Put Your Customers First: All You Need To Do Is Listen
[I contributed the following post the Design Rangers Camp Blog, the virtual outpost for my favorite field guides to the creative world. I'm cross-posting it here for you to enjoy!]
As you reflect on your marketing efforts in 2009 and prepare for 2010, it’s easy to focus on what you accomplished (or didn’t) and what kinds of strategies will meet your needs going forward. But before you design a plan that’s all about YOU, remember that no marketing will work unless you put your customers first.
Ask yourself the following question: how often do you listen to your customers?
Listening is critical to your business. [Note: it's especially important that non-profits listen to their clients and stakeholders, too!] Listening – seriously – to your customers will not only provide you with key insights about your products and services, but it is essential for developing a strong and effective marketing plan. As you move into 2010, make sure that a fundamental component of your strategy is setting up a listening post to talk to your customers – offline and online.
Listening in the Real World
This sounds simple, but most companies try to avoid actually talking to customers unless they have to. Don’t skip out on your chance to connect personally and get honest feedback about what you’re offering! If you’re a small business, chances are good that you have developed relationships with customers in your target markets. Listening is as simple as asking them how they have experienced your product or service, how they perceive your company, why they choose you over a competitor, and what you can do to improve. This feedback can help you determine if your messaging and design is effective, if you’re using the right marketing channels, and if your performance delivers against your promises.
Listening in the real world can also provide you with key information on how to plan your online and social media marketing. This type of marketing requires a large investment of time and, often, resources, and it’s critical to determine how to make that investment. Make sure to ask customers in your target markets how they use the Web, what (if any) social networks they prefer, and if they feel it would be useful for you to be there, too.
Listening in the Virtual World
You also want to make sure that you’re listening online. Many businesses make decisions about their online presence and social media channels without ever first assessing how their customers use the Web and the sentiment of customers towards products, services and competitors online.
To listen online, start by searching for your company name on broad range of platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google Blog Search, and general search engines. How large is your online reach, and how positive is sentiment about you? Next, do the same thing for your competitors. Are they reaching customers in ways or places you are not? Take the time to inventory how they are using the Web. Finally, start searching for conversations about the types of products or services you offer. Are there influential blogs you should be watching and contributing to? Are customers even talking about your types of products and services on certain platforms? Remember that you may be able to gain new customers and strengthen your relationships very effectively online and with social media channels – but only if people in your key markets are actually engaged with that channel.
Make online listening an ongoing project! You can automate this in several ways, including setting up Google Alerts to track mentions of your company name, your competitors, and other keywords that are essential to your business.
One More Thing: Be Prepared For Less-Than-Awesome Feedback
If you’re listening, chances are good that you’re going to hear some things that you might not want to. But negative feedback might be among the most valuable feedback you can receive. It represents an opportunity to respectfully and considerately respond as well as to improve! Remember that with social media, your customers are asking you to listen to them. Responding in an honest, authentic and ongoing way is the surest way to support your marketing efforts and build stronger relationships.
Here’s to a 2010 with more listening – and more effective marketing!
