are you getting your message out there?

We all like to be informed and educated, but when was the last time you communicated with your customers? Do your customers fully understand what products or services you offer? Do potential customers know you exist? How successful has your marketing gone so far? Good? Not sure? Haven't done any? Are you getting your message out there?

 

It's all about communication. Every door that leads to the customer is part of the customer's experience: every word on your website, every e-mail message you send, and every conversation between you and your customer. Effective communication is one of the cornerstones of good customer relations. You have to continuously listen to what your customer needs. You can't tell them what they need, you have to listen to what they say their pressure points are.

 

Educate your customers. If you expect your customers or prospects to know as much about your products and services as you do, then re-think your marketing strategy... Information and education make your customers and prospects much more valuable because they are more likely to buy when they can make an informed decision. Why force prospects to look elsewhere for the important information they need? Your marketing communications can gently lead a prospect through the sales process, provide important information and drive the prospect to your website for more details or a purchase.

 

Talk to your customers. Even if we know we should be looking at our business from our customers' perspective, it's often easier said than done. As a result, it is easy to get caught up in all the amazing features of our product or service and the reasons we THINK our clients are attracted or are buying. Find out what it is that they really need. So how do you pinpoint the real reason customers are attracted to your product or service and the true reasons they are choosing to buy? Very simply, YOU ASK THEM! Okay, I know it seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how often we don't think of the obvious.Your prospects and customers (and yes, even your rejecters - those who visit but don't buy) can provide great insights about the benefits they value most in your product or service and why they chose to buy. Once you see your business from your customer's eyes your whole world will change. You will start realising that management's view of the business might not be exactly how your customer view your business. It’s all about what your customer’s perception is of your business.

 

You don’t need a huge budget to snare new customers - just effective marketing. People are always looking for something, the trick is lining up your product or service with the customer's needs. You need to let potential customers know about your services or products - and why they should buy.

 

in:fact

1. 80% of business comes from 20% of the customer base.

2. Consumers are more web active when they receive direct mail first: 16% more site visits; 22% more page views; 15% more time on site.

3. Up to 69% of email users make purchases online after receiving permission-based email marketing.

4. Business data decays at more than 30% per annum.

 

Here are some tips how to communicate, promote and grow your business:

1. Let your website do the work for you. Create a web site that turns visitors into prospects or customers. Most UK businesses are using the Internet to source potential suppliers and find information to support business decisions. This means that if you do not have a website you are missing opportunities.

2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO). If you're building a website or writing a business blog and you've ignored SEO, than you're wasting your company resources. If you believe in your products or services, it's your duty to present the information in such a way that people or businesses in need can find you through local business directories and search engines such as Google.

3. Direct mail and flyers work best when you're marketing a call to action. Use flyers when you want to produce an immediate customer response.

4. Building customer relationships with newsletters. Did you know it costs six times more to make a sale to a new customer than to an existing one? When you want to forge long-term customer bonds, newsletters are highly effective yet affordable. They establish an anticipated benefit for customers. Newsletters give customers consistent attention and create ongoing relationships, heightened credibility and repeat business. For example, an email newsletter is uniquely suited to accomplish the long term goals of customer retention and loyalty, while it can still contain calls-to-action that provide short-term benefits. Consider an e-mail newsletter sent to people who subscribe at your website.

5. Email turns prospects and visitors into loyal customers. Email marketing enables you to proactively communicate with your existing customers instead of passively waiting for them visit your store or office, call you on the phone, etc.

6. Print your best small ad on a postcard and mail it to prospects in your targeted market. People read postcards when the message is brief. A small ad on a postcard can drive a high volume of traffic to your website and generate a flood of sales leads for a very small cost.

7. Consider developing case studies. As you talk to your customers, you may find that their experience with your product or service warrants more in-depth coverage. Consider collaborating with a few of these customers to develop case studies, which are typically of great interest to prospects.

 

If you need any help with your marketing or web design, please do not hesitate to ask, even if it's just some advice you need. Simplicity would be happy to help. Interested to learn how we can help? View our services; or simply contact us to discuss how we can help.

 

Here are some related articles which you might find interesting:

Who is your website talking to? Read this article...

 

Download PDF version of this article (click here)

Who? Simplicity is a small web design and creative marketing company. For whom? We specialise in working with small, medium and start-up businesses. Why? Small feet, big shoes; just because you’re a small business does not mean you don’t need to get your message out there in a big way. What’s it all about? We help make your marketing and design matter, be known, be heard, be found; and make the pieces fit. It's not just about your products and sevices, it's about the whole experience. What’s the difference? Personal. We strongly believe in the personal approach to doing business. Creative. We fuse strategy & creativity into one compelling voice. No fuzz. We are practical & hands-on; passionate about what we do; and practice what we preach. Focus. We specialise in working with small companies and start-ups. Ideas. Ideas are the currency of our business. Ideas can have the power to change minds, transform brands and even make a difference to the bottom line. How much? Because we’re a small company without the high set-up costs of larger marketing firms and the fancy London postcode, we don’t charge London rates and are able to pass on some cost savings to our clients. What’s in the mix? [The Roadmap] Marketing Planning & Strategy: Get your marketing up and running. [Image Works] Branding & Brand Identity: Define who you are, what you can see, touch, feel, hear and watch. [A Box Of Chocolates] Demand Generation & Integrated Marketing Campaigns: Integrated marketing in harmony & style. The ideal blend of marketing initiatives. [The Bigger Picture] Website Design: Every website tells a story. Let your website do the work for you. [A Refreshing Change] Website Re-Design: Give your website an inspiring facelift. [The Perfect Pitch] Collateral Design: You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. What is the concept? Simple. The concept behind Simplicity is to simplify complex matters and make the pieces fit. Simplicity, where ideas come to life.