3 Action Points for better Customer Relationships
To many, it may seem like the relationship with your customer starts the moment they pick up the phone and call your business or the moment they step through the door but by the time they do this, they will have already started to form an opinion about your business through the interactions they have had online.
The Traditional Customer Journey
When Google released their 7-11-4 Rule, they redefined the traditional customer journey from
Stimulus (customer initially hears about a product)
First Moment of Truth (Customer sees the product in-store or online and makes a decision whether to purchase)
Second Moment of Truth (The customers post purchase experience and opinions of the product)
In the real world, this would have meant the customer hears about the latest tv, they come into a store and chat with a sales assistant about it and decide to buy, then they decide if they like or dislike the product after they have used it for a while.
If a customer liked the service they got and they are happy with the product then they are more likely to buy from you again in the future and the opposite is also true. Poor service and a dislike for the product will usually result in the customer going elsewhere in the future.
The New Customer Journey
Google research has redefined the customer journey to include a new step.
Stimulus (customer initially hears about the product)
ZERO MOMENT OF TRUTH (customer educates themselves on the product)
First Moment of Truth (Customer sees the product in-store or online and makes a decision whether to purchase)
Second Moment of Truth (The customers post purchase experience and opinions of the product)
In times gone by, the zero moment of truth might have been the brief interaction with the sales assistant in the store or a 50-100 word blurb in a catalogue but these days, Google believes that an average customer spends 7 hours researching a product or service before they are in a position to buy.They will typically have 11 touch points with the brand and it will have those touch points in 4 different locations - hence the 7-4-11 rule.
This could involve looking up images of the product, watching review / unboxing videos, watching demonstration videos, reading articles, listening to podcasts, visiting websites etc.
Before a customer decides to part with their hard earned money, they want to be confident they are making the right decision and the business they are buying from is reputable and will look after them moving forward.
So what does this mean for your business?
Let’s look at an example.
David wants to install some security cameras in his home. He has heard of two local companies who install these but he isn’t sure if they offer what he wants or even what the best solution might be so he gets out his phone and starts to research them.
David visits the instagram page of Business A and starts to scroll through their grid. They haven’t posted to their grid in 3 months and the content that is there doesn’t show what kind of cameras they offer. There is a link to their website in the bio so he clicks on that. He is taken to a landing page with a short description of what the business offers and a contact form.
He decides to switch tactics and he goes to google. He searches for Business A and he can see it has a small number of 3-4 star reviews but their google profile doesn’t include any photos so he still isn’t sure if they can offer him the service he wants.
He switches his attention to Business B and he searches for them on google. Immediately he can see a few hundred 4-5 star reviews and there are photos of previous work attached to the google profile. The profile has a link to the company website so he clicks through.
The website is nicely branded and includes professional looking images of the employees carrying out their work. He clicks through to a section of the website that explains the different security systems the company offers along with some clear benefits of each system. At the bottom of the product page, he finds a banner with the words “Need help choosing the right system for you? So he clicks on it and he is taken to an article on the website that breaks down everything you need to consider when choosing a security system.
Already he feels like this company can help him but he continues to do his research. He finds their Instagram profile and he is delighted to see dozens of short videos explaining the different equipment, giving advice and showing different systems that they have installed. He can see the quality of their work and now he has a better understanding of the system he wants so he gets in touch to continue with the purchase.
So what was the difference between Business A and Business B?
Business B was able to take David from a place of not understanding the options available to feeling confident about what he needed and he also saw Business B as an authority in security camera systems so he trusted them to carry out the work for him.
Both businesses could have very similar levels of service, very similar prices and very similar levels of experience but because business B took the extra time and effort to create quality content on their website and social media - they allowed David to satisfy his need to educate himself and in the process of doing this, he was able to have multiple touch points with them so by the time he made the call to speak with someone, he already trusted and felt familiar with them.
Business A did have a website but it wasn’t kept up to date. They did have an up to date Facebook page but because David doesn’t really use Facebook, he never thought to search for them on it - all he found was an out of date Instagram page.
How can you make sure your business is set up for the 7-11-4 Rule?
There are hundreds of businesses across Northern Ireland competing for the same customers and they will choose to buy from the brands who they see as experts in their field and who they trust.
To place your business as the leaders in your industry, you have to have a multichannel approach to your marketing. This is fancy marketing talk for “you need to be on a number of different platforms.” We aren’t saying you need to be on all of them but you should be on the 2-3 platforms where your ideal customers are hanging out. This might be Instagram, Facebook and Youtube or it could be Twitter, Linkedin and Pinterest.
You should create content that helps potential customers answer the questions they have about your product or service to help them overcome any objections they may have.
Here are 3 key action points that will help you:
Make sure your business has an up to date profile on the top 3 social media platforms that your customers are hanging out on. These may not be the same platforms you use on a daily basis so you may need to do some research if you are unfamiliar with them.
If you aren’t sure what to post to these platforms, try to hit these 3 categories.
Information - what products or services do you offer?
Inspiration - The impact that product or service will have on the customers life.
Education - help the customer make crucial decisions by explaining different features or benefits.
It’s also a good idea to sprinkle in some positive testimonials from previous customers as this is social proof that you can be trusted.Your website is a great place to educate customers. Make a list of the top 5-10 questions you get asked on a weekly basis from new customers before they buy from you. You can be sure that if one customer is asking that question, hundreds of others are potentially looking for the same information.
When you have your list, write a short article to answer each question and have it on your website in the form of a blog or FAQ section.
Pro Tip: Once you have your articles written, you can record a 60 second video version of each article and use them as content on your social media channels.
This may sound like a lot of work, but the effort you put in upfront will build a customer's trust in you which will make it easier when it comes time for them to buy from you.
If you are struggling to keep up with your online marketing or you don’t have the knowledge to create the content needed then we would love to have a chat with you to discuss how we can help you with your content creation.
We can meet with you and get a feel for what your business is all about then together we can come up with a content plan that will ensure your potential customers understand exactly who you are and why they should buy from you.
It costs nothing to have a chat so complete the form below with your details and we will get in touch to arrange a time that suits you.
