We have finally entered 2016! It’s a new year that offers immense hope for businesses. How did 2015 treat you? Were you able to meet business goals?
I am sure your team spent a significant amount of time strategizing and making sure business plans were followed. But in most scenarios, positive results are often hard to come by. There are 2 reasons for this:
- Competitors are trying equally hard to reach out to your target audience
Some of your competitors may have better marketing budgets and products that help them reach out to customers. You will have to work extra hard to overcome them.
- Prospective customers are not convinced about your offering’s capabilities
A straightforward answer for having disappointing sales is that customers are not aware of the true value of your products. They prefer sticking to products they are familiar with rather than switching over to the ones you offer. You will have to improve your products to ensure they appear convincing enough.
As this article’s title suggests, we will focus on ensuring your customers see you in a new light this year. It’s not a difficult task but requires meticulous planning on your part.
Here are 5 simple tips to get you started in 2016:
1. Make your business completely visible to your prospective audience
A little research will reveal a lot about your target audience. Keep tabs on them online. Create social media profiles for your company and ensure they follow you. Create posts that will appeal to them.
Launch a compelling website that describes your services in detail. Over a period of time, your company will begin to smash open the imaginary wall that separated it from customers. The target audience becomes more receptive towards exploring your offerings.
2. Make extensive changes to your products to make them customer-friendly
Ask yourself the following questions:
- How do my products fare in comparison to offerings from competitors? Is there a USP I can highlight?
- Are my products priced right or are they too high? Does the pricing fall within the buying behavioral patterns of my target audience?
- Are my products widely available?
Your answers to the questions above will provide you with new insights on how you should proceed with your product development strategies.
3. Reach out to existing customers
We often forget about current customers in the pursuit of new ones. Make sure all customers are treated equally. Get in touch with existing customers who haven’t bought in awhile through either email or telephone. Remind them of your services and hope for the best!
Apart from this, you will also have to pamper existing customers to show that you value their association with your brand.
4. Focus diligently on customer satisfaction
A satisfied customer will remain loyal to your brand for years! How many satisfied customers do you have? What are the steps taken by you to keep your customer satisfied?
Ideally, you should have the following in your weaponry:
- Talented customer support team to handle all kinds of complexities
- Products that ensure customers keep asking for more
- Quick remedial action against complaints and negative feedback
- Steady combination of contests and offers to keep customers interested
The right customer support team will require a handsome investment. Don’t hesitate to invest in your customer-facing team!
5. Keep improving!
Let’s assume you have won yourself a new set of customers. What is the next step? Celebrations are a must but they should be accompanied by the understanding that you will have to do a lot more to keep customers loyal to your company.
It’s important that you continue evolving as a company. Most customers are a demanding lot – ensure that you continue to provide world-class services by benchmarking against the best in the business. Steady and timely evolution will ensure you have a large customer base loyal to your brand for a long time.
Did you find these tips useful? I have kept them short and simple so that you can use them to improve the way you deal with customers in 2016. Do share your thoughts on this article in the comment box below.