HOW MUCH DO YOU REALLY CARE?

Drew is the coolest party animal on the block.

Not only is he the best DJ in his neighborhood, but he can throw a shindig like no one else! However, Drew has a problem. No matter how great his parties are, and no matter how many flyers he posts around inviting his neighbors to join in on the fun, he can never get but a few guests to show. Drew is stumped and frustrated. He can throw the best party around, but what’s the use if no one will come?

Drew’s predicament, although fictional, illustrates a common problem that many businesses face: no matter how amazing a product is and despite how much is spent on advertising, customers need another reason to choose your brand over the next “party” down the street.

Customers ‘Don’t Care How Much You Know, Until They Know How Much You Care.’

The “Digital Marketing Revolution” has changed much within the marketing sphere, but it hasn’t changed the fundamental H2H (human to human) component to compelling a customer to return time and again.

Customers want to interact with brands, and they won’t be convinced that your brand cares about them unless you take the time and effort to show them.

Forget stiff, old-school marketing techniques that tout “Best B2C (business to consumer) Practices.” People want to interact with brands that have a relatable, “human” element. Combine this with the need for “integrated marketing,” (an approach that unifies all of a brand’s marketing efforts into one, consistent customer experience) and you get a unique challenge!

But here’s the good news. This problem has a solution!

WHAT DO TRADER JOE’S, MORTON’S AND DOMINOES HAVE IN COMMON?

Trader Joe’s, a hip alternative to many larger grocery chains, quickly has become one of the highest rated grocery stores in the country.

Making a statement by labeling all of their products with titles such as “This blueberry walks into a bar” (a granola bar) and “Magic Beans” (a chocolate candy), Trader Joe’s is committed to more than just making their customers laugh. If you step into a Trader Joe’s, you’ll notice that the staff are not just there for the bi-weekly paycheck. Instead of being shuffled through like cattle, customers are treated with a small-town courtesy and dedication to excellence. Customers love the inventory at Trader Joe’s, but even more than that, they love shopping there!

Morton’s, an internationally acclaimed steakhouse, made headlines after a customer–who also happened to be rather well known himself–tweeted “Hey @Mortons – can you meet me at Newark airport with a porterhouse when I land in two hours? K, thanks. :).” When his flight arrived in Newark, Morton’s met the surprised fan with a hot steak dinner, and left him with a good reason to remain a lifelong advocate of their brand.

As one of the leading pizza chains in the country, Domino’s seemed too big to fail until a few years ago, when the company acknowledged through a self-depreciating ad campaign that many customers thought Domino’s pizza tasted like cardboard. In this new campaign that highlighted their own failure, Domino’s assured their customers that they were going to do all they could to reinvent their own recipe. Shockingly, this actually ended up boosting Domino’s salesand leading them to open 160 new locations!

These three brands, although different in type and structure, all have one thing in common: they diligently listen to their customers and act on feedback.

So, how does a business go about mastering great client interaction, especially via digital and integrated marketing pursuits? Here are three steps.

1- DEVELOP “LISTENING STATIONS”

In his book “Platform – Get Noticed in a Noisy World,” Michael Hyatt, a renowned marketing expert, details the importance of establishing “outposts” where a your brand can listen to your followers.

These listening stations can include social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and can also include live streaming platforms like Periscope or services like Google Alerts (a service that will alert you when your brand or another keyword is mentioned on the web).

JetBlue, a prominent airline company, is a leader in social listening, and routinely monitors mentions of their brand on the web in order to keep tabs on any feedback posted outside of social media.

70% of Social Media Users Are More Likely to Pick Your Brand After Seeing Their Friends Post About It.

You may have a company email or office phone number that your customers are told they can use for feedback, but if your business doesn’t have an account on all of the major social media sites, you should fix that right away! According to Mark Schaefer, a marketing guru, about 70% of consumers report that they are more likely to buy a product based on a referral from a friend via social media.

Most conversation nowadays happens online via social media, and if your followers can’t interact with you or hear about your brand on social media sites, they will likely have a negative impression.

2- USE TECHNOLOGY TO STREAMLINE YOUR SOCIAL LISTENING

Are you overwhelmed by trying to scour the internet for mentions of your brand? Technology has dramatically increased the ease with which businesses can monitor feedback about their brand and interact with followers.

Jay Baer, president of Convince & Convert, reported that of a group of surveyed respondents “who have ever attempted to contact a brand, product, or company through social media for customer support, 32% expect a response within 30 minutes.”

If this stresses you out, you will be excited to learn that there are quite a few CRM (customer relationship management) platforms that will spare you a massive headache! Although they vary from platform to platform, many CRMs will allow you to both link various social accounts and utilize technology that will search hashtags and keywords on the web.

• Quickly respond to your audience with Tweetdeck, which lets you monitor and update Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, and allows you to keep track of your followers’ tweets and lists.

• Social Mention can monitor over 100 social platforms, and also conducts searches based on keywords. Other social monitoring platforms such as Synthesio and Sysomos provide a variety of social integration and monitoring features and analytics tools.

• Although CRMs like Salesforce and Freshdesk are a little more intensive and comprehensive in the services they offer, they provide a wide variety of social monitoring options. For instance, Salesforce has helped demystify and improve the CRM experience by providing incredible features such as cloud-based storage and accessibility, as well as comprehensive CRM support.

• • Salesforce is contained in the cloud, which allows business owners and staff to interact with customers and access their information anytime, anywhere. This cuts costs and adds an extra layer of security. Radian 6, Salesforce’s integrated social listening service, lets you monitor your social sites in one convenient platform.  
  • Salesforce is a comprehensive solution, and not only tracks with every aspect of a sale or client interaction, but is adaptable to any type or size of CRM system a business is looking for.

3- RESPOND TO FEEDBACK AND PROACTIVELY INTERACT

Just as Domino’s was able to respond to and circumvent negative feedback by creating a clever marketing campaign, you can utilize even critical feedback to your advantage.

Spot an unsatisfied customer among your Twitter followers? Contact them directly and see how you can make it up to them. Notice that one of your Facebook fans loves Broadway musicals? Let them know that you care about them by sending them two tickets to a show in their area.

Be Preemptive in Meeting Your Customer’s Needs!

Businesses are now outdoing themselves to see who can make customers (and even prospective customers) feel special, and the results are incredible. And thanks to social media, positive interaction with a customer can make headlines in a matter of hours!

Take the story of this formerly disgruntled hotel guest who tweeted about the view in his room. Once the guest returned to his hotel room after a day at a conference, he found a handwritten card apologizing for his dissatisfaction, and some yummy treats from the hotel administration. This led him to write: “here’s a brand that is really listening and trying to make a difference.”

Service Marketing Will Allow You to Listen to Your Followers, Improve Their Experience, and Turn Them Into Advocates for Your Brand!