“Know thy customer” is a common refrain for those in the world of marketing. In theory, you must know what your client needs in order to not only secure their loyalty, but to also attract other clients like them.
But this begs the question: How do you get to really “know” your customer? You may have an image in your head of the person you’re selling to, but you need to determine whether that lines up with reality.
Luckily, there are several ways to find out what your customer needs from you without meeting each and every customer in person for coffee (although we’ll also say we’re never likely to turn down a chance for a hot tea and a cookie with you!).
To get to know your customer, use a combination of head and heart, of listening to their words and of seeing what the underlying data tells you. Here’s how you can get started:
1. Hear (Read) What They Say
People love to share their experiences (for better or worse) and give feedback.
93% of consumers report that online product reviews inform their purchasing decisions.
Additionally, 68% of consumers are willing to pay up to 15% more for a product or service if they feel confident that they will have a favorable experience.
When you’re trying to get inside your customers’ heads, read their words. Head to social media for customer feedback and reviews to see what people have to say about their experiences with your company or services.
And, when you’re reviewing, make sure you check your ego at the door.
While it might be difficult to read about a less than stellar experience with your business, try not to get defensive and remember that this negative review offers you the unique opportunity to fill in gaps in service and improve your message.
2. Check Out The Competition
See what other people in your space are doing and gather some ideas for content of your own (without plagiarizing, obviously).
You can take a look at the types of content other businesses are creating and what seems to be working well for them – do their audiences go for funny? For information? For posts that ask them to engage?
Using your own voice and your own branding, you can see posts that are gaining traction (you’ll see this often when people jump on an online challenge or meme share – Bernie Sanders’ mittens at the inauguration was a popular one this January!), and connect them to your own brand.
In addition to looking at what others in your field do, seek out ideas from tangential spaces. Businesses that are not in direct competition with you but that might have similar customers can offer valuable insight into what your customer is seeking.
If your customer falls into a similar group this might help you to expand your reach and get ideas for content that you never might have thought of yourself.
3. Look at the data.
Buyer personas are representations of your ideal customers based on data and research. By creating a buyer persona, you can easily zero in on who your customer is and what they need to know.
Buyer personas also help you to better understand your customer so that you can develop strategies to address their needs. How can creating a buyer persona help you as you seek to communicate with customers/potential customers?
- You can map out your buyer persona’s “buyer journey,” which helps you to determine the process that a customer goes through prior to deciding to purchase.
- You can find out how people are finding your website and which blog posts or other forms of content are catching their eye.
- Search data by using a keyword finder tool. Google Keyword Planner, Google Top 10 Lists, the website Answer The Public and many other online free (or paid) tools can give you insight into what your potential buyers want to hear about.
4. Go to the Source.
You can compile all the data and read every piece of online information, but at the end of the day, your customers are your best resource. Some great ways to get into your customers’ heads include:
- Talk to your customers to get an accurate understanding of what might be confusing for them OR what helped them make their decision to choose your services. (As a side note, consider compensating them for their valuable time and to further cement their loyalty.)
- Customer surveys are a valuable resource and often allow the customer to give honest reviews. You can’t talk to every customer one on one, but you can get some broad brush strokes by sending out surveys to them, either right after a purchase or on a regular basis.
- Focus groups provide feedback and opinions that help business owners to meet customer’s ever-changing expectations.
- Social media polls and surveys employ a familiar platform and are easy for the user to participate in. They also provide quick and efficient feedback. Be aware that social media polls may only give you the best and worst opinions – people who are lukewarm on your products/services aren’t as likely to take time for feedback as those who either love or hate you.
Once you understand what your customer needs to know from you in order to make a decision, your next responsibility is to get that information to them.
Refer to your earlier research and data collection, as well as to your buyer personas and journey maps, to determine how to best reach your customers. Whether your customers are more likely to watch a Facebook Live, or to be influenced on Instagram, you can proceed with targeting existing and potential clients via effective platforms.
A happy customer is worth their weight in gold. They will support you and your business and will help bring you more customers.
Once you have a firm grasp of who your customer is, what they need, and how your business can help them, you can build a strategic and reinforcing web of content that engages them and moves them closer toward making a decision (choosing you!).
