Making Thanks Your First Priority

We offer our clients a wide array of services that are sure to improve their lives, but it’s important to remember how much they do for us as well. After all, without clients, there is no work to be done. You have to ask yourself: am I doing a good enough job at thanking my clients?

It’s a relatively simple thing to do; you begin by thanking them for meeting with you. This recognizes that they might be pushing themselves out of their comfort zones, but you appreciate them just the same.

Then, you can take it a step further. Remember the little details, like when you’ve been working with them for a year. Celebrate these events with your clients, and remind them how much you value them. Or, send them a thank you note. There is no better way to share appreciation than with a hand-crafted letter. In these instances, a little goes a long way.

By making this a priority, you will be able to foster relationships meant to stand the test of time. Through building positive relationships outside of your services alone, the work you complete together will be more valuable for everyone involved.

 

Do You Exceed Your Own Expectations?

Here’s a resolution we should all keep throughout the year 2020: provide backing to everything we say to our clients. Think about how many empty things you say on a daily basis, like saying that your day is going well. While this is harmless in daily conversations, it can leave a bad taste in the mouths of your clients if they don’t feel your promises are fulfilled.

We’ve found a few ways to make sure you’re using specific language in a way that demonstrates the value of your business:

• Rely on your history. If you have the numbers to back up a claim, this is the best opportunity to use it. Saying that you’re able to save your clients 40% or more speaks much more than simply saying you can save people money.
• Showcase your accomplishments  If you’ve been recognized for your work, your clients want to know about that. It increases your accountability and helps you build trust even before meeting new partners or clients.
• Share past work. Obviously, this piece comes with guidelines. You can’t violate any confidentiality you’ve agreed upon with your clients, but you can share general overviews of people you’ve worked with in the past. It can allow prospective clients to resonate with your work.

By utilizing these tactics, you’re able to really put your money where your mouth is. Not only will you be able to attract new opportunities that are in line with your mission as a business, but you can end each day knowing that the relationships you’re building are genuine.

New Decade, New Marketing Strategies?

When it comes to building and implementing strong marketing campaigns, it seems to be  easier and easier to publish something that’s savvy and enticing to viewers. However, what does this do for your business? As we’ve covered before, we’re trying to establish marketing that engages viewers and reminds them of the value you provide, which can’t be done through hasty posts and quick interactions.

Instead, try to take a deeper look at what you’re trying to achieve. We tend to focus on the how (which, don’t get us wrong, is important – your hard earned money should be put to good use!!), when really, we should be focusing on the why. Why should viewers interact with your campaign? What should they take away from it? What should their next steps be? Through this, you’ll be able to build a deeper understanding of their underlying motivations which can then be used to your advantage.

So, what does this mean for your marketing strategies? Take a moment during the first few days of 2020 and think about what you’ve used in the past. There’s likely been some changes since you first started, which can be helpful in determining what comes next. The new year doesn’t have to be full of groundbreaking marketing techniques; all you might need is a realignment into your value to bring about the next wave of happy clientele.

How Do You Stand Out?

Today’s businesses are all tackling the same old problem: how do we stand out in an industry that’s full of professionals? While your expertise is certainly important, it’s the holistic image of your brand that allows you to truly impact your audience, from the services you offer, to the way you treat your clients.

One of your biggest differentiators is how clients feel after working with you. Do you remember their names and make them feel welcome when they first arrive? Do you make sure their questions are answered properly and fully? Are you able to leave them with insightful thoughts they can carry forth into their daily lives? Other impacts can include:

• Tangible items
• Compelling stories
• Valuable feelings

At the end of the day, it’s not always the things you give to your clients, but the feelings and value they’re instead able to experience. By remaining thoughtful about your impact on clients, you can make sure you’re truly representing your brand well. Genuine and authentic interactions will always outlast fads and stand the test of time.

Posting on Social Media – What Time is a Good Time

Let’s consider this: how many useful emails do you actually get in a day? It’d be pretty safe to assume that the number is substantially low, especially in regards to the sheer mass of marketing materials you get. With that being said, wouldn’t it be helpful to have a better understanding of when to circulate marketing content?

Researchers at Notre Dame and Texas A&M certainly thought so. After collecting and compiling research concerning optimal times to post and circulate targeted marketing content, they were able to discover two key insights:

• Posting on social media in the mornings can lead to larger boosts in insights and traffic. The difference is drastic – posting in the morning leads to an almost 9% increase in traffic over afternoon posts and 11% over those posted in the evenings.
• On the flip side, targeted content advertising is much better suited for the afternoon. Using these forms of paid social media marketing can generate a 21% increase in engagement over the morning and 11% more than the evenings.

There’s a lot of clutter circulating your clients. By keeping these tips in mind when crafting your content, you’ll be able to make sure your advertising efforts stand out and connect with your consumers.

Channel Your Expectations

When it comes to dealing with customers, it is incredibly important to make sure that you understand your business model. The phrase, “understand your WHY” has been repeated so many times that now, people are obsessed with positioning their products and services to all sorts of niche markets. However, the way that your customers perceive you is just as important, if not more so, than the way you perceive yourself as a business. Here are some of our top tips for increasing your overall customer satisfaction:

1. Pick up the phone. Take the timeout of your day to connect with your clients and work towards building a lasting connection.
2. Gather feedback. Not sure if your strategies are working? Ask your clients. You might be surprised with how helpful their advice can be.
3. Train your staff. As your business grows, chances are you won’t be able to balance every form of communication. By bringing on staff members who are open to understanding your brand, you can make sure every interaction is up to your standards.
4. Anticipate their needs. As your relationship continues to grow, you’ll learn more and more about what your clients need and with time, can have an idea of what services they’ll need before they even have to ask.

By keeping your customers in mind, you’ll be able to work with them to make sure that their expectations are not only met, but exceeded.

Making Your Mark

One of the best things about living in today’s digital age is the endless amount of opportunities available for people to leave their mark on the world. However, this can lead to saturated markets and competitive industries. With everyone trying to find the latest way to differentiate themselves, how can you make sure you truly stand out against your competition?

It’s important to understand what your clients look for.  When clients are looking for different firms to align themselves with, they often have a series of criteria they look to fill. Since this relationship with involve sharing personal subjects like legal and financial advice, it’s important your prospective clients feel comfortable sharing their information with you.

Now, we can’t speak for every potential client in out there, but the majority of people feel most comfortable when working with people they trust, and this trust is often formed out of creating real relationships. Think of some of the key things that you use to market your business: the things that sound exciting to you are going to sound just as exciting to your new clients as well.

Whatever your differentiators are, you need to understand what they are and make sure they’re present in everything that you do. Every potential client has a preconceived idea of what they’re looking for, and the reality of the situation is that your culture might not fit the wish list of every consumer. By owning your company culture and sticking to it, you’ll be sure to attract clients ready to build a lasting relationship.

Manifest Your Motivators

Simon Sinek started the revolution: how can you do anything if you don’t understand the why behind it? With an open mind and some spare time, it’s easy to think about why you do things. Why did you choose this particular career path? Why do you target the clients that you do?

While this might be obvious to you, your clients might miss your oh-so-obvious message if it’s not shared properly. When it comes to sharing your why, the cohesiveness behind your message is just as important as the message itself.

Take some time to evaluate your branding presence. Does your LinkedIn bio explain why you love what you do? Does your website capture the energy of your office? By making sure every representative of your work is accurate, your clients are that much more likely to trust you with their most difficult needs.

You can even take this further than evaluating introspectively. Why are your clients passionate about their work? By understanding their actions, you’ll be able to immerse yourself in their brand and make an even bigger impact.

It’s a long conversation to be had in order to understand the underlying motivations behind everyday actions, but in doing so, you’ll be much better positioned to truly make a difference with your work.

Make 2019 the Year of Upgraded Marketing

In the past, the definition of marketing has been simple: find a way to get new clients to learn about your brand. But what if your marketing did more than just get the word out? What if your marketing performed in such a way that these new clients actually believed in the services you offered?

Rather than focusing on what you can do for your business using elaborate (and expensive) marketing campaigns, try ringing in the new year by using specific and strategic language that compels your audience to take action. What better way to bring in new clients than by relating to their needs and providing solutions for them?

Using strategic communication also furthers the understanding of your brand. Do you prioritize finding solutions or do you often find your focus set on helping your clients cut unnecessary spending? Whether it’s in person or online, using consistent verbiage with your clients provides them with a better understanding of what you offer, but more importantly, why you offer it. This also provides you with countless opportunities to ensure that you brand displays its values at every opportunity.

Take the arrival of the new year as an opportunity to expand your marketing efforts to let your brand speak for itself. You’re a part of an incredibly powerful business – let your skills shine!

Here’s to Remembering Your Customers

Customers want to be remembered. When you recognize a customer, something about them, welcome them back to your website, etc., that will leave a lasting impression with them. Customer retention and new customer acquisitions are some of the most important things to keep your business thriving and relevant.

You might be wondering why remembering your customer, even if it’s the website that recognizes they have visited before, is so important. First of all, it makes the customer feel important. It shows that you are caring about them and the service they receive. Secondly, you’re creating a connection with your customer. If you’re meeting face to face, people like to feel as though they know the people that they are with. And thirdly, whether it is electronically or in person, it makes everything about the experience that much more personal.

So, here is what customers appreciate you knowing or doing:

1. Personalization. Make the experience tailored to the specific customer and they will appreciate it more than you know.
2. Names. If you remember the customer’s name it can make all the difference in the world.
3. Simplifying. Simplify the process for websites, simple loyalty programs, great customer service, etc. The more you do the less the customer has to do and that’s what they want.

Do you have any great tips or stories on customer relations? Share below!