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Marketing Tip of the Week – Engage Your Customers

October 21, 2011 by Kelly Curtis Leave a Comment

Why do customers choose one brand over another? Is it better products, customer service or maybe the interaction they receive from that brand? Customers want to feel important, like they have a voice and that they matter to the company. They want to be recognized for choosing your brand over any one else. Yes, they choose you because of the products and customer service, however, they stay local because of the interaction they receive from your store or brand. So, FGmarket’s marketing tip of the week is all about engaging your customers.

Always Respond – Always respond in store, all social media platforms, all the time. Some may tend to shy away if it’s a negative comment, however, that’s how your business can grow and your customers will stay loyal. If one customer has something negative to say, respond. This shows that you care and you can learn from your mistakes. Customers will feel as if they have a voice in your company.

Strike Up A Conversation –It’s important to engage your customers. Don’t sit back and watch, learn from your customers, and starting up a conversation is the best way to learn. They’re the ones that buy from you, so they’re the best ones to ask. This can also establish you as a leader or an authoritative figure in your industry. Start up a conversation on a current event in your store or what they’d like to see in the future from you.

Different Platforms – So, not everyone uses the same social media platforms. Therefore, you should use different ones as well so you can reach all your customers. Don’t settle on one, if you do, you may not be able to reach all your customers. You don’t want that. You want to be accessible to everyone.

Taking Action – Not only do you have to take action, but wouldn’t you like your customers to take action as well? A conversation involves more than just you, so ask your customers to take action too. Ask them to take action to show what they want, let them know it’s important to be heard so you can better suit their needs.

Stand Out – Of course, the first think you have to do to engage consumers is to stand out. Consumers won’t notice you from the crowd, unless you do something unique to Continue reading “Marketing Tip of the Week – Engage Your Customers” »

Marketing Tip of the Week – Strengthen Customer Relationships

September 9, 2011 by Kelly Curtis Leave a Comment

What’s the most important thing in your store? Yes, customers are the main cause in keeping your store going. Yes, there are other elements to your store that makes it run, but customers are the ones who walk into your store and buy your items or services. Therefore, you need to focus on your customer relationships. This week’s marketing tip will focus on strengthening your customer relationships.

So, you’ve already developed customer relationships. Now, how do you maintain them and strengthen them from what they are now? We have a few tips that are easy to do, yet will still strengthen your relationships.

Greeting Cards – Something simple can go a long way. Keep track of your customer’s birthdays and send them a card along with holiday cards. By sending them one, they’ll feel special and thought of by your store.

Communication – Make sure you’re available for your customers. How many times have you wanted to get in contact with a business and couldn’t? It is frustrating when you want a simple question answered or something major happened and you need their attention. Therefore, remember be available.

Customer Loyalty –Keep track of your customer’s loyalty. Are they a suspect, prospect, first time buyer, repeat buyer, client or advocate? If you keep track of this, you know how to offer customer service and move them up the customer loyalty stages.

Customer Service – Always, always, always focus on your customer service efforts. Customer service is the key to bring customers back to your store. No one likes to walk into a store and get a lack of service and be treated rudely. Everyone enjoys a friendly, happy and informative customer Continue reading “Marketing Tip of the Week – Strengthen Customer Relationships” »

Marketing Tip of the Day

July 29, 2010 by FGmarket Leave a Comment

The Back to the Basics, 4 part, Marketing Series is coming to an end. In previous weeks, we have talked about Products, Pricing, and Place. If you are reading the tips for the first time, I would recommend starting with Products and reading through the last few weeks. Today, we will be discussing Promotion.

The last “P” of Marketing is promotion. This is the part that everyone relates to marketing; it is extremely important (but so are the other components!). You need to create a promotional strategy, are you going to actively seek your customers or provide the information necessary for them to find you? What type of image or reputation do you want your company to hold? You need to figure that out, then make every conscious effort to infiltrate every part of your organization with that image. This is known as “branding”. This builds your credibility, your customer relationships, and their perceptions of your company.

Promotion is not simply publicity and media. While it is important to use advertising through print, television, radio, etc. to inform your customers, there are more ways! (Of course Social Media tools fall into this category). You can effectively promote your brand through your staff, sales, sales support, public relations, social responsibility, etc. This includes everything from the attitudes and behavior of your companies staff, the appearance of the staff, the appearance of your store, your website, etc. Every part of your company that interacts with the public should reflect the image you want for your company.

Don’t forget about your budget! Many entrepreneurs love the advertising/promotional aspect of marketing and tend to get carried away, throwing their budget in the wind. It is important that you sit down and create a budget for your promotional plan. This will ensure that you strictly adhere to that budget.

To wrap it up, it is imperative that you recognize every part of your marketing strategy. Even if you already have a plan that is working for you, I encourage you to take the time to reevaluate each component of the 4 P’s and to analyze if you are most effectively addressing each issue. Try looking at your company/product from your customer’s view point, you may see something you have never seen before!

Danial

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Marketing Tip of the Day

July 14, 2010 by FGmarket Leave a Comment

Last week’s marketing tip kicked of the four part “Back to Basics” series. Every marketing principle/strategymust begin at square one: the 4 P’s of Marketing. This is a basic concept that marketing students learn in the beginning, however, by analyzing your 4 P’s, you can uncover new ways to better market your company. The 4 P’s are Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. Last week we discussed Product and this week we will cover Price.

Price

Understandably, this may be the most difficult components to alter to the needs of your business. Obviously, you must make a profit but your prices must be within the means of your customers and what they are willing to pay.

There are two dominating factors when analyzing the price of your products: competitor pricing and customer perceptions. You must be aware of how your competitors are pricing their similar products. If they are offering prices much lower than what you can afford, there are other ways to stay competitive. In this case, you must create the quality in the product that the customer is willing to pay for. Given that the customer has the appropriate means to buy your product, you must give them a reason to buy it (this reverts back to the product.)

You have two options. You can find ways to cut costs to offer the lowest or highly competitive pricing. The other option is to create quality in your product that customers are willing to pay for. You must plan your pricing strategy carefully because it will determine your profits and losses.

Other factors to consider regarding pricing are discounts. Are you willing to offer specials and discounts to your customers? Are you going to offer seasonal discounts? If you are a wholesaler or distributor, are you going to offer bundling prices for bulk purchases? These tactics are great ways to increase customer loyalty but you must be aware of potential losses and be willing(and able) to accept those. If you are a reseller, store, or shop, will you offer frequent buyer discounts/specials?

FYI: If you are a FG Market Vendor, make sure that your discounts/offers are listed on your FG Market Specials and Promotions Page!

Danial

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