Now there are a lot of different platforms and ways you can market your business. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Email, Texting, the list goes on and on. But regardless of the platform you are using to market your business, they way you connect with your customers stays the same. 

Whether you are on social media, the phone, showing an ad, or interacting with your customer in any meaningful way, these principles will keep you focused on what’s most important, communicating and giving value to your customers.

Principle #1: Be Real

Be real huh? That’s what we’re starting with? Yes, that’s how important this is. Here’s the reality, your customers see so many offers online promising the world and are used to being disappointed. And somehow people have an intuition for smelling things that are just a little too good to be true.

So this becomes about more than just your “marketing”. Most people think of marketing as just the messaging that goes out about your products and services, not realizing that a function of marketing is your product itself. What your customers communicate what they need feeds back into how your create your products and in turn what you market back to them. 

This means that you also need to be confident in your product, otherwise you can’t possibly be authentic about your product and how it can help your customers. Ask your customers what they want. They’ll probably even be surprised that you care about their opinions since most businesses don’t care at all what they have to say. That’s another part of being real with your customers.

Principle #2: Be Playful

This one may not be as intuitive, but your customers will appreciate you throwing in humor (when appropriate). So many companies talk corporate-speak to their customers, like there is some sort of internationally agreed upon charter that says all businesses have to be boring. 

It takes a special sort of confidence to have fun with your marketing and how you communicate to your customers, because when you do it the right way you immediately stand out in a world full of boring business messaging. The key here is to be playful in a way that everyone in your audience can relate to. There is no point in having inside jokes or referring to niche films and movies that only a small portion of your audience can relate to.

Poke fun at yourself and your team in your marketing. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Make sure that anyone from the outside looking in could look favorably at how you present yourself. Professional, but approachable. People forget that customers need to know, like, and trust you in order to do business with you. If you don’t give them a reason to like you, they won’t go from knowing to trusting you. And this is where humor can play a role in helping your customers and prospects connect with you in a deeper way.

Principle #3: Be Accessible

Now this is where different platforms and messaging communications systems play a role in making sure that you’re marketing well to your customers. You don’t have to be on all platforms, nor should you be. You should be on the platforms your customers are on, reaching them in the ways that they are best reached.

Now this will look different on Facebook vs. Instagram vs. Email and all other channels, but you get the idea. How you format your messaging depends on the platform, but your actual message stays the same. Your imaging, design, and tone of voice may shift slightly, but your products, services, and core messages don’t change.

Respond quickly to messages, reply to all customer comments and reviews, and show proactivity. Most businesses set up channels online then don’t even interact when their customers and prospects are actually engaging with the communications they’re publishing. Big missed opportunities.

Now with being accessible comes a long list of responsibilities. It’s no easy task to communicate back and forth with your customers across many different channels. But that’s where having the right people on your team in place to make sure that the right messaging is going out in the right way happens, and that any responses back are handled in a timely and professional manner.

Principle #4: Go Above and Beyond

So you’re real with your customers, you’re at times even playful with them, you’re always accessible in the ways that they communicate. Now what’s the final step? Now it’s time to go above and beyond.

Go the extra mile, do the unexpected. Make your customers surprised by what you did. Offer them a discount or a free extra service they weren’t expecting. Give them a reason to smile. While all your competitors are doing the bare minimum and trying just to increase their profitability, you can create unique experience to make your customers feel special and have them returning for years to come.

Empower your teams to do what’s in the customer’s best interest and create these unique moments, so long as it’s not financially detrimental to your company. Think about Starbucks and the “Pup Cups” they give out for free to their customers’ pets. It’s not a significant financial investment, but it’s something that shows they care for more than just your daily coffee payment in the mornings.

Summary

So how should you communicate with your customers?

Be Real.

Be Playful.

Be Accessible.

And Go Above and Beyond.

Communicating well with your customers isn’t rocket science, but it does require thoughtfulness. If you truly care about your customers, this communication comes as an extension of your company vision. And if you find it difficult to do these things, maybe it’s time to evaluate why you got into business in the first place and if it might be helpful to consider that helping your customers and providing more value might be the path to success you’ve been looking for all along. What other rules of communication would you add to this list?

For other ways to help grow your business please check out the other articles on our blog!