Whether you work on or offline, you’re going to need customers to turn a profit and make sure your business thrives; there’s no way around it! However, a lot of the time we only get one hit wonders, and then the customer never comes back, or only does so intermittently. And that just won’t do when customer loyalty is in short supply and there’s more businesses than ever on the market.
So you’re going to need to make sure you leave an impact, and you leave a memory in someone’s mind that’s so crisp and clear that they can’t wait to shop with you again. And when it comes to making sure your marketing strategies pay off, there’s no better way to keep your brand in people’s minds than using the old fashioned ‘word of mouth’ to leave a good impression! People trust normal people’s opinions more than yours after all, so here’s a quick rundown on getting customers to think about you more than once.
Word of mouth advertising mostly arises from good customer service, so never skimp on this. (Credit)
Be Different When Selling Online
When you’re trying to sell something online, there’s a good chance you have a retail option available on your own site, and then you use other online marketplaces to reach a larger audience. However, if most of your customers are coming through this previously established market place, you’re going to be missing out on the customer opinions you need. They won’t be leaving reviews for you as a business, but rather for the market place they found you on.
So leave links for your own website, offer the alternative of checking you out, and even offer a discount if they come to you instead of purchasing in the most convenient way. You can easily invest in some software for newsletters so that whenever someone steps foot through your virtual door, they have the option to sign up to get their opinions heard. You need the reviews, and customers like to feel like they matter to you.
Have Someone Available to Talk
If you have staff both onsite and online at all times when you’re operating you’re going to have a good way to recommend products to anyone who needs the help. Customer validation easily comes out of the mouth of someone with a smile and their own helpful story regarding a product or service, so don’t ever cut out the human middleman.
Not to mention a helpful customer service representative is going to give someone who has high opinions of the way customer service should be something to brag about to everyone they know. Don’t worry, this is easy to do when you’re consistently polite and have a manager on hand to take over when the inevitable demand comes!
Your customers are going to remember at some point in their life, but is it going to be when you need them to? So get them to come back when your profits depend on it.
