Getting customers to know your name and good service reputation can bolster sales and delight more customers. That’s where marketing can make the difference.
Some of the most powerful marketing moves today are built through social media or grassroots efforts that cost next to nothing. Service, sales and marketing professionals can work together or individually on most of these ideas, which focus on adding value to customers’ personal or professional lives.
“If you sell something, you make a customer today; if you help someone, you make a customer for life,” says Jay Baer, author of Hug Your Haters.
Here are six ideas to try:
1. Offer more valuable tips
Most companies offer customers tips on how to use their products more effectively or get the most out of a service. Offering more of those tips — that help customers use your products and/or do things they typically enjoy in different formats can make you their go-to source.
Create short, specific digital tip sheets with titles that grab attention, and embed links to your site in them. If it’s relevant, helpful and paired with credible, memorable testimonials, the information will help you find and keep customers. Produce them as easy-to-download PDFs and in formats that can be posted directly to Pinterest, Instagram and Vine.
2. Co-author tip sheets
You don’t have to do all the heavy lifting to get your great ideas out there. Reach out to other companies that serve the same kinds of customers as you do (no direct competitors) and get the tip sheets on both of your social media sites.
It’s easier than ever to create tip sheets and infographics. Try free infographic templates from Word Stream that you can customize from within PowerPoint. If you need inspiration, try Visual.ly.
3. Create videos
Customers increasingly love videos, and they don’t have to cost you a bunch to produce. Many companies have eager employees do the talking and video-making. Then they post them on YouTube. If everyone’s camera shy, you can find a film student on Craigslist. Or how about this: Wistia offers a video tutorial on how to shoot expert-looking footage on your iPhone.
4. Reward contributors
Your customers can be one of your most powerful marketing tools. You can reinforce loyalty and increase testimonials that build business by giving contributors — those who interact on your social media sites, regularly sing your praises on their own social media pages or refer you to colleagues and friends — some perks.
5. Re-purpose good stuff
You probably know what’s worked in the past to bring in and keep happy customers. Re-purpose those ideas. For example, take a Facebook post that had exceptional likes and build it into a short video. Turn a video topic into a white paper. Gather online studies and stats that created big buzz and build infographics.
6. Get rewarded
Most industries or local business associations have awards you can win. With that comes an online badge you can display on your website to boost credibility. And if there isn’t an award for your industry, create one. Colleagues and partner companies will want to apply for your award and when they win, they’ll help get your name out there.
