Marketing small businesses calls for unique approaches. Stakeholders should factor in the customer base and type of products or servers to come up with a strategy for success. Most businesses currently stay in touch with customers primarily online through email and social media marketing. An enterprise that has access to mailing addresses can maintain customer records that make it possible to go above and beyond by sending business thank you cards to professional contacts and customers. Try a new approach to marketing by following one or more of these five transformative tips.
- Customer Relations Are Essential
Maintaining good relationships with customers has always been the basis of business success. Having positive interactions with customers has become more important than ever before in the era of online reviews. No matter the industry, a business should strive for a superior reputation to competing providers of goods or services.
A business should seek customer feedback and take measures to increase satisfaction where possible. Responding to any negative to middling reviews and offering to resolve issues or replace defective products can make prospective customers more likely to support a business.
- Prioritize Security at Every Stage
Customers are more concerned than ever before about the security of their billing and contact information. A business has the responsibility to rely on industry-standard payment processing technology that meets the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard or other relevant requirements.
Using customer relationship management software on secure systems is also essential. It may be necessary to store customer records on physical or cloud storage in order to access and update information as purchases take place. Business owners may want to consult with CRM representatives or information technology and security specialists to ensure customer information stays secure.
- Send Business Thank You Cards
Sending greeting cards may seem more old-fashioned than the preceding recommendations, but mail remains one of the best ways for a business to communicate with customers and professional contacts. Cards are physical items that are often a pleasant surprise to receive.
When a recipient opens a card, he or she is more likely to develop positive, lasting associations with a brand than they are upon receiving email or social promotions. Cards also tend to be kept around longer than digital communications, particularly when a business sends cards with cartoon or photo covers.
- Offer a Peek Behind the Scenes
A marketing strategy that has gotten good responses for many businesses involves showing customers how you work. Whether you manufacture products, participate in any other part of the supply chain or offer services, consider making posts that reveal the realities of your work.
Social media posts and online videos that reveal the nitty-gritty of daily operations in your field can drive up levels of interest in a business. The ability to follow a business can cultivate new leads and lock in repeat customers.
- Experiment With Emerging Platforms
Visibility is a requirement to succeed in a crowded market. Search engines and social media have come to dominate online content and advertising. A business should maintain a presence on established social networks while venturing onto new platforms to expand its customer base.
Businesses across industries should plan for the future while remaining connected to current customers. In many cases, a combination of online and mail promotion is most effective. Rather than sending advertisements, stakeholders may achieve higher levels of customer satisfaction by sending cards to customers in the mail around holidays, birthdays and other significant occasions. Sending business thank you cards can be one of the best ways to put customer contact information to use in building lasting and meaningful relationships that lead to ongoing patronage.
