Effective marketing is more important than ever in today’s competitive consumer world. However, the secret sauce of marketing is much more than simply attracting customers. It’s about creating the right customer experience. For now, put clicks and conversions to the back of your mind; if you don’t get customer experience right, these actions will never occur in the first place.
The definition of customer experience is designing everything you do around meeting and exceeding the expectations and needs of your target audience. When you get this right, you will not only increase clicks and conversions, but also customer satisfaction, advocacy and loyalty.
You’ve Either Got It or You Haven’t
Technology and consumers’ familiarity with that technology is pushing the bar ever higher. In fact, brands and customers have a closer connection these days than ever before. To really stand out in your industry, however, it’s important to find your niche – that special something, that secret formula that lets you win over your customers and keep them coming back for more. A few Facebook posts or random emails simply won’t cut it today.
In a world where every brand has access to the same marketing and analytical technology, it is your reputation that will help you to stand head and shoulders above the rest. Anybody can post on social media, but not every brand can manage their interactions effectively. Analyzing customer data is one thing. It’s how you respond to your customers and build your reputation that will win hearts, minds and ultimately dollars.
Be Fanatical
You’ve no doubt heard the mantra “customer first.” But are you truly following it to the letter, or are you letting the spreadsheets and numbers get in the way? Keeping your bottom line in sight is always a good idea, but the real magic starts when you focus on making your customers happy. There is no such thing as being too fanatical about customer service. When you give your customers a personal and positive experience, they will appreciate it, remember it and become a brand advocate.
You want your marketing metrics to show insights into who your customers are, what they look for and how you can address their needs; however, you should ultimately look at ways to build and nurture your relationship with them. This might mean sending your customers a personal email thanking them for their business, tailoring your marketing campaigns to customer personas, or building meaningful customer relationships over social media.
Discover Your ‘Secret Sauce’
The customer experience starts from the very first touchpoint a customer has with your brand. From this point onward, you should focus on giving everything you have to nurturing that relationship, which will encourage customer loyalty and generate advocacy. Whether you are running an online business or a brick-and-mortar store, know that the same advice applies. It makes no difference how you do business; if you treat your customers well, give them what they need and continue to keep them in your thoughts, they will come back to you time and time again.
The more you can do to enhance the customer experience, the less you will need to focus on manually. Your reputation will automatically manage itself. Once you have discovered the “Secret Sauce” of marketing, you can repeat its success across each of the marketing channels you manage and build a marketing strategy that simply cannot fail.
