One of the things I’m often asked is “How do I know what to write on my blog or news page?” My answer is always the same… Write what your customers want to know about! To be able to do this you really do need to step into their shoes.
The single most important thing you can do to increase sales and leads both online and offline is to step into your customers shoes, and experience your product, store, website the way they do.
To help you do this, I’ve compiled a list of processes you might want to follow regularly, that will help you understand who they are, what they’re looking for and the experience they are having. Here it is, in no particular order.
- Reevaluate your website “About Us” page. Is it about you? It shouldn’t be…. It should be about your customer, whatever content you write on this very important page must always come back to how your product or service can benefit your customer, what’s in it for them?!
- Create a customer survey. What are your customers reading, viewing or visiting? You can’t guess this information you need to be sure that your prospects will find you easily online and offline. Compiling a survey will allow you to determine the social channels your audience is using and the magazines they’re reading. You should also consider asking what time of day they’re online to allow you to ensure your posts gain maximum exposure. Once you have your answers, pop them in a spreadsheet and look for trends.
- Ask for feedback. Whenever I run a workshop the feedback form is one of the most important things for me to write, it must ensure that I get the most information about my customer’s experience and requirements. If you sell a physical product consider phoning your customer to ask how they’re enjoying their new “widget”.
- Visit your website regularly from a desk top computer and a mobile device. Is it loading fast enough? Is it formatting correctly? Is it current? Is it easy to navigate? How many steps are there for your customer to get to where they need to click “Buy Now” or “Contact Us”? Remember people can land on any page of your website from a Google search, so you need to go through every page, not just the home page. If you sell online carry out a test sale at least once a week.
- Call your customer service team, if you have one…
- Go undercover. Engage a secret shopper.
- Visit your competitors. This works both online and offline. If your customers are using other suppliers for the product or service you offer, you need to know what they’re doing differently to you. This will allow you to establish why they are getting the business and you’re not.
