CONNECTING WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

Your business would not be thriving today without customers or clients.

Think about it, with no one to serve, why should your business even exist? As businesses continue to grow and thrive, it’s important to take customer needs and feedback into consideration. So, how can you do this? It’s not always realistic to have in-depth, one-on-one calls with every single customer, so how do you go about improving your business using customer input?

Social Media
Both B2B and B2C businesses should be on social media. While they may not be on the same platforms, it’s important to connect with your target audience where they spend time on the Internet. People are likely to share opinions, leave reviews, and interact with content that speaks to them on their feed. When it comes to purchasing decisions, many consumers will turn to social media to gather opinions from their network about their opinions of the best product or service. If your social presence is quiet, it’s unlikely you will receive as many reviews or recommendations.

Surveys
One of the easiest ways to gauge customers’ feelings about your product or service is through a completed survey. These can be done on paper, but we recommend sending it to your customers digitally and shortly after you have provided a product or service. Your survey should consist of both qualitative and quantitative questions. For example, you can ask your customers to rate your service on a scale from 1-10, and you can also ask an open-ended question such as “Where do we have room for improvement?” These surveys allow customers to reflect on their experience and allow companies to gather important data that is vital for improving their products/services, marketing, and customer service.

Focus Groups
If you want to reach consumers who are similar to your customers, you (or a third-party firm) can host a focus group. The goal of focus groups is gain unbiased information about your consumers’ view of your brand, product, or service. Hosting a group also allows you to ask questions to the consumers about their behaviors, buying patterns, and other information that may not be directly related to your product but could help for long-term planning. Focus groups provide great qualitative data for companies to use in their strategies.

Digital Campaigns
Once you have gathered information from your customers about their wants and needs, it’s time to connect with them to let them know that you have heard their feedback. Sending them information with relevant information will encourage your customers to engage with your content and even purchase your product or service.

It’s important to ensure your customers feel that they can have an open dialog with your brand. Transparency, truthfulness, and exceptional customer service will allow you to connect best with customers and to obtain the feedback you need.