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| Image Credits: Seattle Municipal Archives, Flickr. |
Do you put your customers first? Let's rephrase that question. Do you really, really put your customers first? In order to create customer loyalty, your customers must be the driving factor behind all of you business decisions - from product design to marketing to customer service. When you can fully grasp this and learn how to incorporate this philosophy into your business decisions and practices, the result will be customers who want to do business with you again and again.
Of course, the opposite is also true: if you neglect to put your customers at the center of your business, you risk becoming out of touch, irrelevant or even down-right offensive to the very audience you are trying to reach.
The good news is if you have not built your business around your customer's needs and wants it isn't too late to shift what you are doing to adopt a customer-centric approach. You can take steps now to zero-in on your customers, find out what they want and incorporate that knowledge into every fiber of your business.
The following two super-simple steps are a great place to begin as you make the art of creating customer loyalty work for your business.
One: Ask the right questions.
Most business owners are inclined to ask questions such as, "How can we promote our brand?" or "How can we increase sales?" When you put customers at the center of your business, you should be asking, "What is our customer's primary problem or need?" and "What solutions can we offer to meet our customer's problem or need?"
When you can answer these questions about your customer, your business will naturally attract your target market. You begin to think like they think, you are better able to engage with them and offer information and products that are relevant to their needs.
Two: Communicate WITH your customers.
Effective communication is a two-way street. You can't just be talking AT your customers; you need to engage them in the conversation in order to establish and grow the relationship. You can do this by soliciting feedback and providing platforms for them to interact with you. Whether this is through blog comments, e-mails or social media, it is important to give your customers a way to share freely what they think about your business - both the good and the not-so-good.
Keep in mind it is about more than just providing a place for them to sound-off. You also need to be there to respond to their comments and provide the kind of customer service that makes them feel heard and valued. Whether it is thanking customers for positive feedback and suggestions, or apologizing for business mistakes or unsatisfactory service, opening up the lines of two-way communication will increase customer loyalty as well as provide you with information to help your business better meet customer needs.
An effective integrated marketing approach should always consider the customer first. Taking the necessary steps to connect with your customers and understand what they are seeking will help you to remain relevant and facilitate the kind of loyal customer relationships that result in solid word-of-mouth marketing to reach others as well as increased profits for your business.
