… and the age old answer comes back… it all depends how you use it!
If you are a little guy… and we are talking about business here, your communication will never be the same as the big guys. Your customers are probably local, and your supply is just enough to cover your daily “wear and tear”.
So how is a small business to compete with the guns?
The answer is by utilizing effective communication strategies with their customers.
As a small business owner, communicating with your customers should be at the top of your agenda. Your customers will give you feedback, which may help you improve the business. And if you use the right communication strategies you can also cement your business in their minds so that they become repeat customers.
Here are a few tips to help you avoid this trap and communicate effectively with your customers.
Ask for feedback! Good or bad, feedback from customers can be the saving grace for any small business. It will help you improve, tweak, keep what’s working and get rid of what isn’t working within the business. You can ask customers to fill in a simple survey card or a fun poll about their preferences and so on. It may help to make the feedback anonymous to make it easier for the customer to state their true feelings about the business.
Stay in touch! Even if the customer was impressed with your business in the first instance, it’s easy for them to forget about it or go somewhere more convenient when they’re in a rush. However, if you stay at the forefront of your customer’s mind then you’ll up the chances of them becoming repeat customers.
Treating customers well is one sure way to stand out from the competition.
Get creative Many businesses use the same old boring marketing strategies. Why not stand out from the crowd by juicing up your marketing? Humor goes a long way in marketing, come up with a funny campaign that will grab your customer’s attention.
Communicating effectively with customers doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s all about connecting with people on a more personal level and setting up your business to help you customers and to provide value. A few simple strategies can help you achieve this and stand out from the competition.
