 Marketers who work with their companies are at different stages when it comes to the digital transformation. Some are just beginning the transformation process, while others are unsure of what it really involves. But according to a new study of US digital transformation leaders, many agree that digital innovation comes with many advantages.
The research from Couchbase, an open-source software company, found that improving customer experiences and increasing profitability of services and products are widely considered some of the important benefits of digital transformation. For example, more than nine in 10 respondents (95%) thought improving the customer experience was an at least somewhat important aspect of digital innovation, while nearly as many (89%) said the same about creating services and experiences that stand out from the competition. In fact, a majority of respondents thought each of the digital transformation projects cited in the study was important. According to the report, many respondents felt that businesses that can’t keep up with digital innovation will survive less than five years before going out of business or being absorbed by a competitor. What’s more, 80% of respondents were already concerned that their own organization could be at risk of being surpassed by a rival. If you don’t think the digital transformation of your business is not important, just stop and think how newspapers which during the “good old days” thought nothing of pages of paper print and the advertising to go with it. Newspapers were the first to go digital with their content when print edition sales fell sharply. Sadly, due to overkill of ads popping up (which they need for survival) has made many of their loyal readership go elsewhere for less intrusive on line reading. In summary, if you have not made the digital transformation, when you do, think about your content and your visual images. Think about your customer’s experience when they see the “New You!” -Roy
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 I was chatting with a friend recently at a function and discussing "bad press" or getting bad reviews. We all had them. No matter what you do, the customer thinks you are terrible, your product or service stinks and how do you ever stay in business!?? In this social savvy world we live in today, protecting your brand, your name and your business is so important. We all know we can never make every customer happy as many out there are on a simple mission to get something from you for nothing or they just enjoy making someone's life miserable because they themselves are not happy. Having said that, let's explore some pointers that maybe you can turn a unpleasant experience into a good one for a customer. Point #1 Is there really any truth to their claim? We all make mistakes and perhaps the customer is actually right in whole or in part about their gripe. We are not perfect. Don't be offended but reach out to them and say, I am sorry, you are unhappy, what can we do to make it right? (Within reason of course) Point # 2 If you believe the claim is a bunch of lies or they are out to take advantage of you be polite but stand your ground. Do NOT get into a shouting match or argue with the customer. Try and back up your statements with facts or data you may have. Point #3 Use other customers you know to defend your point if they have used your product or service. Have them chime in on social media. You have fans, use them. Believe it or not, many times working with a upset customer can be turned into a long time customer. If you work with them, they may calm down and come back to you. Some folks just want to know if you are human and you care. Roy Garton FDMC Social & Digital Media www.floridadudemarketingconcepts.com Is marketing efforts too much for small business? Those who are "Mom and Pop" type operations typically get overwhelmed with marketing. Trying to do too much among all those channels of marketing (social media, advertising, print as well as on-line) can get very confusing and costly. Small businesses will spend over 20 to 30 hours a week allocating not only the employee but the owner as well. Trying to be everywhere they think their customers are is a crap shoot unless the small business steps back and research their place in their market share. Multi platform marketing as a small business owner takes patience and you may be surprised you don't need to cross-channel at all depending on your location, your competition, and your customer base.
If you are dishing out money to market professionals to help you promote your business and not seeing an effective ROI on your investment or trying to do it all yourself with that same negative result then you are obviously spinning your wheels and wasting good hard-earned money. If you are not engaging a professional your errors could include: Not knowing how to use the tools Spending too much time Your customers are not on the channels you selected Not measuring the analytics correctly Social Media platforms and advertising outlets is not a drop an ad here and a tweet their type of marketing. You need to know your customers and what you are selling and to whom. If you are paying a firm or agency to do it for you with a negative ROI then you need to sit down with them and find out why. If you are doing it yourself with wasted hours of a small base of clients looking at your sites then ask your customers directly what they want or survey them. Marketing for small business does not have to be painful just effective. Take a few steps back and breathe. Then take baby steps. We have all been there. The customer is not happy. They want your product or service discounted or even free. So when is saying you are really sorry appropriate? Is the customer as the saying goes, "Always right?" We do not like bad feelings, bad press, or with today's social media, a blast saying don't do business with so and so because they shafted me. Many times we do owe an apology because we did in fact screw up. We missed the boat. An employee did something wrong, the product was defective, the service was performed wrong, we did not smile right, it could be a number of things. In this competitive world, we have to sometimes save face and take the loss and say we are sorry. How can I make this up to you?
Then you have the typical customer out there who is always looking for a freebie, a law suit, or anything to capitalize off you. They make their living at it and you just got picked today. In my research and past experience in business, here are some simple tips for you to kick around. 1. Is the customer's demands reasonable? If you find the complaint small or within your company's policy then by all means fix it. If not, telling them you are sorry is not needed. You did the service or sold the product to the best of your and the companies' ability. 2. Always take time to understand the complaint and tell the customer you will look into it if it does not involve you directly. Maybe the complaint is an afterthought or does not even involve you or your business directly. Third parties sometimes cause the complaint. Just caring sometimes will fix the complaint. 3. If you get someone like I mentioned above, Mr. or Miss "I want this for free by golly I will sue you to get it!" then you need to also be firm and contact your legal team and many times, a simple letter from them to your irate customer will calm the waters fast. It may cost you some money but your reputation and your brand is worth the damage control with these type of people. Remember, social media is world-wide and one bad rap can go viral in a hurry. You need to ask yourself. "How important is my reputation and my business?" A few hundred bucks here is well spent. You may be already using the main 3 for social media (Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter, but there are other resources out there that you may be missing. Social Media is more than creating a site and then sitting back and watching. You have to interact, respond to posts, and keep your content fresh. Having platforms means maintaining them . Besides the above mentioned platforms, I would like to share with you, some others that you may have overlooked that will help with your branding and marketing efforts.
Social Media is a platform and a gateway to your customers. While many businesses choose to put "automated" helpful content and branding information
about their businesses out there for all to see, many times their customers ask questions or want to know more and they often fall on deaf ears. It is important to monitor and respond in real-time to your customers. If you do not have time then assign someone to at the very least, check your social media platforms daily to see if customers or prospects are asking questions or leaving a comment . There is also a tool available that I use called Mentions. There is a free basic version as well as a paid pro and enterprise version. It helps monitor when people are talking about your business or posts. Content response and posts need to be timely and consistent. Your customers who follow you develop a pattern of viewing your content. Make that special time to post and stick with it. Be helpful, kind, don't show anger and if a customer is posting a complaint ,engage them respectfully unless it is just a random goofball who is getting his jolly's being rude then by all means block him. (Yes those trolls are out there with nothing better to do) . The bottom line is Social Media content that is engaging, enlightening, and informative can increase your ROI as your fan base increases. Word of Mouth of your businesses and the viral effect of social media has been proven time and time again by fortune 500 companies. Promote and engage. Good luck and keep your customers happy! |
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