Tag: Relationship Marketing

#CelebrateSuccess – Celebrate Your Customers’ Wins & Successes

Talk to almost any boss, and he or she will tell you that one quality they highly value in their employees is self-motivation. We don’t disagree. That’s a pretty good trait to have—both for you and for your team. But the truth is, no matter how internally motivated, everyone needs a good pat on the back once in a while. But you probably already knew that.

So given that handing out kudos is a good thing, doesn’t it stand to reason that your customers should be on that list, too? After all, they play a pretty big part in determining whether or not you are successful; you owe it to your customers to make sure they know that.

One of the best ways you can recognize your customers and show your appreciation for all they do for you is to help them celebrate success.

One tricky element in setting up a way to celebrate customer success is determining precisely what success means. It’s really up to the customer to define it. But if you are good at what you do, you probably know your customer well enough to be able to toot their horn. In case you can’t, here are a few foolproof events that you can take advantage of to say congratulations.

Milestones

The best milestones to celebrate will depend on the type of business, but good examples are recognizing when they’ve been in business for a specific period or passed a quantitative target such as a number of users or number of units sold.

Big Wins

A big win might be landing a hard-fought contract, hiring a notable expert, getting a grant, or receiving an industry award.

Life Events

Special life events are always worthy of celebration. It might be a promotion, a marriage, or the addition of a new baby.

As for how you say “Bravo!” that’s up to you. Social media is always an excellent tool for getting the word out, and you can’t go wrong with a personal note. If you publish a newsletter, then that will work as well. The point is, you want to let your customers know that you see their awesome work and that you appreciate it.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#CustomerService – What Does Your Audience Want From Your Social Media

No social media strategy can be successful if it is created in a vacuum. That means that you need to know what your audience wants from your social media. Luckily, there are lots of tools out there to help you assess the type of content that will get engagement.

Gather data

How do you know what your audience wants to see on your social media posts? Well, all you have to do is ask. That means a survey or some other way of gathering data. Surveys are a great way to assess your audience, and nothing beats hearing directly from the target market. Surveys do have pitfalls, however, and you should get professional help to ensure that you are asking the right questions in the right way.

Understand the analytics

The information you gather from an audience can be even more powerful when you supplement it with data about the actual activity you have on your social media pages. Each of the major channels provides real-time tools for gathering information about your audience. These tools are typically referred to as social media analytics. They are offered so that you can assess exactly who your audience is and what type of content is most effective in encouraging engagement.

Different platforms, different tools

How much detail you can get about your audience will vary for each tool. Facebook, for example, will allow you to look at other pages that your followers like. The Instagram analytics you have access to will depend on the type of page you have, but you can always find out what hashtags your followers are looking at. Twitter offers demographic information but also provides information regarding hashtags and interests as well.

Drill down

While each analytics tool is a little different, most offer data in both tables and graphics. You can drill down to view the make-up of your audience by some factors such as gender, age, and geography. You can also learn much about what type of content they are looking at, sharing, and commenting on.

Work the plan

Creating a social media strategy requires a good deal of investment—both time and money. You need an effective way to make sure that your plan is working. Talking with your audience will give you the best information to fine-tune your content and your message. When you monitor who is looking at your content, and if they are engaging with it, you can assess how well your plan is working.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

#CustomerService – Know What Industries You Work With Most

It doesn’t matter what kind of job you have, somewhere along the line you will need to provide customer service. Whether or not that customer service is behind the scenes or on the front lines, good customer service requires patience, quick thinking, and the ability to listen. There’s one other thing that you need as well—knowledge about your customers and what makes them tick.

To understand your clients you need to know about the challenges they face, the skills that give them a competitive advantage, and what you can do to help them be successful. That means that you not only need to know about them, but you also need to know about their industries.

If you are like most business people, most of your business comes from about 20% of your customers. That makes it critical that you identify the industries that you work with most often. Once you do, you can dig in deep and learn what makes those industries unique.

To get started when learning about an industry, start with these five key areas.

Language: Every industry has unique jargon and terms. Knowing the language is essential to being able to communicate with your customers.

Trends: Knowing what trends are currently impacting your customer’s industry will help you understand what is on his or her mind. It will also help you understand how they make money and what you need to consider when setting your prices.

Key Players: Whether your customer is a major industry mover or a small company just starting out, understanding the major influencers in the industry can help you identify your customer’s needs and wants. It can also give you insight into what your customer aspires to be.

History: While you may not need to know all the details, understanding how your client’s industry has evolved and where it is in its lifecycle will help you understand some of the pressures your customer may be facing. The factors that influence an industry that is growing may be very different than those for an industry in decline.

Dynamics: Every industry has unique drivers, and the most successful companies have established strategies for responding to those drivers. Understanding both the micro and macro drivers for your customers business will help you respond to the unique challenges they face.

Investing time to learn about the industries your customers represent is well worth it. Not only are you sure to be speaking the same language your clients speak, but you’ll also be in a much better position to help them succeed, and if they succeed, the chances are you will too.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

 

#CustomerService – Know Your Niche & How You Serve

You spend a lot of time thinking about the products and services you offer and the customers you sell them to. But does your overall strategy have a strong focus? Are you trying to reach anyone and everyone or are you targeting a specific segment? It’s an important question because not even the biggest companies can be all things to all people. To be successful, you need to identify your niche and develop a strategy for serving it.

Before you can acquire a new customer, you must attract his or her attention. That means you need to know who your real customers are and what is important to them. But how do you go about that? Here are five ways you can learn more about your niche and the best way to serve it.

Talk to existing customers: Your customers are your best source for information on what makes them buy and what (and who) influences their decisions. The customers with whom you have established relationships want you to succeed. That means they’ll be happy to talk with you about what makes them tick.

Look at your competitors: If you are the top business in your niche find a competitor who is closing in fast and see what they are doing right. If you aren’t number one, take a look at who is. Your goal isn’t to duplicate their strategies, but to glean what works and what doesn’t.

Read reviews: Even if you don’t sell online, your customers may be posting online. What are they saying? Are you responding to reviews about you? These people want to talk, and they are a great source for learning more about your customers.

Participate in social media groups: There are hundreds (dare we say thousands) of special interest groups who spend time online talking about issues important to your market. Find them, join them, and become an active member. Groups can provide you with access to valuable information about your customers, your markets, and your competitors.

Look at keywords: Social marketers use keyword research to discover what terms people search for most often. Even if you don’t buy online advertising, you can use keyword research to see what customers are looking for when they go online. That can help you narrow down the features that are most important.

With so much chatter, competition, and advertising out there today, it can be difficult to get your target market to hear your message. That’s why it’s important to understand what they are looking for. If you do your homework, you’ll be able to cut through the clutter and connect with your customer base.

Be sure to Follow us and Let’s Engage!

Hollie Clere of The Social Media Advisor is a “#BeAwesome” Developer, Social Media, Brand Builder, Content Manager, Trainer and Author in LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Blog, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram and the tools to manage them.

Click here for Social Media Training, Speaking and Strategy Consultations.

 

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