Everyone knows that engaging and connecting with customers is a must. But how do you get to know your customers on a personal level so that you best understand what they want, what products they’re looking for, and their overall buying behavior?
The more customers that engage in your marketing campaigns, the more success you’ll experience. Success also boils down to how trustworthy of a company you appear to be in a customer’s eyes. The more you reach out to customers, the more personable and trustworthy your brand becomes.
Here are 6 foolproof ways to personally connect with customers.
1. Be Quick with Responses
Sometimes the most common sense things are what allow you to connect with customers. One of the best things you can do to connect on a personal level is to respond to customers are quickly as possible. While the standard response time is around 24 hours, it’s best to go above and beyond industry standards.
In fact, your chances of landing a new lead drop almost 400% if you wait more than five minutes to respond to a customer’s inquiry. Unless you have a huge team of customer service reps, this may seem impossible.
The simple and effective answer is to use an automated reply. This allows you to respond to a customer, letting them know that you received their email and will offer an in depth answer in less than 24 hours is better than nothing.
2. Avoid Scripted Communications
For consumers, there’s nothing more frustrating than calling a company’s customer service line, only to be greeted by someone who is reading from a script and not really hearing what you’re saying. Scripted conversations are one of the worst things you can do if you’re looking to build a good reputation for your company’s customer service.
To create connections with your customers, go the extra mile and put your clientele first. Offer around the clock customer service. Let your reps respond in a natural and personal way to each customer. This way customers know they can contact your company and have a meaningful conversation.
3. Go Beyond Text
In the age of texting and sending emails, we’ve moved away from more personal forms of communication, but to create a solid connection with your customers, you need to go above and beyond text-based interactions. While some customers will always prefer to speak via email or instant chat, others are more inclined to pick up the phone.
To meet the needs of all customers, consider using VOIP phones in your office. These phones allow you to not only speak to customers, but some models also offer videoconferencing capability. This could come in handy for customers who need help with troubleshooting a product.
Some of the best VoIP service for businesses offer services that promise high-speed and extremely clear communications. Be sure to shop around to find a service that best meets your needs.
4. Get Personal
Email marketing is still alive and well. In fact, if you’re looking for high return on investment, email marketing is where you’ll find some of the most success. With an average ROI of about 122%, you can’t go wrong with emailing customers to keep them in the loop, but since your clients likely receive dozens of emails a day, your emails need to stand out among the crowd.
To do this, personalize your email marketing campaign. To start, always use the recipient’s name in the email. This gives off a great first impression that this isn’t the same email that hundreds of other customers received.
Other ways to personalize your marketing campaign include:
- Creating customized subject lines
- Segmenting emails by gender and geographic location
- Using automated email software
- Leveraging consumer data
With the right email personalization, you can boost your read rates and in turn increase your sales. Not a believer just yet? Consider the fact that marketers experience a 760% increase when using segmented email campaigns.
5. Use Video
Why write a blog post or a FAQ page about how your new product works when you can show customers on video? Video marketing allows you to interact and connect with customers on an individual level. In fact, take video marketing a step further by going live with your videos and on page support. Using Facebook Live or a similar application, host product demos, product unboxing, and even Q and A sessions for your audience!
Customers are more likely to develop a sense of trust when your company takes the time to create a true personal connection.
6. Boost What Works
There are tons of wordpress analytics solutions, so there is no reason to let the insights gained from your website and social media go to waste. Taking the time to study your visitors interactions with your website can help you find the future direction for your content, by creating content that relates to the topics your visitors interacted with the most. From videos and blog posts to landed pages with high conversion rates, analytics lets you get into the mindset of your customer, so you can talk to them even more.
Conclusion
Connecting with customers is more than posting on social media and responding to customers via email. It’s about creating a personal connection that’s often lacking between companies and its clients. By taking the time to focus more on your communication with customers, your business will be more than a name and instead be relatable on a personal level.
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