There’s a phrase you’ve probably heard a lot throughout your life: “To each his own.” This is true for a host of different reasons, and is due to the fact that each person has unique tastes. So as a business, it’s important that you can reach out to as many different types of people as possible, whether through advertising or your trade show booth, in the hopes you can get them to fall in love with your brand.
The important thing to note in order to attract the most people to your brand – people are emotional buyers. They want a brand that makes them feel good in a number of ways. The RightNow Customer Experience Impact Report points out the most important factor, and it’s not surprising. More than anything, customers want a company that gives them a positive experience and makes them feel good. The numbers say it all – 73 percent of consumers turn to a specific brand simply because they have great customer service, and 89 percent won’t do business with a brand that they had a poor customer service experience with.
Just how important is good customer service? 55 percent of consumers said they would be willing to pay a higher price for a better customer service experience. Getting more people to love your brand and purchase your products or services is more than setting up that portable display at the trade show. Here are some effective ways to build your brand beyond the trade show.
Have a high standard for quality products and services. While saving a buck and purchasing cheaper materials might be good for your bottom line, over time, customers will go elsewhere for quality. This applies to everything in your business – your website, your customer service experience, your products. Let’s use the busy mother as an example. It’s the dead of winter, and her child needs a new winter coat. We all know how fast kids grow, so of course that mother is going to be watching the price of the coat. But she also knows that her child is going to play outside and go sledding in this winter coat. She certainly doesn’t want to purchase a cheap coat that falls apart in a week. She wants it to make it through the entire winter. If that coat does fall apart, she wants to be able to call your customer service center and come away feeling like she was listened to, and probably with some kind of refund or replacement. Every aspect of your business has to have the customer in mind. To ignore this is to lose customers, plain and simple.
Provide the best customer service possible. So in the example above, you can see why quality is important. But the most important place for the quality to be is in your customer service department. Customers will pay more for that coat when they know it is built of quality materials and the customer service team will do whatever it takes to keep you satisfied. Strive to solve every customer issue by simply making them happy, and you will find your loyal customer base expanding!
Be consistent. This is most important to brands that have multiple locations. Customers want to feel comfortable no matter what location they set foot in. Keep the look of your business consistent across the board. If you are in the food industry, you need to set up standards so that each dish comes out tasting the same no matter if you are in New York or New Mexico. Customers crave consistency, and they’ll hold it against you if you forget!
Have a heart. Customers want to see that you give back in some way to the community, whether locally or globally. Regularly include details of charitable donations in your newsletter. Choose a variety of causes to donate to, and spotlight a different one each month to attract the most people possible. Try to find charities that align with your brand if possible, but any charitable giving is a good thing.
Emphasize green and organic. This is quickly becoming important to more and more people each day. People want to know that you are an eco-conscious brand – do you use recycled materials in your packaging, or is your product made of natural and organic ingredients? Be sure to list this on the packaging, and try to make your brand as green as possible. If you can, work with an environmental cause to show your customers you do as much as you can to show you care about the world.
Tell a good story. Use your website to its full potential – if you don’t have a blog, you are missing out on a big opportunity! Your blog can communicate to people that you are an expert of sorts in your industry. This creates a deeper sense of trust, leading to more loyal customers. You can do a lot with the blog: tell the story of your company; communicate important news in your industry; spotlight new products; provide important information that relates to your industry; and even fun articles that have nothing at all to do with your brand. The sky is the limit, so what are you waiting for? Get out there and start engaging with your customers through the written word! 67 percent more leads come in to those businesses with an active blog than those that don’t. What’s more, 70 percent of consumers prefer to read articles about a brand rather than being bombarded with ads.
Know your market. This is probably one of the most important things to know. You won’t effectively advertise anything if you don’t know the type of customer you’re trying to reach out to! Analyze your market and get to know what it wants. Then be sure that you are addressing these wants with every product and ad.
If you follow these tips, you’ll be well on your way to attracting more customers. Just remember that without your customers, you wouldn’t be in business. Make every decision with the customer in mind, and you’ll never go wrong!
Do you have any tips we’ve neglected to mention on growing your brand? Share them with us by commenting below!