How well do you know your customers?
Get To Know Your Customer Day is the perfect reminder for businesses to build and maintain strong relationships with their customers. Every third Thursday of each quarter (January, April, July and October) this day is observed by businesses all around the world. That’s four opportunities to work on relationship building and four perfect excuses to make your customers feel special.
There’s tons of research that suggests that knowing your customer leads to customer loyalty, customer retention and customer advocacy. Plus, you’ll gain deep insight into your customers in the process.
Now that you know why, here’s how.
We’ve rounded up a list of 5 things you could do on Get to Know Your Customer Day to develop a deeper bond with your customer.
1. Get to know your customer personally
Remember the power of using a person’s name when interacting with them. The size of your business could be your advantage in getting to know your customers at a more personal level than big corporates. Knowing your customers by name creates a personal experience for them. As an SME owner, you have the upper hand because this means you can get to know some if not most of your customers personally.
2. Send out a get-to-know-you survey
Take the time to learn about your customers. A survey with a good mix of useful and fun questions is a great way to create rapport and learn about your customers personally. Not only that but getting to know your customer adds value to you and them. It creates a connection between you and your customer that binds them to your business.
Not sure where to set this up? Here’s a good place to start.
3. Use social media to connect
Connection is a currency. Now, more than ever, customer perception influences business success and social media plays a major role in this. The easy accessibility of social media makes it an important touchpoint for customers to connect and engage with a business. Start a conversation with them. Unlocking the power of social media presents the opportunity for businesses to develop strong, personal connections with their customers.
4. Ask engaging questions for feedback
Instead of just telling your customers about your business, have conversations with them. Make it easy for customers to give you their opinion and show you’re listening to them. This will keep them coming back and spreading the word about you.
Don’t shy away from asking for feedback. Good or bad, it may be an opportunity for you to grow and understand what’s working and what’s not. A way to get your customers’ feedback is to offer an incentive.
5. Show them your appreciation
Show your customers that you value them. While this day is an opportunity to get to know them, use it to show your appreciation as well. There are many ways to show your customers that you appreciate their support. Rewarding your customers is a great way to connect with them and make them feel appreciated. Some examples include sending out handwritten thank you notes to add a warm, personal touch. You could also consider giving them a discount on their next purchase, running a loyalty programme or offering an incentive for referrals.
Getting to know your customer goes beyond knowing their name. It helps you add value to their lives and find new ways to delight them during your interactions. What’s more is it uncovers customer pain points, areas of improvement and identifies new opportunities for businesses.
The bottom line is…
In today’s competitive market, a good product and brand is simply not enough. Prioritising customer relationship is key to creating trust and boosting customer loyalty. But, there is no straight formula to forging relationships with your customers. What matters is that you’ve created a connection between you and them. All you have to do is begin pursuing the relationship you want to have with your customers.
