Supplying customers and clients with accurate and useful information is crucial to streamlining their experience and ensuring the best image for your company. Currently, most businesses are turning to online outlets to showcase their most critical info to customers whether this be through their website via a google search or through QR code scanning at their brick and mortar location. Being accessible is key!
Ensure that your website is informative and remains up to date. When a client looks up your website, is the information on there exactly what you want them to know? If the last edit made to your website was three years ago, it may be time to reevaluate the content. With the past few months being a turbulent time where communication while distancing is critical, your website is the most important tool to accomplish your goals. When creating/updating a website for your establishment it may seem obvious to include information such as your location(s), your hours of operation, contact information, and services/products; however, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Sure, if you want a barebones site, this is fine, but if you really want to help your customers, especially during a time like this, you need to have all the answers to their questions readily available.
For example, a doctor’s office should be clear on their site if they are currently taking new patients or not and keep this section clearly visible and up to date. Likewise, a restaurant should be clear if they are currently allowing people to dine inside or outside due to health restrictions.
Be active online! Most people will try to figure out answers to their questions before reaching out to a representative. It is no longer enough to just have a website; clients will look for company social media platforms and your presence. It is also a way to keep up communication on all avenues, aside from just email and phone calls. For instance – if your program is having an outage, you can post the updates on your platforms, and this will help your staff from being inundated with messages of the same inquiries until the problem is resolved.
Stay trend/tech savvy. On average, American consumers check their phone 96 times a day. Communication and Marketing is not the same as it was twenty years ago – the year 2000 did not have the same phones, applications, and digital technology that it does now. Back then the only way to reach a client would be in person, over the phone, mail, and email… however, now there are dozens of other forms!
Not every company or industry will need to create their own app, but every industry uses them. Customer service can be provided over social media — Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are just a few that companies use to be accessible to their clients. Also consider Gmail and Google; the email blasts being pushed out need to be as legible over the phone as they are on the computer.
Although Digital Signage is not a new form of communication, it has been evolving in the recent few years! You can push a lot of advertisements out quickly, and daily, using signages at your business. Read more about it: (attach marketing article here). Your competition is providing it, so you should too!
Nothing is more frustrating to a client when they are getting the runaround, so make sure your staff are all on the same page! Your internal communication needs to come first because your company representatives will be the ones relaying the information, whether through marketing or one-on-one with the consumer. Providing information is all about being transparent and honest with customers. For instance, in the restaurant industry, if you have a limited food/retail menu or list because of the pandemic or have increased your prices because of such an emergency, be up front about this. Your loyal, regular customers WILL notice these changes and would appreciate being kept in the loop. Regular updates and maintenance are important to avoid issues that affect your business.
Associations within the industry – such as Chamber of Commerce and Non-profit affiliations. This is especially important for local-centered businesses, and it is good to have a relationship with them as the commerce may be the one standing in the way of goals and business ventures. For instance, in most cases, you need permission to display a digital sign outside of your company building. If there are new companies popping up in the region, a Chamber of Commerce can recommend your services to them.
Whatever industry you are in, your digital presence is key to your success. Customers should not have to hunt for your information, so consider using videos or graphics to get your message across in an interactive, accessible, and eye-catching way! Hiring a content marketing team streamlines this process—they can assess your target audience, research proper techniques, and implement proper content to get your message across.