Why Understanding Your Customer is So Important
If someone were to ask what makes your company stand out from the competition, three types of people should be able to immediately answer that question: the company’s owners, its employees, and its existing clients. But what would your potential clients say? Are you making sure they know what makes your company better than the competition, even before they buy?
Yes, you know how awesome your brand is, but that opinion shouldn’t be held strictly amongst your existing clients and employees. You should be making sure that every potential client knows your company’s strong points and how you meet their specific needs better than anyone else. That way when they’re ready to buy, they’re coming right to you.
This is why digital branding is so important. The general public isn’t getting their information directly from you or your happiest clients, they’re researching you and similar companies online. Are all of the great feelings you, your employees, and clients have about your brand being reflected accurately on Google? Yelp? Twitter? And if not, how do you fix that?
The first thing you need to do is a little research to figure out all the different possible ways a potential client or customer might come across you online. Take into consideration how, when, and on what device they might be looking for you. Are they searching for services like yours on a social media platform? Are they searching specifically for your brand on a search engine like Google or Bing? Are they using their desktop, mobile, both? This might sound like a lot of work, but the best way to do it is to step into your customer’s shoes and think like them.
Here are a few examples of different search entries potential customers might use and come across you online:
- you business name,
- a misspelled business name,
- you business name and location,
- you business name and reviews,
- your services offered,
- your services offered and location,
- a competitor name, etc.
The list does not end there, but you catch our drift. Once you go through this process and discover what shows up online, you will have a better understanding of how your business is ranking when using these search keywords and platforms.
If people are searching for you by your company’s name, you’re already at a good place. If your business is already ranking in the top ten results, even better! If it isn’t, that’s okay. That just means it’s time to get to work.
In order to make sure that your business and brand starts ranking for relevant searches, you need to generate relevant content using the keywords and phrases you want your company to show up for in Google, Bing, or wherever. Once your content is created, it should be distributed across different digital channels via publishing blog posts, updating your websites, interacting on social media, and responding on review sites.
Keep in mind that when you publish content, you need to be thinking about four things: visibility, clarity, consistency, and positivity. Visibility is about making your content easily available and easy to find. The best way to do that is by creating original, quality content, not copying the same pieces everyone else is writing (Google rewards originality when it comes to ranking.) You want to be clear and consistent in your messaging because you don’t want to confuse your potential customers. Lastly, stay positive. Don’t focus on bashing your competitors, that will only make potential customers uncomfortable. Focus on creating a healthy online presence that feels welcoming for those in need of your services.
Getting to know your potential customers takes time. But once you get the hang of it, you will be on your way to increasing your customer flow and your revenue!
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