Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
There are various different steps you have to take when building a business for success. For example, you have to make sure you have a business plan in place to guide you through any complicated decisions. However, more often than not, the success of your business fringes upon your ability to connect with your customers.
To put it simply, you have to build a brand that people actually care about. This will turn a one-time purchaser into a returning client, helping to put your brand on the map. Here are some top tips that you can use to achieve this goal.
Be open and honest. Being open, honest and transparent when communicating with customers is a great way to develop a stronger relationship with them. This is due to the fact that it makes your interactions seem much more personable, as opposed to being purely functional. As a result, they will begin to care more about your brand. You should also identify as many ways as possible to engage with your customers, be that through in-person events or social media direct messages. The more communication channels you open, the better, as this caters to your audience's diverse needs. For example, many customers now prefer to communicate digitally (through socials, chat functions on websites, or emails), than over the phone. As a result, if you only had a phone line set up, you’d be turning away potential customers without even realizing it.
Bring something new to the table. Identifying your USP (Unique Selling Point) is one of the areas of your business you should focus on from the get-go. Not only will it help you to launch a successful marketing campaign, but it will also help you to grow your following as they will not be able to get a product/service like yours from anywhere else. As your brand is unique, people are more likely to care about it than they would be if you weren’t bringing anything new to the mix.
Learn from others. While you should not directly copy other entrepreneurs, studying their work is a great way to figure out how you can make people care about your brand. For example, David Spector of ThirdLove managed to create a brand with excellent online engagement and a stellar reputation by finding a new way to enter the lingerie industry. For example, they chose to focus on body inclusivity, which is something their target audience cared greatly about. As such, you should strive to figure out what your customers care about in the same fashion. This could also be a great way to find a gap in the market that is not currently being catered to, for the betterment of both your target audience and your business.
Increase your social responsibility. For decades, many businesses chose to ignore social responsibility. For example, many companies did not have environmental or waste management policies in place as simply disposing of the waste at landfills was easier, cheaper, and less hassle. However, in the current climate, it's essential that you make a real effort to improve your social responsibility if you want to win over customers. For example, you should make a real effort to make your business as green as possible.
Contribute to positive causes. Another way in which you can make people care about your brand is by caring about your customers and the causes that are close to their hearts. For example, you could pledge to donate a proportion of your monthly earnings to a local charity. You could even ask for recommendations on which charities to support, as this shows just how highly you value your customer's opinions and input. You should also use your growing online presence for good, by sharing content related to the causes you want to elevate. Finally, you could give your employees paid time off for volunteering efforts and activities.
Hold your hands up when you make a mistake. As mentioned previously, transparency is key when running a business as it helps you to maintain a positive relationship with your customers. This means that you should also be willing to admit when you have made a mistake, especially if that results in a complaint from your customer. Instead of trying to dismiss this, do some research into the situation and respond with a fair solution. For example, you may have to offer a refund or product replacement. Taking accountability for your actions increases the likelihood of them making another purchase in the future, even if their first experience was not entirely positive.
