Marketing: 7 Effective Ways of Getting to Know Your Customers Better

Customers are one of the most important ‘tools’ of a successful brand. The goal of any great marketer is to have strong brand awareness, great customer reviews, and loyal customers that keep coming back. So why it is important to get to know your customers as an agency? Consumers are the lifeblood of any business, and by getting to know them is the only way to keep them engaged, inspired, and connected in a meaningful and valuable way.

According to a few statistics:
• 83% of customers cite good customer service as their most important criterion for deciding what to buy – ‘Getting to know your customers’ report, Forrester
• 73% of customers expect companies to understand their unique needs and expectations – ‘State of the Connected Customer, 5th Edition, Salesforce
• 61% of customers would switch to a new brand after one bad experience – ‘CX Trends 2022’, Zendesk
• Increasing customer retention rates by just 5 percent can increase profits from between 25 percent and 95 percent – Bain & Company

Below we will have a look at the most useful tips on how to “Know your customers” and use those insights to drive campaign performance.

Get analytical across touchpoints
Consumer metrics and insights are the most useful ways for any brand to look into in order to understand their consumers in the most meaningful and deep ways. But how this kind of analytics can be helpful? With the use of Google Analytics, any marketeer can extract valuable demographic insights, and also can drill down into additional data sources across touchpoints that can give them a panoramic insight into their customers’ habits, preferences, and behaviors. Also, by mixing different social media analytic tools and mobile data platforms marketers can capture a host of in-depth insights across your primary consumer touchpoints. Then it is also beneficial as any marketeer will be able to build profiles or personas that will improve marketing communications and social media ROI measurements.

Spark up a dialogue and influence
One of the most direct and effective ways of getting to know your customers is of course by starting a conversation with them. It is very important for marketers to meet their consumers where they are, in order to be able to understand how they connect with them by asking them valuable questions in a way that is organic rather than intrusive. This can also help marketers to improve their brand experience significantly. There are many ways to engage with your customers, from surveys and polls to social listening. However, one of the most powerful ways of sparking meaningful consumer dialogues and speaking your customers’ language, is with user-generated content (UGC). User-generated content builds credibility and trust while offering a deeper insight into the minds of your customers.

Respond to positive and negative reviews
Usually, many consumers/clients aim to make comments on each post. As a professional marketer, you need to reply regardless of where they’re posted, and you should remain dedicated to providing personal responses to customer reviews in the public domain. Doing so will humanize your brand, showcase your commitment to the customer experience, and provide you with more conversational insights. So, either good or bad commenting you need to make time and get back to them. This can be a simple “thanks for your feedback” or providing a solution to their problem or issue.

Host an event or an experience
In terms of knowing your customers, experiential marketing is a very rewarding tactic. Nowadays, customers are more demanding. For example, brands with big budgets can offer amazing experiences such as Nike’s recent foray into the metaverse letting people design and sell sneakers. But there are also opportunities for smaller budgets such as hosting an event live on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. In this way, you will be able to understand segments of your audience in a way that goes beyond digital stats and metrics alone.

Tailor your deals, discounts, and incentives
Circling back to the importance of personalization. You need to offer your customers tailored deals and discounts, that will likely foster brand loyalty and in return, it will give you the opportunity to get to know them better. Another useful tip is to segment your email lists and have a look at previous interactions, downloads, and purchases.

Start a mobile loyalty scheme
By creating a customer loyalty scheme, you can boost your consumer retention rates and also open up a continual portal of communication between your brand and your audience. For example, the likes of Amazon (paid program through Amazon Prime), earned a great deal of success through their innovative loyalty programs—gathering a wealth of priceless consumer insights and data in the process.

Host a contest
When showing appreciation to your customers will encourage trust and loyalty, and in return, it will make your customers more likely to engage with your brand across touchpoints. Devising a contest that generates a buzz and gets your followers and customers involved can go a long way to raising brand awareness. Think about a contest that it will energize your social media followers or customers. Be creative and make it relevant to your audience with a branded hashtag to keep track and increase the chances of a trending or viral campaign.

There are many useful ways that you can use to attract and engage with existing or new customers. The key is about knowing the tactics and channels available and also doing it effectively.

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