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Personalizing Your Customer Communications A
little technology can go a long way toward enhancing your customers'
experience by personalizing your marketing materials. |
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In a competitive
marketplace, effective marketing is essential to a business' success. But
marketing that makes an impact means more than just advertising your company
name and service: It's about meeting the needs and expectations of your customers
through targeted, personalized communications. By leveraging technology to help
you do that, you can make the most out of a tight marketing budget while still
creating highly-effective marketing materials.
Personalization in
marketing efforts is a trend any small business can easily adopt. Ensuring that
your customers feel their personal preferences and needs are being taken into
account creates an effective approach that's hard to beat. Technology is one
way of gaining greater access to and knowledge of your customers. In fact,
various software, such as publishing tools, exist to
help you create inexpensive, personalized and professional marketing materials
with the ability to create a consistent company image on your own.
Trevor Thirsk,
a top real estate agent in
"I use the predesigned templates for my marketing materials, so
there's a consistent, professional look," Thirsk
says. "I save $100 to $200 per month doing it myself. I can now create a
street-box flier with photos, graphics and text, e-mail
it to my new client, and get approval without having to interrupt their dinner
or waste time getting linked up. It's a simple thing, but it's less hassle for
the client and saves me one to two hours."
The following tips and
examples will help you improve your customer communications:
·
Get to know your customers. Start by understanding their geographic location,
demographics and purchasing history using your own computer, database management
tools or the Internet. Pay attention to customer trends, purchasing patterns
and needs. Solicit feedback, and ask your customers to share information about themselves to help you in this process. Ensure that your
communications use their language and speak to them in a meaningful way. This
one-on-one attention builds loyalty and helps position your business in their
minds as a company that cares.
·
Build your brand.
Guarantee that your materials are visually consistent by creating your own
letterhead, business cards, forms and more using customizable templates
available online or within popular software applications. Be creative: Add
visuals such as a scanned company logo, or make use of the free clip art or
photos many online sites offer. A consistent brand strategy is the core of all
sales efforts, customer service and communications. It's a powerful way to help
set your business apart from your competitors and add substance to your
advertising messages. It also helps customers develop loyalty to your company
and the products or services it provides.
·
Create a company newsletter. Newsletters can be a powerful communications tool to help
your company stand out with your customers. You can inform customers about
sales, offer promos to them, or showcase customer success stories or quotes to
highlight real-life examples of what your business can do for your clients.
Newsletters can foster closer relationships, in the same way magazine readers
come to identify with their favorite periodical. Newsletters should reflect the
tone and personality of your business; find the voice that best fits the character
and style you want to project. Use the built-in color and font schemes and
layout guides many software applications offer to create a newsletter that's
timely, topical and addresses your customers' expressed interests.
·
Distribute a catalog or company brochure. A simple catalog or brochure can
keep your current customers informed of the products and services you offer,
while showcasing new offerings to help boost sales. Today's software offers
easy-to-use templates and guides to create professional-looking materials. By
merging text and pictures from a specified computer file, such as a spreadsheet
or database, you can create a publication that's easy to update when content in
the file changes.
Nigel
Burton is the general manager of the U.S. Small and Midmarket Solutions & Partners group at Microsoft
and is responsible for developing the strategy and programs that drive
Microsoft's marketing efforts to small- and midsized businesses.
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