A successful modern business needs to have more than just a web presence – it needs to show an ability to interact with customers and adjust its business model based on their needs. When it comes to appropriate branding, there is a right way and a wrong way to interact with your customers. The tips below outline the most efficient way to make sure that your customers have a positive interaction with you, allowing you to boost your brand awareness and customer satisfaction.
Appeal to Emotions
When you describe something to your customers, try to make sure that you speak in terms of emotions. The general public tends to respond poorly to cut and dried facts but strongly when you manage to put a strong emotion into your interaction. This doesn’t mean that you should force emotion where there isn’t any to be found, but it does mean that you should be receptive to what your customers feel and make sure they know how you feel in return.
Use Your Customers’ Favorite Platforms
Check your analytics carefully to figure out how customers prefer to view your website and online storefront. Do they access your brand via a traditional computer browser setup? Do they use their smartphones or tablets instead? What sharing options do they use most frequently? Wherever they are, make sure to create content that functions well in that environment.
Provide Opportunities for Interaction
Don’t just talk at your customers – make sure that you listen to their questions and converse with them when possible. Avoid getting into long disagreements in a public forum, but do make sure to respond to questions and concerns that come your way. After the customers provide their input, keep the conversation going. Even providing a “thank you” at the end of an online discussion can make valuable friends going forward.
Provide Exclusive Offers
Reward customers who pay attention to your communications with something special. This could include discounts on certain products, a special free gift, or other special perks that most people don’t get. This serves two purposes. First, it rewards customers who show enough loyalty to pay attention to what you are doing. Second, it encourages other customers to tune into your communications so they can reap similar rewards.
Offer an eBook
eBooks are inexpensive to create and can have a major impact among your customer base. You can create a short one, even as little as 16 or 20 pages, that covers a specific topic that is relevant to your brand and offer it either for free or for a reasonably low price on your website. If you make sure that the ebook is informative enough about the subject you choose, it strengthens your brand while getting customers to recognize you as an expert in the field.
Build a Community
Thanks to the flexibility of social media platforms, creating a forum filled with interested and engaged customers is a piece of cake. Choose the platforms that are most popular among visitors to your website and offer some exclusive content that will entice people to become members of your group. This gives customers a chance to get in touch with the movers and shakers of your brand personally, and it helps you to get a feel for what your most loyal followers think. If you prefer a forum that you have control over, add a message board to your site where customers can provide thoughts and feedback.
Host an Event
Use your communication channels to let your customers know about special events related to your brand. This could be a major sale, or it could be something more personable such as an open house. If you don’t have a local customer base, an online webinar or launch party for a special product can draw people from across the world. This is a chance for your customers to interact with you in a fairly casual way while also enjoying themselves. Just make sure to announce the event well in advance and provide an incentive for people to show up.
There are, of course, many more ways in which you can communicate with your customers while also boosting brand awareness. The seven items listed above, however, are tried and true methods that work in virtually every industry. Mix and match these different options to see what is most successful with your customer base. Once you find a formula that works, commit to it and make sure that the channels of communication stay open.
