Martin Varley, our CEO, walked into the marketing office with five, hefty bags of English chocolate. This chocolate is a very hot commodity among the entire office, but Martin always brings the goodies to marketing (thank goodness).
After catching up for a minute, I told him that he has a special place in my heart for his constant supply of goodies and laughter. His immediate response was “I love buying people’s emotions.”
I projectile laughed because of his slightly contrite facial expressions, but it really made me think. “Martin doesn’t have a special place in my heart because he is buying the marketing team and myself chocolate, rather, because he takes the time to show us he cares enough about us to spend his money on our beloved chocolate candy.”
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| My precious. |
Let’s look at this from a business perspective.
You’ve probably heard the old adage: “It’s the thought that counts.” This could not be any truer, especially in business.
When we take the time to show our customers that we value more than just their money and investment, we gain a special place in their hearts.
When it comes down to it, business is so much more than just a transaction; good business focuses on relationships with customers rather than the simple (yet easy) “You want our product? OK, here it is, see ya later!”
If you’ve been following the business buzz online, you most likely encountered the Social Media Today article “There Is No More B2B or B2C: There is Only Human to Human.”
Marketing has shifted from the traditional “you need this” advertisements to the contemporary “this makes you feel…” scenarios. I am by no means an expert in the history of marketing, so I have yet to concoct a scientifically proven answer for this substantial shift in marketing over the past decade, but I do have a hunch…
The surge of entrepreneurship, propelled by the porous barriers for entering the market has been the ultimate catalyst to H2H. The more business-minded people there are in various industries, the less effective traditional marketing becomes. Business men and women involved in startups and SMBs are educated in business and marketing, so the transparency of “you need this because everyone will want to hang out with you,” is increasingly evident.
It has become widely accepted that B2B and B2C marketing is now emotional rather than emotionless.
The time Martin has spent building a relationship with the employees in the office has created a friendly, happy environment in which we desire to produce terrific work. Our relationship with the CEO gives us the motivation to make him proud with our projects and daily tasks.
The same goes with your customers, just slightly different.
When your business establishes a friendly, happy, and welcoming relationship with customers they want to share your product and the overall experience with friends and family.
Essentially, well-executed customer service is an incredible marketing tactic!
Here are a few simple tools you can implement into your daily work routine to enhance your customer relations and augment the success of your business:
When Email Marketing…
- Reply to all customer emails within an hour during the work day. The sooner your customers receive an email response, the quicker you build trust.
- Monitor eblast click-throughs, and send a personal follow up email to those individuals who are potentially interested in your product or service.
- After chatting with a customer on the phone, send an email to summarize what you talked about, and also provide your contact information so they can follow up with you if they have any questions.
When Participating in Social Media Conversations…
- Always respond to personal messages from customers. If you can’t answer the question posed in the message, direct them to a co-worker who can.
- If someone comments on a post, make sure to “like” their comment and post a response. The more personalized, the better (if need be, check out their profile, and ask them a personal question).
- Use a keyword tracker (like Hshtags) to monitor your industry’s discussion; answer questions posed by social media users, and strike up conversations with people interested in your product or service.
- “Like” and comment on your followers’ posts; just because they aren’t engaging with your content at the moment, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t engage with them.
When Hosting a Webinar…
- Email the participants directly after your webinar, providing them with supplemental content and bullet points of the topics you covered.
- Ask if anyone has questions, and encourage them to ask whatever comes to mind. Respond to every question.
- Thank the participants for listening to your webinar by sending them a discount code or a personalized branded product.
When Meeting a Customer in Person…
- Don’t let them leave empty-handed. They took the time to come to your office, so make sure to give them some sort of goodie to take away with them.
- Make sure to take care of whatever parking fees were accumulated from their visit.
- Make sure they are provided with water and food if you meet them during meal hours.
- Make sure to smile, and keep your conversation light. Don’t take yourself so seriously, it will be your downfall.
In summary: Marketing has shifted from emotionless to emotional. Your customers don’t want to be talked at, they want to converse with you and learn about your brand. Make the extra effort to make your customers feel special; a great relationship can help your business excel, while a forgotten customer can ruin your reputation.
Parris Wells is the social media copywriter for Trade Only. She received her BA in English from UCLA, and has 5+ years of experience with social media marketing and blogging in a variety of industries including: business, technology, beauty, pop culture and fashion.
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The opinions expressed here are solely those of the contributor and do not necessarily represent the positions of Promo Marketing, its staff or its publisher
