In marketing, we are always talking about adding value. Focusing on customer experience and becoming more customer-centric, we must first understand what our customers see as valuable.
What adds value? It’s not ALWAYS about discounts. While coupons and promotions reduce the cost of acquisition, they add little to the overall customer experience. If you’ve ever had a negative customer service experience, you know that a discount on a future purchase probably didn’t negate your negative feelings.
Understanding your customer is the key to adding value. The art of creating added value starts with the ability to see your business through the eyes of your customers. You need to know your customers to add the relevant definition of value to improve their customer journey and experience. If you’re not relevant to them, then all you are doing is talking about yourself.
1 – Consider your customers’ perspective
Consider what’s important to your target market and how your product or service will benefit them.
- What problem does it solve?
- How will it help them overcome obstacles?
- How does it help them do their jobs better?
Many businesses miss the boat by focusing on features instead of benefits. Start helping and stop selling! Shift to focusing on providing content that focuses on your customers’ needs.
Create customer personas to provide insights about your current and future customers.
- Who are they?
- What’s meaningful to them?
- What kind of content are they looking for?
2 – Improve customer satisfaction
Lack of customer satisfaction is a reason people stop coming back.
Soliciting feedback through surveys regularly, allows you to keep your finger on the pulse of your customers’ needs in their journey with your business and is also an opportunity to monitor your brand’s identity in the marketplace.
Free survey tools:
- Survey Monkey
- KwikSurveys
- SurveyPlanet
These platforms offer easy-to-use templates and unlimited responses to ensure you can collect feedback. After you have collected your responses don’t forget to create an action plan based on the results.
3 – Develop a memorable customer experience
Businesses with exceptional customer experiences gain more referrals, positive online reviews, and higher retention rates.
To map your customer experience, consider all the touch points your business has with the customer. Memorable customer experience models aim to deliver unexpected value through personalized service, attention to detail, and showing a sense of urgency to address concerns as they arise.
From initial lead capture to post-purchase communication, how can you add value for the customer throughout the process?
- Is your website easy to use?
- Is the information they are looking for readily available?
- Is online ordering easy?
- How long do they typically wait to receive your item?
- Do you follow up with them AFTER the sale?
4 – Offer helpful resources
Free resources like a printable PDF guide, or a company branded calendar, free resources are a great way to offer ‘a little something extra’ to your customers. Even though the item is free, it still needs to have relevance to your market and should always be consistent with your brand’s overall purpose.
- Is there an easy how-to guide you can create?
- Is there a template you could provide?
- Are there tips that can help them personalize your product?
I hope these tips will help you think about ways you can add value for you customers today.
What other methods do you use to add value for your customers?