As much as workers are the extended arm of an organization, the heartbeat of the organization is the customers. Yes, every department in an organization can be likened to a human part. It goes the long way to ensure that the organization is seen as a system. And as a system, every part fulfilling as required its crucial responsibilities in fulfilling organizational goals.
This is to say that every single business has its customers as we already know. However, lots of businesses have failed to engage their customers because they do not understand its importance. Incorporating this into the company culture is as important as the marketing strategy. Why? You simply can not market to a customer base that you do not understand. While many organizations have embraced this approach in development, there is still quite a lot to accomplish in getting to know potential/ current customers.
Running throw the basic questions you need to answer in identifying your customers:
What need is the organization filling?
What do my customers look like?
Are my products and services fulfilling other needs?
What other products/services do these customers use/enjoy?
Is pricing a problem for them?
What other services/products complement the organization’s service and products?
By the time you have asked yourself all these questions, you would have realized that the organizational customer base is divided into the various segments. Marketing approaches can now, of course, be developed and implemented.
It is not enough to just identify your customers.
Yes, a customer base has been created, yes there are marketing strategies streamlined to capture these customers. But have you considered the dynamic nature of customers consumption? Have you considered taking a step above your competition towards customer satisfaction?
As you will find out, customers tend to attribute personalities to organizations. And their level of commitment and loyalty will heavily depend on how they perceive your organization’s personality.
Knowing the thoughts and feelings of your customers towards your organization matters a lot. It helps you know your standing with your customers. It helps you identify your flaws and strengths. Numerous advantages to knowing your customer’s thoughts will surely aid the development of your organization.
Now, how do you get your customers talking?
This is a huge challenge for organizations as they do not know how to go about this. And when they try, they end up going about it the wrong way.
Here are some ways to get your customers talking:
Just ask!
Sometimes, the hardest challenges have the easiest solutions. To get your customers to talk, sometimes you just have to ask. There are several approaches to questioning your customers. You could use:
Direct approach: all physical contact with your customers, in whatever form they may appear.
Indirect approach: non-physical contact.
NB: surveys can be carried out in both approaches. It just depends on how much the organization is willing to commit.
Ads / Campaigns
Marketing has and is still an indispensable tool for business owners. It allows control of the narrative and perception of customers about products and services. Since its inception as digital marketing, the game has changed and uncontrollable variables. Traditional marketing techniques are now quite the opposite. Variables such as target audience, a/b testing, smart campaigns, social media campaigns, etc.
Brand Equity study
A comprehensive study of your position in the market and how this translates to your customers. It also includes a SWOT(Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, your potential and existing customers.
Service delivery
From the first point of contact with the customer (inquiry/interest), awesome experience should be the service experience of the customer. With the objective of creating an opportunity for repeat business. The best form of advertisement is positive feedback passed along by customers to potential customers. Achieving this requires the customer experience to be top notch.
What to talk about:
All Customers love to have an ear to talk to either they are having a good day or a bad one. Above all else, they enjoy when their contribution makes a difference in your organization’s system. It sends a simple message out “WE ARE HERE FOR YOU”. or something like that. Telling your customers that you are not just listening, you are adapting to their needs. Getting your customers is an invaluable pool of raw data that gives you insight into the performance of the organization. So asking the right questions is key to accomplishing this task. In engaging your customers, you need to ask about:
- Overall satisfaction
- Performance rating
- Customers perception of products and services
- Why your organization?
Every personal interaction with a customer informs their experience, as well as yours, and serves as a chance to build stronger rapport and loyalty. In the end, you aren’t just collecting information; you are collecting insights from engaging in conversations with the people who matter most to your business.