Get to Know Your Customer Day
Set a reminder on your phones, scribble it down on your marketing calendars and inform your HR departments – Get to Know Your Customer Day is back. This national day is recognised across businesses every quarter, in January, April, July and October and it’s the perfect chance to re-engage with your customers and spark up fresh conversations. Reaching out and learning your customers’ pain points and asking for feedback and ways to improve your products is an authentic and reliable way of increasing your customer lifespan1. Ultimately, when businesses and organisations take time to understand their customers’ point of view, they get ideas on how to improve business, open up marketing opportunities and in turn create loyalty2. If this is the first you’re hearing about this global event, there’s no time like the present to roll up your sleeves and get involved.
This annual celebration offers marketers a reminder that understanding your audience is integral to your company’s ongoing success3. Not only is it a great opportunity to reach out to your customers and learn about their shopping habits but it’s the perfect chance to give something back to your loyal customers. So, how well do you really know your customers? And are you doing enough to retain audiences and increase engagement?
Data taken from the Digital Marketing Institute 4 highlights exactly why it is so crucial to “engage, inspire, and connect in a way that is both meaningful and valuable in equal measures5.”
• 96% of consumers state that customer service is an integral factor in their loyalty choices towards brands and businesses6.
• Businesses that lead in their customer experience efforts outperform laggards by almost 80%7.
• 91% of today's consumers, particularly digital natives, are more likely to shop with brands that provide relevant offers and recommendations8.
At Red Letter Days, we wholeheartedly know the importance of excellent customer service. That’s why we’re delighted to have recently been awarded a ServiceMark accreditation by The Institute of Customer Service. In honour of Get to Know Your Customer Day, we’ve compiled three tried and tested ways you can get to know your customers and skyrocket your businesses success.
1. Questionnaires and surveys
From asking how they heard about you and if they were satisfied with their purchase, to more in-depth customer-insight surveys, asking your customers to complete digital surveys is a sure-fire way to learn a thing or two about who is purchasing your products. To increase engagement, why not incentivise the survey? A small gesture can go a long way, so reward your customers for their time with a discount on their next purchase. Keep the survey short and sweet, ask meaningful questions and you’ll receive valuable responses.
2. Responding to reviews
According to Microsoft’s 2017 State of Global Customer Service Report, 78% of respondents nationwide look favourably upon businesses that solicit and respond to customer feedback9 . It may seem time consuming but responding to both positive and negative reviews is a great way to get feedback on how you’re doing as a business. Whether it’s replying to individual product reviews or feedback about your business, showing your customers you care about what they have to say is invaluable to you as a business. And don’t forget the bad reviews. It’s just as important to show you take negative reviews seriously and outline a plan of action. Ensure that you acknowledge their comments politely and that you’re dedicated to improving the customer experience10.
3. Loyalty programmes and rewards
Keep your customers coming back with loyalty schemes and rewards. Statistics taken from the Digital Marketing Institute found that “83% of customers state that loyalty programmes make them more likely to keep engaging with particular brands11.” So, if you’re looking to build long-term relationships and boost customer retention, creating a loyalty programme could be just the way to do that.
There you have it, three ways you can engage with your customer this July 15th and ultimately help your customers to help you. If you want to be a successful company and stand out from the crowd, it all begins with the customer – it’s the overarching rule of exceptional companies12.
2. Marketing Recourse Blog, Promotional Ideas for “Get to Know Your Customer Day”
3. Digital Marketing Institute, 2020
4. Digital Marketing Institute, 2020
5. Digital Marketing Institute, 2020
6. Microsoft State of Global Customer Service Report, 2017
7. Qualtrics, 2019
8. SmarterHQ, 26 Essential Personalization Stats for B2C Marketers
9. Fundbox, 2021
10. Split Pixel, 2020
11. Invesp, 2021
12. Forbes, 2012