How to Elevate Your Brand by Providing Exceptional Customer Service
There is a lot of digital noise out there, as many business owners trying to stand out in the busy world of e-commerce will attest. However, in a time-starved, high-stress world, returning to old-fashioned, high-quality customer service is the key to making your brand and products stand out from the digital clutter.
There is no advertisement that can shout loud enough in the online world. While great keywords might help your business be discovered by the right customer, new marketing research shows that it is the individual touch that will eventually move customers to make a purchase. Great customer service is also the key factor to avoid potential marketing disasters like going “anti-viral” – and it doesn’t have to be complicated – even a simple, timely response could provide a valuable marketing boost.
First impressions count
Selling a product online can be a lot like online dating – if the pictures and the products do not match, someone will be left disappointed and unlikely to return since there are so many other competitive offerings out there. Products should live up to pictures or better yet have some YouTube videos that show customers how to use them. Product descriptions should be complete, accurate, and never misleading. In the modern world showing is so much better than telling in the eyes of many customers. There are some more excellent tips on how to get this right in this helpful blog.
Method to the madness
Writing for Harvard Business Review, John Zeally, Robert Wollan and Joshua Bellin from consulting firm Accenture argues that providing rewards, rebates and discounts to customers will soon not be sufficient as the impact of loyalty marketing is declining.
“It was built in part on the notion that consumers will keep buying the same things from you if you have the right incentives. Yet, according to recent consumer research from Kantar Retail, 71% of consumers now claim that loyalty incentive programs don’t make them loyal at all,” they wrote.
Being driven by the traditional “Four P’s” (Product, Price, Place, and Promotion) is no longer enough, they wrote, as customers now have widely varying needs depending on their time and context and expect that their individual circumstances will be catered to. They suggest companies also tailor their strategies to include purpose, pride, partnership, protection, and personalization – all factors that could be addressed by excellent customer service and finding creative ways to provide for customers’ individual needs.
The authors warn that for many businesses, even digital businesses on Amazon, this will mean going out of their comfort zone and going the extra mile. This could mean including reminders that a product needs replacing or providing a “subscription service” for products that never had them before like air filters.
The authors added that mobile-enabled customers will choose brands most relevant to their fast-paced lives and businesses that can provide this will be the ultimate winners in the digital marketing wars.
What others think does matter
It may be impossible to keep every single customer happy, but it should be a goal to keep customers, as a collective, as happy as possible. Tracking keywords in Amazon is a great way to monitor brand visibility. You should also be keeping an eye and responding to customer reviews be a priority.
In an article published in the Forbes Agency Council Adrian Gomez, the founder of Elaniin Digital in El Salvador said that customers have a variety of influences that eventually guide them to purchase and leveraging reviews could be a very effective marketing tool. In order for a business owner to obtain good reviews – good customer service is a sure-fire way to make that happen.
“We need to change the customer shopping experience. More than the first stage of delight, people like to feel appreciated all of the time. You need to improve strategies for your potential customers as much as for your current ones,” Gomez said.
He explains that the old marketing system only cared about customers before they bought but now business owners should think of their marketing strategy as a flywheel – and be open to feedback at all times in the transaction.
Ads are not everything
Amazon’s move to digital advertising is providing a cheap and efficient way for sellers to market their products. Amazon ads can be a great way for sellers to reach new customers and drive sales.
However, one of the strengths of Amazon is that it helps consumers to choose a brand of product through detailed content and user reviews. Although ads may gain your product initial visibility, it is the listing and your reviews which will convert visitors to make a purchase. Exceptional customer service translates into more and better reviews, which means more sales.
Last words
Providing great customer service can effectively enhance your brand image. Other than following the above tips to achieve your goal, you will also need an automated email campaign manager to help you solicit positive feedback and reviews efficiently. With the help of AI-Powered solution, BQool BigCentral can assign the most optimal email subject to review request emails to increase your email open rate and the chance of getting more positive reviews.
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