How do you reach your customers or broaden your audience to create new customers? It all starts with your marketing. To reach the people you want and need to reach may take both thought and research. So, though it is only August, this is a good time to start thinking about and planning your outreach for next year.
While we may know a lot about the type of people we are trying to attract to our business, usually there is still more to learn. Most businesses do not know as much as they could or should about their customers.
Your customers may have similar traits, but they don’t think of themselves as being part of the crowd. They think of themselves as individuals and therefore are more amenable to a personalized experience.
Remember to treat every customer as a unique individual. Just as you believe that your business is unique Take advantage of opportunities to create a unique experience for each one of your customers. In many companies, the ability to provide a unique experience is dependent upon the employees. Train them well to treat each customer as an individual.
According to SmartHQ: “80% of customers are more likely to purchase a product or service from a company that provides a personalized experience.”
Creating a personal experience is easier if you are seeing customers in person or dealing with them over the phone. However, it’s important to make mail, email or social media messages personal. Keep in mind that many of your customers are going to have similarities, so using the information in your customer files, pick out the traits that many of them have in common and talk about the traits they share in the message.
For example:
“We know you love to entertain, and we have what you need to make entertaining easy.”
“As a savvy wine drinker, you may be on the lookout for something a little unusual. We have just the thing.”
The information you need to create these more personalized messages should be all there in your CRM system. If it not it is important to start collecting this information.
“72% of consumers in 2019 only engage with marketing messages that are customized to their specific interests” (SmartHQ)
Continuing to collect the information you need to better serve your customers, will increase sales, customer return rate and your overall success as a business.
A tip of the glass from me to you.
E Column
by Elizabeth “E” Slater, In Short Direct Marketing
A recognized expert in the fields of direct marketing and sales in the wine marketplace. Slater has taught more wineries and winery associations how to create and improve the effectiveness of their direct marketing programs and to make the most of each customer’s potential than anyone in the wine industry today.
