When I think about writing something, I want what I write to stick in someone’s mind. I want to ensure that at least one person takes something positive from what I have to say. I want to be able to connect with someone on a personal level from how I write.
I want to be remembered for what I have to say.
I believe that is what every person/business wants. Whenever it comes down to trying to connect with my readership, I try to touch them on a personal level so they pay more attention to the words that I am writing. Being personal allows businesses to bridge the gap between being a business and being a friend.
Lets look at this scenario for example:
You are looking to buy a new pair of shoes. You have two options for where you would buy these shoes. Your first option is a website online that sells the exact pair of shoes that you want for a price that you think is reasonable. Your other option is your good friend has got himself the exact same pair in the same size but they do not fit him. He offers to sell you the shoes at the exact same price. Tell me, who you would purchase the shoes from?
Start being more friendly, build a relationship with your customers because it will make those people feel more valued. I know personally I prefer to be a valued customer of a business, rather than just an order number with a lousy thank you page after spending my hard-earned cash on their webshop.
I believe businesses should give their customers more. The more you give to your customers, the more your customers are going to give back through more frequent purchases or word of mouth referrals. Creating the best possible after sale care team is something I really don’t see that often. Its very rare that when I spend a decent amount of money on an item online, I get the occasional email asking whether the product is meeting my expectations or that extra thank you showing that the business really does care about their customers.
Let me iron out some creases and relate it to real life terms for you.
So a couple of months ago, I bought myself a brand new laptop which I thought would be a wise investment. Once I made the purchase, I was sent a confirmation email not even with a thank you for my order. I was literally just an order number to these people.
Now, if I was in charge of that customer care team for where I bought my new laptop, this is how I would plan out my after sale customer care team:
The customer has just purchased an item from my company. The automated email for confirmation will be personalised to the customers name and will include that we are honored to of been chosen for X product being purchased.
In a couple of days when my systems tell me that an order has been delivered, I would then email the customer again asking them if the product they have purchased arrived on time, if the box was still in good shape and if the customer is satisfied with the delivery and the product itself.
Two weeks after that email, I would then finally email the customer again asking if the product they have purchased is still working properly, and if the product is still meeting the requirements that they specified. I would then ask the customer if they had any recommendations to offer to help my customer service or design quality. I would then ask one more question saying would they have any products that they would like to see my company sell in the future which would be beneficial to them.
That’s two more emails. Two more. These emails can easily be automated too! Just ensure that you manage these emails and follow up cases where necessary.
For little to no effort, you have built some form of relationship with that customer which will make that customer remember who you are, as you actually seem engaged in what the customer wants. Not only that, after doing this process a few times you will also have some very good answers in what you should add to your online store, as your actual customers have recommended what they would like to see. Finally you will also have reasons to improve your service as people will give their opinions for you to analyze.
If you rinse and repeat this process, you will gather enough data to be able to make big changes and also implement new stock lines frequently. All this will make you seem more credible. All for the cost of two more emails.
When you write anything new, it needs to come from the heart. There needs to be that burning passion inside you to really create something you are proud of. Every time you create a new bit of content you need to ask yourself this question. Am I proud of what I have just created? If you aren’t happy, then work on it some more.
There’s no point in creating something that’s half decent, or three quarters decent in fact. Every piece of information you create needs to turn heads and get people thinking about the same things you were thinking about whilst writing. Your content shouldn’t stop there either.
You need to make your readers engage with your content. You need to ensure that a potential customer wants to read what you have to say and act upon exactly what you have just said. You want to write something memorable.
Be remarkable. Tell your customers a story, let them know you from both business and personal sides of your life, give them real life experiences so they can relate to what you have to say. If you connect with your customers further than a regular business, you will build a stronger relationship with your customers and they will be less likely to use a competitor.
I can’t express how much I enjoy hearing a good story. It makes me want to know more, I like the suspense, I like the drama, it allows me to feel things and reminds me of previous memories that have happened to me. You wonder why people aren’t engaged, well its because you aren’t showing them how remarkable you are.
You are remarkable. You are an amazing person. You create brilliant ideas in your head every day but you don’t put them into action. Step out of the safe zone, be different, be remarkable.