecting with and retaining your customers. Torrch is here to support your online presence through website design and other software development. If you have a digital vision for your company but need help bringing it to life, contact our team today.