What Your Customers Wish You Knew

We came across this article on Social Mouths the other day and just had to share it with all of you as I think it touches on very beneficial points all businesses need to know. We are obviously partial to number 7 (wink wink). Hope you find this as informative as we did!

Do You Know Your Customers? Here Are 10 Things THEY Want You To Know About Them 

• How can you apply that kind of personalization in your communications with your customers?

• How something like this can improve those relationships?

• How can you integrate personalization into your social media strategy?

How well do you know your customers? Do you know them as well as they know your business or brand?

In today’s business economy, sales don’t come as easy as they used to. We deal with a much more educated consumer that wants to become familiar with your product or services as well as your competitors before committing.

And sometimes one small thing you say or do, or don’t… can trigger a new sale or make a customer happy. Or the other way around, of course.

But if you don’t know your customers…

This Infographic by Help Scout (and research by my friend Gregory Ciotti) is not completely related to social media, even better, it reflects some of the things you need to know about your customers way before you jump on social media to start communicating.

If we fully understand these points, it will be much easier to implement a way of communicating with customers, focused on satisfaction. In social media and any other channels.

In other words the formula is: Business goals first, then social media to help you reach those goals

Example

My favorite is #2, Personalization. I remember my dad used to love this particular restaurant. The interesting part to me however, was how the feeling was mutual, the minute he walked in there, everybody from the host, to the waiters to the chef will say hi to him using his name with an automatic smile on their faces. I was impressed and I know for him those details were important.

Start by knowing your customers better

Infographic courtesy of Help Scout. Research by Gregory Ciotti

Corporate Responsibility: What Is Your Business Doing?

From a business standpoint, giving back to the community is called Corporate Social Responsibility. Haven't heard of it? Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a company's commitment to practice ethically while assisting in building the economy it thrives in. 

Customers purchase products and services from companies they trust. This is why building relationships is so important in the success of a business. Companies that have a heavy impact within the community and give back to those who support them are more likely to gain trust and inhabit valuable returning customers. 

A survey by Landor Associates, Penn Schoen Berland and Burson-Marsteller proved the important of CSR to customers when it found that even in today's struggling economy
75 percent of consumers believe social responsibility is important. Another 55 percent  said they would actually choose a product that supports a particular cause over other similar products that don't.

Wondering what you can do within your community to insure your trust in customers, place your business in a positive light and help strengthen your local economy?

• Donate to a local charity 
• Sponsor a local event
• Find something you are passionate about and help create awareness
• Encourage your employees to volunteer around the community.  Maybe at a food kitchen, animal shelter or children's youth programs.

There are so many things that can be done. The main idea is to just give back. Spend some time helping others and really make a difference.

2012 Superbowl Commercials with Creative Storytelling

Superbowl Commercials of 2012 that were: Enduring, Emotional and Efficient

With the Superbowl just a few hours away, we thought we use our blog today to show a few of our favorite commercials of 2012's Superbowl. These commercials touched on all 3 of the E's in effective storytelling marketing. What were your favorites?

Learn From Your Competition: 4 Questions You Should Ask Yourself

Competition doesn't always have to be the enemy. Competition can also be a valuable learning tool.

In today’s social media age, it is easy to keep an eye on your competition. As mentioned in the “why all businesses should be on twitter” blog it’s a way to see what customers are saying about them. But there are a lot of other things you can learn from them throughout social media.

 Here are a few questions to ask yourself about how your competition interacts with their customers and also how their customers interact with them on Facebook.

         What type of posts get the most responses from their customers?

    What type of specials are running through their fan pages?

What type of information are they putting out there?

          How active are they and does it seem to be working?

New Years Resolutions Businesses Should Make in Social Media

Losing weight and getting in shape is a popular resolution for most individuals each year. However ; individual resolutions aren't the only ones that should be made in 2013. Businesses should have them as well to help jump start their New Year and get off on the right foot. Here are 3 social media resolutions businesses should make for 2013:

1. Create more social media focused specials: One of the main reasons customers become a fan of a business on Facebook or follow them on Twitter is to take advantage of special offers. If you haven't taken advantage of this outlet yet, start in 2013.

2. Interact more with your customers: As stated in the Twitter Numbers Game blog posted last week, it's not always about the quantity of people, but the quality. Social media is all about the networking. Start talking to your customers. Offer up surveys about new products and questions about current ones. Encourage them to share their experience with a testimonial and answer any questions they might have. Start building relationships and trust and you'll have customers for life.

3. Post more pictures: Current social media studies show that customers respond more to visuals than words. Show them your products in use or your employees hard at work. Anything that can make your customers get a feel for your culture and what you stand for will help you become more relatable to them.

What resolutions have you made for your business in 2013? We'd love to hear them!