Knowing your customers is one of the strategies that will boost the popularity of your business and get you ahead of your competitors.
Understanding your customers will help you in applying marketing strategies that are appropriate for your target groups.
It will also help to create a better relationship with them.
How to Know and Understand Your Customers?
I. Understand yourself first
As a business, you should have a reason as to why customers should need you.
You ought to have something that adds value to their lives and one that your competitors can’t provide for them.
This could be your delivery channels, quality of services or products, incentives, or customer services among many others.
Next, you need to put yourself in the shoes of your customers to determine if what you are offering is good enough.
Ask yourself, if you were a customer would you buy from that company or the competitors.
Even with an effective marketing strategy, your business will not have long-term success if the consumers are not satisfied.
II. Collect data from the existing customers
The next step is to collect as much information as possible from the customers that you already have.
If you have a website, you can request your clients to fill up signup forms and even take part in surveys.
It does not have to be something complicated; just a little information to learn more about their preferences, shopping habits, and concerns.
You can also use the social media as a platform to collect data for your target group.
You need a clear outline of who they are, what they buy and where they buy from.
III. Data analysis
After you have the information in a database, the next step is to analyze it so as to have a better understanding of how you can apply it to improve customer needs and attract potential clients.
Remember a good marketing strategy should emphasize the benefits of your products.
Your marketing plans should make the customers feel that they need you.
By understanding your customers, you will know the problems that they are facing and thus come up with marketing plans that give them the solutions they need.
IV. Make the above steps your cycle
Customer needs are bound to change with time. Thus, you have to keep checking what they want and building your business based on that.
Management Skills that Will Help You with Your Customers
Good time management is crucial to getting things done. Nowhere is this truer than in the business world, where, as the old saying goes, time is money.
Being able to get the most out of every work day is treasured.
No matter what place you currently occupy in the company hierarchy, improving your time management skills will help boost your career.
Here are five of the most useful time management tips for business professionals.
I. Plan your day
Many successful people make it a rule to prepare a schedule for the whole day each morning.
This program helps them to stay on track and avoid wasted time since each part of the day is already assigned to a particular task.
Creating a schedule also provides a chance to set priorities, determining what duties are most important.
Thus, people who plan out their day are likely to be more efficient.
While there is always a chance that unforeseen circumstances will arise, requiring deviation from the project, the schedule will still be helpful.
II. Avoid time-wasting distractions
As wonderful as modern technology can be, it can also be incredibly distracting.
Many business professionals waste hours a day browsing the internet or using their phones, almost without realizing what they are doing.
A little discipline is needed to stay focused.
Disconnecting from social media and the Internet, and even avoiding email (if possible) is a great idea.
Other activities that distract from work (such as socializing with coworkers) should also be limited.
III. Say no, if necessary
No one can do everything. Acceding to every request for help or input is not a good idea.
People who allow just anyone to make demands on their time are left with no time for their most important projects.
While exceptions will have to be done for the boss, there’s nothing wrong with making clear to peers and subordinates the necessity of zeroing in on personal priorities.
This is especially true since a large chunk of uninterrupted; focused time can seriously boost productivity.
IV. Review your progress
One valuable means for improving time management skills is periodically assessing how much progress has been made.
For example, the end of the work day (or the entire week) is a good time to look back at what’s been done.
Consider what was worked on, and how much was ultimately accomplished.
This approach should reveal inefficiencies and bad habits that are harming productivity.
Pinpointing weaknesses will help eliminate behaviors that hamper efficient time management.
V. Don’t multitask
It’s almost always better to concentrate on just one project at once.
Multitasking usually boils down to nothing more than an elaborate way to waste time.
That’s because the human brain works best when it is focused on one thing at once.
Multitasking results in a drop in efficiency and an increase in mistakes, so it has no legitimate advantages over working on a single task.
While a person who multitasks may feel as if they’re accomplishing a lot, in reality, they are likely to get very little done.
Time management is one of those skills that everyone needs.
No matter their field, a business professional’s ability to make the most of their time will serve them well throughout their career.
Since many people struggle with time management, mastering the skill will also provide a valuable advantage over the competition.
The five tips described in this article are all good ways to start improving time management skills.
Importance of Reviews to your Digital Marketing Strategy
Research shows that many consumers look at reviews before they buy products or services.
Reviews play a crucial part in making a decision and that is why many businesses are encouraging reviews as part of digital marketing strategy.
Other than influencing the consumers buying decisions, reviews can also
Improve search engine rankings: Whenever a consumer posts a review on your website, you get a boost on the amount of product-related content on your site and this could improve your search engine rankings.
Boost consumer engagement: Reviews give the consumers an opportunity to interact with you and with other buyers.
Types of reviews
i. Negative reviews
Many people believe that negative reviews can only harm the business.
However, consumers understand that no business is perfect and can satisfy everyone regardless of how well their products or services are.
Negative reviews reassure consumers that the opinions on your products are from genuine users.
Also, only when you spot negative opinions that you can identify the areas in your business that needs improvement.
ii. Too many positive reviews
Positive reviews encourage consumers to buy a product but when the positive reviews are too many there could be a negative effect.
There is a high chance that people will doubt the credibility.
In addition, the reviews may raise the consumers’ expectations so much that they end up getting disappointed when they purchase the product.
When their expectations are not met they are likely to return the product or leave negative reviews.
iii. Fake reviews
Fake reviews are easily identifiable and thus businesses should avoid these.
Many people get fake reviews for their products so as to attract more consumers but in the end, they end up losing more.
Once a customer spots a fake review, they lose confidence in the brand and when they spread the word to their friends the businesses loses more potential customers.
Businesses are advised to seek honest reviews from customers.
How to get reviews
The best ways to get reviews for your products is to directly encourage the customers to do it.
Another way could be introducing loyalty program and encourage brand advocacy instinctively.
Communicate to the customers in such a way that they will feel that their voice matters.
This could be done by sending them a well-crafted email asking them about their thoughts.
Since the consumers are not under an obligation to do so, you should encourage the process by making it as simple as possible.
The best way to do this is to make sure that you have the best services and products that you can possibly offer.
If you can do this, your customers will be more than happy to tell their family and friends about your brand.
Making your customers happy is a sure way to make your brand known. An unhappy customer will also discourage their friends from using your brand.
So you see the picture? A satisfied customer is a great product endorser.
Not only will you be spending less on your ads and commercials, you can focus more on improving the services and products that you already have.
Heidi Kim is a professional business consultant and legal researcher focusing on business laws. She is passionate in helping those who have any queries regarding business laws and how these may affect their respective businesses. Follow on Twitter @gehreslawatty