Mass marketing is dead. We can no longer market our business to ‘everyone’ and hope to be successful.
Instead, small businesses need to craft their brand story and show they are special in order to be interesting.
If you had to appeal to every single person you met that would be quite a challenge. You’re probably thinking, “why would I want to do that?” Actually it’s not as strange as you might think. When we attempt to market our businesses we often make the mistake of trying to appeal to everyone.
We need to focus on marketing only to our target audience; only those who will value what we have to offer.
Then we can take steps to make our customers feel special.
Are you in danger of creating products no one wants?
Think about it. Many small businesses find it difficult to budget for marketing therefore the strategy is often to appeal to as many people as possible in one go. Imagine for a moment that you are a baker. You want to launch a brand-new cake that has mass-market appeal. In the planning stage you decide to go gluten-free and also be suitable for vegans. You don’t want anything too colourful, no e-numbers and bearing in mind diabetics also like cake you decide to go light on the sugar too.
Can you see that you’re quite possibly in danger of creating cake no one would want to eat?
Your advocates are worth their weight in cake!
However, if you created a range of cakes that appealed to different tastes and needs, and developed a reputation for, say, the tastiest gluten-free cakes, then what would happen? Bearing in mind the rules of social media engagement, any gluten intolerant consumer who comes across food that tastes fantastic will almost certainly wax lyrical across every social media platform. They would also become advocates too and that is the best type of client to have.
Make your customers feel special!
What we are all looking for is an experience; a micro-moment and an opportunity to feel special. There’s no point denying that as we are all basically egocentric. We have needs and desires and usually what makes us happy is fulfilling them. Often these desires are quite niche. We often look for other people who share our view or need. We build tribes and groups and that’s when passion really develops. We want cakes that appeal to every sense. We want our mouths to water in anticipation. If we’re going to take on board the additional calories there has to be some payoff. I have to enjoy my sinful ways otherwise there really is no point.
Start listening!
The bland, made-for-everyone cake is never going to take the biscuit (see what I did there?) Therefore, when you’re marketing your business this year you must listen to your customers. Listen to conversations online. Search for need. Search for desire and do your best to fulfil what people really want and not what you think they want. Therefore the business tip for 2017 is to craft your marketing. Your product and service development must be aligned with customer needs. Listen to the questions they ask as these almost always provide opportunities for businesses. Go out of your way to be helpful, different and special. This way you will build your loyal customer base – your tribe – more quickly.
Don’t underestimate the power of Social Media!
When you give people time; when they think you have made them feel special, valued and happy, they will reward you. You may think a thank-you on social media is not worth much, but social media networks can be extraordinarily powerful. Consciously and subconsciously, we are all looking for recommendations. A well-placed and perfectly timed tweet may well create an avalanche of enquiries.
The Final Word on How to Make Your Customers Feel Special
This year think carefully about your marketing messages, your product and service development, the attractiveness and usability of your website and, most importantly, where your clients and potential clients might hang out. If you pay attention to these basic things you may well reap considerable rewards in 2017.
Do let us know how it goes.
The B4-9 Business Network is a local group based in Welwyn Garden City that meets fortnightly to chat, exchange ideas, offer support and ultimately build strong relationships. If you’d like to join us, please get in touch via our Contact Page!
0 Comments
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.