Are you meeting customer expectations? We all know the importance of customer service when it comes to running a successful business. In this social media obsessed world we live in today and the age of instant feedback, excellent customer service can go a long way, but an excellent customer experience can go even further!

Until recently, the quality of product and service provided were the keys to winning customers and earning their business. But today, a new factor has come into play and that is providing the best customer experience.

A recent Walker study found that by the end of 2020, customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator. Customers will stay loyal based upon the experience and if you can’t keep up, they will move on (bye, bye).

Happy customers remain loyal customers.

Consider these statistics:

• 1 in 3 customers will leave a brand they love after just one bad experience.
• Research by American Express found that 86% of customers are willing to pay more for a better experience.
• 49% of buyers have made impulse purchases after receiving a more personalized customer experience.
• Customers that rate companies with a high customer experience score spend 140% more and remain loyal for up to 6 years.

Customer experience (aka CX) is the biggest opportunity businesses have to reduce customer churn and increase revenues. The problem is, most businesses think of customer experience and customer service as one in the same when in reality, customer service is only part of the many pieces of customer experience.

Simply put, customer service is a single touch point with a brand, while customer experience includes every touchpoint a customer has with a brand from the first time they hear about you until after completing a purchase – basically the perception the customer has of a brand. While you may think your customer experience is one thing, the customer may see it as something completely different and that is what the actual customer experience is.

Managing customer perception should be the top priority for every business and having a strategy for customer experience is the best way to make that happen.

Customer expectations are rising.

The expectation is that every single interaction with a brand be the best that it can be.

Below are several strategies for creating a great customer experience:

1. Create a clear customer experience vision that is customer focused and can be communicated within your organization. This statement will act as the guiding principles and drives the behavior of your organization.
2. Understand who your customers are and you can get to know their needs and wants.
3. Connect emotionally with your customers.
4. Collect customer feedback. It’s the only way to know if you are delivering on your promise. Try using live chat tools, conduct a focus group or send an email with a follow-up survey. Hey, even pick up the phone, for instance. In other words, get feedback, share it with the team and fix what is broken.
5. Develop your team to the standards of your vision. Using the feedback collected from customers, identify the training needs for each member of your support team.
6. Use employee feedback to improve the customer experience. Because, it’s your team who are interacting the most with your customers so give them an opportunity to share their ideas.
7. Measure the results of your customer experience investment. There are several metrics available for tracking customer experience over time which include Customer Effort Score, Net Promoter Score, Customer Satisfaction Score and Time to Resolution. These tools allow you to track the success or failure of changes you implement that might affect your customers.

Customer expectations are at an all-time high and word spreads fast! The importance of the customer experience increases because the customer becomes even more empowered. Customer experience is an area that needs constant attention.

Because, a greater focus on customer experience strategy, businesses will see a reduction in customer churn and an increase in revenue growth.

Need help developing your customer experience strategy?

“Play the long game” and “It’s a marathon, not a sprint” are common phrases we have all heard. In the marketing world, traditional marketing focuses on acquiring new clients and sales. But the “long game” is relationship marketing, which cultivates existing customer relationships to create a loyal, long-term base. The focus is on building repeat business through brand loyalty. Think retention vs. acquisition.

Why is relationship marketing critical to your brand?

Here are three reasons:

1. Marketing costs may be decreased as much as 10% by focusing on retaining customers rather than trying to acquire new ones.
2. Research has shown that revenue may be increased by as much as 25-95% with as little as a five percent increase in customer retention,
3. When you cultivate your existing relationships and develop a loyal following, those customers will refer their friends and family. This saves you time and money. Word-of-mouth is free marketing, making your loyal customers great brand ambassadors.

While the focus of relationship marketing is retaining customers, “Good relationship marketing should appeal to the random viewer as powerfully as it appeals to your long-term customers.” writes Caroline Forsey in this Hubspot blog.  Ensure your customers can grow with you over time.

Here are five tips she offers for a successful relationship marketing strategy:

• Focus on personalized customer-service.
• Meet your customers where they are.
• Offer incentive and rewards for customer loyalty.
• Create valuable content that tells a compelling story.
• Collect feedback regularly.

The brand-customer relationship takes time to build and work to maintain. Market to your customer by getting to know your customer. Keep things fresh. Offer new content and diversify both your content and your platforms.

Customer loyalty is hard-earned. Play the long game to score the most points.

Blogs. Social media. Video. White papers. Infographics. All these things, and more, are content and can be used in content marketing. But what is the point of generating all this content?

The point is this: in an increasingly fractured media landscape, building an audience and a community around your company is one of the few ways to directly reach consumers. By giving them something of value, they will give you some of their attention.

Content marketing is about building trust. If consumers trust your company, they will be more likely to buy from your company.

Today’s consumer is used to doing their own research before they buy. According to a 2016 Demand Gen Report, 47% of buyers view 3-5 pieces of content before engaging with a sales rep. Wouldn’t you rather have one of those pieces of content be from you?

The Marketing Funnel is Changing Shape

The marketing funnel isn’t so much a funnel anymore as a flywheel. This Forbes article excerpt explains it best:

A change in mindset and a library of high-quality content will replace this traditional funnel with something more sustainable (and effective). The funnel is becoming more of an ongoing cycle that prioritizes continuous engagement over transactional relationships. This increased focus on nurturing, especially post-sale, makes customers more likely to stay with you or buy again — and more likely to give recommendations to friends and colleagues.

With content, you can transition your brand from vendor to partner. To be honest, someone else in your space can almost always come in and undercut you on price. But when you continuously engage your clients, build lasting trust, and form genuine partnerships, you’ll have much greater staying power.

The Oldest Content Marketer on the Block

Content marketing has been around for as long as there has been, well, content. One of the earliest, and in my opinion, one of the best content marketing examples is The Furrow magazine produced by John Deere.

What started out as an advertorial-driven publication turned into a beloved resource for generations of farmers. Today, The Furrow is a story-telling vehicle, with great photography and advice on how farmers can run their businesses.

And, there’s not much actual mention of John Deere. The Furrow is happy to be a trusted source for farmers, and in exchange, farmers let John Deere into their homes.

Fun With Fireworks

You don’t have to be the flashiest company on the block to use content marketing. Case-in-point, high-end cooler company Yeti. From the beginning, Yeti forged their own marketing path.

In addition to targeting “prosumers” with sponsored programming on hunting and fishing television stations, Yeti created a series of short video clips that put their product to the test. They pitted their coolers against a professional wrestler, a slingshot, and even fireworks.

Content marketing is usually educational. But it can be fun, too.

Canva is another great example of content marketing that takes care of the customer rather than pushing them through a funnel. Canva is a graphic design app that also publishes helpful content through their Design School blog and social media. They are a resource for their customers and earn their trust.

I used Canva when I was working in a job where I did not have access to Adobe products (the industry standard when it comes to graphic design.) I also tried out different software alternatives. Truthfully, if the Canva software didn’t work as well as it does, I might have gone with one of their competitors. But, Canva works well and it’s a great resource. So, I went with them.

Yes, eventually I moved on to Adobe products. But it certainly wasn’t because of price (graphic designers often call it the “Adobe Tax”). For a long time, I relied on Canva for graphic design basics and how-to information. And now, I tell anyone and everyone who needs graphic design software cheaply to try out Canva. I am no longer their customer, but I am an advocate for them.

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Content marketing is a slow roll. It’s like leaving a bread crumb trail for consumers to follow. Spread those bread crumbs around, make them irresistible. Everyone wants to be remembered, so tell your story.

What should I blog about? I asked my friend, as we texted this afternoon. “Instant connections,” she said. “Whether it’s a business or a personal relationship. Like a friendship born in a seedy Grand Prairie volleyball warehouse.”

It’s true. We became friends three years ago in a cold, remote, loud volleyball warehouse where we spent an entire weekend watching our daughters play for the same club team. We bonded quickly over our disdain for the helicopter parents in attendance and the absurdity of the diet our girls were forced to adhere to. By the next tournament we had a wagon full of inside jokes that we shared … and we were off.

Today she is one of my very closest friends, even though our daughters are no longer close, and volleyball is but a distant memory.

What causes people to gravitate to each other? And what enables those authentic connections to endure? The same can be pondered in business – what causes people to gravitate to businesses or brands and maintain that loyalty?

Brand loyalty doesn’t happen by accident. Brands that cultivate loyalty find ways to emotionally connect with their customers. How is this accomplished? Here are three things to consider:

1. Focus on what your brand does best. If you try to be all things to all people you’ll end up being nothing to anyone. Be bold. Be unique. Differentiate your brand around what makes you, YOU.
2. Serve your customers. Wow them. Take care of them. Listen to them. Serve them. Give them reasons to come back to your brand again and again.
3. Determine what your brand stands for and deliver on your promise. You must become relentless in your dedication to deliver on your brand promise. Every day.

Creating authentic connections and maintaining a successful brand that brings loyal customers to your door is key. Does your brand measure up?

We are passionate about branding here on the Porch! If your brand isn’t speaking to your customers the way it should, give us a call. We can help.