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Global Point of View: Every Little Courtesy Counts
Every Little Courtesy Counts
Running a business isn’t just about acquiring customers, it’s also about retaining their business. Clever advertising may get them in the door, but one less-than-stellar experience with your services may cause them to walk right back out—and never come back.
Of course, no business can run smoothly all the time; there are bound to be problems that will affect customers. So it’s important to have a plan for making amends.
Consider the following scenario: a mother with two young children is at the checkout of a major retail store. Her kids are tired and cranky, and she’s beyond ready to leave. The clerk asks if she wants to sign up for a rewards account and save 10%, and she decides that she would. But the process takes considerably longer than she thought it would, and a line of customers is waiting impatiently behind her. After she provides all of the necessary information and signatures, the clerk informs her that it didn’t work for some reason, and with the help of a manager they determine that the rewards system is down—the customer cannot open an account at this time. Frustrated, the mother hurries toward the exit, vowing never to return.
But just before she walks out, the manager catches up with her and gives her a coupon for ten dollars off of her next purchase.
It’s a small gesture, but when it comes to customers and clients, every little courtesy counts. The coupon is, hopefully, enough to entice the customer to return to the store, and it lets her know that the store recognizes its faux pas and is sorry—it lets her know that her business is appreciated.
Your customers want to feel important. Do them the courtesy of meeting their expectations, and they’ll return the favor by coming back again and again.
The People Attached to the Email
Email marketing certainly has its advantages: it’s a cost-effective and convenient way to advertise to thousands—even millions—of customers. All you have to do is buy a list of email addresses and start sending messages. Right?
Not quite. Buying email addresses is certainly a fast way to build a list to initiate an email campaign. But while it may be tempting to believe that email marketing is as simple as blasting out advertisements to waiting inboxes, you’re forgetting one main factor: the people attached to those inboxes. And if all you’ve done is pay to have access to their email address, there’s a good chance they won’t want to hear from you.
This type of email campaigning can do more harm than good. Yes, your message will reach a wide span of inboxes, but the people who did not request contact with you will think “spam” when they hear your company name, which probably isn’t the kind of reputation you want to acquire.
Instead, take the time to build a quality list of recipients who are interested in receiving information via email. Use email addresses previously provided by current customers, and add an opt-in link to your website. Or consider renting a list, which has the added bonus of performance reports provided by the list manager. In the end, your list will be smaller, but you will have access to interested customers rather than detached email addresses.
Women and Social Networking
Women today are busier than ever. Juggling families, careers, and hobbies is common practice for many women these days, and doesn’t leave much time for socializing.
Maybe this is why so many women are jumping on the social networking bandwagon. According to a study conducted by social site ShesConnected, 59% of surveyed women check in with their social sites many times a day (read more about the study here). It’s easy to understand why: social networking sites, combined with the popularity of smartphones, provide a convenient way for the on-the-go woman to keep in touch with friends and family.
The survey also found that 79% of women use social sites for researching products and services, and 64% search for deals and discounts. However, most of the respondents were concerned about privacy, and though the majority didn’t have a problem with advertising on these sites, 96% preferred having the ability to block specific users.
So when it comes to social media marketing, think female—the audience certainly is there, and they’re interested. Just be sure to play the proper role: being an informative and social “friend” will help you avoid being just another advertisement.
Thank you for spending a few moments with our newsletter. We appreciate your time and encourage you to contact us to continue the conversation. At Global Marketing Solutions our goal is to offer affordable marketing advice and services. Give us a call or an email - we'd love to hear from you.
On Twitter. On Blogger. On MySpace. On Facebook. April W. Boone April@GMStheBest.biz
John Boone John@GMStheBest.biz
Laura McGill Laura@GMStheBest.biz
Thanks to everyone who participated in last month's survey. Here are the results. How often do you check work-related email at home?
This month's weigh-in
Earlier this summer we shared a table with Jan at a tourism function and talked about life, family and marketing. Later on as the conversation grew through emails, we learned more of Jan's desire for a new website and presented a proposal. Information and inspiration. That's what Jan wanted in her website. That and lots of great photos to tell the story. She wanted potential customers to use the site as a planning resource, to learn about the unique destinations and experiences that are part of her tours. So we set out to gather images, create a design and start the building process. Jan worked with her copywriter to provide tour descriptions. And as the pieces came together, we worked closely to adjust and tweak until we achieved a final product that captures the message and the experience of Landmark Tours. It was an absolute delight to work with Jan and we are as pleased as she is to show off the new Landmark Tours website.
The theme of this year’s holiday season is strategy—for both consumers and retailers. The IRI survey found that this year shoppers will be sticking to lists and budgets, analyzing what they (and their families) need and don’t need, and buying private-label products. They’re also placing much importance on religion and spending time with friends and families during the holidays. So how should retailers respond? With a strategy of their own. Marketing campaigns should target the shoppers’ family values and budgets, and should take into consideration that consumers are making more in-home purchase decisions. To read more about the Information Resources survey findings, click here.
Parting Thought |
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