Every person who works in a company has a very special role. Whether you’re the CEO or the intern, each person adds to the overall success of a business. That being said, there’s no doubt that some employees have more specific jobs than others. And, sometimes those jobs can be hard work. We’re of course talking about the marketers and the sales people, whose main roles are to bring that business in through the customers.
But, what if we told you that the best marketers of all, of any business out there, are the customers? Believe it or not, there’s no one that can advertise your business better than the customers themselves. If their experience is good enough (and it should always be good), then you’ve basically hired your best marketer of the year!
Here’s what we mean:
Let’s Get Back to the Basics
Marketing is complex. And, if you went to school for marketing, you work in marketing, or you know someone in marketing, then we’re certainly not saying you’re job isn’t important. After all, it’s you guys who make the magic happen, and who are the ultimate bridge between the company and the customers. Without a marketing person or a marketing team, there would be no business.
And, if marketers are doing their job right, then they can essentially sit back while the customers do the rest of the work for them. While things like lead generation, social media marketing, email marketing, and all other kinds of marketing are crucial to the growth and success of the business, we can’t forget about the people at the end of that chain…the customers. Without them, and without the marketers bringing them in, we’d have a heck of a harder job to do.
Why Customers are Great Marketers
It’s no secret that now more than ever, news is spread by word of mouth. Or, perhaps by word of Facebook, Twitter, or a Yelp! review. And, whether that news is good or bad in regards to your business, it’s going to get out there. You need to make sure it’s good. You want positive Facebook comments, the five stars on Yelp!, the sweet re-tweets and the tags. Not the opposite.
If you’re a local business, customers who had a positive experience with you are going to be the ones recommending your services or products to their friends, family, and coworkers. If your company focuses in on CRM in addition to other aspects of business, you’re going to have half the amount of work to do.
Go for Customers Like You Would Hire Employees
When you or the HR department hires new employees, what do they look for? In addition to skills, experience, and strong references, they are also searching for someone who is easy to work with, friendly, kind, organized, and is an all around good person to be surrounded by. While you can’t quite choose your customers the same way you choose your employees, you can decide what kind of customers you want. This, of course, stems first from the audience you cater to, and then will fizzle out into either great, good, or…horrible customers.
At first, you’re going to take any customer you have coming your way. But, once you start doing well, remember that a few great customers that say excellent things about your business have way more value than ten horrible customers. Customers who may have buying power, but aren’t helping your business grow at all. Sometimes in marketing, you have to pick and choose your customers. It’s not easy, but the good ones who stick will help you out long term.
So, How Do You Improve the Customer Experience?
Well, you’re not going to have your customers act as marketers just like that! You first need to improve, or perfect, your customer experience. There’s a lot of ways to do this. First, always make sure your CRM is a priority. When it comes to good business, your customers need to always be put first.
If they have any comments, questions, or concerns, it should be easy for them to find information on your site with a good FAQ page, and get in touch with you easily if those questions can’t be answered. Beyond that, you have to make the actual experience with you a memorable one. One that keeps them coming back every time, and telling others to do the same. You can achieve this through different types of interactive content, personalized emails, promotions and incentives, and changing things up once in a while to keep your customers engaged.
If you’re wondering whether or not you’re doing a good job, no worries, you’ll know. And, The Mission Suite will help you expand on your CRM. Request a demo to find out how!