Six things to do for ‘Get to Know Your Customers Day’

Our best advice for engaging your customers…

There’s a reason that Get to Know Your Customers Day gets not one, but four days every year. Be honest with yourself, how much time have you dedicated to social listening or refreshing your buyer personas recently? When did you last send an email that wasn’t just advertising a new product or service?

There’s no shame in it. Running a business is hard work and spare time is almost impossible to come by. But with lockdown shaking up how we shop, it’s now more important than ever to reconnect with your customers and discover how they feel, their pain points, and new changes in their behaviour.

To help inspire you, we’ve come up with six different ways you can get the most out of Get to Know Your Customers Day.

#1: Rediscover your customers online

We can no longer rely on patrons popping into the shop for a quick catch-up.

Since the pandemic, the percentage of adults using Facebook Messenger jumped from 18% to a whopping 41% and there’s been an overall 40% increase in the use of social media.

Maybe some of your regular customers are using Facebook for the first time, to keep in touch with their families. Maybe there’s opportunities to scope out potential new customers that you wouldn’t have usually been able to find online. One thing’s for sure, it can’t hurt to try.

Find out how you can use Facebook Messenger among other social media platforms to better market your business – download our free new eBook.

#2: Look back on your reviews

The good, the bad and the ugly – learn from customer reviews and show your appreciation. Thank your patrons for their positive reviews and make note of what you or what your team have done well. But don’t forget to tackle the bad reviews with the same grace and consideration that you give to the good ones.

Show the people who wrote the bad review, as well as all the potential customers who may see the interaction in the future, that you acknowledge their comments, that you’re dedicated to improving customer experiences and that you’re grateful for them taking the time to provide feedback.

But you don’t have to stop there! Why not ask your long-time patrons to leave a review of your business on social media, a third-party site or even for your own website’s testimonials? Sweeten the request by offering an incentive (discount code, voucher etc.) and thank them for their continued support.

#3: Ask your customers to share your posts

If you’ve built a good relationship with your customers on social media, don’t be afraid to ask for the occasional favour. Customers can be your best marketing tool! Word of mouth is as powerful as it is inexpensive. Why not directly ask your customers to share a post, a photo or a video of your products and services?

Supporting local businesses has been a huge focus in conversations during the pandemic and people are more receptive to these kinds of requests than they may have been in the past. Ask your customers for their help in supporting your business; ask them to tag a friend who might like a product or ask people to share a discount offer you’re running on your services.

#4: Invite your customers to fill in a survey

A great way to collect feedback from your customers is by inviting and incentivising them to complete a short survey – and we do mean short! Don’t expect to get many responses from a survey any longer than five minutes.

To encourage more customers to take part, consider offering them a freebie, a discount on your products or services or maybe even an entry into a raffle for a bigger prize. Incentivising the survey will help to ensure your customers are giving the questions more of their attention, so that you get more thought out answers.

You can’t make it too long, so make sure you’re asking meaningful questions that will get you valuable feedback. What can you do to make your services more convenient during this time? What’s their favourite or least favourite product from your range?

Avoid asking too many open-ended questions that they could simply leave blank. For example, “Is there anything we could do to improve your customer experience?” might not get as many helpful responses as “Please provide an example of when you’ve received good/poor customer service with us.”

#5: Send your customers a thank you email

Finding a balance is key when it comes to email marketing. You don’t want to send so many emails that your patrons unsubscribe. If you haven’t already, set up a monthly email that highlights discounts and limited time offers. Remember to inject a little personality or else your email will read as generic and lifeless.

But not all emails have to be focused on sales. Sending your customers an email to thank them for their continued patronage and offering them a discount or freebie can go a long way in building a long-lasting and fruitful relationship.

#6: Build up your buyer personas

In light of all the changes lockdown has brought, now is a very good time to revisit your buyer personas and take a better look at your target audience. If you’re not familiar with buyer personas, here’s a breakdown of what they are, why they’re important and how you can create one – read more.

Get in touch

We know that all this takes time. That’s why our specialist team of marketers, content creators and web designers are ready and waiting to give you a hand!

We’ve been helping businesses build lasting relationships with their customers for over a decade. Get in touch with the Splitpixel team today and discover how we can lighten the load, so you can focus on what you do best.