Try Talking to your Customers

Social Media has taken over the world.  But, is it a personal convenience, a new way of marketing, a more expedient way of communicating or is it an obsession?  Gadgets and widgets, apps for just about everything, QR codes, free wifi is now an advertised come-on, tweet ups, tweet outs, like buttons and communities full of friends most of whom you wouldn’t recognize if you bumped into them on the street.  Increasingly, social media is being viewed as a rude and often invasive or unsafe addiction.  A recent article in MACLEAN'S Magazine suggested that an amazing number of twenty somethings thought it was just fine to text while having sex.  Really!  Can you imagine that conversation?  And, how did the partner feel?

It Pays to Care

There are customers and clients who have given you their loyalty forever. They come back again and again without concern for price.  They believe in you and what you do. 

What have you done for me lately

It’s an old cliché but more true today than ever.  As businesses focus entirely on growth to survive, they often fail to recognize the value of those customers who are the basis of their very existence.  They take us for granted.  They do little or nothing to keep us happy while they do everything to delight a prospective customer or client.  What gives?

Assess Your Business Past Before Looking to the Future

There was a day when you were lost without a phone book.  Chances are the Yellow Pages were in the back.  In a larger city, you probably had two books, White Pages for regular listings and Yellow Pages for businesses and services.  

Bring back memories?  

By the end of a year, the books would be all dog eared (with apologies to the dog) and maybe there were some pages missing.  But you used the books constantly.  Business owners set aside budget to make sure their Yellow Pages ad was seen.  For many it was a critical part of a simple marketing plan - word of mouth and the Yellow Pages, a great combination because it worked.

How to Use QR Codes

You’ve had a serious look at your marketing plan and you’ve come to the conclusion that you need to become more social in order to communicate with your current and prospective customers.  

Good for you and I mean that sincerely! 

Social media is the new black.  It is now a basic, an essential for the development of your business.  All of the components in your plan must work together just like teamwork is vital to the success of your customer service.

QR Codes and the art of attracting attention 

10 Point Communications Strategy

As you build your business, consider the paths to category dominance available to an “expert”.  Today’s consumer is less about the Yellow Pages and phoning Directory Assistance and more about Google.  Technology has made it easy to research a product or service before darkening the door of a store or an office.

Today’s consumer has the tools to be better informed, to share experiences and most importantly, to find the businesses that pay attention to their customers needs and desires.