The Age of the Customer: How to Get to Know Them Real Well

With today’s fast-paced digital world, there’s this very rare opportunity called loyalty. Customers have a lot of sources now to find better deals wherever it may be available, and there’s no stopping them—unless you got them hooked on you. So how do you do just that? It’s just like winning over the woman (or man) of your dreams, it does take some time and a great deal of effort to get to know them, understand the processes of their thoughts and reactions, and invest in “the moves” or the execution to finally win them over. Here’s something to walk you thoroughly through your customers’ minds.

Talk to the Customer Service Department

There’s no other person who knows your customers well enough than those who interact with them every day. Talk to your “frontliners” and discuss the challenges that they face every day with the consumers, as well as those things that make the regulars satisfied.

Organise and Use Your Customer Data to Your Advantage

If you haven’t had the chance to track your customers’ buying habits, then now may be the time to do so. Your customers are either calling you, sending e-mails, commenting on social media, buying products online, or redeeming coupons. All these are bits and pieces that complete the bigger picture of who your customers really are. By having these information integrated, let’s say with a software that can help you segregate info, you can easily determine the customer profile that you would want to build a deeper relationship with.

Listen Up

Numerous studies from authority sources worldwide conclude that a substantial percentage of consumers research a certain product, offering, or service online before finally deciding to purchase. They search for other customers’ reviews before finally deciding to buy. And that is why you should be out there, to be on the lookout for those reviews!

The main key to knowing what your customers want is by listening to them. This age of social media have made customers more vocal about what they want and do not want, so pay close attention to those. Research competitors and visit their social media profiles and see how their customers react and interact. What do they want? When do they want it? Why do they need it? What ticks them off about a particular product or service? You can also go through online forums wherein they ask each other for their views.

Deeper probing can clue you in on what goes on inside customers’ minds. There’s got to be a background or history for all the ways that they react to a certain thing and that should be the basis for your decisions on how to reach them, engage them, and keep them.

Speak Their Language

The best way to know how to communicate with your customers is to speak their language. Follow online communities solely for your targeted niche. For instance, it could be a group involved in Lomography—follow all their activities and communities through websites or social media profiles to be able to study the flow of their conversations. You could even create a profile and speak as one of them, just to get to know their insights on things and might even be able to create a network that will be helpful to your business someday.

Learn Their Needs and Innovate From Them

They say where there’s a need, there’s an opportunity. Do not limit yourself and your customers to what is readily available today. Expand your horizon and see the deeper needs of your consumers, and strive to address them by crafting innovative products and services.

Always Put Yourself in Their Shoes

Oftentimes, business owners neglect the need to feel what it’s like being in their customers’ shoes. Always, always, try to imagine yourself as your own customer. Would your offerings be believable enough? Would your product live up to your standards and the standards of those who matter to you? Having unbiased thoughts can guide you in crafting the best product and communication tools that will deem honest to goodness!

With all these data gathering and immersion in the customer’s world, you can now specifically pinpoint who you want to target and be guided on the most effective communication style to reach them. When you know how to communicate with their ‘innermost’ parts, only then they will feel understood and will feel that your brand is making an effort to understand them. And that, is what you can call the start of a relationship. Once you got those people who matter, nurture them, deliver as much as you can, and never break that trust. These guidelines will not only secure your customers, they can also be a gateway for more hidden opportunities for revenue!

Photo Credit: Pixabay